SP Campground Review – Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, Pendleton, OR

Polly checks out a historic display at Emigrant Springs

Not a “destination”, but a convenient and green stop along I-84 in Oregon

Link to campground here: Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, Pendleton, OR
Link to map location here: Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area, Pendleton, OR

1. Site Quality = 3/5
   Decent, but not spectacular sites here. They are all paved back-ins, with a selection of either full hookups (18 sites total -> 30 amp/water/sewer) or tent (32 sites -> no hookups) and on-site picnic table and fire-pit. Decent separation, although some are closer than we’d like plus good all-round green and trees everywhere. Biggest ding is unlevel sites (ours required all the levelers we had on our back wheels) and several of the “tent” sites are at right-angles to the road and have rather difficult access for bigger rigs. There is also a separate cabin loop (C-loop) and horse-camp area.
2.  Facilities = 3.5/5
   Basic, good facilities here. Large warm, individual showers and toilets all kept spotlessly clean. Biggest ding is showers have those annoying spray-heads (except disabled shower). Small picnic area on-site plus large green lawn behind the community building.
3. Location = 2/5
   This is not exactly a “destination” location. It’s a convenient stop on I-84 and is not that far from La Grande, plus it does have some OR trail history (a few displays), but not much else.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Good doggie site. There are no “official” trails in the park, but plenty of “unofficial” logging trails behind the facilities which go for miles into the woods. Decent space in camp, plus there is a large, green lawn for doggie to play behind the community building.

Overall Rating = 3.4
BONUS ALERT = Explore a historic stop on the Oregon Trail!

Summary: I would call this a convenient & green stop along I-84, but not exactly a “destination” location. It’s a good all-around State Park set in a thick fir forest just off I-84. The positives are the green environment and the Oregon trail history (the spring here was a common stop for emigrants and the park a few displays on it). Sites are OK, but not spectacular. They are paved and mostly quite large, but quite a few are rather uneven. All sites are back-in and have fire-pit, picnic table and a selection of either full hookups (30 amp/water/sewer) or “tent” (no hookups). Decent separation, although a few are closer than we like. There is also a separate loop (C-loop) with cabins and a horse-camp area set nicely back from the road. There are no official hiking trails, but many “unofficial” logging trails right from camp (explore behind the facilities and you’ll find quite a few miles). The biggest issue is road-noise. This campground is literally right off the I-84 so you will get constant day-and-night noise from the freeway no matter which site you choose. Not a big issue for a short stop, but it makes it way too noisy for a longer stay.

Extra Info:  Good Verizon 3G signal. Sites cost $20/night for full hookups (18 sites -> 30 amp/water/sewer), $17 for tent sites (32 sites -> no hookups) in summer season. On-site dump station and water.

Typical site view. This is a non-hookup (“tent”) site A5

View of our site A4. We had full hookups and a HUGE “sitting area” but our site sloped to the back.

View down middle of campground. RV in site #A9 which was nicely private. You can see a “peek” of our site A4 behind the trees to the left.

View of corner of park. Site B15 in front with B13, B12 behind. These were all full hookup, but too close together for our liking.

View down back-side of campground. RV in site #B25 with B23, B21 behind it. These are all full hookup

View of “sitting” area showing fire-pit and picnic table. This was our site A4.

View of cabins in C-loop

View of facilities

Hiking on the “unofficial” hiking trails

RV Park Review – Escapees Co-Op, Benson, AZ (Members Only)

Aerial view of the SKP Park from the back-side hills

A lovely Escapees park in a fabulous location to explore all of the sights of SE Arizona. Members only.

