pleasant but too close to New York. Check in was confusing and a pain. You know you're too close to civilization when there are pizza delivery numbers at the campground office.
Passed by this many times on the Chester to Chico run on Route 32. Really pleasant campground about 30' above Deer Creek, a picture perfect trout stream. 40 miles from Chico, 30 miles from Chester.
not spectacular, but very convenient coming out of Star Valley. effing COLD when I was there in October, also no fee that time of year.
Really pleasant little park south of the Missouri, on a plain that used to be a Missouri Indian settlement. Deluxe shower building, well-maintained nature trails, nice picnic area, what's not to like?
Small but very handy campground 50 mile north of Susanville. Very near the road, but the road is not heavily traveled. The stream is very small but pretty
The TVA is almost like the Army Corps, a gigantic federal agency that builds dams then tosses in a few campgrounds around for fun. This one is below the dam, right across the road from the water. It is fun to watch the barges.
pretty but nondescript little spot in the interior of the state. Really nice fall colors when I was there, big yellow leaves covering everything!
Very nice campground, the local Boy Scouts added amenities. It is the most deluxe BLM campground I've ever seen. Showers even! There is apparently a waterfall a mile or so up the hill across the road.
There is NO check-in procedure here, only check-out. Odd. Just pick a site, do your thing, and there's only one way out, so pay at the station when you leave.
At 9,300', so a short season. A dusty, cramped, low-amenity national park campground that's in a REALLY cool place.
east of the highway, by farther than I thought! No hint of the ocean nearby, just the peaceful babbling creek and the mid-growth coastal redwoods. Site 12 is super-sweet as long as no one takes site 11. Those people will cut into my buzz :)
Very quiet, there is absolutely nothing special going on here - a welcome relief after the busy-ness of the park. Spacious, in the "giant ponderosas with no undergrowth" ecozone.
Right across the highway from the Trees of Mystery, a few miles north of Leggett. On the map it looks like it's right on the Eel River, but it's on the bluffs, quite disconnected from the river, which is a dusty, steep hike mile long hike down the hill. Full-featured family campground. Swimming pool, big play area, decent regulation basketball hoop. There's a bar and a little restaurant, a lovely shaded patio and bocce ball. Happy hour 3-6 every day!
Stayed here twice. Once for a quaint little folk-rock/garage-rock festival across the road (Hickeyfest!), and once on a sultry August night returning from Eureka to Reno. The South Eel River is 200' below, US 101 is about 100 away, and quite loud if a loud truck or motorcycle goes past.
The Curecanti National Recreation Area is a huge place comprising most of the boundary of three reservoirs and then a few miles of the downstream river. There are many campgrounds, most are large, RV-friendly affairs out in the open next to the reservoir. This one is small and on the other side of the road up a little canyon ... er ... gulch. In the cottonwoods, very quiet and pleasant.
In the style of Inyo Forest campgrounds(*), this one is hard to find(**) and kind of shabby and rough, but it's in a really beautiful location. This one is on Lee Vining Creek, in the aspen/pine forest on top of the glacial till. It's the first campground on CA 120 west of Mono Lake heading up to spectacular Tioga Pass. It's pretty cool. It's very popular with fishermen. (*) Except the Inyo campgrounds around June Lake/Mammoth. They are run by a concessionare. They are a little nicer, cost twice as much, and have three times as many rules. (**) There is an arrow for "camping", but you must turn off the road to see the "Lower Lee Vining" sign.
Bike one way to a lovely lagoon, walk the other way to to beach, nice sites high on the bluffs. A really nice campground.
Very handy campground on the Virginia side of Cumberland Gap. You drive a while off the highway to get here, but you're really just looping around to be right by the highway again, so there is road noise.
pleasant, quiet campground. off the road across a little bridge, on the creek.
Small campground on the busy road from Crescent City to Grants Pass. Quaint lodge a few hundred yards away with breakfast and even a bar!