ALABAMA
Deerlick Creek Park
Tuscaloosa, AL
Date of Stay: May 2015
Corps of Engineer park just outside the city. A hidden gem! Very quiet, all sites have concrete pads, water and 50 amp electric. Fishing pier, swimming beach, laundry (only $1.00 each for washer and dryer), dump station on on site. Bathroom and shower were old but clean enough. No wifi, but Verizon Jet Pack worked well. We were able to pull in several TV channels with just antenna despite heavy tree cover. Extremely friendly camp host (Tillman) told us that it's usually nearly empty in July and August. Each site has a grill, fire ring, picnic table and another table by the grill. Unique sites, some having wooden decks overlooking the forest, very private. We paid $11.00 per night and would definitely return!
U.S. Space and Rocket Center RV Park
Huntsville, AL
Date of Stay: May 2015
RV park next door to the Space and Rocket Center. Small (27 sites) campground with some homesteaders. Sites are gravel, partially to fully shaded and have water, sewer, 30/50 amp electric. A picnic table and charcoal grill are available at each site. Free wifi is some of the best I've had at a campground. Bathhouse is very shabby but clean. They advertise a laundry but I didn't see it. No cable, but we could get a few stations with antenna. Fairly quiet for being close to a highway. Not sure if they take reservations, but we had called prior to our arrival. Camp host very accommodating - he only had one night open but called us back when someone left. We paid $20.00 per night.
COLORADO
Canon City RV Park
Canon City, CO
Date of Stay: March 2015
Just stayed for a month at this park. Bare bones, no amenities except for a bath house that is very old but kept very clean. Mostly permanent residents but there are a few open spots for travelers. All are pull thru, bigs rig friendly. Price is $30 per night, $450 by the month. We used this park as a home base while finishing up selling the house and packing up to go full time. Camp hosts are very friendly and helpful. Water, 30 amp electric and sewer at each site. No cable TV but free WiFi. Across the street from Walmart, convenient location. Good place to stay if you're coming to see the Royal Gorge area or just passing through for a night or two.
LOUISIANA
Barksdale AFB Famcamp
Bossier City, LA
Date of Stay: May 2015
No reservations allowed but there were plenty of open spaces when we arrived. The camp host was very friendly, helping us pick a site for optimal TV reception. In a heavily wooded part of the base, there is quite a lot of noise from the flight line when the B52s were practicing their touch-and-go runs but that seemed to be only during the day and not all day long. Sites, some back in and some pull thru, were gravel but level and had water, sewer and 20/30/50 amp electric. Free wifi was fairly reliable but my Jet Pack came in handy occasionally. The laundry, bathrooms and showers were old, but clean. The bathhouse had a common dressing area but private showers. Laundry was $1.25 each and very clean. Beer, drinks and snacks available in the camp office. $18 per night, but weekly and monthly rates available.
Ameristar Casino RV Park
Vicksburg, MS
Date of Stay: May 2015
Water, sewer and 30/50 amp electric at this park that is convenient to all the sites in historic Vicksburg. All sites are concrete, pull-thru, big rig friendly. Free cable TV. Free wifi, but it wasn't very reliable, so the Verizon JetPack worked well here. Not a lot of shade but there's lots of grass, a swimming pool, clean bathrooms and laundry. $22.50 per night. Less than a mile off I20, but quiet. Free shuttle to the casino if that's your thing.
NEW MEXICO
Kirtland Air Force Base FamCamp
Albuquerque, NM
Date of Stay: January 2010
We got to the base after dark and had a little trouble finding the campground. The main gate to the base was closed, so we had to detour to another gate to get in. The newer campground is just a lot with paved streets, and gravel pull thru spots, each with water, sewer and electricity. There was a fair amount of room between sites. We payed $18.00 for the night. The older portion of the campground had trees and looked to be full, but didn't appear to have room for really long units, although we did seen some motorhomes parked over there. Definitely a good spot for a quick overnight stay.
OKLAHOMA
Alice's RV Park
Hooker, OK
Date of Stay: March 2015
In a word, don't! This is the first Passport America park we've stayed at, but I sincerely hope others in the system are a LOT better than this. The park has only six sites, 4 of which are occupied by permanent residents whose rigs have definitely seen better days. At only $10 a night for full hookups, it seems to be a bargain, but when we arrived, the power didn't work, the cable didn't work and the off-site owner didn't know about the outage. In fairness, he did allow us to stay without paying and came the next day to fix the electric. If you want a cheap place to stay the night, it will do, but I wouldn't highly recommend this one.
Terra Starr RV Park
Checotah, OK (Lake Eufala)
Date of Stay: April 2015
Excellent park, extremely good value! This is a Passport America park and, while it has permanent residents on leased sites, there are plenty of spaces for the casual visitor. A little off the beaten path, it is right on Lake Eufala, with boat launching and bank fishing just a few steps from your site. We paid $1 extra per night for 50 amp, but at $13 a night for the total length of our stay it was worth it. Free WiFi and the ability to up the speed of your connection for $5 per week or $9 per month; when we tried to do so, the camp host told us not to bother, that the upgraded speed was no better than the free. It was adequate to check email and browse the internet, so all was good. Clean showers, washer/dryers at $1.50 per load, pool, and tennis, basketball, and shuffleboard courts to name a few of the amenities. They were just ramping up for the season when we visited, but they have an activities director and planned activities all summer, if you care to join in. Sites were grass but level and large, with pull-thrus for overnight guests and lots of shade throughout the park. Close enough to Muskogee and Tulsa for day trips and plenty of good fishing!
