NFS Campground Review – Diamond Lake, Diamond Lake OR

The lovely Diamond Lake

A lovely lakeside forest service campground only ~10 miles from the entrance to Crater Lake, OR

Link to campground here: Diamond Lake NFS, OR 
Link to map location here: Diamond Lake NFS, OR

1. Site Quality = 2.5/5
   You have the whole gamut of site types in this place. Although officially a 35-foot max campground there are actually several sites that will fit bigger rigs, but there are also many, many others that are so slanted and small they would barely fit a pop-up. All sites are paved pull-through, back-in or doubles with various sizes of “sitting areas” containing picnic table and fire-pit. Several loops are right on the water with gorgeous water views. No hookups. There are a total of 238 sites in 11 loops and I’ll give a brief description of each:
   -> A Loop - This loop meanders north of the entrance with a portion of sites at the far end on the water. For big rigs the best (flattest) sites are near the entrance around A1,3,4,5 or around A15-17 – no views here, but great sites with huge “sitting areas”. Near the water sites are tighter and more uneven.
   -> B, D Loops – These are tighter loops that wrap behind the campground and sit closest to the road. They get some road noise and I don’t recommend them for bigger rigs.
   -> C Loop - This is probably the nicest water-front loop in the campground with several fabulous lake view spots (C6-C11) large and flat enough for bigger rigs. This would be my #1 pick coming back.
   -> E, F Loops – Water-front loops with mostly uneven sites. There are a few possible big rig spots, but it’s not my favorite area.
   -> G Loop - Southern-most loop along the water. This has some of the sunniest sites and lots of open lake views. Most sites are rather too uneven for big rigs, but a few (G23, 25, 28 and doubles G31, 34, 36) would potentially fit us. There is a tight-ish turn at the end of the loop, so beware of this before you go.
   -> H Loop - This is a large, spacious loop that wraps behind the campground. It has no lake views and sits mostly in shade, but many sites (H1,2,4,5,7,9,12,16,21,25,27) are large and flat enough for bigger rigs If A & C loops are filled, this would be my back-up choice for our size.
   -> K,L Loops – These are very tight, uneven and small sites by the water. Lots of privacy, great views and a good choice for truck-campers or pop-ups, but not recommended at all for big rigs.
   -> M Loop – Selection of sunny sites by the water. Most are too uneven, but a few longer sites (M2,7,13,15,17) would fit us. Nice lake views here and I’d try it if C were filled.
2. Facilities = 4/5  Very nice facilities for a forest service campground. Flush toilets and excellent showers (large stalls with very warm water and great pressure!), kept decently clean. Showers are on “donation” basis asking $1 for 5 minutes (totally worth it!). Only slight ding is showers have those annoying spray-heads. Also on-site dump station, but there’s a ”dip” going into it, so beware of your back-end. Potable water spigots at dump and around camp.
3. Location = 5/5 As far as nature goes this is really a lovely location. You are right by a gorgeous lake with 11-mile bike trail, miles (and miles) of hiking, mountains, great views, nearby lodge. You area also only ~10 miles from Crater Lake and right next to Umpqua River Trail and all the nature that entails. No real shopping here, so load up before coming.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5 Another fabulous location for doggie. Lots of space to hang out in camp and miles of great hiking paths, all paw-friendly. Lake is pooch-swimmable, but watch for algae blooms.

Overall Rating =  4.1
BONUS ALERT: Lake views and miles of hiking & biking!

Summary: This campground came recommended by several blog readers (thanks, folks!) and I’m happy to say it totally lived up to its reputation. The location is fabulous, right on a lake with many sites offering partial or full lake views, and surrounded by miles of lovely hiking and biking trails. It’s the perfect stop-over for Crater Lake lying only ~10 miles from the National Park and also right next to the lovely Umpqua River trail (more hiking, waterfalls, hot tubs…). The campground itself is “officially” a 35-foot max, but you’ll find a few loops (especially A, C, H, G & M) that have select sites which will fit up to 42-foot size and even some with full lake views. Sites are paved but vary ALOT in how flat and accessible they are, so you have the full gamut from really ugly sites to stunning lake-front beauties. Take your time to drive the toad before you bring in the rig! According to locals the mosquitos here can be ferocious in summer, but when we visited (Sept) bugs were gone and the weather perfect. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our time here and I would peg it as our #1 spot to stay in the area when we come back.

