Traveling back east, we found Chewacla State Park campground on The Dyrt. Due to heavy rain, did not make it as far as we wanted, so this was a last minute same day reservation, which we made online.

Total fees were $42 for a full hookup site. We got site 34 which is an 80' long back in spot. Super easy to back in, even in super dark conditions with heavy cloud cover and no street lights of any kind.

Water pressure is awesome and they have both 30 & 50 amp electric. Sewage is nicely placed in a low spot so you won't need a hose lifter (a rarity in our experience).

Out spot is across from the bath house, but also the dump station. No smells, but I would imagine mornings might be a bit congested and noisy as other campers are leaving and dumping.

Also directly across from the site is a large picnic shelter. Sites are decently spaced apart, though site 35 is a pull through, and though unoccupied on our nights stay, might make it feel a bit more cramped.

Our site had a fire ring and picnic table. And even though it's close to the highway, no noticeable traffic noise. Only thing we could hear were some kids playing across the campground.

It's about 5 minutes off the interstate and very easy access (just watch out for the staggered speed bumps at the campground entrance…it's narrow, too.

No wi-fi in the park. But Verizon 4G was 3 out of 5 bars on my Samsung S20+. 

Overall a great spot and easy to reserver online for those looking for a calm and peaceful overnight. Looking forward to getting a run on the trails in the morning!

On our trip across the country, we discovered Landry Vineyards through Harvest Hosts. But it does appear, according to Jeff & Libby Landry, this large winery and event venue allows others to camp their RV / Trailer overnight. 

We arrived during a winter storm with heavy rainfall. Usually, they have you park in a field next to the vineyards, which has awesome views. But due to rain, the mud was so bad there was a chance of us getting stuck, so they had us park for the night on a concrete parking area next to the tasting room.

This is dry camping. So there is no water, electric or sewage available. There are restrooms you can use while the winery is open 11am - 5:30pm Monday through Saturday. But they do allow campers overnight on Sundays, too, even if the winery is closed.

I would suggest hitting it when it's open. They have 24 different wines ranging from dry to sweet, reds, ports, whites, fizzies and some hybrids made with blueberries and blackberries. Tasting is free with the purchase of one bottle of wine per person. The petite syrah, red zin and chocolate raspberry port are worth the trip on their own. Rare to have such good wines coming from a small southern winery.

The setting is peaceful, quiet and safe. The owners even turned on the lights and allowed us to use the covered outdoor patio next to the tasting room since the weather was so bad.  They can accommodate any size rig and have 6 spots available. Call at least 1 day in advance. And, since it's free…be sure to thank them by making a purchase in the tasting room.

The drive from the highway is only about 6 miles, but the roads in are tight and windy with 30mph curves, narrow and bumpy roads. Not too bad, but be slow and careful through here.

When we first tried to book our Xmas week Big Bend trip, all campgrounds inside the park were full. We found this on The Dyrt and figured we would stay a night or two and get a spot at the Rio Grande Village inside Big Bend, which is the only full hook up place inside the national park (FYI RGV is phone reservations only and usually has spots open).

We were surprised at how much we enjoyed staying at the Stillwell Ranch RV Park and ended up staying a full week for only $150 with electric and water hookups.

There are 3 sections to this campground. The full hookup sites, which we had originally booked, are up by the store and are fairly cramped with limited views. However, the Electric & Water only hookups across the street offer much better views and even though the campground is set up as a gravel parking lot to pack people in, it was Xmas and we were one of 8 campers. Lots of space. We had the "end" spot so the views were pretty epic. 

The 3rd area is a ranch road with some pull offs for boon docking or tent camping and are even more "dispersed." 

There are two cons: First, the dust. Which I'm fairly certain you would find camping anywhere in the desert. Especially near the once volcanic Big Bend. Coming from the the Atlantic Coast, the insanely arid dusty air was a new experience. But we loved it. And it made for amazing sunrises, sunsets and star gazing. 

The second con for us was the water pressure. Maybe 10-12 PSI at best. It is well water and even with a high-end filter, even the water tasted "dusty."

We set up an outdoor shower tent next to our camper and were able to camp for an entire week without needing to dump since we did all showers outside.

The store it self is small, and has a a few things that are pricey, but much cheaper than driving an hour north to Marathon to find a grocery. So come well prepped with food and bev. Big Bend is HUGE and you want to minimize store visits.

Stillwell does have gasoline available, but only 87 Octane. No propane (bring extra tanks if you have a propane fire pit like we do).

