Wilderness Lakes RV Resort, Menifee, California

     We arrived at Wilderness Lakes on a rainy Sunday morning.  We found one of the last two available 50 amp sites.  The campground has semi-paved roads with gravel sites.  About one-third of the sites are 50 amp and the rest are 30, annuals, or cabins.  We also found that the campground is subject to flooding when it rains, we had the good fortune to pick a site that didn't flood.  There are canals in the park which helped with the flooding issues during the rain.  Most of the sites are large enough to spread out a bit. All the facilities that you would expect from a Thousand Trails campground are here.  The family lodge serves meals on weekends and has a nice pool (closed during our stay)  The adult lodge seems like several buildings pushed together to form one.  The adult pool and hot tub are very nice.  The tennis and pickleball courts are shared with a maze of confusing overlapping lines drawing out two of the pickleball courts that overlap the tennis court.  The surface of the court is cracked and water puddles when it rains.  Fortunately, we had enough sunny mornings to play for a couple hours almost every day here.  Overall, the park was nice enough, just a bit wore down.  I'm sure that we will revisit in the future.

       While we were here in less than perfect weather and didn't explore the area much, we did get some needed changes done to the coach.  First I added two dedicated 20 amp circuits to the living room.  (all the receptacles shared the same circuit)  Then we purchased a couple of space heaters to run on cooler nights to limit the amount of time the gas furnace needed to kick on.  Then we replaced the washer/dryer taking up cabinet space in the bedroom with a compact freezer.  The freezer being smaller than the washer/dryer allowed me room to build shelves above and beside it.  We also replaced our microwave which had lost its convection function due to a lightning strike while camping in Kentucky.  

Los Angeles Area RV Camp in California
     Wilderness Lakes RV Campground offers the perfect getaway for all ages! With 80 scenic acres, this RV campground in California features fishing canals and a central location near shopping, hospitals, and freeways. All 523 camping sites offer water, electric and sewer services. For guests who wish to rent accommodations at Wilderness Lakes RV Campground, cabins and rental trailers are available. Guests also enjoy the convenience of our on-site general store, which is open five days a week.

     In addition to its fun family atmosphere, Wilderness Lakes RV Campground is known for its fishing. In fact, this beautiful California RV campground periodically stocks channel catfish on which our angler guests can test their skills. California requires resort fishing permits, which can be bought at the ranger station or on-site Country Store. For golfers, five challenging golf courses are located within 10 miles of Wilderness Lakes RV Campground. Many Southern California attractions are within a 90-minute drive, including the famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Knott's Berry Farm, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and Disneyland.

     Pay a visit to Wilderness Lakes RV Campground for your next vacation. The temperatures are mild in the winter and warm to hot in the summer, making Wilderness Lakes RV Campground a perfect camping destination no matter the season.

Whispering Pines, Newport, North Carolina

       We spent three nights at Whispering Pines as a go-between stop between Myrtle Beach & Virginia Beach.  We arrived at the park around one in the afternoon on one of the most humid days that we've encountered.  We went to the office got our assigned site backed in and proceeded to get set up.  Since we were going to be there a few nights I decided to put out the mat, chairs, table and set up the barbecue.  By the time I was finished I was soaked.  So we decided to cool off in the pool.  The pool was small but nice enough.  After about twenty minutes of chatting with a friendly lady in the pool, we noticed the northern sky fill with black ominous looking clouds.  Although it was still sunny and 85, everyone decided to get out of the pool.  Just after we go back to the RV, the sky went dark the temperature dropped and it hit.  The rain was falling hard and we were getting quite the thunder and lightning show.  Jackie was just about to get her phone out to record the show when lightning hit a tree about fifty feet from us.  It was very very loud and just awesome.  Power went off and on a few times and decided to stay on.  It was too bad we didn't record it.  I guess it's time to shell out for that surge suppressor that I've been putting off buying.  The of our stay there, the weather was nice.