Extra Info: Weakish 3G on Verizon (1-2 bars), but totally usable with our external antenna and amp. Total 238 sites , no hookups. Sites cost $16/night for singles, $21/night for doubles (50% off with senior pass). In summer season much of the campground reservable on-line, but it goes to first-come-first-serve after Sept 4th. On-site dump station and water spigots.

Extra, Extra Info – Other Camping, Boondocking: There are actually several other forest service campgrounds around Diamond Lake and nearby Lemolo Lake, plus there is a private RV park (rustic, but with full hookups) just down the road from the NFS site. You can also boondock officially within 300 feet of any forest service road and we scoped a few sites on the SW side of the lake which could fit us.

View of our enormous “sitting area” in A4. We did need levelling blocks under the front wheels to level though.

Another one of the larger, flat back-ins. Site A5 near the entrance.

View down the lovely C loop. Site C8 on left, C7 on right.

One of the lakefront sites in G-loop. Site G27. This has way too much lean for us.

View down G-loop. Pull-through G36 on right is a “double” site and would fit us.

View down K loop. Site K25 on left with K23, 22 behind it. These are all too small and unlevel for us, but would be nice sites for smaller campers.

View of one of the impossibly small/uneven sites in K-loop. Site K27 shown.

View down L loop. Lots of privacy and separation here, but very small sites. Site L4 on left.

View of one of the bigger sites in M loop. Site M15 shown.

View of spacious H loop. Site H15 on right with pull-through H16 behind it. No views in H, but lots of bigger sites.

View of typical “sitting area” with fire-pit and picnic table

2011 Top RV Parks & Campgrounds Of The Year

Believe it or not we’ve made it to 2012! With 2011 speeding rapidly behind us (at an ever increasing rate, or so it seems) this is the perfect time to review the best of the best of sites that we stayed at last year (just like we did in 2010). In line with our “free-the-beast” camping style most of the spots we chose were public parks. In fact out of 62 total stops in 2011, only 5 were private parks, and all but one of those 5 were big city. It’s the way we like it ->loose and free in the wild with just a rare touch of civilization every now and then. Since SO MUCH of our camping was in the wilds I’m switching around a few of our catagories this year. Hope you enjoy them!

1/ Top 3 Camping Spots with a VIEW

Lovely Lone Pine Campground, CA

We came across some simply spectacular views in 2011. In fact so many campgrounds made this list that I had to narrow it down to those that gave us true 360-degree views right from our RV site.

• Tuttle Creek, Lone Pine, CA -> Sweeping 360-degree views of Mt.Whitney and the Owens Valley, all for only $5/night. Wow!
• Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, NM -> Nestled in the Sacramento Mountains you have a fully open view of the valley with the mountains behind you. Oh, and sunset out your window too!
• Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM -> Book a water-front site in the north campground for sweeping views of the lake with the mountains in the background. Gorgeous!

2/ Top 3 BEACH Camping Spots

The wonderful beach at Fort Stevens State Park, OR

We managed some great beach stops both in FL, TX and OR. It was hard to chose, but these 3 made the top of our list:

• St Joseph Peninsular State Park, Cape St.Blas, FL -> Remote and gorgeous with paw-friendly beach only ~1 mile away! We simply raved about this spot when we were there and it definitely makes our top list.
• Carl G.Washburne State Park, Florence, OR -> A hidden gem along the OR coast boasting both a dog-friendlly beach and an awesome lighthouse.
• Fort Stevens State Park, Astoria, OR -> Miles of beach, history, lake and trails all in one. And ALL of it paw-friendly too.

3/ Top 3 FOREST Campsites

Our "sitting area" at Convict Lake, CA

When we’re in the mountains we LOVE the forest campgrounds and we managed some pretty gems in 2011. Here are my favorites:

• Canyon Rim, Flaming Gorge, UT -> What a spectactular spot! A mini-campground with only 7 RV sites just steps away from outstanding views of Flaming Gorge.
• Cayton, San Juan NF, CO -> We totally fell in love the remote Lizard Head Wilderness here and would come back in a heartbeat. You’re next to river, mountains and days of hiking at 9,400 feet.
• Convict Lake, Mammoth Lakes, CA -> It’s the most expensive of our NF choices, but in a simply fabulous location. Lake, mountain and views. You get it all here!