The laundry room was clean and only $1.25 per load. Their campground showers/ bath house is a bit outdated. While you can use the bathrooms, their showers are currently closed due to COVID.

Overall, only 8 miles to Big Bend's north entrance, and then another 3 miles to the first trail head "Dog Canyon," it's a great place to stay when compared to the other options which we checked them all out:

- RV Campgrounds near West Entrance: The little town of Study Butte/ Terlingua does offer small grocery store and several RV parks. But the campgrounds here are all asphalt parking lots and you are packed in. And even though you have bigger mountains in your view, you also have the dusty less than amazing views of all this small town. Powerlines everywhere and lots of noise.

- Inside Big Bend - First, we went to Rio Grande RV Village… it's a small asphalt parking lot. You are packed in and when we went through, the entire place smelt like sewage. So happy we avoided this one. 

Chisos Basin is an epic spot, BUT, like many national parks you are stacked on top of your neighbors. While I feel confident we could have safely pulled our 23' travel trailer down the winding roads, there are only a handful of spots in the basin campground big enough for a camper. Would have loved the views and close proximity to trails, but we prefer a more secluded feeling and Stillwell gave us just that…even though we had to drive more.

Cottonwood Campground down by the St. Elena Gap is nice too, but again, you're packed in there.

Overall, very happy with our choice at Stillwell and would stay there again in the E/W only spots.

Most RV "resorts" we've come across are just parking lots where everyone is stacked on top of each other. We were very surprised at the spacing here. You could fit another RB in between us and the next person. Plus, the trees and bushes make it feel more natural.

Staff greeted us, and took us to our spot even though we arrived several hours before check in. Very easy access to downtown Austin, about a 15 minute drive.

Full hookups. Extremely clean, well maintained and updated. Most spots are pull through, with a few back in spots on one side.

Nice laundromat. AND… they have a propane service where you just put your empty tanks behind your rig, they come pick them up and fill for you and just put it on your tab like having a hotel room. Super cool…

It is right next to I-35, and you can hear the highway noise. But overall, not bad.

We discovered Blue Mule Winery on Harvests Hosts, but it seems anyone can make a reservation to stay there by emailing Ash at least 24 hours in advance. It is also courtesty you visit the winery, sample and buy your favorites wines. they also have fresh eggs for sale.

Along with overnight RV / Travel Trailer camping, they  have a duplex cabin that you can rent through Air BNB.

This little family farm is well maintained, super clean and  not only do they have IMO some of Texas' best local wines, there's also Alpaca Llama's and Donkeys. They even gave us a bag of snacks to feed them (FYI the Llama's like to have their neck rubbed). The frozen wine slushies are really good.

Camping is in a small field in between the winery, and the Llamas.  We found a perfectly level spot. I would say a max of 4 could fit in here comfortably.

This is dry camping / boon-docking only. Pack out whatever you take in, including trash.

If you're traveling to Austin, TX like us, this an amazing place to stay overnight. be sure to get up and watch the sunrise.

The entire family is incredibly friendly. A must stop for sure.

We discovered this amazing little Texas Winery on Harvest Hosts, but it appears anyone can make a reservation and stay. They offer several dry camping boon docking sites at no charge, assuming you'll visit & support the winery with a tasting and purchase. Plus, they have 3 full hook up sites for a whopping $15 a night :-)

They lots of wine varieties. They're decent. But what's really good.. the large selection of hand made Meads & Fruit wines. Very unique. In fact owner Jim Frascone has won several awards for his meads. Try the Dragon's Breath along with their alligator egg rolls.

The property rests right on the a bay off the Gulf of Mexico. We stayed in one of the 3 full hook up sites for $15. Perfectly level on a concrete pad.

We could walk to the winery in 2 minutes. There is also a small pier with EPIC sunsets over the water.  Down the road about 1/4 mile is are a couple water front restaurants.

Overall the place is clean, peaceful and quiet. Jim took our reservation by phone. When you arrive, you stop at the sign and call him. He rolls out in a golf cart to greet you and shows you where you'll be staying.

It was quite cold and windy, so they carted us around from our camper to the winery then to the pier for a sunset. 

it's a little bit of drive off the interstate, but well worth it. You can even jump on a fairy to or from the south of Houston if you have "travel time."  Well worth it.

What impresses us is that Jim has several vineyards around the area, and has his own bee hives to make the meads from. Cool spot for sure. We love it.

We discovered Whippoorwill Vineyards through Harvest Hosts. But, we learned they allow free camping with the hopes that you'll make a small purchase from this small winery that specializes in muscadine and scuppernong grapes. You do want to make at least a 24 hour reservation. We made ours two weeks in advance.