     The park is just that, an RV Park.  It was nice, there are ponds and a pool, but not much to call it a resort.  Most of the people there were full-time residents with just a hand full of RV'ers.  There is a lot of lawn and so there was a good feel to the park, just nothing to write home about.  Most of the sites are a combination of grass and gravel without a lot of shade if you're not a resident.  Overall, I liked the park and the people and would stay there again, but it wouldn't be a destination point.

     While we were there, we drove north to Atlantic Beach and followed the coastline down Emerald Isle as far as we could looking for beach access spots.  Well, we found lots of them, but no place to park except in the two public parks we found with a $10 fee to park.  Not really worth it for an hour-long walk along the beach.  The beaches are beautiful, but you can't see them from the road, which is too bad.  

A quaint park near Bogue Sound, nestled among the North Carolina pines.

Whalers Rest RV and Camping Resort

    Whaler’s Rest is located just south of Newport, Oregon, just about the middle of the Oregon Coast.  It too is a Thousand Trails Campground, so here is their description:

Year-Round RV Campground on the Oregon Coast

    Grab your bathing suits, towels, and flip flops! Whalers Rest RV Camping offers a pristine beach location just 150 yards from the Pacific Ocean. Open year-round, this RV campground on the Oregon coast offers beach goers activities including salt-water swimming, scuba diving, surfing, whale watching and fishing all within minutes of Whalers Rest RV Camping. On those not-so-sunny days, our indoor pool and spa are fabulous alternatives. Billiards, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and mini golf are other popular activities at Whalers Rest RV & Camping Resort.

     I have to agree; Whaler’s Rest is a nice campground with lots of things to see and do nearby.  The campground is very well kept and the staff is great.  Although there is access to the beach, you must cross US 101 to get there.  The beach is beautiful and with Lost Creek Wayside being the only way that I saw down onto that section, so there were few people.  That worked great for dogs who love nothing better to chase each other around the beach.

    The campground has an adult lodge, a family lodge with an indoor pool and hot tub, a miniature golf course, a small disc golf course, shuffle board, laundromat, and tennis courts.  There is also a fenced dog walk area and a playground.  Our camp site was secluded, but not all were.  Whaler’s Rest felt more like a campground than just an RV park.  Overall, we liked the park and will return in the future.  I recommend finding a tourist info center and find out what’s nearby.  We did, but on our last day there, so we need to return someday.

Viento State Park Oregon

     Viento State Park is located five miles east of Hood River, Oregon in the Columbia Gorge.   The campground offers river access, tent and RV sites.   Unfortunately the campground is wedged between the freeway and the railroad tracks.  With a crossing at the park, the trains blow their whistles twenty-four hours a day.  Picking a site away from the tracks puts you closer to the freeway noise.  This is unfortunate because the campground is very nice and people were very friendly.  Living very close to the tracks on the other side of the river has accustomed us to the noise and we slept through all of it.  From the campground you can follow the paved trail (the old hiway) to the east a mile or so to find Starvation Creek Falls and access from there to many more of the falls and sites of the gorge.

        We took advantage of our dinghy and drove up to Lost Lake on Mt. Hood to check out the campground their.  The campground is a first come, first serve resort.  With steep windy roads to get there and very tight campsites and narrow roads, I wouldn't recomend anything bigger than a camper or small trailer.  The campground has no electric or water sites, but it does feature one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  No motors are allowed on the lake and there are rentals available to venture out onto the lake.  On the way back to camp we stopped into Hood River to window shop and have lunch.  Overall, it was a great camp trip.  It ended with us meeting some RV'rs from Arizona, who we hope to run into again sometime in the future.

