Campground Review Summary

• Name: Markin Glen Campground
• Dates of stay: 9/25-6/2020
• Location: 5300 North Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49004
• Type of campground: County park campground
• Cost: $32.50/night
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: unknown
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask (unlikely)
• Cell reception: ATT fair to poor
• Website: www.kalcounty.com/parks/markinglen
• Pros: Inexpensive full hook ups
• Cons: a bit tight to maneuver in spots

Full Review

We had a couple of days to kill between our chassis service at Spartan in Charlotte and Entegra service in Middlebury, IN. Originally, we picked this spot in order to connect with friends in the area. But …. COVID.

The campground itself worked out quite nicely. It’s a fairly small campground of 38 sites, with modern full hookups — complete with 50 amp electric, water AND sewer! That’s unusual for a county park. The electric/water pedestal was wobbly, which was a bit concerning, but it all worked fine. The sewer connection is the non-threaded type so you need a donut adapter or equivalent. We booked the farthest ahead possible (6 months in advance) to get our pick of sites, a pull through paved site at the end of a row. On the aerial photo, it looked to be one of the easiest to get in and out. The site was narrow, so required precision when pulling in. The entrance gate into the park was also quite narrow, but could be navigated with care.

The site was long enough to park our bus and truck, and included a picnic table and beautiful fire ring. It was a bit sloped — why oh why do campgrounds pour unlevel concrete slabs?!  We had to manually adjust our jacks to get approximately level. There was no campground wifi, and our ATT signal wasn’t that hot, so internet was slow and spotty. No cable, but there were a few local over the air channels available and our satellite TV worked fine here. The cost was a quite reasonable $30/night plus tax. Not bad for full hookups!

The campground bath house was clean and decently maintained, but there was only one shower on each side (men and women), so it could get busy. There was also a playground. The county park facilities included a sandy beach and bicycle trails. Jeff rode the mountain bike trails three times and loved them! He said they were not terribly long, but they were “sweet”.

We were there such a short time, we didn’t really explore the area. Since you are directly in Kalamazoo, there are undoubtedly shops and grocery stores nearby.

Bottom Line: Modestly priced FHU county campground with big rig capability.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: East Harbor State Park
• Dates of stay: 9/15-23/2020
• Location: 1169 North Buck Rd, Lakeside Marblehead, OH 32440
• Type of campground: State Park / Ohio
• Cost: $49.21/night
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: unknown
• Accepts mail / packages: unknown
• Cell reception: ATT good
• Website: https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/east-harbor-state-park-campground
• Pros: good location, full hook ups
• Cons: limited big rig sites

Full Review

We don’t often stay at State Parks, but this is the rare exception that offers a few campsites with full hook ups AND that are big rig friendly. It’s quite a large campground with 340 electric sites, 160 non electric sites and only 51 full hook up sites. There are only a few sites that something our size can actually maneuver into, so we booked as far out as possible (6 months ahead). We carefully selected a site at the end of a row which gave us just barely enough room to pull in, although we couldn’t help but run over the grass. The main campground roads are wide enough for big rig access.

Our paved pull through site was narrow but long enough to park our vehicles. The full hook ups include 50 amp electric and are located conveniently in the middle of the site. The site also includes a fire ring and picnic table. The sewer hookup is the unthreaded type, though, so you need a donut or equivalent. There is no cable TV hookup and the over the air channels are few, so it was good that our site was satellite friendly! Our AT&T signal worked fine, and the free/open campground wifi was usable when the facility wasn’t busy.

We were in Section A, and the bath house there was clean and functional. My only quibble was the showers were a bit cramped and the flimsy shower curtains allowed water spray to wet down everything in the dressing area. But, the water was hot and plentiful and I didn’t have to keep pushing a button to keep the water on!

The State park is on Lake Erie and has a beach area, camp store, and disc golf course. During our Fall visit, the campground got quite busy on the weekend, but was fairly quiet mid-week. It provides a good location for visiting Cedar Point and Sandusky, and the Put-in-Bay ferry is close by.

