We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.
From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls
Click on "Top Panel" to see where are and where to next
We don't usually stop at KOA campgrounds, but this was the only campground in West Virginia along our route that worked without going too far out of our way. The campground has long pull-through sites but they were very close together.
If everyone would have parked their cars or trucks in line with their RV then it would have worked. For some reason, they didn't. After speaking with the camp host the prior night about two trucks that would need to be moved for me to pull forward to get out, both were still parked the next morning so we had to figure something else out. I still had the dinghy attached and didn't want to disconnect to back out. The large 5th-wheel a site over from me was also blocked by the same two trucks and frankly, our front in. If I backed up some, then he could fit. (I was still on my jacks) The folks on the other side of him parked their truck behind him half in his spot so he couldn't back out. So I quickly got things stowed away, he backed up as far as he could so that I could pull forward in front of him and head out the wrong way up the street. That worked, I hope that he got out as well.
Other than the tight sites, the campground was quite nice. It had a sandy beach on one of the three ponds with large floating toys for kids to play on. It had a few nice rental cabins along one of the ponds. The tent sites were set up really nice and you could even rent sites that featured patios complete with furniture and a nice fire pit. Overall the campground was pretty decent, better than other KOA's that we have visited. It's a great one or two-night stop-over right off the freeway. We would return if our travels bring us that way again.
Check-in time is after 2 pm and check-out time is 11 am. Our cabin registration times vary slightly to check-in after 3 pm and check out time of 11 am.
We always encourage a campfire while staying at our park, it's just part of camping. We are restricted by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Forestry Department from the transportation of firewood across state lines, so we do ask that you not bring your own firewood from other states. Firewood is for sale at the camp store for $5 per bundle. There are a couple of retailers in town that sell firewood, but you have to go get it.
Visitors of our camping guests are always welcome, however, there is a $7.50 charge for all visitors who utilize the campground facilities. Visitors must check into the campground office and obtain a parking pass and determine where the appropriate parking is located.
Enjoyment of camping for all guests is required, please respect your neighbors by keeping any noise and volume to a minimum. Official Quiet hours are enforced between 10 pm and 8 am. Bicycle riding is prohibited after dark for everyone's safety! Likewise, children must be on their respective campsite during quiet hours.
We are proud to offer a very clean and refreshing swim lake with sandy beach. While the beach and swim lake is a natural body of water, the fun comes with rules. ALL swimmers, regardless of age or ability, must sign a waiver of liability. Children must be signed in by a parent or guardian. Once the waiver of liability is signed an armband is issued to each swimmer. Life jackets are provided in all sizes for any swimmer that goes past the shallow markers. The large inflatable "toys" are located in the deep end of the lake and require life jackets to enjoy. This year we will have the water trampoline again, the jungle-gym and the rocket for guest enjoyment.
Save 10% at check out with a Value Kard Rewards membership.
Our Deluxe Camping Lodge is our largest accommodation available. Complete with all amenities and comforts of home. Additional cabins and campsites close by for others to join your outing.
Save 10% at check out with a Value Kard Rewards membership.
Our newest addition to cabin accommodations! Cute and comfortable with the comforts of home. New and nicely decorated for a getaway for the two of you or the whole family. See photos & amenities.
Save 10% at check out with a Value Kard Rewards membership.
Beautiful new log construction overlooking the reflection pond & barn. GR8 way to relax with kids or friends. Simple and cute great getaway with lots of things to do and have fun.
Save 10% at check out with a Value Kard Rewards membership.
Beautiful new log Cabin situated directly in front of the reflection pond. Pick up your fishing pole, sit in rocking chair or the front porch swing and enjoy all these cabins offer.
We arrived at Beachwood on a Thursday after being detained at the border coming back into the US from Canada. This is our first visit to a Coast to Coast resort, and our first park not open to the public. Like the Thousand Trails campgrounds, it has amenities like pools, spas, fitness rooms, tennis courts and so on, so it wasn’t all that different. The park is divided up into sections, two sections for people who live there full-time and several for those who don’t. This is nice because you don’t feel that are the better sites are taken by people who live there. There is one row of back-in 50amp sites that are large and spaced well, but the bulk of the sites are very tight with little room to camp outside your RV. We found a great site with plenty of room, which I assume was once in a section reserved for tents as it had no water. Honestly, what makes a site great is the people you camp next to or nearby. We had the good fortune to meet several great people, Jim & Helga, Joe & Dianne, and Tom.
Like I said, the campground has lots of amenities. There are three pools, kids, family, & adult. There are three spa tubs, family, adult, and one adult in a sauna. There is also a separate sauna, a fitness center, an adult center and a family center. The resort is set up with enough activities to keep the family busy without ever leaving the park. There is also a small store located on the edge of the property so that it accessible to both people inside the camp and to the public.
