If you’re looking to stay on the beach in the San Juan Islands, in a secluded campsite accessible by car or boat, this is the place!

We spent a lovely night at this park and enjoyed playing with our dogs on the public beach.

Maybe kid friendly but not dog friendly.

The lower loop is very nice- as a full time vanlifer, definitely would revisit that area again when I’m not feeling up to boondocking. The upper loop is geared more towards families with children and retired folks who are looking to camp surrounded by other people.

We got reprimanded a few times by park staff for our dogs barking at passersby in the middle of the day, so I chose to leave before my second night at the park. Never had an issue an any other campground in all of my years of travel- dogs bark, I was actively making an attempt to distract them and it was 4pm. This place is run more like a private campground- where noise is frowned upon (ironically screaming children in the background the entire time this exchange was occurring wasn’t a problem).

The lower loop was much nicer, quieter, more privacy, and the park staff aren’t breathing down your neck. We stayed there the first night without any issue and will book any future stays at that end of the park.

You can hear the road nearby, though I didn’t think it was too loud. Good walking area for dogs across the street, lots of riverfront to play in. Overall a decent park, but I didn’t feel welcome with my dogs in the upper loop.

Also they made a comment about dogs not being allowed on tie outs, but most of the dogs I saw were tied out. No tie outs for dogs at a campground is a weirdly restrictive rule (that isn’t listed anywhere that I can find).

Silver Springs Campground is a small 27 site campground in Stow, Ohio, a convenient 17 minutes from Cuyahoga Valley National Park and a bargain at $18/night for a site with electrical hookups. 

While there isn't much to say about the privacy at this campground, because you are generally just staying in a field, the manager was absolutely wonderful and gave us all kinds of maps and information on Cuyahoga National Park when he came around to check us in. 

The campground can get very muddy during the wet season- the town offers a good description of each campsite on their website and we found the descriptions, as well as their warnings about flood potential, to be very accurate. Our site had a large mud hole, so we joked that we had a waterfront campsite and just rolled with it- the sites were large enough that we didn't have to park near the water. 

Despite having a dog aggressive dog, we were able to check out Bow Wow Beach nearby because we went early enough in the morning that nobody was around. The dog park is really fun and offered a great opportunity for our dog to run around before we got back on the road. 

We were really happy with this campsite and would definitely return at some point if we needed to visit Cuyahoga again.

The Bayside Campground at Assateague is a large and crowded campground with precious little shade- but the trade off is absolutely spectacular stargazing.

We stayed one night in site #28- we initially were extremely disappointed with our site because of the lack of shade and the overall lack of friendliness towards dogs in the park. It was difficult to do anything with our dog because he wasn’t allowed anywhere and it was too warm to leave him in the car, and too warm for us to sit in the car with him- especially at the campsite, hence the problem with there not being any shade.

But we were absolutely delighted to find that the stargazing from our campsite that night was phenomenal. Our neighbor seemed to be aware that this would be the case- he had a whole telescope set up! We stayed up for a couple hours and watched the skies overhead. It was also very cool to watch the ponies walk through our campsite.

There are a handful of sites at this campground that I would consider booking again, but based on the lack of shade and activities to do with our dog in the park, we would not return to Assateague any time soon.

Lums Pond State Park is a medium sized campground 18 miles south of Wilmington, DE. As we were visiting family in Wilmington, it was important to us to find a park that was a reasonable driving distance from the city and Lums Pond is the closest state park and public campground.

We enjoyed Lums Pond for what it was- a safe and reasonably quiet place to park. The showers were decent and the cell service was good (we have Verizon). The park itself can feel a little crowded depending on what site you have- we actually enjoyed site #46, which was out in a field, over site #33, which was more on the forested side but felt a lot more crowded.

While this isn’t a place we would necessarily choose to spend our time outside of visiting family, it was very convenient and clean. The park is staffed for most of the day at the general store so questions were answered quickly.

