I briefly mentioned in the last post about the campsites, cabins and houses we stayed in during Rhodes Trip 2022. We mostly stayed in Federal or State-run campgrounds with only a few private lodging options. In general, my default is recreation.gov for federal sites in Washington and Oregon. As I started to map out our route way back in January, I would jump between Google Maps and Recreation.gov to see what was within a reasonable drive every day. When nothing popped up or seemed appropriate on their website I would immediately jump to Google and just type in “State of X parks camping” to find whichever state we were going to be in and what they had on offer. It took A LOT of time. I started in January with the places we knew we wanted to hit (Yellowstone, New Hampshire, Blue Ridge Parkway & Lake Tahoe) and then I had to build reasonable days of travel in between as we marched our way across the country.
We avoided hotels/motels and apart from a few mediocre campgrounds most of them were pretty darn good.
Beauty Creek Campground – Idaho
Beauty Creek Campground lies just outside of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I more or less choose this because it was about halfway between home and Yellowstone. A few people have told me over the years that Oregon to Coeur d’Alene to Yellowstone is a good way to break up the drive into two days. So that is what I did.
Summary: One night stay. We had site 12. Sitting just a few miles off the highway and a stone’s throw from Lake Coeur d’Alene it has good access to water activities. There was a trail that left from the campground and up into the Panhandle National Forest. We didn’t have a map with us, so we have no clue where it goes. We just walked Codi uphill for a bit after dinner.
Bathrooms: Adequate, pit toilets. Clean and in good shape
Showers: None
Pros: Long parking pad, level and quick access from the highway. Site 12 was HUGE.
Cons: Other than a place to rest our heads on night one this campground didn’t appear to offer anything other than quick access to the lake and a nice quiet setting.
Bridge Bay Campground – Yellowstone National Park
Bridge Bay is just across the street from Lake Yellowstone and was decently located for access to both northern and southern portions of the park. I had originally booked us at Grant Village, but once we found out Mia’s cousin Kristi and her family were going to be at Bridge Bay the same time as we’d be in Yellowstone, I cancelled Grant and moved us over to Bridge Bay.
Summary: One night stay. Nicely located and quick walk to the lake just across the street. Bear boxes are supplied at every site and we, by pure luck, ended up having the campsite right next to Kristi, Howie and kids. Our site (and most of them within sight) all sloped to one degree or another. There didn’t appear to be any truly flat sites.
Bathrooms: Flushing, dish washing station in the same building. Clean, well lit and close to our site.
Showers: Couple miles away we had access to showers at Lake Lodge. Not really convenient and neither of us made the time to go over there.
Pros: Our neighbors kicked ass! Lake right across the street. Nicely centrally located campground to lots of Yellowstone attractions.
Cons: 450+ campsites. They are very tightly grouped. Our site had a slight slope and a little stream running through the back of it. You can’t choose the site number you want. It is assigned to you at the time you show up.
Roubaix Lake – South Dakota
Roubaix Lake was chosen for its proximity to Mount Rushmore. I figured we might as well swing by for Rushmore on the way out the following day. I also found out about two weeks before the trip started that Devils Tower was just a short side trip on the way to the campground. We had about 3 hours of thunder and lightning storms during the evening we were there. It was pretty cool.
Summary: One night stay. Site B-15 was sloped to the left (in picture above). We dealt with it and didn’t use our Flat Jacks because the rain and storms started about 10 minutes after we got there. It was a very pretty site and the sunrise in the morning was spectacular. The lake was a short walk away on a trail accessible from our campsite.
Bathrooms: Pit toilets. Very clean and looked quite new for the one on B loop.
Showers: None, there is a lake though
Pros: There was just something pretty about this campground. The woods, the thunderstorms, a lake with a beach. Super close to Mount Rushmore. Deadwood, SD was not far away and had a very vibrant night life as we drove through. All the sites are decently spaced.
Cons: Don’t choose site B-15 if you have a van, RV or trailer. Not much to do from the campground except the lake. If you are an OHRV rider there is excellent access to a trail system right from the campground.
Minneopa State Park – Minnesota
Minneopa State Park is best described for us as a “stopover” day as we traveled from South Dakota towards the U.P. of Michigan. The campground and day use area are a few miles apart and across a busy state highway to boot. We never saw the waterfall area back at the day use area as we had an early start the next morning to get to Michigan. There is also a bison range area right at the start of the campground that you can drive the perimeter of during your stay. The bison access gate is locked at night and wasn’t yet open in the morning when we hit the road.