Link to park here: Escapees Saguaro Co-Op, Benson, AZ
Link to map location here: Escapees Saguaro Co-Op, Benson, AZ

1. Site quality = 4/5
   In general very nice site quality here with just a few dings. As a “renter” you can come in and take several different kinds of sites:
   Dry-Camping: For very short-term stays (3 night limit) there is “parking lot” style camping for $5/night along the main entrance road of the park. No extras here except for a paved lot, some of which are rather uneven but it’s the cheapest option for a short-term stay.
   Short-Term: As a short-term renter (few days to several months) you may rent a developed lot from a lease holder which has FHU, cable TV, often an on-site casita or house (not open for use) and potentially a porch, paving, landscaping. Each lot is different, but in general they are all large, very flat areas with either paved or gravel entrance. Many of the east-facing lots have lovely views of the Dragoons.
   Longer-Term: If staying for a minimum of 6 months you can rent back lots (in the 700′s) which are undeveloped large, plain gravel FHU and back-up to open desert. Not much view here, but they are spacious and do have cable TV plus a mailbox at the park. If staying a year you can rent semi-developed gravel lots (in the 300′s) which have a small, usable shed, FHU, cable TV and a mailbox in the park. These latter lots are also open to short-term renters as available.
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Clean on-site rest rooms at the main club-house, plus on-site showers. Good facilities all around.
3. Amenities = 4/5
   The facilities here are quite nice and available to anyone who comes (lot owners or renters). There is a large club-house with billiards room, laundry, library exercise room and multi-purpose main room where the Co-Op runs tons of interesting activities from beading, quilting, yoga to food and music. If you want to have something to do, you will find it! There is also a bocce ball court and lovely open picnic area in the NW corner, plus on-site dump station. The only “dings” are no pool and no on-site WiFi.
4. Location = 4/5
   Benson is actually a great little location to explore SE Arizona. It’s ~60 miles south of Tucson and lies with short drive of the sights at Tombstone, Kartchner Caverns, Dragoon Mountains, Bisbee etc.. Benson itself is a fairly sleepy town, but there is a nice Safeway store and super-Walmart in town as well as a few restaurants.
5. Pet friendliness = 5/5
   This is a fabulous area for doggie. There is a large fenced-in dog park a short walk behind the NW corner gate of the park plus access to miles of open desert and “free hiking”. The SW gate opens to a ridge-walk which leads behind the park and also gives lovely views of the entire area. Plenty of space to either run, bike or walk w/ doggie. Only slight ding is 3-pet limit.

Overall rating = 4.2
BONUS ALERT: Have your evening cocktail with a view of the lovely Dragoon Mountains!

Summary: We ended up liking this park far more than we originally expected. It’s a members only Co-Op (so, you either have to be an active Escapees member or come in as a short-term guest of an Escapee member in the park). The vast majority of the sites are held by leaseholders who own the lots and often develop casitas and landscaping. These sites are very spacious, individualized, often quite cute and a sub-selection of them are in the rental pool for short-term folks who come into the park like ourselves. What makes this park particularly nice is that the lots are tiered along a small hill offering quite lovely views of the valley & Dragoon mountains, especially from east-facing lots. There are also bare and less developed lots for longer-term renters (6-months to a year). In addition to the lots there is a large on-site club-house with almost daily activities plus miles of open desert behind the park for biking/hiking and walking doggie off-leash (a huge bonus!). Add onto that all the nearby sights of SE Arizona (Tombstone, Kartchner Caverns, Bisbee etc. are all short drives) and it’s quite a neat combo. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and could definitely see coming back here in the future.

Extra Info: Strong Verizon 3G signal and decently stable 4G signal. Dry-camping sites cost $5/night (3-day limit). The leaseholder sites are all full hook-up + Cable TV and cost $15.5+elec+tax (daily rate), $93+elec+tax (weekly rate) or $280+elec+tax (monthly rate). 6 and 12-month rental costs are HERE. All rates include access to club-house and activities. On-site dump station, but no WiFi.

Vew of $5/night dry-camping section. Sites are plain and rather unlevel.

View of our rental site # 102. This is a leasholder lot and we had a nice view of the Dragoons.

View of another leaseholder lot (not rented). This casita was super-cute.

View down one of the developed lanes. This is the 22-63 lane near the top-end of the park.

View of back-end (700′s) area. These are the 6-month rental lots. Just bare, gravel lots here.

Side-view of 700′s lane.

View of 300′s lane. These are the 12-month rental lots, but can also be rented short-term if available.

