Campground Reviews

Site 23, Devils Garden Campground, Arches National Park, Moab, UT - 03/08

Welcome To Our Campground Reviews Main Page

We started doing campground reviews for a couple of reasons. The selfish reason is to provide ourselves with a historical account of the places we have stayed and what we liked and did not like. The other reason is to help you decide whether or not you would like to stay at a particular campground we have visited.

Our disclaimer is that these are our opinions only and the reviews are based on what is important to us. Our criteria may be completely different than yours, so read the reviews with that in mind. :)

At first we had all of our campground reviews listed on this page in reverse chronological order. However the page was becoming too long and too cumbersome. So now this page simply sets forth our "Review Criteria" and provides links to the actual reviews below the explanation of our "Review Criteria".

You may link to the reviews by state or by year or by using our Campground Reviews Map. The state by state listings show the campgrounds from most recent (and therefore, most relevant) to the oldest. The pages that are year by year list the campgrounds from top to bottom in exactly the order we visited them. The Campground Map allows you see all of our campgrounds, zoom in, zoom out, and link to individual reviews. We hope you like having three ways to navigate to the reviews. :)

Our Criteria

Our review criteria is similar to our selection criteria, so let's look at how we decide upon a campground.

Location - First and foremost is where the campground is located in relation to our intended route. We don't mind venturing off our main route an hour for a campground that meets other criteria, but I doubt that we will ever make a particular campground our destination.

Setting - We look for campgrounds with more natural settings. We will always shy away from popular overnight campgrounds along an interstate and we will try to avoid concrete RV parking lots with no trees or character. Peace, quiet, natural surroundings, and space between sites are VERY important to us. What we are really looking for is what we call the "it" factor. The "it" factor is hard to describe, but we know we've found it when we get parked and the only thing we want to do is get out our chairs, sit under the awning, and enjoy the view, the peacefulness, and the serene feeling that overcomes us.

Guidebook Consensus - Initially, we relied on five reference books to help us choose campgrounds. But after our first two years on the road, we never look at them. In fact, if I didn't have to go through and change every review, I'd take this criteria out completely. :)

Big Rig Friendly - Out of necessity with our rig being forty feet long and thirteen feet high with four slideouts, the campground has to have large enough sites and clearance. Pull-through spaces are nice for convenience, but often are not the best sites - we prefer back-ins. So the existence of pull-throughs is a factor (just in case there is not enough room to get the monster backed in anywhere), but not a requirement by any means.

Hook-Ups - This was a bigger issue for us when we started out than we originally thought. However, as we have learned our holding tank capacities and added solar panels, an inverter, and a significant battery bank, full hook-ups have become less and less a factor. We still like electric hook-ups, but water hook-ups are not that big a deal as long as we can fill our 100 gallon fresh water tank. Sewer hook-ups are a great convenience, but not necessary either. We will forgo all hook-ups when our options of places to stay is limited or the location and natural beauty are over-riding factors, especially if staying two weeks or less. We prefer to not have to use bathhouses, but we want natural settings so much, we have no problem with bathhouses. Because we have our own satellite dish for internet access and TV, cable, Wi-Fi, and other internet hook-ups are non-factors. We do need a clear view of the southern sky, but that is usually more of a site selection issue than campground selection (although we do ask when we call).

Laundry Facilities - Since we do not have a washer/dryer in the rig, laundry facilities are a slight factor. In practice, as we've gained experience, laundry facilities are almost a non-issue anymore. But we still note the presence of laundry facilities in our reviews.

Price & Discounts - Price is a factor in our campground selections. But our preference for public campgrounds over private RV parks and resorts makes price less of a factor. We originally budgeted $25 per night for campground fees, but now we budget $15 per night. By boondocking outside campgrounds, parking without hook-ups inside campgrounds, taking advantage of weekly and monthly rates, and using Passport America discounts when moving quickly, we've knocked our average nightly rate down. Our criteria for natural settings and lack of need for amenities tends to put us in less expensive campgrounds. However, price and discounts may be deciding factor between multiple options to ensure we stay within our $450 per month budget.

Other Deciding Factors - When we are choosing campgrounds and we are having a tough time choosing, we determine which choice has the more inviting website or which choice is friendliest when we call. We know these are not exactly rational deciding factors, but they usually tell us something about the management of the facility and rarely are we disappointed when making a final decision this way.