Summary: One night stay. Site A-14 was big and flat. We couldn’t really see the other sites around us. We didn’t arrive until early evening and had more rain and thunderstorms off and on. It was super humid and lots of mosquitos, so we didn’t really get to enjoy the outside.
Bathrooms: Flushing toilets, a bit of a walk from our campsite.
Showers: Yes, nice hot water. Great water pressure. Nothing special but definitely not bad.
Pros: Campsites are huge and well-spaced. It was quiet and had its own charm. Hiking/bike trails from the campground. Bison enclosure was a cool option.
Cons: Too far from the waterfall area to be able to walk there. No access to the river, steep hill with no trail to get down to water. Buggy and muggy too (that’s just Minnesota in June though).
Rippling River Resort – Michigan
Rippling River Resort is a nice mix of tent, RV, cabin and deluxe cabin camping. Located just south of Marquette, MI it has direct access to over 200 miles of XC ski and mountain bike trails maintained by Noquemanon Trail Network.
Summary: Two nights stay. Cabin C-1. We stayed in a basic cabin that had a queen bed and a bunk bed, a table and a ceiling fan…..not much else. Mia has a friend in Marquette, so we opted to stay for two nights so they could catch up. Two days also gave me the chance to sample some of the 200 miles of singletrack accessible right from our cabin. The basic cabins are way at the back of the campground, so it is quiet and dark back there at night.
Bathrooms: Flushing toilets and located right next to our cabin. These cabins do not have private bathrooms, but the deluxe cabins do.
Showers: Located over near the RV area was a nice building with great showers. Good water pressure and hot water
Pros: Many options (tent, RV, cabins), a pub with food onsite. Walking trail along river. a bunch of games, hot tub, ski mountain right next door. Access to XC ski/mountain bike trails directly from resort. Free Wi-Fi. I’d totally stay here again
Cons: None really. Maybe they could add some shelves to the inside of the basic cabins
Hayes State Park – Michigan
Hayes State Park in Michigan was a nice surprise. Originally just going to be a “stop over” as we exited Michigan and headed east towards New Hampshire it ended up being a pleasant park. The lake is a bit of a walk from our site.
Summary: One night stay. We had site 140 which sloped slightly towards the road. This was the first opportunity we had to try out our Flat Jack air levelers. First impressions are good. It was hot and humid in southern Michigan, so we used the electrical hookup at our site to power a Zero Breeze A/C we were borrowing from a friend. More thunder and lightning in the morning and there were tornado warnings about 30-40 miles north of us.
Bathrooms: Flush toilets, big building and decently clean
Showers: Good water pressure and hot water that took a bit to warm up. Slight sulfur smell to the water was a bit unpleasant and with the humidity that “fresh feeling” from the shower only lasted about 10 minutes.
Pros: Sites are well spaced, trails, walk to beach (not long but not short either). Our site was decently shaded. Electric hookups at many sites.
Cons: Bit of a walk to the beach, water in shower had a sulfur smell. Other than beach not a lot to do from this park (no hiking, biking).
Taughannock Falls State Park – New York
Taughannock Falls State Park is in the Fingers Lake region of New York. Not far outside of Ithaca, NY. The falls and a lake are accessible from the campsites but do require a walk. Most/All of the campground is on a hillside so walking around can involve steep trails and paved campground roads.
Summary: One night stay. We had site 32 which was decently level and from the back of the campsite you could jump right on the trail around the rim of the gorge. Short-ish walk down some steep steps and across a busy road to access the lake. Beautiful area of NY.
Bathrooms: Okay. Not the best of the trip. Flushing toilets and clean.
Showers: Website says accessible but neither of us recall seeing them in the bathroom building. Maybe we missed them?
Pro: Sites are moderately spaced and ours was nice and level. Barring any physical limitations, the trailheads for the falls and access to the lake are a few minutes’ walk away.
Cons: Campsites are adequately spaced but also a bit close to each other. Most of the campground is on a slope so many of the sites have slope issues. Some would only be good for tent camping and not van, RV or trailer. New York State Parks charges an additional $10 per night fee at their campgrounds for out-of-state visitors.
