wheelingit

Home Base: 
On the RV
Type of RV: 
2008 Holiday Rambler Endevor
53 Reviews
19 States Visited

Recent Reviews


5

A GEM of a find in the Smoky Mountains

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. 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!

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/nf-campground-rating-rock-creek-cherokee-forest-erwin-tn/

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.

Date of Stay:
 October, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $15.00

4

A good city park to explore the beginning of the Smokies

This was a stop-over stay for us on our way into the mountains, and it came well recommended from several TN locals. All in all it's a really pleasant city park with a lot of green and space for its location. The sites are nice, large, with all the necessary hook-ups and well-landscaped with lots of trees and grass. The park is unique in that it has a river all alongside the back where you can walk doggie and fish. There's a good selection of amenities (pool, game room, playground etc.) with the only ding that the WiFi was excruciatingly slow while we were there. If you want to explore Sevierville & Gatlinburg (including Dollyville) this is a good location. You're right in town and within a short drive to all the attractions. Just don't expect any hiking out the door.

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/rv-park-rating-river-plantation-rv-park-sevierville-tn/

Date of Stay:
 September, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $33.00

4

Wooded & relaxed campground in the midst of Cumberland Plateau

Summary: This was a lovely little campground which we stumbled across on our way to the Smokeys. We initially only planned 2 days, but enjoyed the area and the people so much that we stayed a week. Sites are large, flat and nicely separated with water/electricity and the cute touch of individual garbage bins. The surrounding park is lovely with miles of hiking, a pretty lake and an old rock bridge. While we were in town a band of bluegrass players were camping in loop 3 so we had free music every night (how awesome is that!). Plus, Crossville had an Apple Festival and a Classic Car Rally. Our campground hosts (Skip and Opal) were the most inviting people we’d ever met and definitely made the experience all that much better. We’d come back in a heartbeat!

Extra Info: Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked. All sites first-come-first-serve. Selection of full hook-up, electricity/water and primitive. Sites are $20/night for 30AMP electric/water. Central dump and potable water.

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/sp-park-rating-cumberland-mountain-state-park-crossville-tn/

Date of Stay:
 September, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $20.00

4

Lovely park to visit Nashville area

This is a great campground to visit Nashville and the surrounding area. It’s beautifully located right next to J. Percy Priest Lake in a very quiet wooded area, yet it’s only 7 miles from the city. The water-front sites are lovely with long, paved sites, electricity & water and a “manicured” sitting area with views of the lake. The back sites are also nice and private although without the views. The campground itself has a nice selection of amenities with a swimming beach, boat launch and direct access to the lake. It gets a few dings in the facilities, a bit of trash on the lakefront and the fact there’s no hiking trails, but overall this was a lovely stay for exploring the area.

Extra Info: Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked.

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/rv-park-rating-seven-points-j-percy-priest-lake-nashville-tn/

Date of Stay:
 September, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $24.00

4

Dense and relaxing forest next to stunning Lake Glendale

This was a fabulous and serene stop for us on (otherwise busy) Labor Day week-end. For those who like getting “out there” Shawnee National Forest, IL is definitely a go-to location. Most of the campgrounds here are non-reservation and you probably won’t have connectivity, but if you’re looking for peace and quiet with nature, woods and hiking this is an awesome place to stay. At Lake Glendale most of the pads were surprisingly large (and nicely flat), and there was a good selection of electric as well as primitive sites. Lots of privacy between campers and miles of (unmarked, mind you) hiking trails in the nearby forest. Also, you’re right next to stunning Lake Glendale with fishing, beach and boating. This is a place that locals go because they know it’s good and almost everyone else passes by. Our kind of stop indeed!

Extra Info: No regular connectivity here (neither AT&T Cellphones nor Verizon wireless worked), however we were able to get on-line with external antenna and amplifier. No reservations (first-come-first-serve only), but selection of primitive and electric sites. Sites are $18/night for electric, $12/night for primitive. Central dump and potable water.