Officially, the winery is open Thursday, Friday & Saturday and is the best time to stay. However, one of the owners, Bobby Watkins happily opened the gates up for us on a Monday evening, and even offered a free wine tasting. Naturally, we bought a couple bottles.

This vineyard farm is very safe and very quiet as we were the only ones there. Night sky is beautiful with lack of city lights and sunrise is pretty nice as well.

Camping is allowed in their parking lot "field." Just pull in anywhere you want. There are a couple level spots, but most of the area is slanted and you'll want levelers. They allow a maximum of 4 RV's / Travel Trailers.

The place is CLEAN and well maintained. This is a dry camping spot. Pack in and pack out. And, it's really only for one nighters while traveling.

Bobby was super friendly and very accommodating. Would for sure stay there again.

We were in Clemson for a wedding, and were surprised how close Twin Lakes Campground was to everything. 12 minutes to downtown Clemson (even on a game day Saturday).

Our site had amazing seclusion and great views of Death Valley stadium and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A couple things about our site #12. It's a multi-level site where your rig goes up top, and you have a fantastic "lower patio" with a large picnic table and fire pit. 8 yards from a small sandy beach area where you could pull a boat up to.

BUT BEWARE, this spot is really meant for motorized RV's and not trailers. Due to the orientation it is meant to pull in head first so your electric and water are on the "land side" and not the "lake side" of the site. That allows you to have your door and awning facing the lake. HOWEVER, if you're in a trailer like we are, you have to come into the site from other direction, basically against the one way direction of small road. 

You'll notice our utilities are on the same side as the normal sitting area, which faces the hill and NOT the water. Then when pulling out, you have no option other to go the wrong way on the one way loop…you'll need to have spotters.

Overall, site is fantastic. RV's all day long. Travel trailers beware…make sure you're under 25 feet to be able to make the very tight "against the grain" turns you'll need to get in here.

But…with the view and seclusion as the nearest site is about 50 yards away…worth it if you can summon a lot of patience.

This is a primitive area along the Palmetto Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest.

Many hiker's heading to or coming down from the Appalachian Trail will camp here in a beautiful setting underneath live oak trees.

There are 3 areas to camp: along the dirt loop road, a big field, and a few areas tucked back in the trees.

This first appears to be a small campground due to the size of the road's loop. But, there are several large areas with plenty of room for tent or hammock camping.

There are only a couple spots for an RV or Travel Trailer to park, but they are pull through along the side of the main loop.  

Plenty of parking for those willing to walk their gear into the large field, or along the camping areas down by the trail. 

Depending on the year, you'll either have this campsite all to yourself, or be sharing it with 100 other tents. Large groups love this free site (i.e. church youth groups) as it's easy to get to and about 30 minutes to Charleston, SC.

I've always found this place to be one of those "nearest far away places" due to the seclusion.

Everything here is pack in and pack out, so don't expect anything fancy, just a free and fun spot to camp for a night. Down the road is the Wambaw Cycle Trail, a maintained trail system for motocross & dirt bikes.

This primitive camping facility is located between McClellanville and Honey Hill. A short camp loop swings through an upland pine/oak forest and encircles a fire lookout tower. The fire lookout tower is no longer in use.

This semi-primitive campground is about 30 minutes north of Charleston, SC, 8 miles west of Highway 17 in the heart of the Francis Marion National Forest.

The number one thing I love about this site: It's free. It's easy to get to. It's camping!

There are 12 fairly large sites spaced well apart so you avoid that parking lot feel. LOTS of trees. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring.

The entire campground is well maintained by the National Forest Service, and the ranger. I say it's semi-primitive because there is a vault toilet which is old, yet clean. 

In the center, there is an old abandoned fire tower that is fenced off from people going up it.

I've been here several times and overall, it's fairly quiet. However, there was one Friday night where a bunch of 20 something's came in, climbed up the fire-tower and partied making for a not so quiet experience.

Since it's free, you can expect to see some interesting neighbors coming in and out. But with the ranger station down the street, the rangers do patrol this daily (I've never seen them in here at night). It's first come first serve, so weekends are usually packed. You better get here early.

I give it 4-stars because it's clean with generous spaces and we've always had a great time. Plus, the spots have so many trees, it makes hammock camping a breeze. All sites are perfect for car / truck camping. Just pull up and unload.

Nearby are several of the major trails that run through this National Forest, including the popular Swamp Fox. The site also is right next to one of the dirt forest roads, that takes you in even deeper.

