Ontario, Port Burwell Provincial Park

Campground: Port Burwell Provincial Park

Location: Port Burwell, Ontario

Overall Rating: B

Setting Rating: B+(Situated along the north shore of Lake Erie; wooded and flat campground; farmland throughout the area)

Site Rating: B
(Large dirt and packed sand sites; large sites well spaced; mostly shaded; no pull-thrus or full-service sites; electric and non-electric; most sites allow for a high amount of privacy; water is evenly spaced but at a distance for a small number of sites; good size fire pits)

Washroom Rating: C+(Modern with showers located in the heart of each campground; Each could be enlarged to meet demands in the morning; More could be used as the existing moderns are at a distant from a good number of the non-electric sites; Some pit toilets; average cleanliness)

Recreation Rating: B (An excellent and large sandy beach; Strong undertow; Water is clean; Beach is not near the heart of the campground…fair walk or a short drive; Some recreation equipment in the park; Numerous nature trails; Golf courses within ten minute drive)

Conclusion: We visited in 1999. On the whole we have found the Ontario Park system to be a good choice. This is a campground we would be pleased to revisit for a week or more. It is quiet and family orientated. It is not located to high tourist centers and therefore is a great escape from the crowds. Weekends the campground tends to be full, so it is best to reserve your site at least three months in advance.


http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/portb.html

Virginia, Front Royal RV Campground

Campground: Front Royal RV Campground

Location: Front Royal, Virginia – 3 miles south

Overall Rating: B

Setting Rating: B+
(Situated in a valley and at the base of a mountain and Skyline Drive. One drives through a farm and cow fields into the campground. Well wooded area with lush farmland)

Site Rating: B
(a good array of sites at each level; camping cabins, primitive to full-hook-ups; most electric only are in well wooded area which unfortunately cannot be negotiated by the larger rigs; about 30 full-hook-up pull-thrus; most of the larger rig sites are mainly sun to part shade; sites in wooded area are uneven in size; wooded area is excellent for pop-ups and tents; site leveling can be an issue with some full service sites; nice sized fire rings; relatively few bugs)

Washroom Rating: B+
(central clean modern washroom; outside access to showers; washrooms at a walk from the electric only and primitive sites in wooded area; well maintained; laundry)

Recreation Rating: A-
(large pool with adequate deck furniture; water slide for a fee; mini-golf for a fee; games room with television; nicely equipped child’s playground by pool; excellent array of sightseeing opportunities within 30 minutes; several gold courses in region; river tubing is available in the area)

Conclusion: We have visited this campground twice when it was a KOA. We are open to visiting the campground. The campground is located in a very scenic area and within a 70 minute drive of Washington DC.


http://www.frontroyalrvcampground.com/

I raided some web sites to find photos of two campgrounds that Dave recently critiqued. The first photo is from Apache Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This is one of the campground's PR photos, so don't be fooled by all the greenspace between the two RVs on the lefthand side. If you look closely, you'll see that those brown patches are trailer pads. That greenspace is really 3-4 empty sites. When the campground is full, or nearly so, that space disappears in a hurry!


Having said that, you can also see that the campground is literally on the beach, which is just a short walk away from any site. If you like to spend your day on the beach, this may be the campground for you. If you like to spend part of the day relaxing on your site, with just a few hours at the beach, be aware that you won't get much privacy either on your site or at the beach.

The next photo is from Chutes Provincial Park in Ontario. This is a view looking from the waterfall toward the beach. The apparent distance between the two areas is deceptive. It's actually a rather short swim from the beach to the falls. Once one arrives at the falls, it's easy to stand on the sandy bottom and enjoy nature's shower - soap & shampoo are not allowed :-). The water is relatively shallow throughout the swimming area so there is little danger in swimming to the falls. This really is a fun area for swimming as the waterfall is very picturesque and the beach is quite a bit larger than it appears to be in this photo.

South Carolina - Apache Family Campground

Campground: Apache Family Campground

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Overall Rating: B-

Setting Rating: B+
(This large campground is located along the ocean and wide sandy beach; few trees; high tourist area; apartment complexes flank campground)

Site Rating: C
(Non-permanent and non-seasonal sites are small; water and electric to full service; limited number of pull-thrus; 50 amp sites available; some sites have cable; sandy sites with little shade; small shaded mini-shelters at each site; no fire rings; very large campground)

Washroom Rating: B-
(Numerous older modern washrooms centrally located throughout the campground; kept very clean; shower stalls are small and some were missing shower heads; not nearly enough shower stalls for peak periods; laundry on site)

Recreation Rating: A
(A large wide beach; moderate size outdoor pool with spa; a small amount of deck furniture at pool; fishing pier with arcade; basic playground for children is underdeveloped; a range of excellent golf courses nearby, a wide variety of entertainment for children and adults within 5 miles)

Conclusion: This is a pricey park where you will have neighbors a few yards beside and behind you. Due to size of the park there is some noise in the early evening. For beach and local entertainment access the park acts as a good base. This is not a park for a long stay if one is seeking privacy. If we were to return to this area, we would look at staying at one of the other campgrounds in the area.