4/ Top 3 Camping DEALS

Desert boondocking just outside of Yuma, AZ

This may seem like an odd catagory, but I had to mention it. I’m lumping together a few campgrounds into one here just to give you a feel for just how GREAT a deal you can get camping in the wilds.

• New Mexico State Parks -> I’ve mentioned them soooo many times on the blog, but they deserve just one more. New Mexico has the BEST camping deal in the country IMHO. The Annual Camping Pass is $225 and covers a YEAR of primitive camping with only $4/night extra for electric. Add to it that New Mexico has some of the most beautiful State Parks we’ve encounted and I really can’t imagine a better deal.
• BLM Campgrounds -> BLM campgrounds are primitive and often remote, but they’re fabulous deals at only ~$5 a pop. Good examples that we’ve simply loved are Tuttle Creek and Owl Canyon in CA, Datil Well and Orilla Verde in NM.
• Boondocking -> What’s even better than $5/night? That would be FREE!! There are tons of great boondocking sites especially on BLM land out west. We snagged a gorgeous spot on the beach in Sea Rim, TX, a desert beauty in Quartzsite, AZ and a remote lovely just outside of Yuma.

5/ Top 3 Not-Yet-Mentioned Gems

Hill view of the lovely Davis Mountain State Park, TX

These didn’t fit into the other catagories, but they made our list of top-rated campgrounds for their own individual reasons. So, here we go:

• Davis Mountains State Park, TX -> One of our absolute top-rated campgrounds because it combined the best of everything. Great sites and facilities in a fabulous location with both hiking, star-gazing and hills. Sadly fire swept this area in 2011, so we’re not sure what it all looks like now.
• Mesa Verde RV Resort, CO -> Yes, a private park believe it or not. Great facilities just outside Mesa Verde National Park. It made the very top of our list of private parks visited in 2011 and deserved a mention for that reason alone.
• Markham Park, Sunrise, FL -> We wintered here last year and consider it one of the nicest spots for extended stay in southern FL. Want gigantic sites, oceans of green, trails and lakes? Add-in a full-blown dog-park and biking area to boot. Then, this is your spot!

There are tons of other worthy and beautiful campgrounds that I didn’t manage to mention, but we’ll just have to place them in the archives for the next time. Happy Camping everyone!

Finding Cheap & Natural Campgrounds

The road to our kind of place....

We’re in the very midst of planning our 2011 trip. Having wintered happily here in Markham, FL we’re starting to get the itch to move again and have decided (for better or worse) to start moving around Jan 24th. Since it’s still the cold period we’ll be hugging the South, travelling the West coast of FL, then along the Southern coast of Alabama, Mississippi, and on towards  Texas. There we’ll wait for things to thaw out before moving North to the mountains.

Now, all of this means we need to do some campground planning. We don’t always book ahead, but during “high-season” and for specific locations we’ll usually try to have a basic plan. On top of that we like to stay in unique and natural settings and, as a final cherry point, we want to keep our costs down. It’s not that we’re cheap as such, but campgrounds can take up to 40% of the monthly budget and since our budget varies with our investment income we like to keep things flexible. Choosing the right campground can mean the difference between spending $400/mo to $1000/mo in campground fees….or…camping for free! So, how does one go about finding these exclusive, natural, dog-friendly, frugal spots?

When we first started RVing we used to stay at private parks and used Trailer Life and Woodall’s as our campground guides. It was a tad pricey and most of the campgrounds weren’t exactly the “natural setting” we were looking for (plus some had dog restrictions). So, we ditched this approach and started looking elsewhere which brought me to the set of references we use now:

$5/night camping in South Carolina (Sumter Forest)

1/ Public Campground Locations - Public Campgrounds are usually great deals and include lovely, natural (and dog-friendly!) spots like National Forest, State Parks, City Parks, Army Corps of Engineers, Provincial Parks and so forth. There’s a ton of them around, and they’re not always easy to find. I used to laboriously work through each choice individually going to up to 5 different sites (city, state, forest etc.) to locate my sites. Recently however, I discovered http://www.uscampgrounds.info/ which magically combines everything for me. Just click on the map, or download it to your laptop or iPhone and presto! You have almost every public spot out there! The site gives  basic  details on each individual campground plus locations on the map. This has become my #1 reference site and from there I go check further details using the following:

• Army Corps of Engineers – http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/  is the best listing.
• National Forest – http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/finder.shtml and http://www.forestcamping.com/ are the two best references. The first is the “official” forest website. The second is compiled by 2 full-time RVers who do all the research themselves.
• State Parks – Most states have their own website (e.g. For FL, there’s  http://www.floridastateparks.org/), so just search on the State you’re visiting
• RVParkReviews.com – http://www.rvparkreviews.com/is the biggest, free campground review site out there and I always, always use this as a back-up to the above sites to see what people actually think of the campgrounds. Not all public campgrounds are listed, but many are. The reviews give you “insider” info on the campgrounds with real experiences from people who’ve stayed there. Invaluable stuff!

Boondocking on Quartzite BLM land, AZ

2/ Free Campgrounds & Boondocking - The next step over from public, developed campgrounds is to go totally free. That means zero $$, nada moolah and likely no facilities either. What a great combo! The art of camping in these remote locations is called boondocking and most of the sites are well-kept secrets by those who know them. But, there’s a couple of resources to help you discover the main ones and get started on discovering some of your own:

• Online Free Campground Listings – http://www.freecampgrounds.com/, http://freecampsites.net/ and http://www.boondocking.org/ seem to have the most complete listings that I’ve found.
• Online communities – Lots of online RV communities such as Escapees, iRV2.com and RV.net have forums dedicated to boondocking. If you ask around and read the threads, you’ll often get ideas on where to go. If you become a member of Escapees, you can also get access to their ”Days End” list with details of low-cost and free sites.
• Books - Don Wright’s “Free Campgrounds” books seem to be the best we’ve found. Not all the campgrounds listed are free, but there’s a good choice of low-cost and free alternatives together with map locations.
• Forest Service - Many National Forests will have “dispersed” camping locations  especially if they don’t have a lot of developed campgrounds. Your best bet is usually to visit the office in your area and ask them for tips. There’s a stay-limit (often 14 days), but you can usually also move between sites.
• BLM Land - The Bureau of Land Management manages a ton of public land, a lot of which allows dispersed, free camping. They have a website http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html, and the local office can usually help to give more precise info on areas to try. Many BLM locations do have a stay-limit (again, often 14 days), but some areas allow longer term stays (LTVA – Long Term Visitor Areas) where you can stay up to 6 months at a time for a small fee.

This coming year we’re planning on sticking to public campgrounds, leaning towards more boondocking as we get out West and I’ll be sharing all our locations on the blog.  Should you should feel a sudden and generous urge to share your own secret spots with us, we’ll be more than happy to get the tip :)

Finding Pet-Friendly Spots On the Road

Dog-beach at Fort de Soto, FL...wet and wonderful!

In our house you could say camping has gone to the dogs…or the cats. Either way, camping is ALL about the pets for us. After all, what’s the point of being somewhere if you can’t share it with your furry friends, both the human and the animal version? So, when we’re on the road we do our prep work to make sure the places we go are pet-friendly, and our pets nod their approval with kitty-purrs and sloppy kisses. Here’s our favourite resources:

1. General Dog-Friendly Spots - http://dogfriendly.com/ and http://www.bringfido.com/ are our two of our all-time favorite online doggie sites.  A newer website which is growing and looks very promising is http://gopetfriendly.com/. These 3 sites list almost everything that’s dog-friendly everywhere, including city guides, parks, hiking, beaches etc. When we’re in a spot and looking for a place to take pooch, we go here.

2. Private Campgrounds – Although we tend to avoid them these days, most private campgrounds do accept pets, but some will have either size, breed or number restrictions. If you do your research you can find exceptional dog-loving spots, for example Four Paws Kingdom in NC and Winding River RV Park in CO (a Polly-approved spot), but unfortunately we haven’t found a good guide that sorts through all the choices. The sites from #1 have listings, plus there’s a couple of other websites out there (e.g. petswelcome.com and petfriendlytravel.com), but they’re generally spotty/incomplete. Of the big three GoPetFriendly.com seems to have the most promising listing directory. Given the trouble and our need for more open space and hiking we’ve ditched this option for #3, 4 and 5 below.