Comire Estates
Summary: We stayed here for a week. Comire Estates (A.K.A. my in-laws house) located in Concord, New Hampshire is an exclusive and privately owned “campground” (again my in-laws house) that is invite only. It also ironically is only about 300 yards from the condo we lived in before moving to Oregon, is 3/10ths of a mile from Mia’s sister’s house and less than a mile from her other sister’s condo. Having grown up around here for the first 40 years of my life I am overly familiar with everything that is accessible from this location. The funny part about staying here is that while it is a 3-bedroom house, one bedroom is Mia’s parents (of course), the second bedroom is a “sewing room” and the third bedroom only has a twin bed. So, we slept in the van every night for the week.
Bathroom: Flush toilets, awesome toilet paper
Showers: Best of the trip
Pros: Free! Family. Golf course right next door, large yard, kitchen and all the free iced coffee we could drink. Free Wi-Fi too. Great walking and biking (road & mtn) from this location, numerous restaurants and shopping not far away. Level parking area. Free dog sitting. Free laundry. Cake every night.
Cons: Invite only. One of the hosts sleeps very late every morning. Busy road, at times, because it’s shared with the golf course.
Team Manville – Connecticut
Summary: Team Manville is another exclusive invite-only “campground”. Owned by very good friends, one of whom maybe to blame for my move to Oregon when he worked out here. We stayed here for one night. Had our own private bedroom and shower/bathroom. Located not far from the UConn main campus, road and mtn biking right from the front door and crazy quiet at night.
Bathroom: Private and clean
Shower: HOT water, great water pressure too
Pros: Free!!! Hosts are great, super dog friendly, comfy king size bed, chauffeured to local farmers market and dinner. Breakfast served.
Cons: Too short of a stay, hosts have a tendency to move a lot so may not be an option in the future, didn’t get a chance to mountain bike local trails.
French Creek State Park – Pennsylvania
French Creek State Park was another decent surprise of this trip. Lakes, hiking and biking trails. A short hike to the Hopewell Furnace National Historical Site. Getting here was a bit of a journey, lots of small and twisty roads once you leave the highway.
Summary: One night stay. Site C-17. It was humid and drizzly during our stay here. The sites are moderately spaced out. They split their A, B, C loops into dog friendly and no dogs allowed. C Loop is dog friendly, and I think A was too. We did about 5 miles of hiking along the trails. First to the Hopewell site and then over to the lake/dam and finally back to the campground. Saw deer and bunny rabbits.
Bathrooms: Clean with flush toilets
Showers: Yup! Much needed with how humid it was.
Pros: Nice large park with multiple options for recreation. Lakes, trails, horseshoe pits, history lesson(s) if you’re so inclined. Electrical hookups were nice to have for the A/C. Mix of shaded and open sites.
Cons: Not a lot of separation between sites. Bathrooms were clean but not the cleanest we’d seen.
Blackwater Falls State Park – West Virginia
Blackwater Falls State Park was probably one of my favorites of the whole trip. We were back at elevation, it was comfortably cool, and the campground was just pretty. There are trails, a lake and of course the waterfall itself with a gift shop. All easily accessible from the campground.
Summary: We stayed here one night (wish it was more). Site 27. Camp Store Employee who checked us in was super nice and funny. I was nervous that it would be humid as all get out, but the weather was perfect. So, while we had an electric site it wasn’t really needed.
Bathrooms: Clean, centrally located and flush toilets, they even had some coin-op laundry machines.
Showers: Big shower stall, good water pressure, took a bit for the water to heat up
Pros: I just loved this campground. We saw a decent number of deer while here. Trails, swimming, waterfall, small gift shop were all within walking distance or starting at campground. Electric hookups at many sites. Shaded site but many in an open field area if that is your thing.
Cons: Not many that I can think of. Maybe that we couldn’t stay longer.
Peaks of Otter Campground – Virginia
Peaks of Otter Campground is at milepost 86 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are several hikes that start right near the campground, within walking distance. There is a small gift shop 1/3 mile away via a trail from the campground too.
Summary: We stayed here one night. We were supposed to be in site T-44, which wasn’t that great (actually kind of horrible) and this campground was virtually empty, so we moved. I think in the T-loop there were 5 of us in total. Overall, this campground could use some TLC from the Feds. Many sites were overgrown with weeds, or they looked to be in disrepair. Most of the T-Loop sites required a steep walk up or down to the table and firepit from the parking pad. Most of the parking pads were annoyingly sloped, which seemed odd for the loop that was designated for RVs and trailers. T-18 was one of maybe 4-5 sites which appeared to be adequate. Also, one of the two bathrooms was getting a new roof, so it was closed. The only way to get to the other bathroom was to walk through other campsites (luckily unoccupied). The whole campground is on a steep hillside. I don’t think I would stay here again given this experience.