Bottom Line: Great little state park with full hook ups, big rig capable if you’re careful with site selection.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Lake Milton / Berlin KOA
• Dates of stay: 9/8 -15, 2021
• Location: 15487 Creed Rd, Lake Milton, OH 44429
• Type of campground: Private / KOA
• Cost: $65.86 / night (with ValueKard discount)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: none (seasonal)
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask
• Cell reception: ATT good
• Website: koa.com/campgrounds/lake-milton
• Pros: Great kids play amenities, nice staff
• Cons: pricey for the area

Full Review

We booked this at the very last minute due to our Lake Raystown Resort fail. On the campground booking website I selected a 30 amp back in site, because that’s all that showed as available. The next morning, the nice lady at the office called and offered up a 50 amp patio site that would be more suitable for our rig. It cost a bit more, but I was happy to accept. I was impressed at their pro-activity — such a change from the site we just abandoned! As is typical of KOA’s, we were escorted to our site and assisted with backing in.

Our site was extra wide, with plenty of room to park our vehicles beside the bus. The site included a wooden patio platform with patio set, and a fire ring. The gravel site was level, but soft. Our tires and jacks sunk in several inches. The utilities were oddly placed, with the sewer far behind us, and electric/water far to the right, behind the next-door site. Our 50 amp cord barely reached the plug and partially encroached on our neighbor site. The sewer opening was the non-threaded type. No cable TV, but our site was satellite friendly.

Garbage was picked up daily, in the mornings, which is a nice convenience. The bath house is basic, but clean and functional. The only annoyance is that it’s a “push button” type. The water temperature was nice and hot, you just had to push the doggone button every 10 seconds to keep it flowing!

It is apparent that there are a high percentage of seasonal sites here, but they are generally well kept up. It’s a kids mecca – there is an extensive playground and lake with floaties and jumpy things and all manner of kid playthings.  There is also a game room, and a larger lake to play on. The campground offers a number of rentals: carts, bicycles, paddle boats, golf carts, kayaks and canoes. It’s a perfect summer play place for families with children. We were there in September, when school was in session, so it only got relatively busy on the weekends. This campground is closed in the winter, shutting down around Oct 15.

For us, it was a good spot to set for a week. Considering we found it at the last possible moment, we counted ourselves lucky to have it.

Bottom Line: A bit pricey, but serves the purpose. Very nice people.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Country Acres Campground
• Dates of stay: Aug 22 – Sep 7, 2020
• Location: 9850 Minyoung Rd, Ravenna, OH 44266
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $59.46 /night
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: 2 weeks limit 
• Accepts mail / packages: yes
• Cell reception: ATT good
• Website: www.countryacrescamping.com
• Pros: Clean, big rig friendly sites
• Cons: a little pricey, limited amenities

Full Review

Country Acres offers a lovely campground right in the heart of Pennsylvania Amish Country. A sizeable campground with over 180 sites, only about a dozen are truly big rig friendly with 50 amp full hookups. These are located at the front end of the property with a layout sufficiently roomy for the largest rigs.

Our back in gravel site was level and spacious. We didn’t even need to use leveling blocks at all, for the first time in weeks. Our full hookups (including 50 amp electrical) appeared new and worked perfectly. The sewer drain actually flowed downhill of our rig, which was awesome. The cable TV connection was strong and provided around 75 choice channels.  Being in civilization (for a change), our ATT signal worked well, and the free/open campground wifi also was quite usable. Our site was satellite-friendly as well for our Direct TV.

The campground amenities included a coin laundry, swimming pool, dog run, meeting pavilion and three bath houses. I absolutely loved the bath house nearest us — new, clean, beautifully tiled, and spacious. It was absolutely the nicest bathroom I’d seen since Disney.

The company that owns this campground also owns other motels and businesses in the area. One of their perks is a free bus tour of Amish country, which I highly recommend. (No cost for the tour, but the drivers do work for tips). Due to the length of our stay, we also received coupons for the nearby Bird-in-Hand restaurant for either a free breakfast or $9 off any meal per person. We used it for the lunch buffet, which covered more than half of our check.

The cost wasn’t nominal at nearly $60/night, but it was a flawless stay. The site was great, the bath room was beautiful, the office staff was friendly, and it put us right where we wanted to be. Worth it.

Bottom Line: Great park in a great location.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Lake George RV Park
• Dates of stay: August 14-23, 2020
• Location: 74 State Rd 149, Lake George, NY 12845
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $135/night (weekly rate)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: none (closed in winter)
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask
• Cell reception: ATT good
• Website: www.lakegeorgervpark.com
• Pros: tons of amenities, nice big rig sites
• Cons: roads can be tight, very expensive

Full Review

Lake George RV Park is a destination family RV resort with almost too many amenities to list. But here goes: several pools, an onsite water park, fishing pond, bike trails, paddleboats, fitness center, tennis and basketball courts, horse shoes, coin laundry, trading post, cafe, arcades, movie theaters and even a theater with live shows. ALL of these are included in your RV site fees, which for us was a hefty $135/night! That ranks up with one of the most expensive site’s we’ve ever had, including Disney! Due to COVID, some activities and facilities were not available. But even during COVID, a few live theater shows went on, with limited admission, mandatory mask wearing and social distancing.

