We have been traveling along the east coast, staying in state and county campgrounds since Labor Day. I intentionally planned this way, in part to save on campground fees. The other part was for their locations. State campgrounds have priority on the best beaches, lakes and wilderness sites. Locations, location, location is as true for camping as it is for real estate. And we’ve found that there’s room to experience every kind, rustic and resort alike.
We will never be boon dockers ….
Boon dockers are a breed unto themselves. They’re willing to live off grid with no hookups. They trolley their waste, fill their water tanks, (we run on empty), use solar panels, limit their AC and electric needs, and pay no campground fees. This is NOT us. We like our creature comforts and make no apologies for them. Hats off to these hearty folks, and their small carbon footprint but again, this will never be us.
So far our campground experiences, on this leg of our travels have been excellent. We began in Ohio and Pennsylvania, staying 3 and 4 days in each campground. Lovely places, especially Ohiopyle State Park in PA. However…getting to that park was tricky. Southwestern PA is riddled with hills, valleys, switchbacks, and steep inclines/declines. The state park was deep into the Allegheny Mountains and we experienced all of those conditions getting there. Once we arrived it was fabulous, but we decided after this trip that we’ll use what we call a ‘highway’ park, when passing through the area.
Highway parks are fabulous for 2-4 night stays. Because they’re close to highways, they can be noisier which is a drawback for longer stays. But for us, they are all about getting to the next place. We pull off the highway, pull into a camp spot, set up and sleep/eat for a few days before moving to the next place. Simple and easy. And sometimes there are even cool serendipities.
Like the Whirlygig Park in Wilson NC.
But county parks have been, hands down, some of our favorite places. We’ve been in 5 in the past 3 years and in our experience they beat out the state parks. (Side note, we hear Georgia and Florida have fabulous state parks if you can get into them, and Louisiana discounts their fees 50% for seniors, 14 days for less than $200). On this trip we stayed in Bull Run County Park in Manassas VA. They were setting up a holiday drive-through light event which looked amazing. Currently we’re in James Island County Campground and they are doing the same thing. We were able to see them test out their lights one evening.
All photos taken from the truck window…
They will also set up an entire holiday village near the welcome center, and run a tractor/train through the wilderness area, around the fishing lake. Speaking of lakes, there are 2 dog parks, both with swimming access to the lake. A lovely camp store, cabins to rent, a wedding/party venue, bike/hiking trails, an outdoor adventure section with a climbing wall and a zip line, and in summer a water park. But what has really captured my attention are the camp hosts that do a large part of the setup work for the holiday light festival.
Camp hosting is an aspect of RV life that is a popular way to save on fees. This campground runs about $70 a night. With taxes and fees it was $1100 for 2 weeks, on the spendy side for us, (I typically try for $400 a week). But the location is minutes from Charleston which was our aim. And as it turns out, James Island is a lovely city. A self-contained place that could easily become a winter destination. And it’s nearness to Charleston affords some enjoyable, historic sightseeing.
I chatted with a camp host from upstate NY who has been coming for 7 years. They arrive in September and leave in March, no camping fees! She said the work is easy, only eats up part of their day, and allows them to escape their NY winters affordably. Best part – no toilet cleaning! Her husband retired and bought an RV so they could see the country. On their inaugural trip they were recruited to do hosting – never saw the rest of the country. These 6-month residents settle in with covered firewood stashes, storage tents, lots of flags, plants and kitsch to designate their sites. 6 months of camping here = about $13,000. So a free space for a winter home is not a bad gig.
Thought food for our own future.
Last spring we stayed in a county campground in Missouri, near Kansas City and loved it. Lake Jacamo County Park featured level paved sites that accommodated large RV’s, and many had unobstructed views of the lake. Kansas City was convenient and for me, the quilting community was epic. Hamilton MO is an outstanding draw for quilters.
On our way to our final destination this trip, we stayed in Myrtle Beach State Park. We caught up with friends that we knew from California, Myrtle Beach, and North Carolina. Entering the campground felt a bit Jurassic, with all low-hanging trees covered in moss. The roads were very narrow and some of the sites were tight enough to scare off a rookie.
After Charleston we head to St. Augustine Florida for a long stay. A private campground, with spacious sites and shade trees. No beach or pool, but at that time of year in north FL, it really isn’t needed. And the beach is a 10-minute drive. We’re ready to park for a while. In fact, we’ve done enough sightseeing in the last 2 months, that when we arrived in Charleston we ditched our plans for the historic tours. We hit the downtown market and had lunch, but we’ve been island bound all week. I’m headed to Chicago on Sunday to see Carolyn and Ben so our sightseeing will have to wait for another trip. Which simply means…
We’ll be back!