http://www.campingfriend.com/apachefamilycampground/

North Dakota - Icelandic State Park

Campground: Icelandic State Park

Location: Cavalier, North Dakota, 5 miles west

Overall Rating: B-

Setting Rating: B
(northern prairie and flat wheat fields; campground situated on a manmade lake Lake Renwick with few tree stands; mosquitoes can be heavy)

Site Rating: C+
(small sites particularly for a public campground; electrics are pull-thrus and mostly sun; some 30 amp sites; electrics have shared water where two or three sites connect to same outlet via “Y” joints; primitive area in a large field edged by trees, average size fire rings)

Washroom Rating: B+
(moderns with showers centrally located in electric areas, pit toilets in primitive, pits and moderns well maintained and clean)

Recreation Rating: C+
(large beach on manmade lake; boat ramp; water is cloudy and refreshing yet warm for a northern lake; beach is large and sandy; lifeguards at beach; a handful of nature trails in park; fishing)

Conclusion: The park makes for a pleasant visit and provides a northern prairie experience. Due the small sites and shared water, this park is not high on our list.


http://www.ndparks.com/Parks/ISP.htm

Ontario, Chutes Provinical Park

Campground: Chutes Provincial Park

Location: Massy, Ontario

Overall Rating: B-

Setting Rating: B-
(northern forest; located along the Aux Sables River; relatively flat; picturesque waterfall located across from the beach)

Site Rating: B
(large electric and primitive sites; 56 or the 130 sites are electric; water taps evenly spaced; sandy and nicely private sites; trailer dump in park; mostly shaded sites to well sunned sites; mosquitoes can be heavy)

Washroom Rating: C+
(central modern augmented by vault toilets; hot water is solar heated which means the hot water runs out on cloudy and busy days; average cleanliness; modern needed some minor repairs)

Recreation Rating: B
(small playground; hiking trails; fishing; swimming in cool clear river; one can swim to the rocks below the waterfall; sandy beach with some rocks)

Conclusion: This is a lovely campground as a way stop or for two or three quiet days before continuing on a longer journey. No large center is nearby so one needs to bring most of one’s groceries. The mosquitoes are the greatest issue while the picturesque waterfall is the greatest asset.

http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/chut.html

Illinois, Kankakee South KOA

Campground: Kankakee South KOA

Location: Kankakee, Illinois

Overall Rating: F

Setting Rating: F
(somewhat flat farm country throughout the area; the campground itself is located across the road from an old sanitation depository that rises well above the tree tops)

Site Rating: D
(a good number of full-service and electric sites; sun to part shade; grass and sand around sites with a large number of weeds; gravel pads at many sites but they are not as level as they could be; an average number of pull-thrus; some sites are very close to each other; the campground road was in poor shape; the electric boxes were in need of maintenance; campground could be load at times with parties)

Washroom Rating: F/D
(the washrooms are older moderns with showers; they were in need of significant attention; ventilation was poor; at a walk from most of the tent sites and smaller pop-ups)

Recreation Rating: F
(the campground has a small poor; the pool needed significant attention as large quantities of dirt had collected on the bottom with a large number of leaves flouting on top and on the deck; we did not take our children swimming in the pool because of its condition; horseshoes and old ping-pong table)

Conclusion: This campground is definitely not a campground we would recommend visiting and well below the standard we have come to expect of KOAs. Throughout the campground there were clear signs that the maintenance program was not only being neglected that year but had been for years and that the minimum was being done in the way of maintenance.

http://www.koa.com/where/il/13144/

Pennsylvania - Gifford Pinchot State Park

Gifford Pinchot is a great place for birdwatching. The great blue heron is one of many birds we saw during our stay.

This farm is located just down the road from the park in Adams County, PA. This is typical of the scenery found throughout the region.

Pennsylvania - Gifford Pinchot State Park

Campground: Gifford Pinchot State Park

Location: Dover PA, 6 miles north of Dover

Overall Rating: B-

Setting Rating: B+
(a picturesque area; gentle wooded hills and farmland throughout the area, numerous 150+ year old homes and structures throughout the region on farms and in towns; a quiet campground located on a manmade lake,)

Site Rating: B+
(partly shaded to well shaded sites; moderate size and average spacing for a public park; recently converted 30 and 50 amp sites are larger than most of the rest; a growing number of non-electric sites are being converted into electric sites; newly converted sites can readily handle 35’+ units; recently converted electric sites are stony; older sites have paved pads; number of primitive sites have good overlooks of the lake; could use double the number of water taps as those that exists are at a distance from some sites; excellent sized fire pits)

Washroom Rating: C
(well placed but aged modern with showers; the washrooms could use maintenance attention; plenty of hot water; average cleanliness)

Recreation Rating: C+
(beach with warm water since is not situated in a high flow area; water is cloudy from all the activity in the water; when 50% occupied and hot, the beach is well undersized by 50%; the was closed during one of our stays due to pollution (limited flow, high use in a small area are at the heart of the issue); day use beaches at a drive; small boat rental at day use beaches; no significantly developed playground; volleyball area by group campground; numerous short too moderate hiking trails in the area; area good for bird watching; fishing)

Conclusion: This is a pleasant campground for families and extended stays if the beach is open. It can serve as a base for day trips to sightseeing in Lancaster, Gettysburg and Amish country. We have visited the park twice and though not a priority places to revisit, we may well make another visit.


http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/giffordpinchot.aspx