Smoky Mountain Campground
Layla D.
Reviewed Jul. 25, 2020

Stargazing and Seclusion

We stayed here midway through a two-week adventure visiting national parks out West. This just so happened to be on our route after leaving Glacier, and it ended up being our favorite campground we visited during this journey.

We had a little trouble finding the campground, but that was because of human error when selecting the route via Google Maps. After stopping and scratching our heads a bit, we figured out our error and easily found our way. We didn’t realize that we had booked an “equestrian site” complete with a horse pen but had some fun with our friends later (good place for corralling the husbands). Our friends were in Site 34, and there was a small trail connecting our two sites.

We easily set up camp and made a quick meal before touring the campground. It was so quiet that we didn’t think there were any others camping there, so we were surprised during our walk to see so many fellow campers. The sites are HUGE and really offer a great deal of privacy and seclusion. The only issue we had was that there were so many bugs (gnats and flies)! This forced us inside sooner than we would have liked, but we were tired from the long journey that day anyway. We went to bed early and opened the blinds on the front stargazing window of our Lance. The view was breathtaking!!! It was such a clear night (and so dark in the campground) that we could see hundreds of stars and fell asleep looking at them. We awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the distant mountains. It was the most beautiful view from our trailer to date!

We begrudgingly left Castle Rocks after only one night wishing that we could have stayed much longer. If we are ever fortunate enough to be in the area again, we will definitely revisit this campground . . . hopefully for a longer stay next time!

  • Driving dirt roads to Utah . . .
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