Bathrooms: Flush toilets. Clean, one of the two bathroom buildings were out of commission.
Showers: None
Pro: A couple hikes accessible right from the campground. A ton of deer sightings and the camp host warned/informed us of recent bear activity. It was virtually empty. Easy walk down to small camp store. It was a pretty area. Abundant “free” wood to grab from the area.
Cons: The T-loop sites were in disrepair, majority of them were sloped and the picnic tables and fire pits were up or down steep hills many with rotting out or washed away stairs to/from parking pad. I’d like to see the Feds put a little upkeep into this campground. It could be a super nice spot.
Linville Falls Campground – North Carolina
Linville Falls Campground is located at mile 317 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are two Linville Falls Campgrounds. One is Fed run and the other is privately owned. We stayed at the Fed campground. Nice campground with decently spaced sites. Small creek accessible from near the amphitheater. Falls themselves are best driven to from campground, the falls were another 1.5-2 miles further down a busy road.
Summary: We stayed for one night in site B-61. When we arrived nobody else was in our section of the loop. Eventually one other couple in a van showed up, but that was it. So, we had almost that whole side of the campground between ourselves and one other couple. Most of the sites were nice and level regardless of the type of equipment you had. All in all, a nice campground
Bathroom: Kind of dirty but did have flush toilets at least. Looks like it was last updated in the early 2000’s. Men’s room had one stall and one urinal and there was no soap in the dispenser.
Showers: None
Pros: A nice, decent, well-kept campground. Not the best of the trip but certainly not the worst either. Site parking pad was nice and level and long. It was quiet at night too. Good star gazing. Horseshoe pits in our loop.
Cons: All the sites were kind of close to each other. Not right on top of each other but not really spaced out that great either. The bathrooms, while functional, could be better taken care of by the camp host.
Hurricane Creek – Kentucky
Hurricane Creek Campground in Kentucky is pretty much an unknown to us even after staying there for the night. Access to Barkley Lake is the main draw for users apparently.
Summary: We stayed one night. Site 29. We had a hellacious day getting from Asheville, NC to Hurricane Creek. An overturned truck on the highway stopped us for about two hours. Nashville traffic was snarled due to the July 4th weekend starting and a Poison/Motley Crue concert at the Titans stadium. Then finally another accident just five miles before our highway exit stopped us again for about 45 minutes. It was a long ass day of driving. We arrived around 9:15 pm after about 10.5 hours of being in the van. It was hot and humid so luckily, we had electrical hookup for the A/C. We had a quick dinner, walked the dog and then were on the road by 7AM the next morning.
Bathroom: Flush toilets
Showers: Yes, though we didn’t use them due to early start in the morning
Pros: all sites have electrical and pretty much all of them are flat and offer decently long parking pads. Waterside site.
Cons: The sites are all stacked on top of each other. The bathrooms had so many bugs on the walls, mirrors and in the sinks that it was kind of gross. There is only one bathroom building and Site 29 was about as far away from it as you could get.
Lakeview Hideaway Retreat – Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Lakeview Hideaway Retreat was a super nice find. The lake of the Ozarks area was one of those places that there was no good recreation.gov or state campground options. Pretty much everything is private listings, mostly on Airbnb, VRBO, etc. There are two cabins plus the owner’s house all on 16 acres. Access to the lake is via a set of steep stairs down to a dock.
Summary: We stayed here one night. Brown Bend Cottage. The owners were super nice. There is the option for massages, facials, pedicure, manicures or even a haircut from Sam. The cottage A/C was a welcome relief and as evening approached there was a cooling breeze off the lake. We walked around the property. We enjoyed the dock and then “treehouse”. There is a small building that serves a continental breakfast and is also supplied with snacks, water and games too.
Bathroom: Oh heck yeah. Flushing toilet
Showers: Yup, nice and hot water but a bit tiny (and I’m only 5’4″)
Pros: Peaceful, quiet, secluded. Dock, treehouse and outdoor firepit area all added a nice touch. We were the only two there that night so had the grounds to ourselves. Dog friendly property. Continental breakfast and complimentary waters available in the Gathering Place. It truly is a “retreat”. Having a private kitchen, bathroom and shower was glorious.