Victoria Palms RV Resort

       We stayed at Victoria Palms for two weeks.  The park is very nice with well-maintained facilities.  A lot of the park is populated with manufactured homes and some permanent RV sites.  The rest of the RV sites are rated as economy, standard, and deluxe, depending on the size of the lot.  We had a standard site with a 16' x 60' concrete slab surrounded by green grass.  Some of the deluxe sites were really big.  If you were going to stay there for the winter it may be worth it to get one.  We also found the people there to be very nice.  With 55+ parks, we noticed a lot fewer weekenders who are too busy to get to know other people.  There are lots of activities going on all week, from ballroom dancing to HO car racing.  While we were there we had a range of weather conditions, but whether it was cold or hot, it seemed to be always windy.  Which was nice on the really hot days, but it made it difficult to sit outside the RV and just enjoy the day.  We also noticed that there are quite a few birds there.  Every evening, parrots would come out and fly from palm tree to palm tree, making a whole lot of noise in the process.  The Rio Grande Valley was fine but we did notice a poorer economy than most places we've seen.  We will definitely return to this resort and recommend it to others.  

     Victoria Palms RV Resort is a premier age-qualified RV resort and manufactured housing community nestled in the tropical Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Open to guests 55 and up, this beautiful Texas RV resort features a tropical pool and outdoor spas, fitness center, full restaurant, two-story craft center and more. Guests also enjoy our convenient, central location near shopping, medical facilities, and other major amenities.

      Victoria Palms RV Resort is proud to offer guests a variety of ways to enjoy their stay. We have pull-through and back-in RV sites complete with full hookups. Don't have an RV? No problem. Stay in one of our fully furnished rental cottages or manufactured homes.

      Looking for the perfect RV resort in Texas? You've found it at Victoria Palms RV Resort. We enjoy an average temperature of 73 degrees and feature entertainment and activities offered year round, both indoors and out. We hope to see you soon!

Verde Valley RV Park, Cottonwood, Arizona 

       After planning the first month we decided to join 1000 trails.  We had planned a longer stay at Trinidad Lake, but I wanted to fit Verde Valley into pit trip, and so we cut some days out of our plan and put six days into staying at Verde Valley.  I’m glad that I did.  Since it was in Arizona, we figured we needed 50amps, so we called ahead and reserved a 50amp site.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t going to be a 50amp site available our whole stay so we knew that we would have to move after a few days.  I now understand that about 30% of the campground is people who lived there full time and when we asked for a 50amp service it put us in more of a residential part of the park and less of a camping part.  After our first night of looking at someone’s shed out our window, we asked to move to a different section.   The staff was more than happy to help and we moved into a 30amp site close to the pool.  This site was great with green grass, shade, and a picnic table right out our door.  The next day, we got neighbors right next door, Tom & Paula, and their dog Logan.  They turned out to be great people and added to our enjoyment of the campground.        

      From the campground, we found several nearby things to check out.  First, we checked-out Cottonwood.  It had an older section of town with shops and restaurants.   After that, we headed up to the town of Jerome, a supposed ghost town built on the side of a hill.  It is an old mining town with an interesting history and now mostly a tourist stop with more shops and restaurants.  Just outside of town is an old junkyard of cars and trucks which have also been marked as a ghost town.  Unless you are really interested in rusted old cars, trucks, buses, tractors… save your five dollars and avoid this place.  We also visited Sedona.  I would recommend coming into town from the east through Oak Springs Village on 179.  The red landscape of rocks, mesas, desert trees, and plants looked like a scene from a Roadrunner cartoon or as my daughter put it, “where Cars was filmed” The area is a must see.  We had the time to explore the town and return for an early morning hike around Bell and Courthouse Rocks.  On another outing, we visited Montezuma’s Palace.  It’s another interesting part of history that I wasn’t familiar with.

     Almost a year and a half later, we visited the campground again.  It was obvious that they had been putting a lot of work into the park.  Roads have been widened and a great deal of electrical improvements have been made.  The new electric pedestals have been wired for both 30 and 50 amps, but a lot of the 50 amp outlets haven't been connected until the park installs new transformers.   Also, since we were here last we have taken up pickleball and we were able to get in a couple of games almost every morning before it got too hot.  Our site was similar to our last site, only we had the 50 amps.  There is an extra $5 per night for a 50 amp site, but seeing the electrical improvements made to the park, it is well worth it.  We're looking forward to our next visit here.   

