SP Campround Review – South Llano River State Park, Junction, TX

The gorgeous South Llano River

A nature-lovers paradise right off the I-10 in West Texas.

Link to campground here: South Llano River State Park, TX
Link to map location here: South Llano River State Park, TX

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   Lovely sites here. All are very flat, paved back-ins with 30Amp/water, picnic table, fire-pit and lantern-hanger. A select number of sites also have cute, covered shelters. Decent separation although some of the sites are rather open to neighbors. The front-end of the campground has more privacy (but less shade) than the back-end. A few sites on the narrow side, but overall good access for any size rig.
2.  Facilities = 4/5
   Very nice facilities here. Showers are in good condition, large with good pressure and kept nicely clean. Lots of on-site activities including the river (open for swimming and tubing), picnic areas, trails and bird blinds. On-site dump station, but no laundry.
3. Location = 5/5
   This park is only ~5 miles from I-10, but feels very “out there” and is set in a nature-perfect location. Rolling hills, river, trails and birding all reside at this spot. Nearby Junction has WiFi (at the library) and basic shopping.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great park for pooch. Miles and miles of hiking and nature. Plus, the 24-hour bird show will keep both doggie and kitties entertained.

Overall Rating = 4.6
BONUS ALERT = Wild Turkeys, river, nature and hiking all in one!

Summary: This turned out to be was a fabulous stop on our way West in Texas, so much so that we ended up extending our stay. Although it’s only a hop over from I-10, the campground is nature-lovers paradise with a remote and relaxing feel.  It’s set beautifully in a peaceful valley right next to the gorgeous South Llano River and surrounded by rolling hills. There’s a slew of outdoor activity available here from miles and miles of hiking (in the adjacent Buck Wildlife Management Area), to swimming, fishing and tubing in the river, to bird-watching (the area is roosting home to the Rio Grande Turkey and has multiple on-site bird blinds). Sites are lovely, flat asphalt surfaces with 30Amp/water, nice “sitting area”, decent separation and very pretty surroundings. The area gets hot, hot, hot in summer but is perfect in the Spring. We thoroughly enjoyed the area and would certainly come back.

 Extra Info:  Verizon extended (1X) network only here so weak voice signal, but no usable data signal even with external antenna/amp (free WiFi is available in Junction at the Public Library). Sites cost $17/night for 30Amp/water, reservable on-line. Additional $3/day/person entry fee (waived if you have Texas State Park Pass). On-site dump station.

Extra, Extra Info: For a throwback to old-style country music, tune into 93.5FM KOOK while you’re here. You won’t regret it! Also, bring your bird feeders!

Typical site view (#16 shown)

Another site view (#40)

View of our site (#19)

View of our nicely private "sitting area" behind the RV (site #19)

View down back-end of campground loop (#41, #43 on right front to back)

View of front end of campground loop (#10, #8 on right front to back)

View of facilities

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

SP Campground Rating – Knob Noster State Park, MO

This was another nice stop-over off Hwy 50 in Missouri on our way to St Louis.

Link to campground here: Knob Noster State Park
Link to map here: Knob Nostre State Park

  

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   Very nice sites here. They’re hard-gravel back-ins, very long and quite flat. Good space between campers, nice shade and picnic table and fire-pit at each site. Electric sites available.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Another good State Park in terms of facilities. There was flush and decent hot showers (free), dump station, potable water and even a laundry (which was only $0.75 per load). Lots of picnic areas and rest areas around the park too.
3. Location = 3/5
   This is more of a stop-over location. It’s in a lovely, natural setting surrounded by forest, 2 lakes and trails, but with only the very small town of Knob Noster close by. It’s conveniently located off Hwy 50, however, and back far enough that it’s nice and quiet.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another great park for doggie. Lots of hiking trails, good nature and space to hang out.

Overall Rating = 4
BONUS ALERT = Meeting point of prairies, forest  and savanna 

Summary: This was another nice little stop-over for us on our way to St Louis. State Parks, in general, are  great options in the MidWest. Lots of space, lovely natural settings and all the perks of hot showers, flush toilets and electricity at a fraction of the cost of a developed campsite. This was no exception. Knob Noster is set in  3,934 acres of natural habitat which is a unique mix of prairie, forest and savanna. The sites were flat and large with electricity and shade, plus lots of hiking trails right from your doorstep. There was even a laundry. We’d stop-over here again. 

 Extra Info:  AT&T Cellphones & Verizon wireless both worked. Selection of reservable and electric sites. Sites are $21/night for electric in high-season, $19/night in off-season. Central dump and potable water. 

Entrance to Knob Nostre

Typical site view

Picnic table and fire-pit at each site

View down the road showing our site

SP Campground Rating – Stockade Lake North (Custer, SD)

Amazingly enough we have internet access out here in the boonies (thank you Verizon) so I’m able to complete the campground review of State Park we were in for the last part of our stay at Custer, SD. 