Taggart takes time to sniff the flowers at Curt Gowdy State Park, WY

3. National Forest & State Parks – If you asked Polly she’d likely wonder why we EVER stay in a private park, and I have to admit we’ve come around to her point of view. As opposed to private campgrounds, National Forest and State Parks rarely have any pet restrictions. In addition they tend to have plenty of space, dog-friendly hiking trails and (often) open spots/fields where one can go a little dog-nutty (as one does, on occasion). In fact we consider these areas 12 paws better than the real thing and haven’t stayed elsewhere in months. For National Forest check out http://www.forestcamping.com/, and http://www.recreation.gov/. For State Parks, go to the State webpage for your area.

4. Army Corps of Engineers - The Army Corps of Engineers is another pet-friendly group that manages over 2,500 recreation areas. We’ve tried quite a few of their campgrounds and find them right up our alley. They’re often centered around lake areas that’ll have an “unofficial” spot where you and doggie can enjoy the water together. The Corps publishes a book and also runs a website with their locations: http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/

5. Bureau of Land Management - In addition to the official camping spots, our government manages a ton of other public land which is open to everyone, including our furry friends. Your home-grown RVer can easily find a nice, primitive campground here, while the more adventurous boondocker can search for completely-off-the-beaten-track camping spots. http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html

6. Hiking Trails – We are big paw-fans of the trails on National Forest and  State Parks, but if you’re looking for something more specific “Best Hikes with Dogs“ has created a website and guide books dedicated to the art of getting out in the wild with doggie. Check them out: http://www.besthikeswithdogs.com/

Hiking into the sunset at Cumberland Mountain State Park, TN

And that, as they say, is how you do it. You’ll notice National Parks are not on this list and for good reason. Despite the nature and open space, National Parks are rather dog-unfriendly and most won’t allow pooch on any of the trails (with very, very few exceptions). We’re quite happy with our somewhat off-the-track spots and are likely to go even more off-beat as time goes on.

So, on that note, may the rivers be plentiful, the squirrels abound and the paws be with you on all your travels….

NF Campground Rating – Brick House, Sumter National Forest (Whitmire, SC)

Can you get deep forest seclusion for $5? Oh yes, you can!
Link to campground here: Brick House Campground, Sumter Forest
Link to map here: Brick House Campground, Sumter Forest

1. Site Quality = 2/5
   This is a primitve campground and the sites reflect that. Nothing fancy here, just dirt/forest-surface back-ins with picnic table and fire-pit. The sites vary quite a bit in size and level, but they’re are large, well-separated, nicely shaded and you can easily get the biggest rig in here.
2.  Facilities = 2/5
   The only facilities here are vault toilets. The campground does have a day-use area (with large, grassy field) and direct access to over 30 miles of horse/bike/hike trails.
3. Location = 4/5
   Gotta give this place kudos for location. You’re just off Hwy 26, yet you feel like you’re in deep, secluded forest and you’re only a few miles from the small town of Whitmire,SC. It’s a primitive location with civilization not too far away.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another doggie haven. Lots of open space, hiking trails and little critters to chase.

Overall Rating = 3.25
BONUS ALERT = A secluded forest campground for only $5!

Summary: You really can’t get a much better deal than this! For $5/night you’re in a secluded and peaceful forest campground. It’s right off Hwy 26 and close to Whitmire, SC yet feels like it’s way out there. The campground is basic and primitive, nothing but forest ground and vault toilets here, but the surrounding area is lovely with over 30 miles of horse/bike/hike trails and lots of space for yourself and your furry friends. The campground attracts hunters and horse-men, so there’s plenty of room to fit big-rigs. This is a very basic campground, but it’s wonderfully peaceful. Great dry-camping spot and one to keep on the list!

 Extra Info:  Amazingly both Verizon datacard and AT&T phones worked. Primitive sites only (no hookups). $5/night. NO water or dump.

Paul walks Taggart at our site

Typical site view...just a cleared-out forest space

Picnic table and fire-pit at each site

View down campground road to our neighbour

Hiking in the forest w/ Polly