RV Park Review – Boise Riverside RV Park, Boise, ID

The green pet area at Boise Riverside RV Park

A basic, but very friendly RV park in a GREAT location in Boise, ID

Link to park here: Boise Riverside RV Park, Boise, ID
Link to map location here: Boise Riverside RV park, Boise, ID

1. Site quality = 2.5/5
   Just so-so sites here. They are all basic, cleared flat dirt with decent separation (there’s “double-size” between each RV -> a space for your RV and a space next to it for your car) with water/electric (greenbelt-facing sites) or full hookups (50 Amp/water/sewer), but really not much else. Most sites are separated by a concrete pad, some have a strip of grass, several have decent trees (ours was actually quite shaded although the tree threw sap all over the RV), but only a select number have picnic tables. The water/electric only sites had a bit more grass, but were generally smaller in size (smaller rigs only). Electricity OK, but water pressure was low.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5
   Decent facilities. Bathrooms and toilets were a tad older, but spotlessly clean. Low water pressure in the showers, but otherwise good temps and plenty of space. All showers have separate bench and hooks for your stuff.
3. Amenities = 3/5
   Decent, but basic amenities. There is a large, clean on-site laundry ($1.50 per wash), grassy areas, propane, dump and BBQ area. Decent (workable) on-site WiFi although signal was poor the further you got from the office.
4. Location = 5/5
   Location is what you come here for. Boise Riverside RV Park is literally ON the greenbelt with direct access to the bike-hike trail and only ~15 mins from downtown. Excellent location for anything you want to do in town.
5. Pet friendliness = 5/5
   Good area for doggie. There’s limited space at camp, but there is an on-site (large, green) pet-walk area and you are right on the greenbelt for access to miles of walking (and river dips) right from camp. Also, you’re only ~15 mins from the foothills and all the extra hiking there.

Overall rating = 3.8
BONUS ALERT: Camp RIGHT on the Boise greenbelt and only ~5 miles from downtown!

Summary: This park is all about location, location, location. On the cosmetic side I would call it a basic private RV park. Sites are basic dirt with full hookups (rather low water-pressure, but otherwise fine), decent separation, some basic grass or concrete in-between, decent trees, but not much in the way of “extras”. There’s good, basic facilities, good amenities, everything is clean and well-kept and the owners are super-friendly and supportive (e.g. you can wash your RV for only $5). All good stuff, but not exactly stunning. Where the park wins me over is location. You are literally RIGHT on the Boise greenbelt, with direct access to miles of walking, biking and water-dips (for doggie) right from camp. Also you’re only ~5 miles from downtown and the Boise foothills. When we came to Boise a few years back we stayed at Hi Valley which was a very neat park, but further from town. Boise Riverside is more basic and not as modern, but in a much, much better location. I think if we come back we’ll choose to stay here again.

Extra Info: Excellent Verizon signal (4G LTE and 3G). On-site WiFi is workable, although signal is poor as you get further from the office. Sites cost $32.56/night or $179.22/week or $375/month for full hookups. Water/electric only sites are $25/night. Good Sam’s Discount. On-site dump station and propane.

Front view of our site (#6). Very shaded, but the tree threw sap all over our RV

Back view of our RV site. We had no-one to the left and right side is empty.

View down front greenbelt-facing water/electric sites. Mostly smaller rigs here.

View down some sites near front entrance of park

Another view down front entrance rows

View of sites near back of park

Another view of back sites

View down middle row

View of facilities in middle of park (laundry, showers)

Walking Polly on the greenbelt right next to the RV park

NF Campground Rating – Rock Creek, Cherokee Forest (Erwin, TN)

This is where we’re staying right now and is an absolute gem of a find in the northern end of the Smoky Mountains
Link to campground here: Rock Creek, Cherokee National Forest
Link to map here: Rock Creek Recreation Area

