We really enjoyed our visit to Cloudland Canyon State Park. We camped in the East Rim campground. As others have noted, many of the campsites are close together, but the sites are actually quite large. They have gravel bases edged with railroad ties. The campground is pretty spread out, with lots of trees and a perfectly good restroom. Showers have plenty of hot water. There is a playground.

An advantage of the East Rim campground is that you can walk a short distance to the day area, which has trailheads for most of the park. This would be great for families, I think. There is also an interpretive center nearby. A guide leads some hikes from it, but the schedule for the center is not posted and seemed unpredictable. It was not open when we were there.

The west rim campground was farther from this area, which has its pluses and minuses. We drove through it, and it did seem to have more trees. You can access at least one of the trails, the five-mile West Rim Trail, from this campground.

You can buy a bundle of kiln-treated firewood for $6 from the Visitor Center when it is open, 9-5. Otherwise you can buy it from camp hosts.

The town of Trenton is maybe 20 minutes away. It has a nice grocery store, CVS, fast food restaurants and the like.

That’s the skinny on the practical points of the campground. The park itself is wonderful, with gorgeous views and a range of hikes from easy to strenuous. One trail features two waterfalls and a long, steep set of stairs to reach them. Most trails are lined with rocks and tree roots, so bring your walking sticks and your good shoes!