10 minutes away, at the Highway 17 intersection are gas stations & mini markets, so if you need some basic supplies, things are right down the road.

Directions: From Charleston, take US Highway 17 north to McClellanville. At the intersection of SC Highway 45 (the yellow caution light) turn left, and drive eight miles to the camp.

This is a farm and outdoor event center with a 140 acre field you can camp in.

Very well maintained. We came here on Thanksgiving weekend because all other campgrounds were full. We were the only people here.

The event area, when open could be busy and noisy during the day, but is was very quiet and peaceful.

There are no defined campsites we could see. Just a giant field to set up and camp. There is no water or any hookups. You will need to pack in and pack out everything.

Very close to I-85 and easy to get to. Feels very safe. A little highway noise, but not bad.

For a private organized campground, this really is one of the best spots in Brevard.

Sites are all gravel. We have hammocked camped here, and this last trip, I camped in my Motorcycle trailer. Great spot to be for riding around the blue ridge mountains.

Most sites have electric and water. You will likely need to level anything you bring.

There is decent wi-fi, though it can be spotty when everyone gets on at night.

Decent 3 bar verizon coverage.

Bathhouses are super clean and the entire place has a friendly vibe. Sites are fairly close, but the trees help it feel secluded. Can be a bit noisy at night as sound carries, especially on weekends when there is more campers coming in.

Roads are tight and twisty, I had a tough time backing in my 10' utility trailer into spot 220.

No online reservation system. Not really any views. Just a nice solid campground with decent rates. About a 20 minute drive to Brevard and area attractions. But you can hit Ceasars Head Park about 5 minutes due south on 276 for some great hiking.

This is a second review after another week long stay at Mile Creek Campground. This time in a gravel spot #49.

Had 5G access entire time and easy to do business as digital nomads.

Have already spoken about how awesome this place is, but want to share inforabout site #49

This spot is the highest on the third "island" out from the mainland. It has epic 360 views. But, a lot of tree canopy and it is dirt/gravel. While the spot is very level, be very weary that the drive up to this spot is steep and curved, We barely made clearance with a 23' trailer that has a lift kit on it. This spot requires backup skills and the right equipment.

The tree canopy is nice, but when it rains, forest stuff sticks all over your rig, you'll be waxing off the debris and stains. Plus, you're solar is a no go here, but with electric and water hookups, solar not needed.

We also learned this is some really amazing mountain biking 25 minutes away in the Clemson Experimental Forest… the Isaqueena Trail system. Ranges from easy/intermediate to advanced when you get to the lower waterfall area in the southern part of the forest.

As the other reviews have said, this is a great basecamp for both hiking and mountain biking for many levels. Hiking easy to difficult / extreme (Art Lobe Trail) and mountain biking from mellow on the flat trails to expert up and around Thrift Cove to Black Mountain.  

Spots are well spaced out for an organized campground with plenty of trees.

The campground is primitive, but very well cared for. Bathhouses only have one shower, and there's only one per "loop" of campsites, which is about 20-30 pending on the loop. So, if it's busy you may be waiting. Other than that, we felt very Covid Safe.

We stayed in a pull through spot #43, right next to a bathhouse, and only about 50 yards from the river. Site was crazy level, and did not even need to pull out leveling blocks.

While there is a dump station with potable water you can fill up, there are no hookups at most of the sites. A few, which are usually reserved for campground hosts, have electric and sewer.

NOTE that if even if you have good solar, you are in a valley with lots of tree canopy. We got maybe 2-3 hours of light hitting our panels a day. Not enough to fully charge the batteries.

There is NO wi-fi.

We are digital nomads, so connectivity is key. While we could make phone calls on Verizon, anything data related was not happening. But all you have to do is jump in the car, drive 2 minutes towards Brevard and pull off into the day use area. 4-5 bars consistently.  

Drive another mile and you have a Wal-Mart parking lot with a cell tower across the street. Plus, a fantastic MTB shop with a bar… and breweries across the street.

Davidson River is overall an epic spot to really get out and enjoy what the Pisgah National Forest has to offer. Secluded, but 5 minutes from civilization.

Having lived in South Carolina most my life, I haven't seen it all.. but have seen a lot of it. Mile Creek Campground is a string of 3 islands connect by narrow straights and surrounded by water. It's hard to get a spot here without great views of Lake Keowee and the Blueridge Mountains.