Naturally Beautiful RV Campground in Arizona
Arizona is known for its expansive desert and mountain backdrops. At Verde Valley RV Camping, you’ll enjoy the best of everything Arizona has to offer. Situated on the scenic Verde River, Verde Valley RV Camping offers 300 acres of picturesque beauty. Explore the majestic Red Rocks to the north, Mingus Mountains to the west and the Hackberry Mountains to the south. With a moderate year-round climate, this RV campground in Arizona is an ideal location for your next retreat.

Rich in geological and cultural history, the area surrounding Verde Valley RV Camping offers hours of exploration and sightseeing. Kayak down the Verde River, explore the famous ghost town of Jerome, take a drive through scenic Sedona, or sample wines at local wineries. The possibilities are endless when you spend your next vacation at Verde Valley RV Camping!

Tuxbury Pond RV Resort, South Hampton, New Hampshire

     The drive in was wet and rainy so the branches along the route were low and did a number on our roof.  Our Garmin GPS led us to the back entrance to the park (which was not a road for RV's) and Google Maps put us on the correct road but took a screwy way to get there.  (Later the car's GPS placed us a mile away from the entrance)  Check-in time is 2 PM and we arrive at half-past ten.  So we had to pull over and wait.  (however, our assigned site was empty when we arrived)  Our site was nice enough, right between a park model that was vacant and a great couple with their three grand-daughters.  (So it was all good)  The park is along Tuxbury Pond which is large but mostly covered with vegetation that wasn't very inviting.  The park is divided with the park buildings in the middle.  It offers both heavily treed campsites as well as several with no shade at all.  The swimming pool looked nice and has a nice camp store.  There was an inflatable movie screen showing Christmas movies in July.  We did look at some of the other buildings like the laundry and what I assumed was a teen area which was in bad condition.  The campground is quite large and the only dumpsters are located about a quarter of a mile outside the gate with no recycling.  The campground is half in New Hampshire and half in Massachusetts.  Overall, the campground was fine and meeting new friends made it all that much better.

     While we were there we took a day to drive up along the New Hampshire coast along Route 1A.  This was the first time we had been able to drive along the Atlantic Ocean and actually see the ocean.  We followed the coast until we reached Portsmouth.  Along the way, we stopped at a revolutionary war bunker, Fort Constitution, that is located inside a Coast Gaurd station along with a Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse on New Castle Island.  On another day we drove south back into Massachusetts to do the tourist thing in Salem.  We spent the day poking around town, did a tour of a which house and walked out onto Derby Wharf to check out the light station built in 1871.  Salem was a beautiful town with lots of history and lots of tourists.  Who would have thought that less than one year of witch trials in 1692 would bring so much money into the town several hundred years later?  We had also planned to visit Boston, but the parking cost alone made it unappealing for a partial day visit.  In the future when we can take the train into town and plan a little better, we'll try it again.  

Family-Friendly RV Resort in New Hampshire
     Get ready for fun and exploration at Tuxbury Pond RV Resort in New Hampshire. There's something for everyone here: relax along the peaceful shores of Tuxbury Pond, lounge by our swimming pools, or take advantage of the many activities and events arranged for our guests to enjoy throughout the season. Located in South Hampton, Tuxbury Pond RV Resort puts guests within reach of popular tourist attractions including apple orchards, farms, and one-of-a-kind restaurants.

     Join us at Tuxbury Pond RV Resort for a special vacation experience just 30 minutes from the ocean and Salisbury-Hampton beaches.

Tuckahoe State Park, Queen Anne, Maryland

      On our way from Virginia to Tuckahoe, our fresh water pump died.  Not really a big deal, we haven't hit a campground without water for over a year.  Come to find out, this park doesn't have a water hookup at the campsites.  However, there was fresh water within 100 feet of the site and bathrooms with showers just a short walk through the woods.  Tuckahoe is one of the nicest campgrounds that we've visited.  All the sites in the "electric loop" have 50 amps and can comfortably fit big rigs.  We honestly couldn't find a site that wasn't great.  From the camping area, we walked to a large day-use picnic area and then followed a trail that led to the lake.  At the lake was a youth camp going on with all sorts of activities for kids.  The campground is heavily wooded and was absolutely beautiful.  There are a few nice cabins to rent as well.  We visited during the last week in June and there were only four other campers in the park.  I don't understand why.  

