SP Campground Review – Davis Mountains State Park, Fort Davis, TX

One of the many sublime trails in Davis Mountains State Park

A simply outstanding campground in the stunning Davis Mountains in SW Texas!

Note/ Unfortunately we had to evacuate this area because of fire and the campground is currently still closed.  I’m not clear when it will open again or how quickly the area will recover, but will rate from point of view of when we first arrived.

Link to campground here: Davis Mountains State Park, TX
Link to map location here: Davis Mountains State Park, TX

1. Site Quality = 5/5
   Extremely nice sites here. There’s a selection of primitive, water/electric and even full hook-up sites (with cable!). The full hook-up sites are all decently flat paved pull-throughs with lean-to shelters, fire-pit and nice views of the hills (best views from sites # 18, 20 & 21, but I’d say all have lovely surroundings). Only very minor ding is limited to no shade and no dedicated privacy. Other sites are mostly back-ins with a small selection of shaded sites (around sites #46-61). Back-ins vary a bit in separation and size. Almost all sites have pretty views of the hills.
2.  Facilities = 4/5
   Good facilities here. Large bathrooms and showers, kept nicely clean. Only negative was old shower-heads combined with high water-pressure made the showers feel a bit like a truck pressure-wash! Also showers have combined bench area, rather than individual area to hang your stuff.
3. Location = 5/5
   This park is a simply fabulous location. Located at 5,200 feet in the beautiful Davis Mountains and only ~3 miles from town. There’s miles of hiking in the surrounding area, plus the attraction of nearby Fort Davis, and the McDonald Observatory. On-site Indian Lodge has restaurant and town has shopping, cafe’s, museum and eateries.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great park for doggie. There’s no end of hiking in the hills, plus ample space to hang out in camp.

Overall Rating = 4.75
BONUS ALERT = Stunning mountains, hiking, nature and star-gazing all-in-one!

Summary: Can’t really say enough good about this park. From a nature point of view it’s stunning. The campground is set beautifully in a small valley at 5,200 feet in the Davis Mountains surrounded by hills and miles of hiking. There’s a large selection of sites all the way from primitive to full-hook-up (with cable!), all of which have paved surfaces, decent separation and pretty views. Lots of activities to do in the area from hiking and biking the hills, to sight-seeing only ~3 miles away in cute and quirky Fort Davis (check out the Broom Shop, Stone Village Market (health food), the Rattlesnake Museum and Fort Davis Historic Site) to star-gazing at the McDonald Observatory (I highly recommend attending a night-time “Star Party“) to gardens and scenic drives. Unfortunately our time here was cut far too short by the fires, but there’s no doubt we’d love to come back and stay for an extended time. A gem of a place!

 Extra Info:  Verizon network “iffy” here. Our smartphone had small bursts of 3G, but also periods of no connectivity at all. Aircard had no connectivity, but we were able to get online reliably with external antenna/amp. Sites cost $10/night for water, $15/night for 30Amp/water and $20/night for full hook-up (50Amp/water/sewer and cable!). FHU are reservable online and book-up fast. Additional $5/day/person entry fee (waived if you have Texas State Park Pass). On-site dump station.

Note/ Unfortunately, due to the fire and our premature evacuation I only have a select few shots of the campground. Sorry!

View of our full hook-up site (#15)

Typical site view in full hook-up section (#14 shown)

View down full hook-up section (#15, #16 shown on right front to back)

One of the many lovely views from the campground ( this shot taken right outside the facilities)

Ariel view of the campground from top of hill trail (RVs visible in the valley)

RV Park Rating – Winding River Resort (Grand Lake, CO)

Here’s a review of the awesome park we stayed at in Grand Lake for 2 weeks. This is a HUGE park so we’ll dedicate a longer review and a few more pics. Suffice to say we loved it… 

Link to website here: Winding River Resort 

1. Site Quality = 2/5
   The site quality is not the strong point in this park. It’s a rustic country park and the sites reflect that. All sites are dirt, of various sizes and levels. Several do get muddy in the rain and hookups are not always in the most obvious location. However there’s generally alot of open space and nice separation between sites. A portion of sites are full hook-ups (30A only) and others are only water/electric, but the hookups work as they should. All sites have dug-out fire-pit and bench. Several sites cater to horse-campers and have separate pens for horses and 70-feet lengths.
2. Facilities = 4.5/5
   There’s two main sets of toilets/showers and both are modern and work as they should. They are kept clean although they do get alot of use (and the surrounding area can be muddy with unpredictable Mountain weather). Nice pressure in the showers and all have separate chair and hooks. My only ding is that I wish there were a few more facilities. Since the park is so huge, the showers are sometimes full.
3. Amenities = 4.5/5
   Very nice set of amenities here. This park is really a country wonderland. It’s huge (takes a good 25 minutes to walk from end to end) with open space, grass, playground, horse stables, animal farm (with donkey, pigs, sheep, chickens, rabbits and a bunch of other “petting” animals) and pasture-land. They also offer hayrides, chuckwagon meals (breakfast and a few dinners), and ice cream social. As a bonus a river runs through the park and you can access the water from the bank. As for WiFi it’s free and it does work…sometimes. When we were near the entrance it worked, but did not work in the back of the park, so they get a bit of a ding for that.
4. Location = 5/5
   I really can’t imagine a better location. This park borders the Rocky Mountain National Park on the one side and National Forest on the other. So, you can literally hike into either location right from the park. It’s beautifully surrounded by mountains and only ~3 miles to Grand Lake (for shopping, eating etc.)
5. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   This is a country park run by horse-folk so it’s extremely pet-friendly. There’s literally acres of space for doggie to play including grassland and river. The owners have a dog “Nugget” who runs free-range in the park helping the workers and acting as the local dog-greeter. So, they’re open to off-leash walking (as long as the dog is under control) and are happy to have the dog meet the local horses and animals in the farm.