1. Site Quality = 5/5
    For a National Forest these are some of the nicest sites we’ve seen. They’re extremely spacious, flat, hard gravel back-ins with picnic table, fire-pit and shelf area (to store wood and such). Sites are well wooded with lots of separation between campers (in fact it’s hard to see anyone except your closest neighbour). The bonus…all sites have 50 AMP hookups.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Very decent facilities. There’s flush toilets and showers, all clean and well-kept. Central dump-station and potable water several places around the campground, plus picnic area and playground. There’s even a natural stream-fed swimming hole. Only ding, the showers have one of those 15-sec timers so you’ve got to keep pressing to get water.
3. Location = 5/5
   The location just rocks. You’re a few miles from Erwin which will cover all your basic shopping needs, but you’re well and truely immersed in the forest. There’s a natural creek that runs along the campgroung and hiking trails to water-falls and mountain-tops right from your doorstep.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Wonderful place for doggie. There’s plenty of space, hiking trails and streams to play in.

Overall Rating = 4.75
BONUS ALERT = Serene woods, gorgeous creeks and water-falls in the deep midst of the Smoky Mountains

Summary: What a find is really all I can say! We came into the Smokies without any reservations, took a chance on this first-come-first-serve forest campground in the North and are so happy we did. If you want to get away from it all, I can’t imagine a better spot. It’s conveniently located right next to Erwin, TN, but you feel like you’ve submerged yourself into a remote natural wilderness when you get here. It’s densely wooded yet set beautifully next to a natural creek (there’s even a creek-fed swimming hole). Sites are very large, perfectly flat hard gravel back-ins with the suprising bonus of 50 AMP hookup. There’s lots of space between campers and the serenity of being in the woods with hiking trails to mountains and waterfalls right from your doorstep (see some of our pictures from the area HERE). The turns inside the camping loops are a bit tight in places, but are OK if you take your time. Most of the people who come are locals, I guess because they’re the only ones who know the secret. During the week it’s absolutely empty, but fills up in the week-end. We would definitely come back!

 Extra Info:  No connectivity here, but we were able to get internet w/ Verizon using our external amplifier and antenna. All sites first-come-first-serve. 50 AMP hook-ups. Sites are $15/night. Central dump and potable water. Swimming hole.

Typical site view...these are HUGE!

Picnic table, shelf and fire-pit at each site

View of our site at end of loop C

View down loop C to our "neighbours". Can you see them?

View of another of the 3 camp loops

One of the many gorgeous hiking trails

NF Campsite Review – Kelly Dahl (Nederland, CO)

A quick review of the Natonal Forest campground we stayed at near Nederland, CO. 

Link to Campground Here: Kelly Dahl Campground, CO

1. Site Quality = 3/5
   There’s definitely variation in site quality here. All sites are dirt and vary quite a bit in size and levelness (the one we reserved, although it was listed as a 40′ site was too small and uneven for us to fit, so we switched on arrival). Selection of sites with shade or more open. Most sites have a pretty forest view with a good deal of space between campers. Each site also has a table, fire-pit and grill.
2. Facilities = 2.5/5
   There’s pit toilets and a playground on-site, but no other major facilities. There’s also potable water at several locatons. No dump station.
3. Location = 5/5
   This is a gorgeous location with direct access to trails in the National Forest and a quick 3-mile drive to Nederland. Beautiful views of the forest and surrounding mountains.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   They’re pooch friendly here and you can have your dog hang out at your campsite and on the trails.

Overall Rating = 3.9
BONUS ALERT = gorgeous mountain location and zany Nederland at your doorstep

Summary: This was a gorgeous stop for us next to Nederland, CO. The campsite is located at 8,600 feet and is nestled right in the Arapaho forest. Half of the sites are reservable whereas other half are first-come-first-serve. There’s definitely sites for big-rigs, but I’d say the majority of the campground is better suited for tenters or smaller rigs (only a handful of sites are level or large enough for big-rigs). There’s direct access to trails from the campground and it’s a short ride to Nederland and miles of other trails around the area. Overall it’s a primitive campground in a pretty and serene natural setting. We’d definitely stay here again.

 Extra Info: Much to our surprise our AT&T cellphones worked, but our Verizon wireless card didn’t. Sites cost $17/night. Water, but no dump station. No hookups. Mix of reserve and first-come-first-serve sites.

