Apple Island is a huge campground with great sites and wonderful views of Lake Champlain. The front sections of the campground are where most of the transient RVs parked(and have the views of the lake) whereas the back section of the campground has a mix of transient RV sites and seasonal park models but no views. Most campsites are in the open with a lack of shade or privacy. If you visit in the summer you may want to make sure your patio is on the shaded site.
The sites with the best views are the Platinum Plus which are also the most expensive. Some Platinum Plus sites are in the first row with unobstructed views; whereas, our site was three rows back. Not sure why they charge the same when our site was overlooking two rows of RVs. If there is no one in front of you it is great but otherwise you will have a partially obstructed view. The rows are terraced and they do offset sites on each row which is good. Our site was pricey at $94/night that includes taxes. The hook-ups at our site (11AD) were well-placed but the sewer pipe was high off the ground which did not let it drain even with a “slinky.” The cable yielded a number of channels but was not HD. Campground Wifi was good and our Verizon phone and hotspot worked well.
There is a nice pool with plenty of chairs and umbrellas. The pool opens at 9am for adult lap swims for an hour which we took advantage of daily. It was crowded with four of us trying to swim laps and people trying to do water aerobics. The large clubhouse hosts a variety of events like bingo, ice cream socials, dinners, etc. There is also a large library and decent fitness center. The store is very well stocked with nice gifts, lots of craft beers, abundant food items, and a café. There is a short trail on the property which leads to a large open grassy area with a great view of the lake and area where we threw a ball for our dog. There is a 9-hole par-3 golf course with putting green.
One of my complaints was that the grass in some areas really needed to be cut. At our site the weeds got super high and were sharp and prickly which was annoying to us and our dog. During our two-week stay they never cut the grass in our section. Some areas of the park are left in a natural state which is great but it seems the grass and weeds at campsites should be cut. They have garbage pickup at your site which is not our preference. We prefer to take it out after dinner because we don’t like smelly garbage in our coach all night but they said we could not access the dumpsters. If the garbage wasn’t immediately picked up after being put out the seagulls and crows went to town and left garbage scattered everywhere. Most of the waterfront sites are nose-in and suited well for motorhomes. Sometimes they would park a towable next to them and if they backed in there would be a shared patio which works out great if you want a buddy site but not if you don’t know your neighbors.
Across the street is a marina with rental boats/kayaks and a boat launch. We launched our paddleboard and kayak there but it was pretty mucky getting in and out of our boats. We were allowed to leave our kayak locked on a rack at the marina so we didn’t have to take it back to our campsite every day.
Nearby are a few nature preserves with short trails and within a mile is a swimming beach and free access to the water for exploring the marshes and the abundant birdlife. Close to the campground are a winery, brewery, plenty of restaurants (we loved Wally’s for bagel sandwiches), and a small grocery that has everything (including liquor) you might need (Keeler’s Mkt.) South Hero and Grand Isle have nice farmers markets with a good selection of items.
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