Maryland.gov

Tuckahoe Creek, a quiet country stream bordered for most of its length by wooded marshlands, runs through the length of the park. A 60-acre lake offers boating and fishing. The park offers 20 miles of scenic hiking, biking and equestrian trails, flat water canoeing, hunting, picnicking, as well as a recycled tire playground for children. The park offers activities and special events on a seasonal basis. Activities include day camps, canoe trips, Scales & Tales presentations and displays, and Challenge Course programs. Each weekend, Memorial Day through Labor Day, park staff offer a number of free family activities.

Features:

• Camping: The park offers a family camping area with 54 sites, 33 with electric hookups, and a central bathhouse with showers and toilet facilities. Each site is equipped with a camping pad, picnic table, and fire ring. No water hook-ups are available, but potable water is conveniently located around each loop. A dump station is available for trailer use. Pets are allowed in the campground but must remain on a leash at all times. Click here for camping season beginning and ending dates, and camping and shelter service charges.
• Youth Group Camping: The park also offers a youth group camping area with four sites, each site accommodating up to 30 people.
• Cabins: Eight camper cabins are available for rent through the statewide reservation system. Four cabins sleep four and four sleep six; all equipped with ceiling fan, electricity, air conditioning, grill, fire ring, and table.
• Picnicking/Shelters: The park has two picnic areas, each offering shaded sites with picnic tables, charcoal grills, playground equipment and horseshoe pits. The Lake and Cherry Lane Area Pavilions, with a capacity of 80 persons, can be rented through the statewide reservation system.
• Arboretum: The Adkins Arboretum encompasses 500 acres of park land and almost three miles of surfaced walkways leading through the tagged native species of trees and shrubs.
• Fishing and Boating: The park has a 60-acre lake with fishing and boating opportunities on 20 acres of open water. The remaining acres are flooded woodland. A launch ramp is available for boaters. Gasoline motor use is prohibited. Canoeing at Tuckahoe is a popular activity on both the lake and the creek because of the park's abundant wildlife. It is common for visitors to enjoy watching bald eagles, ospreys and great blue herons. Beavers and muskrats have surprised visitors by swimming past their canoes. Tuckahoe is full of pockets of secluded beauty, some only accessible by canoe. Canoes, single kayaks and tandem kayaks are available to rent on a first-come, first-serve basis. During the week, come by the park office to rent. The lakefront boathouse is open most weekends for rentals (hours based on staff availability and weather conditions). Canoes/kayaks are $10/hour.
• Multi-use Trails: Tuckahoe State Park boasts excellent hiking, biking, and equestrian opportunities. Trails that wander through the park include the Tuckahoe Valley Trail, a self-guided Natural Trail, the Physical Fitness Trail and the Lake Trail. The Maryland Park Service does not rent horses and only provides the trails as a means of recreation.
  View and download the Tuckahoe State Park Trail Map
  

  Purchase copies of the Tuckahoe State Park Trail Guide through our online store.

  To purchase copies of the Tuckahoe State Park Trail Guide with a check, please click on this link to print an order form.

  Purchase copies of the Tuckahoe State Park Bandana Map through our online store.

• Disc Golf: An 18-hole disc golf course is located in the Cherry Lane section of the park. Free scorecards are available at the bulletin board near the ball field.
• Mountain Bike, Kayak, and Canoe Rentals
  Tuckahoe offers mountain bikes, kayaks, and canoes for rent at the park during the spring, summer, and fall. Contact the park for current service charges, available days and times.

