We really enjoyed the four days we spent at the Mammoth Caves Campground, right in the national park. I have to correct some information on this listing, though. There are no electric hookups. There is water available at spots throughout the campground, but not at the sites. There is one difficult to use dump station. Also, internet connections are terrible. You need to rely on the WiFi at the visitor center and lodge.

Setting that aside, it’s a beautiful, wooded campground with large and generally level sites. You’re right in the middle of the park, with all it has to offer. Its about a ten-twelve minute walk to the Visitor Center, which is where all the cave tours and many of the hiking trails start. The Visitor Center also has a great exhibit explaining the geology and history of the park and area. It is connected by a pedestrian bridge to the park lodge, which has several restaurants. Both buildings are wonderfully air conditioned, which helped a lot in the August heat.

Also helping with the heat are the caves themselves, which are spectacular and not to be missed. Other activities right in the park are lots of hiking opportunities and canoe and kayak rental.

There are modern and very clean bathrooms throughout the campground. It’s a mystery why they didn’t include showers when they built those bathrooms. Instead there are paid showers in the building housing the camp store. You insert six quarters and get a decent amount of time. For me, this was the only real downside of the campground, one I could put up with given all the other advantages.

Site 35B was a great site and was next to a small field, giving us extra space and privacy.

Turkey Run is a fabulous state park with a nice campground. My only complaint about the campground is that many sites are in an open, level area without a lot of trees or bushes between them. You don’t have a lot of privacy. Two sections of the campground, with the higher numbered sites, are much more wooded. If I go again, I will try to be there!

But the campground has two large modern bathrooms that are cleaned regularly. It also has clean well maintained vault toilets throughout the campground. Best of all, from the back of the campground you can access Trail 7, a moderate level trail that leads unexpectedly to a small stream running past a recessed cave. It’s a peaceful spot.

Be advised that a “moderate” hike at Turkey Run can be challenging, with plenty of steps up and down the hillsides. Many of the trails go along stream beds, so you often need to make your way across the rocks to avoid wet feet. Be prepared with hiking boots and sticks.

There are two covered bridges on the edges of the park. Be sure to check them out!

We enjoyed our three-day stay at Raccoon Street State Park in Pennsylvania. We used it as a jumping off point to explore Pittsburgh.

The campground is large and wooded, with good-sized sites. There are five different loops, so campsites are well-spread out throughout the area. One tip: each loop does not have its own entrance from a main road. To get to C you drive through or past A and B. Same with E and F. Each loop has its own set of flush toilets and showers.

Raccoon Lake is not far from the campground. It has a lovely medium-sized beach with hills in the background. You can rent canoes and kayaks from a stand nearby. We didn’t try them but it looked like peaceful paddling. My only minus is that the bathrooms at the beach had no electricity, so they were dark even in the daytime. Floor was wet and littered. It did not seem to have been cleaned that recently!

Also near the campground is a lovely wildflower reserve with trails and an interpretive center. The center never seemed to be open, but we were there in late August after the summer season. Perhaps it was open more in the summer. Trails at the Wildflower Reserve were varied and well-marked.

The park was not ideal for frequent travel to Pittsburgh because it’s a 40-50 minute drive, depending on traffic near the tunnel just outside the city. There didn’t seem to be a campground that was closer. We didn’t really mind the drive though, as it took us through pleasant hills and small towns. And it was great to relax at the campground when we returned from the city!

Full transparency—we did not stay at this campground but only drove through it as research for future trips. What we saw on a sunny Saturday in July did not tempt us to return. This is a large state park on a beautiful inland lake. There are several camping areas within the campground, and they are large and wooded. However, sites are packed close together and the campground was wall to wall vehicles. Perhaps this was because it is a popular boating area, and extra vehicles are needed to pull the boats. They are parked in a side parking lot within the campground area. Many RV owners don’t mind being surrounded by other RVs, but if you are a tent camper or drive a small Class B, this might not be for you, at least at the height of the summer season.

I wish I had read some of these reviews before booking my reservation so I would have been prepared for the fact we would have had to park our campervan on the road ABOVE our campsite. On the other hand, I’m glad I didn’t know because it might have prevented me from staying here. And this campground is in a fabulous location. When you stay here, you are tucked in a lush green mountain about a mile above sea level. A simple walk down the road is a delight, with many wildflowers. Also a delight is a ride down the mountain into the town of Cheroke on a curving, two- lane road studded with rock formations and densely lined with trees. Numerous overlooks offer amazing views. Part of that route includes the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. There also a number of trails near the campground. In addition to the short trail from the campground, there is a trail head not too far away that includes several lovely trails.

Back to the road situation. We adjusted to sleeping in our campervan in the road. It’s a quiet one-lane road through the park and seemed safe enough to sleep on. But it’s definitely cozier when your RV, picnic table and fire ring are all together! I think the campground would be pretty nice for tent campers. The sites, at least in our section, are a decent size, with large, level gravel tent pads. As others have noted, they are rather close together, though. Our fire pit was a few feet away from our neighbor’s, making it hard to have a private campfire conversation.

The camp hosts when we were there were very friendly and took good care of the place. There were fresh flowers at the check-in table and in one of the bathrooms. Now that is a nice touch! Altogether our stay at Balsam Mountain was a delight, one we will always remember.

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!