Overall rating = 4.2
BONUS ALERT - Acres of land, river and views right smack next to Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapaho Forest 

 Summary: Honestly this may be the biggest RV park we’ve ever seen and it’s as close to nature as you could have it. Located beautifully at 8,400 feet right smack in the middle of a mountain valley with access to Rocky Mountain National Park on one side and National Forest on the other. They have acres of land and cater to horse-camping as well as tents and RV’s. It’s basically a nature-lovers playground with plenty of space between campers and gorgeous mountain views. The only negative is that it’s a bit on the rustic side (no fancy sites here) and they’ve been devastated by the Pine Beetle so there’s only a spattering of trees left (the owners had to fell over 8,000 on the property). We talked to people who said the park used to be like a dense forest before the beetle took most of the trees. Despite that we loved the place. We were able to walk Polly for miles (around the park and the national forest), play in the stream, pet the animals, go for a horse ride, and personally we don’t mind that it’s a bit rustic. We’d definitely stay here again. 

Typical site view...dirt with dug-out fire-pit and bench

View into main park of park. You can see alot of tree stumps from the Pine Beetle devastation.

View down the road along middle of the park

"Aerial" view of the park from hike up next-door mountain. You can see RV sites in middle section and on the right.

Horse-stables and rides

Pasture-land and more horses on property

Polly plays by the river on the resort grounds

Polly meets the piglets on the animal farm

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 – Wahweap RV Park (Lake Powell, AZ)

Here’s the fabulous spot we picked in Lake Powell:

Link to park here: Wahweap RV Park

1. Site quality = 5/5
   It really doesn’t get any better than this. The sites are huge, many large enough to park two 45-foot RV’s next to each other (or RV, boat and car in one site). Also, there’s plenty of space between sites with 15-30 feet separation, so you have your own little sanctuary. Each spot is a nice concrete slab with a side-attachment of bench, grill and fire-pit. Full hook-ups with 50 Amp and good water pressure.
2. Facilities = 3/5
   Bathrooms are clean, simple and well-kept. However this place gets a ding because showers are only available at the Registration Center and they’re *Paid*. So, it’s $2 every time you need a clean-up. Not an issue for a self-contained vehicle like us, but could be a pain for those without built-in showers.
3. Amenities = 2/5
   There’s really not much in the way of extra’s at this park. The WiFi is free and works well, but aside from that no other perks. Also, the laundry room is small (only a few machines) and usually really crowded. Now, you’ve got Lake Powell within walking distance so there’s plenty to keep the adults,  kids and doggies happy, but just nothing much extra on-site.
4. Location = 5/5
   Again, it doesn’t get any better than this. You’re literally within walking distance (one mile or so) from Lake Powell. Most of the sites have a view and the surroundings are gorgeous. You’re close to Navajo Nation, Horseshoe Bend and all kinds of other attractions. If you need a margarita or some groceries, Page is just 15 mins away.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5
   This is a pet-friendly park, and the lake is an extra bonus for the doggies.

 Overall rating = 3.8
BONUS ALERT: Gorgeous Lake Powell within walking distance from your RV

Summary: This is without doubt the most beautiful park we’ve stayed at so far in our trip. As far as site location and access to outdoor activities it ranks top 10. Our site was huge, the view was fabulous, the Lake gorgeous and plenty of space to walk the dog. The only dings (ratings-wise) are for showers and amenities. For us, neither of these matter much so we absolutely loved it and would gladly have stayed a month. For those looking for the best views and the largest sites I recommend C Loop back-in’s. They’re actually larger than the pull-throughs and can easily accommodate the biggest rigs. Two thumbs and four paws up for this RV park. We’ll definitely be back!

Perfect location. The view doesn't get any better than this.

Back-view of our site showing the grill, fire-pit and bench

View of C-loop sites. There's lots of space here.

View from our "balcony"