Cons: The continental breakfast was mini boxed cereals and various prepackaged pastry items from Walmart/Sam’s Club. Adequate but not all that “upscale”. No easy water access for dogs. Even walking down to the dock Codi couldn’t really get in the water safely (getting in would have been easy, getting him out would have been the problem).
Kanopolis State Park – Kansas
Kanopolis State Park was a gem of a find. The obvious attraction was the lake, but they also boasted about trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use too. From what we could see those trails were quite overgrown. All in all, this was a fantastic campground. It was a pleasant surprise after miles and miles of Kansas fields and cows.
Summary: We stayed here one night. Site 705. The urge to leave the plains states and get back into the mountains was building day by day as we approached Colorado. There was no good way for us get from Missouri to Colorado in one day, so we were desperate for something good. The book Where Should we Camp Next? was our key to finding this campground.
Bathroom: His/her pit toilets. Idiots kept propping open the doors too (and leaving the damn lid up)
Showers: About a half mile away closer to the horse campground, we didn’t use them
Pros: Big campsites, not crowded. Lake views and water access were superb from our site. Tranquil is a good word.
Cons: Toilets were just shy of gross. Supposed hiking/biking trails were overgrown and looked seldom used.
Buffalo Springs Campground – Colorado
Buffalo Springs Campground was close to perfection in my mind. The campground sits over 9,000′ in elevation and was gloriously cool after leavings the plains states. There are only 18 campsites in the whole campground. You have access to OHRV trails, gravel roads, rock climbing too. Sites are widely spaced, site 18 would be the best one for privacy.
Summary: We stayed one night, site 9. It was hot and windy as we drove through eastern Colorado. Then as we came through Denver and started heading more southwest the temps started to drop and we spent the next 80 miles in and out of rain showers. The temps dropped from the high 80’s to 56 degrees by the time we pulled into the campground. All the spaces are decently set apart from each other, but you can still see other campers from this site. We were right next to the only bathroom which kept Codi on guard for most of our visit. It was comfortably cool for the remainder of the early evening and overnight and even kind of chilly come morning. The stars at night were some of the clearest skies we saw all trip.
Bathroom: Pit toilet. clean and well kept. No complaints
Showers: None
Pros: Just an absolutely beautiful area to be in. I know that no matter where I live there must be mountains and trees. Sitting at 9,200 feet more or less assured cooler temperatures compared to the previous week we had been having. I would love to come back here again for a longer time.
Cons: One bathroom in the whole campground. Though there are only 18 sites in total.
KOA Grand Junction – Colorado
KOA Grand Junction is what you’d expect. It’s a giant gravel parking lot squished between a highway and a residential street. It is not our cup o’ tea at all. However, being on the “dry side” of the Colorado mountains, having a dog and not knowing how hot it could be we played it safe and went with a cabin. There was minigolf, pool and a trampoline area. These KOA seem to cater to families or those traveling with a fully self-contained unit.
Summary: Grand Junction allowed us to have a short day of driving from the previous night. We got to spend a casual day driving over Independence Pass, dropping down into Aspen and more or less taking our sweet time. I was glad for the laundry machines on site since we hadn’t cleaned clothes since New Hampshire at this point. Even though it was a fairly hot day, once the sun went down the temps were quite pleasant.
Bathroom: Private, flushable
Shower: Private, good size and water pressure. Tiny hot water tank though.
Pros: A/C, shower, toilet, laundry, fridge. There is a lot to do in and around Grand Junction, but you can’t really walk there from the campground. Most activities will require driving or biking to get to. Main Street Bagels was a pleasant find on the way out of town the next day. There is an abundance of outdoor activities in the area. The Colorado National Monument is a quick drive away.
Cons: This KOA is a giant gravel parking lot with electrical, water and sewer hookups. A few cabins and a tent area too (why would you tent here?). Very corporate vibe, no character at all. Any of the outdoor recreation options you want to do will require driving.
Ward Mountain Campground – Nevada
Ward Mountain Campground is really kind of special. Sitting at a tad over 7,000′ in elevation you can count on cooler nighttime temps even if the day is hot. OHRV, trail running, XC skiing, Singletrack trails and hiking are all available right from the campground. It definitely has a certain charm to it.
Summary: The camp host told us site 10 was the best one in the campground, and the most popular. I choose it because it offered shade for Codi during the warmest part of the afternoon. There was no good way for us to get from Colorado to Lake Tahoe in one day. Ely, NV and Ward Mountain offered a bit of respite on the epically desolate Highway 50. Also known as The Loneliest Road in America. I was happy to get in a little over an hour of a mountain bike loop in the morning too. Be careful biking, the trees can be sharp, and I ripped my shorts on a rogue branch sticking out.