More links and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/nf-campground-rating-lake-glendale-shawnee-national-forest-il/

Date of Stay:
 September, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $18.00

3

Fine for an overnighter

Murdo is a small transit town on Interstate 90 that gets mostly through-traffic and people staying a single night. The park caters to that and is very simple. Sites are nice, there’s full hook-ups and the park grounds are well maintained but there’s not much in the way of extra’s. Apparently they used to have a Good Sam’s rating but lost it because the pool is unusable. The main bonus is a large grassy field on the lower level of the park where doggie, kids & adults can run wild. Also there is good WiFi. This is an attached bar/restaurant but I wouldn’t recommend the food. The stop is worth it mainly for the Auto museum next-door, but otherwise this is not a destination vacation. Fine for a one-nighter, but not much more.

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/rv-park-rating-american-rv-park-murdo-sd/

Date of Stay:
 August, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $37.00

4

Nice COE campground on Rend Lake, IL

The Army Corps of Engineers manages ~2,500 facilities around the US. We'd never been to one and were eager to try. Overall this is a really nice park. It's got a good location on the shores of Lake Rend, there's lots of space between campers and decent hiking and biking opportunities. The one thing that got us were the sites. There were really so hit and miss in terms of how level they were. Our own site had a huge drop and we weren't able to level. Some had moderate drops whereas a selection were completely flat. On the plus side we had full hook-ups and great shade and privacy. I think, were we to come back, we'd probably go into the first-come, first-serve section and chose our site on arrival rather than booking ahead. We enjoyed the location, the beach and the lake so overall a really pleasant week-end.

Extra Info: AT&T Cellphones did not work, but Verizon wireless did. Selection of reservable sites. Full-hookup, electric, water/electric and primitive sites available. Central dump and potable water.

Link to more info & pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/rv-park-rating-south-sandusky-rend-lake-il/

Date of Stay:
 August, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $24.00

5

A Definite Keeper!

When we arrived at this campground we immediately decided to stay longer than planned, it was that good. Land Between the Lakes is a huge (170,000-acre) recreation area set beautifully between Kentucky and Barkley Lake. The area has several large campgrounds, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails and every type of outdoor activity you could imagine. Hillman Ferry is located on the North End, has over 400 sites and is by far the most developed National Forest campground we’ve ever seen. The sites are nice, level, large hard gravel pads and there’s a complete selection from full hook-up to primitive, heavily wooded to fully open lake-view. By far the prettiest (in our opinion) sites are the water-front ones in Section C1 and C2, although all the sites are decent. A portion of the sites are auctioned off for the season each year (and occupied by long-term campers) but the prime sites are kept open and reservable. The area is fairly quiet during the week, but does tend to fill-up in the week-end so book ahead if you want a lake view. We spent some lovely days here watching the sunset over the lake, hiking and playing in the water w/ doggie. A definite keeper!

Link to pics and more info here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/nf-campground-rating-hillman-ferry-land-between-the-lakes-ky/

Date of Stay:
 September, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $23.00

3

Basic Park but Location Can't Be Beat

This is a pretty basic RV park but you’re coming for the desert and you just can’t beat the location. This park puts you right in the middle of the desert experience with miles of hiking right out the steps of your rig. During wildflower season you’re literally in the middle of the blooms, and you simply can’t get any closer to Anza Borrego Park. If all this is too much civilization there is a lot of boondocking nearby (Peg Leg is a popular location). Oh, and only come here in the winter months, It gets way over 100F in the summer and the town practically shuts down.

More info and pics here: http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/rv-park-rating-palm-canyon-borrego-springs-ca/

Date of Stay:
 April, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $32.00

4

Cute City Park

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.

BONUS ALERT: Doggie grooming station on-site!

More info and pics here: http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/desert-edge-phoenix-az/

Date of Stay:
 May, 2010
Rate Paid:
 $41.00

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