Our site was a large gravel pull through. The single lane, one-way road was tight getting to our site, but once there, we were able to pull in with no problem. The large site was fully long enough for all of our vehicles, and reasonably level. It was full hookup (50 amp) and included cable TV. It was not satellite friendly though, but there were enough cable channels to serve our needs. The campground wifi was usable for basic needs, as was our ATT hotspot. One nice perk was the daily trash pickup from our site.

Another free perk was trolley transportation around the park. We had our bicycles for transportation, but I could see how a trolley would be nice because the resort is HUGE and hilly.

We went to some of the shows and used the bath house facilities which were modern, clean and nice. You can catch a bike path just outside the RV park which leads to Lake George (the town) 4 or 5 miles away. Just keep in mind that it’s primarily DOWN to the lake so it’s mainly UP back to the RV park. The Outlet Mall shops are only a couple of miles up the road.

If we had young children, this would be a fantastic place to vacation. The water park alone was spectacular for an RV park, let alone the ice cream shop, free paddle boats, and free family-friendly variety shows. We didn’t take advantage of most of this, but seeing happy children at play was very nice.

Bottom Line: Quite expensive, but amenities galore – especially for families with children.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Abel Mountain Campground
• Dates of stay:  8/7-14/20
• Location: 354 Mobile Acres Road, Braintree, VT 05060
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $34.29 / night
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit:  none (closes in winter)
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask
• Cell reception: ATT fair
• Website: abelmountain.com
• Pros: moderate price, has big rig sites
• Cons: bath house closed due to COVID

Full Review

We chose this spot as a park near the Green Mountains. We were given one of their big rig capable sites in a satellite-friendly location. Our enormous back-in grassy site was reasonably level and included full hookups (50 amp electric) and cable TV. Our ATT signal for internet was only fair, The office gave us wifi codes for three devices, but the wifi strength at our location wasn’t workable. We made do with our anemic ATT hotspot. Between the cable TV and our satellite dish, we had plenty of TV to watch. The campground has a number of amenities including a pool, pavilion for activities, basketball park and coin laundry. They also have two bath houses, which were closed for the 2020 season due to COVID. It seems ironic that the pool was open, while the bathrooms were closed. (So, just pee in the pool, my sister quipped on our weekly family Skype call! LOL) We were stuck (once again this year) using our own facilities including our semi-functional shower. Overall, the campground consists of about half seasonal residents and about half are sites for overnight travelers. In normal years, the campground organizes a number of activities and entertainment but — COVID. Of all the campground we visited so far during the pandemic, this was the only campground that called us ahead of time to find out where we were traveling from. Since we had just spent two weeks in a low-incidence area (White Mountains of NH), we were allowed to come. Otherwise they would have cancelled us due to the Vermont traveler quarantine restrictions. The campground suited our needs for our brief week stay, although not having bath house facilities was an inconvenience. In normal years, that wouldn’t be an issue. After our prior campground in New Hampshire, I WAS grateful to have 50 amp electrical service as we experienced some unseasonably hot weather during our stay. Bottom Line: Decent campground for the area, book early if you need a big rig site.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Twin Mountain Motor Court & RV Park
• Dates of stay: 7/24/20 – 8/7/20 (2 weeks)
• Location: 554 Route 3 South, Twin Mountain, NH 03595
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $34.71 / night (with Good Sam discount)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: closed in winter
• Accepts mail / packages: yes
• Cell reception: ATT fair
• Website: tmmcrv.com
• Pros: Moderate price, friendly owner, long gravel site
• Cons: 30 amp service, no bath house

Full Review

Finding a suitable campground (for us) in the White Mountains proved challenging. Most in this area are older parks, not designed for big rigs. This small campground won out due to its location, layout and openness as seen via satellite. We were confident we could maneuver our beast around it.