Beachwood RV Resort is located in the town of Birch Bay. It's a small town that does its best to draw tourists. There is a large water park and plenty of beach access. The bay is beautiful, but at low tide, the beach doesn't look that inviting, yet there were lots of people out enjoying it. The weekend that we were there, there was a classic car show and live music. (the songs were good, but the singing was pretty bad) Nearby is the border town of Blaine, it's a bit more touristy (unless you're looking for a postcard) The border crossing there is Peace Arch Park, which is a beautiful park with lots of history on the making of the US/Canadian border.
Below is information from Coast to Coast:
Good Sam Rating: 6.5/5/6.5
Address:
5001 Bay Rd.
Birch Bay, WA 98230
Resort Information: Resort is located 40 miles from Vancouver and 20 miles from Bellingham, convenient to winter and summer activities in the Pacific Northwest. Designed for the whole family as well as retired couples, the resort is in a wooded setting on beautiful Birch Bay. Saltwater bay offers nonstop summer beach fun, as well as peaceful winter solitude.
Full Sites: 272
Pull-through Sites: 104
Maximum Electrical Service: 30 amps
WiFi Available: Yes, (not at the campsites, but some sites have cable)
Maximum RV Length: Unlimited
Elevation: 0
Amenities: Recreation hall, outdoor pool, Jacuzzi hot tub, spa, sauna, tennis courts, horseshoe, grocery, teen center, playground, volleyball, softball field, soccer field, basketball court, disc golf, fishing nearby. Nearby: Beach.
Barton Park is county park that not only has excellent campsites but has some of the best day-use facilities that I've seen. First, I have a little history with this park. Back in the '70s, I used the park to launch many a rafting trip down the Clackamas River. I've visited the park many times over the last 40 years. There is a boat ramp. (for rafts, and shallow water fishing boats). Pumps to inflate your rafts are provided free as well as free bags to hold your trash while rafting the river. There is also, a free life jacket share program. Volunteers have donated life jackets for boaters and rafters to use and either return her or at other county parks down river. (Unfortunately, it looks like people have taken advantage of the program and have kept the life jackets for themselves) The park has seven reservable picnic areas and one pavilion. The weekend of our camping trip to the park, there was a wedding at the pavilion. The camp also has a sand volleyball court several horseshoe pits and play areas. The camping sections of the park are separate from the day use areas. The original camping area offers both tent and RV sites, some being side by side in the grass and some being tucked back into the tree. The open grass sites are commonly reserved for week-long campers that come the same week each year to camp with friends from previous years that camp the same week. Twenty-some years ago, I tent camped with my in-laws on their week in the park. It was great! Totally different from pulling your RV in for a weekend and pretty much keeping to yourself or immediate neighbor campsites. The second camping area is fairly new with paved roads and manicured paved sites for RV's. Very nice, but a totally different feel than to old campground. And a third section was added in the trees past the RV section. I saw almost all tents there and one or two smaller camper RV's. I've heard rumors (from my mom) that the third section was destined to become a horse camp. But I don't see it happening in the near future because there are no horse trails here. There is one being built tying Barton Park to McIver State Park, but there is a couple of river crossing to contend with before that's complete. The park is great, even better with lots of friends. With only a lack of hiking trails and an easy way to get from the campground to the day-use area without walking on a narrow road and contending with cars being its downfall. I would highly recommend the park to everyone.
Among our region's most popular park destinations, Barton Park is a recreational gem located on the Clackamas River. This one of a kind park features camping, hiking, multiple day use and event amenities, and a variety of river recreation opportunities.
112 campsites; 103 with water and electric hookups
Up to 8 people and 2 domestic pets allowed per site
Armitage Park is a great park located just outside of Eugene, Oregon. We had a late evening event in Eugene, so we thought why not just camp close by, instead of driving three hours home. The park is located right on a bus line giving full access to Eugene most days. On Saturday we were there, we had to walk just over a mile to catch the bus. The park is very clean and comfortable. It has a large off-leash dog park within the park. It is located next to the McKenzie River with plenty of river access. We found that although there are paths throughout the park, hiking was pretty much limited to the park, but the park was big enough for a good walk for most people. We will visit the park in the future.
A breathtakingly beautiful day-use, campground and RV park on the banks of the McKenzie River only 5 miles (8.05 km) north of Eugene. Located on the outskirts of Coburg and adjacent Interstate 5. Reservations available.
The 57-acre (23 ha) park features
Ainsworth State Park is located 35 miles east of downtown Portland, just off of Interstate 84 (I-84) in the spectacular Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. All campsites at Ainsworth State Park are full hook-up sites and the park offers restrooms with flush toilets and hot showers. Surrounding the State Park are miles and miles of hiking trails and scenic waterfalls. In fact, situated at the eastern end of Historic Highway 30, from Ainsworth to Crown Point to the west, you'll find the world's greatest concentration of high waterfalls (like Multnomah Falls at 620 feet). Of the 43 campsites at Ainsworth State Park, 24 are pull-through campsites. Within a short drive are several additional state parks with day use facilities for fishing, windsurfing, hiking, biking, and swimming. Shopping and restaurants are available in Cascade Locks, 10 miles to the East. If you are a light sleeper, avoid the even-numbered camping sites in the "B" loop as they are near very active railroad tracks.
