Jack B's Profile | RV Parking

Jack B

34 Reviews

14 States Visited

Recent Reviews

KOA-Rusk

Sep 2016

At Rusk KOA Again Still a Good Stop

A check of this page shows we stayed here when we left Texas in May 2016; we are back, passing through on our return to Texas for the Winter.
The Workampers who were experienced with this park tragically had to rush home to Louisiana where they lost their home to flooding.
A new crew of very nice people are here working very hard at catch-up.
This is a park cut into the piney woods of East Texas. The woods border the park and make landscaping and grounds maintenance very difficult.
The soil is sand mixed with many millennia of pine needles and coaxing grass is a chore and a knack. This is still a nice park, we like it, but it is not as sharp as it was.
There are a variety of sites. Be careful what you ask for, it can be expensive. All sites are gravel with well placed utilities. They are long enough to leave your tow attached. They are all level, packed gravel.
There is a huge rectangular rally site with full utilities and rally hall.
Some sites have cement patios with furniture, all have a picnic table and fire ring. There is also a dog pen that encloses trees; my dog thought it was great. Check-in at the office was easy and friendly the camp store is very nice. The grounds are well lit at night.
The ubiquitous Kabins that we are familiar with are placed in the woods. A neat spot for a cabin stay. Much larger, self-contained Kabins, which are more like park models are scattered about the open RV sites.
There is also a pool and small children's playground. My wife and I found hiking trails in the woods.
Wi-Fi was very good, and cable was passable: ok on satellite channels but fuzzy for local stations
The bathrooms and showers are all sparking clean and very comfortable.
We used them. The laundry also looked up-to-date.
The park is very quiet and relaxing. We'll be ready to drive again tomorrow.

Date of Stay:

September, 2016

Rate Paid:

$38.00

Sallisaw / Fort Smith West KOA

Sep 2016

Very good overnight but try an extra day

This is a travelers KOA. Our traveling practice is to stay two days when we stop. So, we have watched this campground fill and then empty. It is a very nice KOA, just not a destination. This is not a huge park, I would call for availability.
Check-in was easy and friendly with the owners in a really well stocked camp store. There were souvenirs, as well as lots of basic RV supplies. The grocery selection was the basics, but still fresh and attractive. I was able to buy milk which is always my litmus test of a good camp store.
The sites were very neat and clean with well placed utilities. There was a picnic table and shade at the sites, neighbors were close but not imposing.
Cable was 65 clear channels with no hassle. Wi-Fi bogged down sometimes but over all was good.
The roads and sites are gravel, but all around is lush grass. The trees and lawns are verdant and surround the children's playground and a clean and well maintained pool. There are lots of benches, tables and chairs in the green space. There is even a small catch 'n release pond just for kid's fun.
A "Nature Trail" has been cut into a bordering woods that offered extensive walks because it was cut as a labyrinth with paths going in every direction. "Weren't we just here?"
The laundry looked very nice, clean and well equipped.
The real "knockout" were the bathrooms. They are outstanding, or maybe that is astounding. They look brand new and are done in stone tiles and marble, with designer fixtures. The lighting, mirrors, and basin shine. It goes without saying that bathroom and showers were also meticulously clean. These are really pleasant and comfortable bathrooms.
We are headed West and doubled back twenty miles for this campground.
It was a worthwhile detour. We camped at Sallisaw / Fort Smith West KOA in a Motorhome.

Date of Stay:

September, 2016

Rate Paid:

$35.00

Cottonwoods RV Park

Sep 2016

Great park, relax and enjoy

This is a great RV Park, there is a lot that can be said...with one caveat. This is a large park that is clean and neat. It is being maintained constantly. Check-in was easy at a very nice store/gift shop/ office. They actually had a lot of products in stock, both food and camping supplies as well as souvenirs and gift items. We were able to buy milk!! The grounds are manicured with a lot of flowering shrubs and plenty of shade trees. There is a large covered picnic pavilion with a big, big fire pit and lots of tables and grills. There is a pool that is clean and looked very inviting, though we didn't try it. Also a children's playground that looked new. Nearby was a very nice wooden gazebo for just relaxing out of the sun and enjoying the flowers. Each site has a picnic table and the front row sites each have a chimenea, but open fire pit fires are not allowed. There is also a rally room and one of the nicest "Rec" rooms I have encountered with real exercise equipment, book and dvd exchange, and tables and chairs for just getting together. The bathrooms are clean and well appointed, the showers were hot, though I believe the shower enclosures needed some scrubbing...probably hard water. Basins, mirrors and counter tops were all squeaky clean.
Still no cable, but OTA antenna TV will get you all the major networks plus other digital stations. Wi-Fi has been greatly improved with a number of hot-spots to choose from.
The "Heads-Up" for this campground: the roads are narrow,and the sites are tight, making for very shallow turns. Get the walkie-talkies you use for back-ins and send your navigator out to help you pull into your site. Even the Old Pros who have pulled into thousands of campsites, should send someone out to watch. Large RV combinations definitely need extra help. Someone from the office will also help. The park enforces overflow parking, the roads are as clear as possible, just not wide and decorative shrubs and boulders edge the site entrance and exit. Drive careful and enjoy this wonderful oasis off the road. Relax!