The spaces a are a mix of full concrete pads or gravel sites. We've stayed in several sites and while some are very close together (that RV park feeling), there are many which have lots of breathing room, and things feel more natural. The pics in this review are for site 51, which is on the "3rd island," which is the furthest out and offers the best views. This is a very level concrete spot and we only had to use the electric tongue jack on our trailer to level front to back. Got set up in under 5 minutes.

There is one oddity to some of the concrete sites. Because it's concrete, your fire pit is off to the side. And since most of the sites are raised, your fire pit may be level with the concrete pad, but you can't sit next to it as there is too much slope.

It's a county park and is well maintained. Bath houses are clean. With it having a public day use area with a nice boat dock, you can expect almost every morning @ 6am to hear the diehard fishing folks blasting out of the boat launch area. 

We have Verizon and our cell signal has always been 4 to 5 bars on the outside third island.

All sites have 30amp electric and water hookups. Dump station at the front of campground entrance up on a hill. BE AWARE, pulling into the dump station is easy, but the steeper exit will have longer RV's and Trailers dragging their bag end on the asphalt.

We've always felt safe and relaxed here. And though we prefer more dispersed camping with less neighbors, this is still one of the best and most affordable ($25 in off season) places in South Carolina to camp. 

We rarely give 5-stars, but due to the awesome views,  trees between the sites and being well wooded & surrounded by water… it really is a very nice place.

From what I can tell, all but two sites are back in. We had no problem backing in our 23'8" (total length) camper in.

Nestled in a small valley between tree covered small mountainy hills, Adventure Village has always been a safe bet when we come to Brevard, NC and our preferred locations are booked full.

We 'work from wheels" so some type of reliable internet is a must anywhere we go. Whether it be through cellular or wi-fi, our entire business is online. And we chose to stay at Adventure Village due to all the amenities they boast, including property wide internet (more on that later).

Open all year, overall the place is clean, quiet & feels fairly safe. Others on the campground have always been friendly.

Adventure Village has RV/Trailer sites, tent sites & a variety of cabins from small 1 roomers to much larger multi-bedroom ones with hot tubs.

Albeit nicer than most, the RV section is one of those parking lot style RV city feeling. Sites are close together. Every site is a back-in. With them being close together, we could hear neighbors on both sides of us.

We rolled in with a Ram 1500 Pulling a Lance 1995 Travel Trailer that's 23'8 total length. Had no problem backing-in. Site was not fully level, so we had to pull out the wheel levelers and go up about 4" on one side.

You see from the pictures how close everyone is. We had site 6 which backed up to a small flowing creek. It nice to hear the running water the entire time.

Also, the "Adventure" part where they talk about trails and biking….not so much.  We found the trails had not been maintained for some time. They were grown over with thorny vines and bushes.

The only hiking or biking you will do is up one of their two roads. The one up to the larger cabins, which appear to be quite nice. Or, the second back road that leads up to the tent section.

The Cabin road is well maintained and makes for a quick walk or a moderate uphill climb for a mountain bike.

The Tent road, on the other hand…much different. Not well maintained with large ruts from water run off, slick muddy spots and pot holes. A much steeper road than the cabin one, and is a good warm up on a mountain bike. The tent sites are well spaced apart and at higher elevation than the RV section. But, if you're going to camp here, you better have a 4WD/AWD vehicle with some clearance. Especially if you're at one of the upper sites that have the best views. 

Now for the practicality of working here… Adventure Village does have about 5 wifi access points. And we could always get a signal. However, even though I'm at full strength on their 2.4gigahertz wi-fi…it was intermittent at best. We never knew when it would start, or stop and became very difficult to work. So we tried their 5gigahertz network, IF we could maintain a connection, it would work…again…if we could even connect to it (in all fairness, 5g wifi is not as strong of a signal as 2.4g, but is much faster).

So then we went for the backup, cellular. We have an iPhone 11 and  Samsung S20+ on Verizon. Phones would show 1 bar 4G LTE, but we could not get anything data related to come through well. The good news here, is that we could make phone calls with good reception and reliability. At time, our iPad would get 2 bars on Verizon's 4G network.

I'm giving this 3 stars because while it is nice place in the mountains, and it's clean, quiet safe, well located to see all this area has to offer with a staff that is friendly…we prefer camping in spots with more space and trees giving that more natural & secluded feeling.

Also, the "Adventure" part really is not there. Trails are either forgotten, or unaccessible and really not usable (unless you want to puncture your mountain bike tires with all the thorns).

Plus, the lack of reliable internet as boasted by Adventure Village is frustrating. We were also told they get good Verizon service, which they do for voice, but not data.