While searching Reserve America for a last minute campsite I found Ainsworth State Park. It was only available for one night, but it was just thirty miles up the Columbia from us, so we jumped on it. I'm glad that we did. It was close enough to Portland that two of my sisters (and their significant others) joined us for dinner and my daughter drove out the next morning (Father's Day) and spent a couple of hours with us before we had to pull in the slides and drop the jacks. Early Sunday morning we hiked west along the gorge to Horsetail Falls. Had we more time (and better shoes) we could have continued up to Ponytail Falls and several others. The other nice thing to note about the Park is that although it's located on the old Columbia River Highway which is not recommended for large RV's, it is only a 1/4 of a mile from the interstate so that wasn't an issue. We're looking forward to a return visit so that we can have more time to hike.
On our second visit here, the first thing we did was play tourists and drove a couple of miles down the road and visited Multnomah Falls again.
Nestled in the awe-inspiring Columbia River Gorge, Ainsworth is equal parts waterfall wonderland, hiker's playground, and camper's delight. Situated at the eastern end of Historic Highway 30, from Ainsworth to Crown Point to the west, you'll find the world's greatest concentration of high waterfalls (like Multnomah Falls).
By leaving the park on Nesmith Point trail, you'll end up with a splendid view of St. Peter's Dome, a majestic basalt monolith rising 2,000 feet above the mighty Columbia River. Hiking is definitely something you'll want to do while camping at Ainsworth State Park.
Ainsworth is located in close proximity to Interstate 84 for ease of access as well as close to a working rail line that runs through the entire Columbia River Gorge.
Campground info
40 full-hookup sites canopied in a laid-back, tree-filled setting
Six walk-in tent sites
Designated bike-in camp area
Flush toilets/showers
Firewood
Interpretive programs
We picked Abita Springs RV Resort for it's proximity to New Orleans. I'm glad that we did. Although it was a little over an hour to drive into the city (and a $5 fee one way over the 24-mile causeway), it was well worth it. The campground is nice, and it's obvious that it is well taken care of. The entrance has been just been repaved, the camping area has compacted river rock roads and sites. The sites are spacious and we didn't feel like we were on top of each other, but could have been a little larger. There are two ponds and a lake with ducks, and geese. I guess, with any pond or lake in Louisiana, there is a chance for snakes and alligators. The pool is nice, but not heated. There is a clubhouse and horseshoe pits, but not too much going on. The campground management was very friendly as were the hosts. We noticed the hosts going through each site right after a guest left to ensure it was ready for the next guest. Overall, I nothing bad to say about the campground other than don't pull in while they are paving the entry.
The town of Abita Springs is a nice small town with not much happening. They do have a natural spring in the center of the town where we filled our water bottles up a couple of times. Outside of town, there's a brewery, which in the past had quite the appreciation room, but I don't think that's the case anymore. The next town over is Covington which is about the same but has some historical buildings. While we were here we did take a day to explore the French Quarter of New Orleans. Unfortunately, we only gave ourselves a day to do it and it wasn't enough time. We'll have to go back. Also, while we were there we took a swamp tour at Honey Island. It was well worth the thirty-minute drive and the $23 for a ninety-minute tour. However, you need to reserve a seat ahead of time with a credit card and pay with cash when you get there.
Type: Classic
Good Sam Rating: 9/9/9.5
Address:
24150 Highway 435
Abita Springs, LA 70420
Phone: (985) 590-3926
Reservations Phone: (855) 872-1469
Resort Information: This resort is located 40 miles from the French Quarter of New Orleans just across Lake Ponchatrain. It sits on its own well-stocked crappie and bass lake. The resort has a large clubhouse with scheduled activities and beautiful pool complex. The town of Abita Springs is an antebellum wonder and home of the famous Abita Springs Brewery with daily tours.
Web Site: oceancanyon.com
EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 80
Partial Sites: 20
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 2:00 p.m./ 11:00 a.m.
Rental Unit Check-In/
Check-Out Times: 4:00 p.m. /11:00 a.m.
RV Site Minimum Stay: 1 night
Rental Unit Minimum Stay: 1 night
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 45 feet
Elevation: 0
Amenities: Recreation hall, outdoor pool, kid's pool, fishing available, horseshoes, hiking trails, paddle boats, basketball, playground, dump station, laundry, picnic tables, handicap access, shuffleboard, ping pong, hot showers, pool table, ice available, full time group activities, children's rec center, tourist attractions nearby, gambling casino nearby, fishing nearby, boating nearby, golf nearby, shopping nearby. Nearby: New Orleans, Lake Pontchatrain.
RV Notes: Additional charges: Wi-Fi $3/night, 50 amps $5/night.
Rental Notes: Rental units available. Trip Points not accepted. Contact the resort directly.
Restrictions: No pets and no smoking in rental units.
Accepts Pets: Yes
Visitor Mail Accepted: Yes
Visitor Mail Restrictions: Must contact resort ahead of arrival