Side-view down 300′s lane.

View of main club house

View of lovely fenced dog park just behind the park

SP Campground Review – Bullards Beach State Park, Bandon, OR

The lovely Coquille River Lighthouse at Bullards Beach State Park

Another gorgeous Oregon State Park complete with fabulous beach and cute lighthouse on the S.Coast near Bandon, OR

Link to campground here: Bullards Beach State Park, OR
Link to map location here: Bullards Beach State Park, OR

1. Site Quality = 4/5 Very nice site quality here. You have a selection of either full hookup (30 or 50 amp/water/sewer) or water/electric (30 or 50amp). Sites are flat, paved back-ins with picnic table, fire-pit and good access throughout. Only slight ding is that inner-loop sites (facing towards middle of loops) tend to be at right angles to the road, so they are not really suited for big rigs. There are 3 loops with and slightly different feel:
   -> A & B loops are older, more forested loops with generally very good separation and lots of trees/greenery, but can be darker (and support more mosquitoes in summer).
   -> C loop is newer and slightly tighter, but more open with some very sunny sites especially in back corner (C48-C52). This is our preferred location.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5 Good facilities here. Large flush toilets and warm showers with good pressure and kept nicely clean. Only ding is showers have those annoying timer-buttons and spray-heads. On-site dump station.
3. Location = 5/5 Great location here. Campground is set well back from the road with ~1 mile paved bike/hike trail to a gorgeous (and almost endless) beach. You’re also right next to the lovely Coquille River Lighthouse and only 5 miles from Bandon (an excellent little town with another stunning beach). Boat ramp (for river), plenty of picnic areas and horse camp on-site. Lots of space and green. Our kinda place!
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5 Great location for doggie. Lots of space to hang out in camp, good hiking and miles (and miles) of free open space to roam on the beach (~1 mile from camp). Poo bags provided on-site.

Overall Rating =  4.4
BONUS ALERT: Miles of gorgeous beach and Coquille River Lighthouse on-site!

Summary: Well this is just another great Oregon State Park! Set only ~5 miles north of Bandon it is a lovely state park with miles of excellent, wild beach and the cute Coquille River Lighthouse on-site. Campsites are well-sized flat, paved back-ins with selection of either full hookup or water/electric (mix of 30 & 50 amp), good separation and lots of green. A & B loops have more trees/privacy, but can also be a tad moister & darker. C loop is tighter and more open (less privacy), but is also more dry/sunny. The only complaint this place ever seems to get is mosquitoes (and they can get active in the woods on still, humid summer days) so we personally prefer the more sunny sites, but all are nice. Location is excellent with ~1 mile pleasant hike to the lovely Bullards Beach, ~5 mins drive to Bandon (which has restaurants, farmers market, shopping, tide-pools, stunning beaches etc.), ~1/2 hour drive to Cape Blanco (in the south) and 1/2 hour to Cape Arago (in the north). We enjoyed lots of sun and pleasant days  during our stay in July, spent many hours hiking and romping on the gorgeous beach, thoroughly enjoyed the surroundings and would most definitely come back!

Extra Info: Good 3G on Verizon (2-3 bars). Total 185 sites , 104 full hookup (either 30 or 50 amp/water/sewer), 81 electric (30 or 50 amp)/water. Sites cost $24/night in summer season, $20/night in off-season, all reservable on-line. On-site dump station.

Typical site view (#A24 shown)

Another site view (#C61 shown)

View down beginning of A loop. Site A8 on right.

View down more open section of A loop (RV in #A11 with empty space A10 on left)

View down forested section of A Loop (RV on right in A53 with A51, A50 on left)

View down end of B loop (RV in B53 with B52 on left)

View down middle of C loop. Site C16 on right with our RV in C15 behind it.

View down very sunny section of C loop corner. Site C52 on right with C50 behind it.

View down end of C loop (RV in site C62 on right with C60 behind it)

View of facilities

Gorgeous Bullards Beach…so many miles of beach!