Date of Stay:

September, 2016

Rate Paid:

$36.00

Hickory Haven Campground

Sep 2016

Clean, safe, and quiet rest off the road

This is a very nice old park. Good service with good facilities, clean and neat, all very well maintained. Check-in was easy with helpful owners who live in homes adjoining the park.
Gravel roads and pads. The spaces are close, but not impossible. Hookup was well placed and easy.
Lot of old growth trees, lots of shade with additional plantings and landscaping. There is spacious grass for walking, but area between spaces is pretty much all gravel with a hint of grass.
There is no cable. Turn your antenna like everyone else and you'll get adequate OTA channels. Wi-Fi was good in our spot, #5, near the office.
Laundry is very reasonable, but only 2 of each .
Bathrooms are dated but sparkling clean and comfortable...even decorated.
Walking trails have been cut into the woods. It is a real walk in the woods as the trails are a little rough, but interesting.
All this said, I now must add that a reservation is recommended. This park is almost all filled with long term employed. The trailers are neat with some long-term clutter like large furniture pieces and big freezers outside. There is some order to long-term placement vs travelers.
Everyone appears to be working, it is quiet and controlled. Trailers as family homes seems to be a sign of our times.
This is a relaxing stop from hours of driving. It is not a resort. It is a safe, secure and quiet spot along the way. We'll be back. We camped at Hickory Haven Campground in a Motorhome.

Date of Stay:

September, 2016

Rate Paid:

$23.00

Sycamore RV Resort

Aug 2016

worthwhile stay every year

I'm surprised no one has reviewed this park since my last, but I am glad to review it again:
Besides being a beautiful park, this is as close as you can get to Chicagoland with a FHU RV park. I-88 to the city is nearby in DeKalb and the Metra is 20mins away in Elburn.
If there was nothing else its location would make it worthwhile.
This park features two small lakes, about a mile and a half around the two. Small boats are ok, fishing is catch and release. There is a big sandy beach on one lake with a buoy roped swim area. Also paddle-boats.
The owners have resisted putting camp sites around the lakes, most would have, the walks around the lakes are clear and improved and very pretty, with picnic tables, and flowers.
All the rv areas are level gravel with easy hookup to very convenient pedestals. All sites are back-in, end-to-end, but because the sites alternate, like a checker board, everyone has there own area. Each site has some shade, a picnic table, and fire ring.
The lack of grass at the individual sites is more than covered by the acres of beautiful green lawns. Always mowed and ready for a barefoot walk, because everyone picks up after their dog. The park is too beautiful not to!
The flowers and shrubbery are very professional. You'll find yourself just walking and asking, "What is this?" There is one walkway with different flowering shrubs on each side. All of this is kept clean, neat, and groomed every day.
There are permanent trailers that are used on the weekends and summer vacations, not so many permanent residents. All are well kept, with no permanent artifacts outside. Weekdays are very quiet.
There is no cable because Rockford and Chicago are very near. The Wi-Fi is by Tengointernet and free. Wi-Fi can slow down if the park is busy.
The bathrooms and showers are all-in-one style and very clean and comfortable.
The laundry seems pricey but note that the machines are front-loading commercial washers and dryers; fill them to the limits indicated. They do a good job.
The owners, Dale and Anita, have their home here at the park. It is a lovely home and all the park and campers spread out before them. We are camping on their front yard.
The owners are very proud of the park and work hard every day to keep their home clean and neat. To this end,there are rules. These rules ensure a clean, safe, and secure campground. All rules are printed on the welcoming brochure and there are none that I have not seen at other parks.
This is like an oasis, with all the large, old trees surrounding the property you wouldn't know a city was nearby. But it is and you can walk to town.
You will see Dale and Anita around all day because they live here too, and are your neighbors. We stay two months every year to make medical appointments and visit friends. We are full-timers now, but this area had been our home. We return yearly.

Date of Stay:

August, 2016

Rate Paid:

$34.00

Shabbona Lake State Park Campground

Jun 2016

great getaway for family fun

Have been coming here for years when the kids were small, before full-timing. This park is a top camping draw for families from The City and fills almost every Summer weekend, during the week not even a tenth filled.
This park features a big fishing and paddle sports lake, no motors over 10hp. Buy a license! DNR Police are active here.
The day-use and camping sections are separate and distinct. There is a restaurant at the day-use side and a great camp store with fishing and camping supplies as well as food and ice cream treats on the camping side.
There are boat rentals at each location.
There are 150 camp sites, FCFS and ReserveAmerica. They are all back-in, electric only, level is debatable. The park works hard to keep the woods at bay and is constantly pushing it back, but the sites are still very woodsy, many are in twilight all day. The State Park has a booster club and many supporters. See this web site, not Illinois DNR, for lots of info about the lake and park, as well as pictures of the camping sites and lots of fish pics:

http://shabbonalake.com/camp-site-photos/

This is a camping park mostly tent camping, pop-ups, and travel trailers. Motorized RV are probably truck campers and small rv's. Check the photos in the above noted web site. Large Class A's and 5th wheels would have a chore getting in. There is a fire ring and picnic table at every site and there is plenty of grass around before giving way to the woods.
There are good hiking trails, including a formidable one around the lake.
Families and children play all day and never stop exploring the woods. This is not a quiet place...it is not supposed to be.
Besides the usual outhouses there is a single shower and bathroom building which, though cleaned daily, is severely taxed when the park is full. It is rather Spartan, at best.
Four host couples, scattered about the park keep things running smoothly without spoiling the fun.