Our site was well-packed gravel – nice and long. We put blocks under our front wheels and manually operated our jacks to achieve a decently level state.  The site included a fire ring and picnic table. The good news is that there was good water pressure, sewer hookup (a bit uphill, but not too bad), very nice cable TV service, and the site was satellite friendly. The negative is that it was only provided a 30 amp hookup.

The total facility consisted of a small hotel, cottages, and a modest number of RV sites. The property recently changed hands, and the new owner couldn’t have been more friendly. He not only accepted packages, he DELIVERED them, right to our door!  Our AT&T hotspot reception wasn’t good, but the free campground wifi was surprisingly usable. Being there during the height of Covid-19, however, meant that the laundry, pool, rec room, and playground facilities were closed. And the campground doesn’t have a bath house at all, catering only to self-contained RVs, even in normal times.

The biggest hassle for me was dealing with the limited 30 amp service. Our stay included some unusually hot weather and being able to run only one AC unit wasn’t optimal. On 30 amp service,  you have to choose which energy hogging device you want to use — either you can run an AC unit, OR cook something, OR do laundry. Had the weather been typically cool, it would have been easier to manage.

This location is somewhat remote – you are about 30 minutes from Gorham with its Walmart and shopping/dining options. The place was very quiet, partially due to its location and partially due to low occupancy during these pandemic times. The cost was reasonable at around $35/night, with the Good Sam discount.

I wasn’t really enamored with the area, so not sure I’d be back in any case. But the new owner has big plans to renovate, including upgrading the electric to 50 amp. Worth at least checking out if you want to stay in that area.

Bottom Line: Big rig friendly layout, friendly owner, and decent site – but only 30 amp service and no bath house.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Timberland Acres RV Park
• Dates of stay:7/17/20 – 7/24/20 (1 week)
• Location: 57 Bar Harbor Rd, Trenton, ME 04605
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $53.95/night (with Good Sam discount)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: none – closed in winter
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask
• Cell reception: ATT ok
• Website: www.timberlandacresrvpark.com
• Pros: close to Acadia, big rig friendly
• Cons: a little pricey

Full Review

This park advertised itself as being big rig friendly, and it was. Easy to pull in, easy pull-through long gravel sites, and easy out. No complaints there!

Our site was easily long enough to accommodate our rig and toad. We were in an open section, which made it satellite-friendly. The 50 amp electric, water and sewer hookups worked well. The sewer was slightly uphill for us, which doesn’t seem to be unusual these days. Our site was equipped with a fire ring and picnic table.

This park has quite a few seasonal sites / residents. Even with Covid, there were a few organized activities, mostly for the kids. In non-pandemic times, I expect there are a lot more planned activity options. We partook of a special campground dinner – choice of roast pork or chicken with 3 sides for $15 each. I had no quibble with the sides (baked beans, cole slaw, mac N cheese and cornbread), but the meat portion was extremely stingy. I got a single chicken drumstick and Jeff got about 3 ounces of tough pork. I guess it was a fundraiser for the park, because it certainly wasn’t a value meal!

At this park, most of the amenities were open — coin laundry, bath house, pool, and playground. The inside rec room and arcade were closed due to the pandemic. The only amenity I used was the bath house, which was clean, tiled and in good condition. Our AT&T hotspot got just OK reception but the free campground wifi was usable. Our satellite TV reception worked perfectly which was good because there was almost no over the air TV stations available and no cable TV hookup.

The best aspect of this park was its proximity to Mt Desert Island and Acadia National Park. The Park entrance and Bar Harbor were only about 20 minutes away. The town of Trenton also offers shopping and dining options. There are closer campgrounds to Acadia, but none we saw that were as big rig friendly as this one.

Bottom Line: Large, big rig friendly site near Acadia park.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Wassampki Springs Campground
• Dates of stay: June 19 – Jul 16, 2020 (4 weeks)
• Location: 56 Saco Street, Scarborough, ME 04074
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $56.25/night (monthly rate)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: none – closed in winter
• Accepts mail / packages: yes
• Cell reception: ATT decent
• Website: wassamkisprings.com
• Pros: great amenities and location
• Cons: a bit pricey, bath house could use updating

Full Review

This large campground is located only about 20 minutes from downtown Portland, and is perfectly positioned as a base to explore Southeastern Maine.