NFS Campground Review – Sycamore Grove, Red Bluff, CA

Hanging at our shaded campsite in Sycamore Grove

A very relaxing forest service campground just a few miles off the I-5 in Red Bluff, CA (north-central CA)

Link to campground here: Sycamore Grove, Red Bluff, CA
Link to map location here: Sycamore Grove, Red Bluff, CA

1. Site Quality = 3/5
   Pretty nice sites here, esp. for forest service. The campground is a large grassy loop with ample shade trees near the entrance and middle, and more open sites along outer back so there is a nice mix of fully shaded to fully sunny. No real views from the sites, but good separation between campers and nice, green surroundings all around. All sites are paved with spacious “sitting area” containing concrete patio, picnic table, fire-pit and grill. Total 31 campsites, all reservable, of which 10 have 50 amp electric/water. Mix of back-in & pull-throughs. The only ding is that some sites are rather unlevel and on inner sites (inside the loop) the “sitting area” is on the wrong side of the rig. Also although all sites are “rated” at 44-feet many were too small for us (either size-wise or trees in the way) so I wouldn’t recommend anything bigger than our size (40-feet). Biggest sites were #1,27,28,30,31.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5
   Very nice facilities. Large (spacious) flush toilets and pay-showers, all kept spotlessly clean. Drinking water spigots all around the campground loop. NO dump station however.
3. Location = 3.5/5
   Red Bluff is not exactly a “destination” location, but as a stop-over this is just perfect. The park is ~4 miles from I-5 so it nicely away from the road traffic and right next to the Sacramento river offering water recreation (fishing, boating) plus miles of nice hiking in the surrounding meadows. Only real ding is that you are right next to the Red Bluff Dam and so you do get some noise from the operation there (didn’t bother us).
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Wonderful pooch park. Lots of space and shade to hang out in camp plus lots of lovely hiking trails in the surrounding area. No swimming tho’ (Sacramento River is simply too fast-moving).

Overall Rating = 3.75
BONUS ALERT = Camp in peaceful shade & grass just a few miles off the I-5!

Summary: We were looking for somewhere green & peaceful to stop off the I-5 in north-central CA and this campground came in to save the day. It’s a small, but pretty forest service campground set right by the Sacramento River & Red Bluff Dam and only a few miles off the Interstate. Sites are in huge grassy loop with large shade trees, good separation and very nice “sitting areas”. There is a mix of back-in & pull-through with selection from fully shaded (near entrance) to fully sunny (near back) and even a few 50 amp electric (10 sites total). The majority of the sites were a bit small or too unlevel for us, but we did find a good fit near the front (without reservations too). Surrounding area has river access and lots of hiking. The camphost was lovely too! Overall a really peaceful stop-over and one we would use again.

Extra Info: Average 3G on Verizon (2 bars). Total 31 sites (10 sites have 50 amp/water with rest non hook-up), all reservable on recreation.gov. Drinking water spigots on-site, but NO dump station (nearest dump in Red Bluff at the fairgrounds). Sites cost $16 for non-hookup, $25 for electric/water. Senior Pass gives 50% off.

View of one of the larger pull-throughs (#31)

View of large back-in #30

View of shaded site near entrance (#4). Hard to see on the pic, but trees are in the way here.

View down the end of the campground. Site #27 on right and we’re in #28 on left. Both are non-hookup

View down sunny side (back-side) of the loop. Site #21 shown/

View of sunny back-side pull-throughs. RV in front in site #14. Site #15 behind.

View of “sitting area” at each site with picnic table, fire-pit and grill

View of facilities

Walking with Polly on the lovely trails

RV Park Review – Mission Bay RV Resort, San Diego, CA

Polly poses by the water next to Mission Bay RV Park (Fiesta Island is in the background)

This is a so-so RV park in a FABULOUS location. We love staying here just for the access to water & beach with pooch.