Date of Stay:

June, 2016

Rate Paid:

$20.00

Shabbona Lake State Park Campground

Jun 2016

Great for family camping and fishing

http://shabbonalake.com/camp-site-photos/

Date of Stay:

June, 2016

Rate Paid:

$20.00

Hinton RV Park

May 2016

Good place for rest off the interstate

This is a plain and simple, utilitarian, just off the interstate RV Park. Which is just what they say they are. The park is very neat and trim. Gravel roads and sites, very easy full hook ups. We used our short water hose and only one length of sewer hose. The sites are level front to back, but ours leaned a little, not enough to get the boards out. The sites are long enough to leave your tow attached. No fire rings, but each site has a picnic table.
There is adequate space between the rv's. The permanent and long-term tenants are in the rear. Saw no derelict trailers or junk.
The small office has some rv supplies that might come in handy, but there is no camp store. The cable is very good with 30 stations, and wi-fi is excellent with four "hot spots" to choose from.
There are no amenities here. The attraction is location, location, location.
It is directly off I-55 and one half mile from I-57. We hear no road noise!
A single men's and women's bathroom are off the laundry room. They are very basic and appear to be cleaned daily. They can really only accommodate one user at a time, yet the outside door doesn't lock, so I guess you have to say, "I'm in here" when someone comes in. The walls are painted cement block and the floors concrete. I have shower shoes that I rarely use. I'm sure the bathrooms are clean but I'll use my shoes.
The day we arrived they were putting new mulch around their shade trees.
It looked nice and there were flowers blooming all about. This is a clean and orderly park.
Here is a comfortable night off the road. It is not a resort. It's a night's sleep before you start driving again. We liked it, we'll be back.

Date of Stay:

May, 2016

Rate Paid:

$29.00

Whitney Lane RV Park

May 2016

Good little park in Kensett NOT Russellville

This park steps off the pages of a 1980 AAA Travel Guide. An old RV Park that is little worn on the edges but very comfortable and welcoming.
NOTE!! You must be self-contained, no bathrooms or showers.
The sites are close but not restrictive. There are two electrical boxes on each pedestal so the paired rv's are close, but there is a lot of space between each pair. There is a picnic table at each site.
We were able to leave our towed p/u truck attached. The sites are two strips of concrete with gravel and grass and mature trees all around.
Looking around we see lots of neighbors who live here, but, although there are the obvious signs of permanent residents, there are no derelict trailers.
Many rv units are showing some age but flower gardens, bird feeders, and lawn furniture abound. Everyone seems to have a happy banner flying.
Not a lot of amenities but the furnished wi-fi is outstanding. No cable but OTA antenna tv will get you the major broadcasters.
The owners are the nicest people. They run a very clean and neat rv park and are on-site to keep it that way.
This is a very nice little corner in Arkansas and a good overnight stop on our travels. We would come back.

Date of Stay:

May, 2016

Rate Paid:

$20.00

Magnolia RV Park

May 2016

Simple and Secure Overnight Stop

We visited this park two years ago, right after the ribbon cutting, and thought then that it had a lot of potential. Now, two years later, it all looks exactly the same. Not bad, but not changed or enhanced, just the way we left it.
The roads and sites are gravel, there are lots of lawns and grass around each site. The sites are level and hook ups easy. There is a pond in the middle of the park with well maintained landscaping. It all looks very clean and neat. Not all sites sites have picnic tables and there are no fire rings. The cable and wi-fi both have strong signals and work well.
The office staff and workampers are very helpful. They offer discounts for FMCA, SKP's, and GS which is good because for a simple park, it is rather pricey.
The Main Building serves all functions as office, laundry, showers, and bathrooms. All these functions are reached upon entering this main building which is odd. The two unisex showers are very big with a complete bathroom as well. They are sparkling clean and even decorated.
Unfortunately no camp store of any kind!!
Since first seeing this park it has almost filled with permanent and long term residents. Too bad, it would be a great rest for travelers. Now maybe six sites are for overnight guests. All sites on the pond are long term residents. Some of the permanent trailers toward the rear of the park show the wear and age of just sitting, some have the outside clutter that marks a permanent resident.
Common RV Park amenities that I thought would be added never happened, e.g. dog park, kids' playground, pool, park style benches around the pond, camp store. I guess because their residents became their focus.
Be sure to call for a reservation, as this is being written there are no more overnight spots. This a clean and secure overnight stop, but not much more.

Date of Stay:

May, 2016

Rate Paid:

$35.00

1
2
3
4
next ›