Our site is located in an open grassy newer area of the facility, which makes it both big rig and satellite friendly. Our long gravel site was hard packed and reasonably level. The full hook ups included 50 amp electrical service, water, sewer, and a robust cable TV hookup with nearly 60 stations. We could pull in over the air channels from Portland, as well as our normal satellite TV channels. Our ATT hotspot wasn’t bad, since we were near civilization, and the campground wifi wasn’t bad. Our wide site included a picnic table and fire ring. It should be noted that the grassy areas could become flooded after heavy rains – it didn’t drain quickly.

The centerpiece of this campground is its freshwater lake, used by (paying) day guests as well as campground visitors. The lake was bordered on two sides with wide sandy beaches and sizeable swimming area. The lake was also large enough for small non motorized craft such as kayaks, Standup or canoe. During the hot summer days of our stay, the lake area could be quite busy with day visitors.

The campground has quite a number of seasonal visitors and permanent units. Normally, this type of campground would be my ideal — tons of planned activities and amenities. But …. Covid. For the most part, planned activities were canceled, although there were occasional bands that played outdoors so as to observe proper social distancing.  I did attend one session of weekly bingo at the Rec hall, but was uncomfortable with the lack of mask wearing indoors and didn’t go back. The store was open, but the Snack Bar was closed. I did use the bath houses, but found them to be aged and not particularly esthetically pleasing. Think “old school” summer camp with cement floors and walls, and old wooden dividers. Because of the volume of visitors, they frequently had swaths of tracked in sand from the beach. They were perfectly usable, but not my favorite bath houses out there. The campground also had a laundry facility, picnic area, horseshoe pits, volleyball court, playground, and one lone pickleball court.

Wassampki Springs offered a great location for exploring the area. The amenities and shopping of Portland were nearby and we explored little Maine towns up and down the coast. The staff and guests were friendly. We received several packages during our stay with no problem – just picked them up at the office.

Our cost averaged about $56/night, which is about right if all of the activities and amenities are open and ongoing. With the Covid restrictions, it seemed a bit pricey for what you actually got. I would give it another go, in a post-Covid world.

Bottom Line: Nice base for exploring Portland area, some facilities could use updating.

Campground Review Summary

• Name: Normandy Farms Camping Resort
• Dates of stay: May 22 – Jun 18, 2020 (4 weeks)
• Location: 72 West Street, Foxboro, MA 02035
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $52.89/night (monthly rate)
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: none – closed in winter
• Accepts mail / packages: yes
• Cell reception: ATT decent
• Website: ww.normandyfarms.com
• Pros: most amenities ever, huge campground
• Cons: none

Full Review

This campground consistently appears on the “Best RV Resorts in America” lists, and for good reason. This enormous camping resort has literally every amenity that you might imagine — it’s just a shame that Covid prevented us from taking advantage of many of them.

Our assigned shaded gravel site was long, wide and level. It included a picnic table and fire ring. Although shade can be nice, it prevented us from connecting to satellite. We were able to get over the air channels, but mostly relied on the campground cable TV, which was more than adequate. Our full hookups worked perfectly — 50 amp, water, and sewer. The campground wifi was usable, as was our ATT mobile hotspot.

The amenity list is almost too long to share here:  bike park, baseball diamond, tennis and basketball courts, shuffleboard, disc golf course, walking trails, multiple pools and hot tubs, rec centers, fishing pond, and the nicest dog park that I’ve EVER seen at a campground. If you don’t own an RV, you can rent a chalet, or a yurt, or a glamping tent complete with AC, beds and a grill. The place is simply enormous (we clocked 2 miles walking the perimeter) and has something for everyone. And it is absolutely beautiful and immaculately kept.

Normally, this would be my dream summer campground with scads of amenities and planned/organized activities. But …. Covid. When we first arrived, everything indoors was closed including the bath houses. Gradually during our stay a few amenities opened up including some of the bath houses (which are lovely), the snack bar (on weekends), and the pool with limited reservations. There were no organized activities. Occupancy was obviously down, although the place did fill up considerably more for the weekends. After we left, I believe they did start offering a limited slate of “socially distanced” activities.

[One side note — we just happened to be there when pine pollen released. The campground is one big pine forest, and when the pollen cut loose, it coated literally everything with a thick yellow/green dust for days. Everyone’s car looked green. Our bus turned green. I kept windows shut and AC on to prevent it from filtering inside. I’ve never seen anything like it.]

This is a wonderful campground, and a real value for the money. We’ve paid way more than $53/night for far fewer amenities. I wish we could have seen it fully operational – it would have been a blast.

Bottom Line: Lives up to its reputation as one of the best campgrounds in America.