Link to park here: Mission Bay RV Resort
Link to map location here: Mission Bay RV Resort

1. Site quality = 2.5/5 Just so-so sites here. The park is probably best described as a large asphalt parking lot. It has small strips of green and trees, but sites are all asphalt and there is really no separation or privacy between campers. Sites are a decent size with full hookup (50Amp/water/elec + local cable) and most are very similar. There are several “premium” sites, but I (personally) don’t feel they are worth the extra $$
   -> Premium Bay View sites have a nice water view through the back fence, but they are back-in only (so class A’s can’t face the view).
   -> Premium Beach View sites have somewhat of a view, but beach is across the park from a parking lot so it’s not really that attractive
   -> Super-size sites are really just longer asphalt sites
   In my opinion the nicest sites are next to green strips by the facilities (sites 154, 139, 127, 112) or in the middle of the park around the low 120′s which are often quite empty (so good chance of not having a neighbour).
2. Facilities = 3/5 Facilities also so-so here. Bathrooms are rather dated and have an older feel to them. Also the showers seem to take forever to warm up. However stalls are large, there is good water pressure and they are kept meticulously clean.
3. Amenities = 2.5/5 Also so-so amenities here. There is a small “snack shack” on-site, a pavilion, 2 laundromats and community room, but really not much else. They do offer free Wi-Fi which “mostly” works, although it does tend to cap out with users when park is fuller.
4. Location = 5/5 Location is where this place gets it’s star points. You are in a quiet corner of Mission Bay with full water-views right outside the park and small on-site beach. There are miles of walking/biking/exercising available around Mission Bay directly from the park, plus you’re crawling distance to Mission Bay Golf Course. You’re also only minutes from all San Diego’s best attractions incl. Sea World (right around the corner), Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach and even downtown. For location this can’t be beat.
5. Pet friendliness = 4/5 If you want to be walking distance to dog-friendly beach & water there is really no other park in San Diego that compares. There is small on-site pet run, pretty water-side walking around De Anza Cove directly from the back park gate, plus pooch can go on the beach and around Mission Bay (before 9AM and after 4PM in winter, or after 6PM in summer). Best of all you’re only ~5 mins drive from off-leash pet heaven Fiesta Island, and ~10 mins drive to Ocean Beach Dog Beach. Only ding is the park does limit certain breeds.

Overall rating = 3.4
BONUS ALERT: Stroll along miles of beach and water with pooch!

Summary: This park is all about location, location, location. It’s in a quiet corner of Mission Bay Regional Park surrounded by green, sand and water, within easy distance of practically all San Diego’s best attractions and right next to Mission Bay Golf. Also it’s the only RV park in San Diego I know where doggie can directly access a beach (within hour limits), or be only 5 mins from off-leash beach access (Fiesta Island and OB Dog Beach). All other RV & State parks in the area do not allow dogs on the beach. So for all those reasons we really (really) love this place. But the park itself we could probably take or leave. Sites are fully asphalt with no separation/privacy and there are minimal amenities. It’s kept nicely clean, there is good security, but there are not alot of “extras”. It is also quite pricey ($50-$80/night) unless you take advantage of discounts. Water and beach-front sites are back-in only and not (in my mind) worth the $$, but on internal sites you can use Passport America for 50% off Mon-Thurs ($25/night) plus in winter the park offers excellent monthly rates ($800/mo all-inclusive). If you stay here in low season (winter) and take the discounts I think this park is one of the best locations in the city, and we’ll come back again and again just for that.

Extra Info: Good Verizon 3G & 4G LTE signal. On-site free Wi-Fi, but it is unreliable. All sites are full hookup. Nightly rate $50-$80. Monthly rate (winter) $800/mo (all inclusive -> 30-day stay limit then need to go out for 24 hrs before another 30-day stay). Park takes Passport America (mid-week) and Good Sam’s.

Typical site view (#117 on left, 116 on right)

View of our site by the facilities (#112). It has a nice green strip.

Typical Bay View site (#40 shown). These do have nice views, but they are pricey and back-in only

View down one of the rows

Another view down one of the rows. Winter is low season and many spaces are unoccupied.

View of facilities

The "snack shack" at Mission Bay RV Resort

Walking on the beach by Mission Bay RV Park