Entrance to Kelly Dahl

Shade site in first-come-first-serve area

Site in reservable area with a sliver of a view

View along more open side of the campground

On-site playground

RV Park Rating – Munds Park RV Resort (Munds Park, AZ)

Wrapping up our stay in Munds Park, here’s our review of the place we stayed at for 2 weeks:

Link to park here: Munds Park RV Resort

1. Site quality = 2.5/5
   There’s a lot of variation in the site quality here. The older part of the park has basic dirt sites which are not very level and very tight, but are closer to the forest. The newer area has large sites with picnic tables, but are right next to Hwy 17 so they’re on the noisy side. However hook-ups are good everywhere. There’s 50 Amp, cable and decent water pressure.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Bathrooms are dated, but spotlessly clean and heated, which is a bonus in the mountains. No bench in the showers, but good water pressure.
3. Amenities = 4/5
   Nice amenities here. There’s a General Store which stocks basic groceries, a pool and jacuzzi, and playground for the kids. There’s also a fitness room and areas to BBQ around the park. There’s several meeting rooms too. Oh, and free wireless (and it works!).
4. Location = 4/5
   This place gets a 4 simply because you have a huge, gorgeous National Forest right at your fingertips. Hiking simply doesn’t get any better than this and from our site we were literally 20 feet from the entrance. It’s ~20 mins to Flagstaff (for shopping) and ~35 mins to Sedona so a bit of a ride to get to civilization.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5
   This is a pet-friendly park, and the forest is a bonus for those with animals.

 Overall rating = 3.7
BONUS ALERT: National Forest and miles of hiking right at your fingertips

Summary: This is an interesting mix of a park. The majority of the area is dedicated to “seasonals”= people who come for the summer season to escape the heat in Phoenix. So, there’s a lot of semi-permanent trailers and trailer-homes and we gather it gets very full by ~June. The RV sites are scattered in-between and vary a lot in size, but the location is beautiful. Lots of gorgeous Ponderosa Pine and miles & miles of forest. There’s not much in the way of towns close-by (Flagstaff is the closest larger town),  but if you like being close to nature this can’t be beat.

RV Sites in the older section near the forest where we stayed

View of the park from the forest. There's alot of semi-permanent trailers & homes

Kiddies playground

The General Store & entrance

RV Park Rating – Desert Edge RV Village (Phoenix, AZ)

Using our brilliant rating system, here’s a review of the park we’ve stayed at in Phoenix, AZ for the past 2 weeks: 

Link to park here: Desert Edge RV Village 

1. Site quality = 4/5
   The sites are nicely landscaped (especially for a desert location) and a decent size. Each site has a concrete pad with picnic table and 50 amp hookups.
2. Facilities = 5/5
   Bathrooms are the best we’ve seen by far. Cute, spotlessly clean and heated (oh yeah, baby!). Showers are nice and large with a separate bench to put your stuff. They even went to the trouble to put up some pictures and decoration.
3. Amenities = 4/5
   Decent pool area with jacuzzi and work-out room. The park’s got cute little BBQ areas jotted around the place, plus a little playground for kids. WiFi is free, which is a bonus (when it works…we had some issues while we were here).
4. Location = 2/5
   Not the best of locations here. You’re a bit out of town, but not really in a nature-area, so kind of stuck in the middle. The bonus of being a little out of town is the extra space, but you’re not far enough out to be able to walk out the door and take a hike.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5
   Lots of pet friendly touch’s here. There’s little dog-runs (access to a wash where doggies can go off-leash), poo-bags on every corner, and even a doggie grooming station (so cool!). The only ding is that they have breed restrictions, otherwise these guys would get a 5/5.

 Overall rating = 3.8
BONUS ALERT: Doggie grooming station on-site! 

Summary: This is a real cute park, albeit in a bit of a mixed location. It’s got a purple theme and is nicely landscaped with lots of nice, little touches like BBQ pits and the doggie areas. Given we’re in a big city, the park ambiance is great (I can see why many long-termers stay here), but just wish there was more nature out the door. Still, for a big city location it can’t be beat. 

Our site at Desert Edge

View of the sites

Doggie area and grooming station...very cool touch!

Sunset shot from our "balcony"