Tropical Palms RV Resort

     When we arrived here we were assigned a site in the back 40.  We found the site, backed in, powered up and leveled only to realize that we were one space over.  So we moved to the correct spot and got all set up.  This section of the park was mostly empty and the site we were given was right next to a homesteader with tarps over things and stuff all over.  So we decided to go ask if we could move to one of the other vacant sites which offered more shade and wasn't right on top of this other camper.  That worked for them, so we wound up with a much nicer site.  The park has some nice picnic areas, miniature golf, pool and other amenities. However, with its proximity to Disney World, we really didn't use much of the park's services.  It has manufactured homes to buy, park models to rent, deluxe paved RV site, full-hookup back-in sites on grass, and electric/water only back-in sites.  The staff is friendly and the gate security is manned 24 hours a day.

      Being from the west coast, Jackie and I have been to Disneyland many times, so of course, everything in Disney Wolrd was compared with that.  Disney World has four parks while Disneyland has only two.  We first visited the Magic Kingdom and it was like Disneyland light.  It wasn't until we had visited all four parks did we see that pretty much every ride in California had the same or a similar ride here in Florida.  It was just spread out among the for parks.  Some rides were exactly the same, for example, the haunted house, while other rides used the same equipment but were different., soring over California is changed to soring over the world.  The biggest difference is the Animal Kingdom.  There is nothing in California even close to it.  The Animal Kingdom is a theme park and zoo/safari all in one.  I was really impressed!  

An Unforgettable Year-Round Orlando Resort Experience!

     Come explore all that our Orlando area RV park has to offer. Tropical Palms is that family getaway you remember from your childhood and now want to share with your children. It's flat-out Florida fun and good times, where you're close to everything and far away from the everyday. Tropical Palms is surrounded by wonderful places to enjoy a day of fun! Just minutes from the resort you can be at Disney World, Universal Theme Parks, and Sea World! You can spend the day at Daytona Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Busch Gardens, or take a stroll over to Old Town and celebrate the glory days of bygone times. Tropical Palms is far from the ordinary and close to the magic.

Trinidad Lake State Park, Trinidad Colorado

       Trinidad Lake State Park is another campground that I would certainly revisit.   We did have a couple of unexpected surprises though.  First, you need to pay for a parking permit ($7 per day) on top of your paid camping fees.  The second was, that most sites didn't have water, only a few did.  Other than that, the campground was very clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful.  There are six hiking trails, four of them under a mile.  The facilities were immaculate.  However, you did need to pay for the showers.  We also found that each of the three nights that we were there, winds picked up each afternoon, preventing us from barbecuing.  

        While there, we took some time to do some site-seeing.  One day we drove the "Highway of Legends"  It's around 90 miles round trip.  The views were worth the drive.  On the way back we took some time to visit the Ludlow Memorial and learn about the Ludlow Massacre in 1914.  The second day there we explored Trinidad and visited a couple of museums and learned about the town's history.  It has three separate histories, first the archeology history of the dinosaur and plant fossils found there, then the history of the Santa Fe Trail, and finally the history of its coal mining and brick manufacturing.  Half the streets are paved in brick and most of the buildings are either brick or adobe block.

From Colorado State Parks

The mild climate and large lake are ideal for water sports. Anglers catch rainbow and brown trout, largemouth bass, channel catfish, walleye, crappie, and bluegill. All types of boaters appreciate the open waters and modern services.

Miles of trails winding through ancient and interesting local history and spectacular scenery provide visitors and nature enthusiasts with great outdoor exploration opportunities.

Trinidad Lake is a wonderful place to escape the crowds and establish a base camp from which to explore the great outdoors plus visit interesting local attractions. Area attractions like the former mining town of Trinidad with its colorful history make great side trips.

In order to provide better customer service and access to quality camping, starting July 1, 2018, all sites at this park will be available by reservation ONLY.

​Occupation of a site without a reservation will not be permitted.
If you wish to occupy a site at this park, you may reserve it 24/7 at www.cpwshop.com​ or by calling 1-800-244-5613.
The 3-day reservation window does not apply at this park; sites are available for reservation 24/7.
Self-service camping permits will no longer be valid.
For questions, please contact the CPW call center at 303-297-1192.​​