Bathroom: Multiple pit toilets. Very clean! Huge kudos to the camp host.
Showers: Nope
Pros: Large and level parking area, two bathrooms equidistant apart from our site, abundant “free” wood for a fire if you just scrounge around a bit. Trails right from the back of the campsite. Ample shade even during the hotter parts of the day. Well-spaced and large campsites. Super friendly camp host. All nearby but not close are Great Basin National Park, Ward Charcoal Ovens, Ely Nevada is a cool little town, and hot springs (if you know where to look). In the middle of nowhere.
Cons: Lots of OHRV users driving their side-by-sides. Campground water was shutoff for some reason, so you had to bring all of your water in with you. A bit of a redneck vibe compared to the other places we stayed. Not totally put off by that but there was a bit of a “vibe” from the other campers near us. Campground is in the middle of freaking nowhere.
William Kent Campground – California
William Kent Campground is fantastic! Located across the street from Lake Tahoe it offers its own beach on the lake for campers. Quick access to road and mountain biking. Not a far walk to a couple stores and restaurants (but you’re camping…so why?). If you cannot find something to do from here, then the problem is you not the campground.
Summary: We stayed here for two nights. Site 30. Lake Tahoe was one of the main goals of our return trip to Oregon. Mia and I have both wanted to go to Lake Tahoe for quite some time. This area has everything that I look for in a vacation. Hiking, biking, water, mountains, trees, etc. William Kent CG offers a great place to hit up all of those things. You could easily park here and not have to drive if you didn’t want to, or you could access small towns and hiking/biking trails in just a short drive. Having West Shore Market right next to the beach was super convenient too.
Bathrooms: Several throughout the campground. Clean. Some camper kept propping open the women’s bathroom door despite all the signs warning about bears and to not do that.
Showers: Lake across the street. Otherwise, none.
Pros: Location, location, location. Site 30 was a very good size. Plenty of kindling for starting fires available in the woods. Access to mountain bike trails was a short pedal away. Mia enjoyed a road ride along the paved bike path right from the campground too. Beach was small but quaint. Bear boxes were large. Picnic table was level, it is surprising how rare that was on this trip. Lake Tahoe is beautiful. Our site was towards the back of the campground
Cons: Site 30 backed right up to a residential neighborhood and the people in the house behind us kept cutting through the backside of our campsite. Parking pad was sloped more than I had hoped (fixed with Flat Jacks mentioned earlier), the sites are fairly well packed in together. Site 30 had decent privacy and while not as cramped as Yellowstone, everyone was close to each other. Dumpsters were few and far between.
Hyatt Lake Recreation Area – Oregon
Hyatt Lake Recreation Area offers good access to outdoor activities like hiking, biking, fishing (normally), horseback riding and more. This area was a first time visit for us and could be really nice (see cons below).
Summary: We stayed here one night. Site C-43. We booked this campsite as the halfway point between Lake Tahoe and home. We kept the option open of just driving the 10+ hours home and getting there a day early but I am glad we didn’t. Cutting over from Lake Tahoe allowed us to drive through the Shasta region of California. It really is quite beautiful. The road from Ashland to the Campground is ridiculously curvy and at times somewhat steep. Not always fun in the van. There were signs informing campers of recent cougar activity in the campground.
Bathrooms: Flush toilets, clean, slight walk from our site.
Showers: Yes, though out of order in our bath house and the next set of showers wasn’t conveniently close.
Pros: Our site was lakeside (normally). Well-spaced-out sites. Long parking pad. Plenty of free wood for a fire. Great views of Mt Ashland. Quiet. This could be a beautiful campground. At 5,000′ elevation it cooled off nicely at night.
Cons: Southern Oregon is in a severe drought. Our campsite should have been lakeside but instead the water was a few hundred yards away. Boat ramps are closed due to drought. The highway 66 from Ashland is a P.I.T.A. to drive in a van. Might be fun in a sports car, but it was slow going in the van. Showers were not working in our bath building.
Well that about sums it up for now.
Thanks for reading.
-Pete & Mia
ON & OFF RHODES 
Nice review of all those campgrounds! But I think Kanopolis is in Kansas. (Unless you really did go from Kentucky to Arkansas and back to Kentucky. 😉 )
Whoops. Fixed. Definitely in Kansas.