2010 Best RV Parks & Campgrounds of the Year

A perfect view and a perfect spot. Boondocking in Quartzite, AZ

December is a great month for looking back on the year. We’re all holed-up, hot chocolate in hand, snuggling with our honey’s (furry and non-furry alike) and chatting about all the places we’ve been. I’ve kept a fairly detailed list of every park we’ve stayed at, and decided it would be interesting to combine them all and see who came out on top.

Now, we have a definite slant towards open, green spaces and pet-friendly locations and it’s no surprise that those are exactly the spots that came out as our favorites. During the year we’ve also drifted away from Private Parks towards National Forest and State Parks mostly for their paw-friendly space and costs. In fact, of the 42 spots we stayed at in 2010, the top 5 are ALL National Forest. So, with that said, and just a small drumroll (for dramatic effect) let’s reveal the Nina, Paul, Polly, Taggart and Rand favorites of 2010:

1/ Top 3 National Forest Campgrounds

Our “sitting area” in Singletree, UT w/ view of the valley

These were all tied for top spot (as well as best overall in all 42 parks rated). They all scored 4.75/5 in our rating system.

• Hillman Ferry, Land Between the Lakes KY – lakes views, hiking, swimming and outdoor beauty. We had a blast here.
• Rock Creek, Erwin TN - Serene woods, creeks, water-falls and 50AMP hook-up deep in the Smoky Mountains for $15/night. So peaceful!
• Singletree, Dixie Forest UT – Mountains, nature and stunning views of Capitol Reef for only $10/night. We’d go back in a heartbeat.

2/ Top 3 State Parks

Snake Creek, SD. Paul and Polly take a dip 10 feet from our RV

These didn’t quite beat the NF sites in ratings, but came real close

• Snake Creek, Platte SD – daily dips in the Missouri w/ doggie!
• Alafia River State Park, FL - some of raddest mountain bike trails in FL.
• Cumberland Mountain State Park, TN – wooded and relaxed campground in the Cumberland Plateau, plus the nicest camp hosts we’ve ever met.

3/ Top 3 Private Parks

Waheap, Lake Powell AZ. A perfect location

It’s no surprise that our top 3 private parks were the ones who had most space and nature around them

• Santee Lakes, San Diego CA - one of the very first parks we ever stayed at and it still tops the ratings.
• Winding River RV Resort, CO – a huge (enormous), pooch-friendly spot right next to Rocky Mountain National Park and Arapaho Forest.
• Waheap RV Park, Lake Powell, AZ – maybe the prettiest view we’ve had from a site on the whole trip.

4/ Best Beach Park
Although we only really stayed at beach parks in the Eastern part of our trip one park topped the others are being the absolute best and that was Hunting Island State Park, SC. For beach, it can’t be beat.

5/ Best Value
National Forest was definitely our best value throughout the trip. Of the paid sites we stayed at Brick House in Sumter Forest. SC ($5/night) and Singletree in Dixie Forest, UT ($10/night) topped the list. Of course nothing can beat the boondocking we did in Quartzite, AZ.

6/ Best Views
No doubt the best views that we had (right from our campsite) were in Singletree, Dixie Forest UT, Waheap, Lake Powell UT and boondocking in Quartzite, AZ. Hard to beat the views in the West.

It’ll be interesting to see which way we go next year. Given our penchant for space,  we’re likely to continue with our preference for State Parks & National Forest and will probably add more boondocking sites to the list too.

NF Campground Rating – Hillman Ferry (Land Between the Lakes, KY)

Our first campground in Kentucky and a definite keeper!

Link to campground here: Land Between the Lakes, KY
Link to map here: Land Between the Lakes, KY

  

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   We really liked the sites here. The campground is huge (over 400 sites), and I’d say there were very few that weren’t decent. Sites are hard gravel, large, very level and with fire-pit and picnic bench. They are well rated (size-wise) so if you reserve a site for your rig size you should have no problem fitting in. There’s a selection of full hook-ups, electric/water, electric only and primitive, and you can choose from heavy forest (in T-section) down to waterfront (in C-section) either with or without shade.
2. Facilities = 4.5/5
   Nice facilities here. There’s flush toilets and individual (very large) shower stalls with good water pressure. There’s also a laundry machine in each shower area. The campground has lake access all along the shore with boat-ramps, fishing and a designated swim-beach in section A. Also, several playground and picnic areas. Central dump station (albeit with an odd, sharp right-hand turn to get in).
3. Location = 5/5
   You can’t really beat the location here. Land Between the Lakes is a huge  recreation area with hundreds of miles of hiking trails, biking, lake access, and water sports. There’s a large Nature Station, a historical working 19th century farm, a planetarium and even a Bison & Elk range. You’re also within 4 miles of Grand River which has a small grocery and a good restaurant (Patti’s).
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great doggie play-area. Lots of space to hike and hang out in the campground, plus water access around the lake.

Overall Rating = 4.75
BONUS ALERT = Lake views, hiking, swimming and outdoor beauty all at your doorstep!  

Summary: When we arrived at this campground we immediately decided to stay longer than planned, it was that good. Land Between the Lakes is a huge (170,000-acre) recreation area set beautifully between Kentucky and Barkley Lake. The area has several large campgrounds, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails and every type of outdoor activity you could imagine. Hillman Ferry is located on the North End, has over 400 sites and is by far the most developed National Forest campground we’ve ever seen.  The sites are nice, level, large hard gravel pads and there’s a complete selection from full hook-up to primitive, heavily wooded to fully open lake-view. By far the prettiest (in our opinion) sites are the water-front ones in Section C1 and C2, although all the sites are decent. A portion of the sites are auctioned off for the season each year (and occupied by long-term campers) but the prime sites are kept open and reservable. The area is fairly quiet during the week, but does tend to fill-up in the week-end so book ahead if you want a lake view. We spent some lovely days here watching the sunset over the lake, hiking and playing in the water w/ Polly. A definite keeper!  

 Extra Info:  Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked. Full selection of reservable sites from primitive to full hook-up (book well ahead for lake views). Sites are $23/night for electric/water. Central dump and potable water. Laundry.  

One of the full-view waterfront sites (#C38)

View from our site (#C59) looking down to the corner site (#C64)

One of shaded water-side sites in beginning of C-section (#C9)

View down road in beginning of C-section

View down road in heavily wooded T-section

Playing by the lake w/ Polly