TENNESSEE
Cedars of Lebanon State Park
Lebanon, TN
Date of Stay: May 2015
The RV campground is but a small portion of the camping in this state park. We had water and 50 amp electric, but no sewer; however, there is a dump in the park. Bath house was very old and not too clean - be sure to take shower shoes. A mixture of pull thru and back in sites. Plenty of shade, but still got fairly good TV reception with antennae. Laundry room on site - 4 washers and dryers each. We paid $20 per night. No wifi and very weak Verizon coverage. Good location for exploring Murfreesboro, Lebanon and Nashville.
Eagle's Nest Campground
Pigeon Forge, TN
Date of Stay: May 2015
This campground is Passport America. Mostly permanent residents in the RV section. Accommodates big rigs easily. We had full hookups - water , sewer and 50 amp electric plus cable TV. The shower house was large, but very old and not terribly clean. Large game room for kids and laundry room. We paid the PA rate of $22.50 a night for a planned two week stay. They advertised Wifi, it was down when we got there and they kept making excuses for why and when it would be back up. For that reason only, we left early and they were good about refunding our money after 6 days. Very affordable and convenient to all the attractions in the area. Trolley stop in front. Minutes to Gatlinburg and 1 1/2 hours from Asheville, NC.
Walden's Creek Campground
Pigeon Forge, TN
Date of Stay: June 2015
Very small campground, but will accommodate big rigs easily. Also a Passport America find, we paid the PA rate of $22.50 per night for entire stay. Water, sewer, 50 amp electric, free Wifi, cable TV, laundry room, bath house. The bath house was very old and quite dirty, with cobwebs, leaves and spiders everywhere, but the showers were large and wearing shower shoes helped. Owners live on site and are very friendly and helpful. A few residents, but mostly people came and went in the nine days we spent here. Washers were a little pricey at $2.00, but I checked a local washateria and found $2.50 there. Trolley stop right in front. Great area for dogs across a bridge where you can let them off leash.
TEXAS
Balmorhea State Park
Toyahvale, TX
Date of Stay: February 2010
This is a busy place in the summer. It's a bit off the highway, but apparently a LOT of people come here for bathing in the springs. The park has motel rooms and other facilities, but the campground is pretty bare bones - no trees. A lot of the sites were pull thru and they had water, electricity and cable TV. We paid $14 for the night, but there is also a $7 per person entry fee. We purchased a Texas state park pass for $70, good for 1 year, that negates the need to pay the entry fee. Good spot for overnight, but don't take the first exit for Balmorhea, take the second - it's way shorter to the park.
Goose Island State Park
Rockport, TX
Date of Stay: February 2010
This is a busy place, even in the winter. We were able to make last minute reservations, but when we tried to extend, it was a no go. There are two camping areas - right on the water and in the wooded area. Our site was in the wooded area and was so heavily wooded we couldn't even see the camper next to us. The water sites have a concrete shelter over the picnic table, but get all the wind. The fishing pier is right there, though, so very convenient for people with that hobby. We paid $16 per night for water and electric, entrance fees waived with Texas state park pass. It's a beautiful park with lots of trails in the live oaks and close to Rockport-Fulton for shopping essentials. Very nice showers and each site has a fire ring and charcoal grill.
Lackland AFB FamCamp
San Antonio, TX
Date of Stay: February 2010
Excellent place to stay, if you qualify, while touring San Antonio. $16 a night gets you a site with water and electric, a bit more for sewer, when available. Dump on site. The showers are really clean, lots of hot water and the washing machines and dryers are free. If you qualify to get on the base, it's a great way to save some money. Internet access was spotty, but is available in your trailer. No trees, but a nice area in which to walk the dogs and all the amenities of an air force base.
Potters Creek Park
Canyon Lake, TX
Date of Stay: February 2010
Potters Creek Park is situated on the northern shore of Canyon Lake in the rolling hill country of South Central Texas. We, not having reservations, were lucky to get one of three remaining vacancies when we checked in. It is a Corp of Engineers park, so with Sid's Golden Age pass, we only paid $12 a night for a back in site with water and electricy and no daily entrance fee with our Texas state park pass. The bath house was very clean, lots of hot water. No internet access, but the local library is about 10 miles away and a great place. Also there's a coffee shop a bit closer (Cup of Joe's). While our site was not right on the lake, we were surrounded by trees and could see the lake from our trailer. Highly recommended.
South Llano River State Park
Junction, TX
Date of Stay: February 2010
Excellent, excellent park! Lots of trees, trails, wildlife and friendly camp hosts. It, too, is a ways off I-10, but very worth the drive. It's close to the river for fishing and a very relaxing environment. Each site has water and electric. We paid $20 for the night, a little high, but well worth it. Go and stay for a few days - just an overnight is not enough!
Northshore Landing
Emory, TX (Lake Fork)
Date of Stay: April 2015
Another Passport America find, this is a beautiful campground right on Lake Fork. Boat launch, fishing pier, private stocked pond. PA rate given for entire length of stay; we paid $125 for a week This park is fairly new and the owners are super friendly and helpful. Bath house only has a single shower/bathroom, but since most of the residents are full time and use their own facilities, there was never a conflict while we were there and it was very clean. Washer/dryers are regular residential units and are only $1 per load on an honor basis. Gravel sites, very level and some sites have wooden decks while the rest have grass. Free WiFi and it's a strong enough signal to watch movies on. The whole campground is very peaceful and there are little areas all over for relaxing - decks over the pond, a communal fire pit and seating on the fishing pier. Improvements are being constantly worked on and I think this little gem won't have many empty sites come summer! Definitely recommend.