Link to campground here: Stockade Lake North, Custer State Park

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   Overall the sites here are very nice. The majority are large, level dirt sites with electrical hook-up, fire-pit, bench and ample space between campers (there’s a few non-electric and paved pull-ins too). You can easily get the biggest rigs in here. This is a forest area and most sites have good shade.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Good selection of facilities here. There’s vault toilets, flush toilets and free showers. There’s also potable water and a playground and large grassy area on-site. The only reason I gave it a ding was there was a heavy, musty odor in the women’s bathrooms while we were there which was not altogether pleasant. Also, there’s no dump station. But, overall the facilities were good for a State Park location.
3. Location = 4/5
   This campground is right at the beginning of Custer State Park so you have direct access to the Park, and you can walk to Stockade Lake from your site. It’s also only ~6 miles from the town of Custer. The only reason it doesn’t get a 5 is that there’s no hiking trails straight from the campground (although you can bush-whack the surrounding forest).
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   They’re very pet friendly here and lots of space for pooch to hang out and walk in the forest.

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Custer wildlife at your doorstep

Summary: This is the first Custer State Park campground as you enter the park and is one of their larger ones set beautifully in a forested area near Stockade Lake. Overall it’s a great area. Large, level sites with electrical hook-up available, good shade and privacy between campers. There’s also a ton of activities on-site including a playground (on a large grassy area), movies about Custer SP at night and free canoeing on the lake once a week. On the negative side there’s no hiking trails right from the park, but you are within walking distance of the Lake and driving distance of everything in Custer SP. The other negative is that because it’s so popular, it’s almost always completely booked out. We talked to people who’d booked 8 months ahead for their site and we got one of the very last pull-in sites (non-electric) when we booked a month and a half ago. Overall a great campground, but beware to book way ahead if you’re coming in summer.

 Extra Info: Verizon wireless worked flawlessly. AT&T phones were OK. Sites cost $18/night for non-electric, $22/night for electric. Potable water on-site, but no dump station (you can dump for $4 at Sinclair gas station in Custer) . You do want to reserve ahead of time.

View of our non-electric pull-in site (#8)

Typical back-in site...large, dirt and level

Fire-pit and bench. Most sites have a nice forest view.

Looking up the road into the campground

Playground and grassy area in the middle of the campground

Movie viewing area

NF Campground Rating – Comanche Park (Custer, SD)

Here’s a quick review of the 1st campground (National Forest) we stayed at ~6 miles west of Custer

Info on Campground Here: Comanche Park, SD 

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   The sites here are, overall, quite nice. Most of the sites are long, dirt and very level (especially for a forest location). This is a heavily wooded area, so the only ding is that some sites can be a bit of a squeeze for a big-rig to get into between the trees. Each site has fire-pit and bench.
2. Facilities = 2.5/5
   There’s only pit toilets here. No hookups or dump station. There are potable water outlets at 2 locations around the campground, but the outlets are not threaded (look at getting the Water Thief)
3. Location = 3/5
   This campground is in a decent location. It’s ~6 miles west of Custer and in a small, thickly wooded patch next to the highway. The only negative is that all the surrounding area is private land so there’s no hiking from the campsite. But, it’s fairly easy access to Jewel Cave and Custer.
4. Pet Friendliness = 4.5/5
   This is a great doggie campground. Lots of space for pooch to hang out in your site and lots of woody area for them to run in. Only ding is there is an extra $2/day pet charge.

Overall Rating = 3.5
BONUS ALERT = wild raspberries and thick forest 

Summary: This is a quaint little forest campground ~6 miles west of Custer. It’s a heavily wooded area and some of the turns and sites can be tight with trees, but we saw a 45-footer make it (albeit after ~40 mins of work) so it is possible to get in if you’re comfortable with your rig. This section of forest has no trails and is surrounded by private land, so the only negative is that you’re a bit isolated and need to drive out to get to hikes. Also, there is some residual noise from the highway so it’s not as serene as we’d like. However, as a result of these oddities there’s not alot of visitors, so it’s quite empty most of the time. We enjoyed the forest and “bush-whacked” across it quite happily with the bonus find that it’s filled with wild berries. Overall it was a pleasant experience and it’s nice that we had space (alot of Custer campgrounds are completely booked in summer) but we’ll probably look for another location if we come back to the area. 

 Extra Info: No cellphone or internet here. Sites cost $15/night. There’s a mix of reservation and first-come, first-serve sites. No hookups. Nearest dump-station is Sinclair gas station in Custer ($4 to dump) 

View of one of the larger sites

View along the road (we're parked at site #8)

View of one of the tighter sites (tree-wise)

The "backyard" view from our site

View towards the front of the campsite