They had an odd rule about us not being able to dump our cassette toilet in the bathroom, which we hadn’t run into before, but we were able to use the dump station- we don’t have chemicals in our toilet so this wasn’t a problem we had come across before. Site #33 also had a lot of garbage in the forest behind it, which added to the reasons why we didn’t like that site as much as #46- considering the rules that were intended to keep the park clean, it did feel like parts of the park were a little neglected despite the overall appearance of being well cared for.

All in all, we found this stay to be perfectly average and would stay again if we had to, but would also not necessarily recommend this park to friends or family unless they were visiting somebody in the area.

Fisherman’s Memorial State Park is a large 182 site campground in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

I booked this campsite by happenstance- ordinarily I’m very particular about where we park because we really like our privacy (our dog doesn’t like other dogs which can make camping difficult).

We wanted to visit Newport on our trip and Fisherman’s Memorial State Park was the closest (affordable) park to the island, so we opted to stay there- I lucked into grabbing somebody else’s cancellation. I had absolutely no idea what our site would look like and wasn’t expecting much.

We were very pleasantly surprised to find that we had ended up with one of the best sites in the park! Site 175- it is too small for a big rig, but fit our 20ft converted Sprinter van perfectly. We had tall, thick bushes on both sides of the van and could only see our neighbor across the way- and even then, when we covered our windows, it seemed like we were completely alone!

This park, and site, is close to the main road so there was a significant amount of road noise, but we thought given the price and the proximity to visiting Newport and Block Island, this one deserved four stars.

The bathrooms and showers were also clean, though we really didn’t use them as our site was quite far from them.

Definitely would visit this one again.

Worth mentioning: the park is staffed late, sometimes 24 hours a day, and they want you to check in when you get there, even if it’s after midnight. We didn’t know this and didn’t check in until the next morning, which the park employees were not happy about- they cited liability reasons.

Winslow Park and Campground is a busy 100 campsite and park run by the town of Freeport, ME.

We stayed in site #1 and were pleasantly surprised to not have any neighbors that night, which meant our site seemed larger than it ordinarily would have. The sites are small- similar to what you would find in an RV park. They are large enough to fit long class A and large tow vehicles into, but not much room is left between you and your neighbors, and there are few if any trees separating the sites.

There are warm showers, but we did not find them to be very clean. Regardless, we did enjoy our stay at Winslow. There was a concert going on when we arrived, but the park was less busy when everyone left for the night. The sunrise over the bay view we had was absolutely incredible- we loved our waterfront view and it was definitely the best park about this site.

At $50, this was also one of the more expensive sites we’ve stayed at. The view was definitely worth the price, but I don’t know if I would stay again simply because the RV park feel isn’t really our favorite aesthetic.

Either way, we appreciated the proximity to Freeport and the amenities and view at the time!

Of note: we visited the House of Hounds on Sniffspot the next morning so our dog could run and play- that ended up being one of our favorite things we have done on this trip. Omar has a beautiful open field that he lets people bring their dogs to play in and it was absolutely divine- especially since our guy doesn’t love other dogs so we can’t rely on dog parks for exercise. He enjoyed having the whole field to himself!

Blackwoods Campground is a large campground in Acadia National Park with 306 sites, none of which have electrical hookups.

We stayed in site B004- it was the last site available that could accommodate our 20ft Sprinter Van, so I was worried it would be disappointing but after seeing the other sites in the campground, we decided we would definitely book B004 again!

We like privacy and B004 offered some of the best privacy of any site in the park. We had trees separating us from each of our neighbors, could pull in far enough to get away from the road, and were still a decent distance to the bathroom. The only downside was proximity to the group sites, which were loud at times- but a campground with 306 sites is never going to be as quiet as the forest!

B004 is an accessible site so park officials ask that it only be reserved if no other sites are available or if you have an accessibility need.

The campground itself has no showers, but the bathrooms were clean, if dated. Access to Acadia National Park is unmatched, as we were able to wake up and drive less than five minutes for a beautiful sunrise.

We really enjoyed our visit at Blackwoods campground and would definitely consider staying there again if we were in the area.

Basin Campground is a very small primitive campground with 20 campsites, off of a residential road turned forest road on the border of New Hampshire and Maine. The closest large grocery store is a considerable drive from Basin and there is no cell service within several miles in any direction.

The remoteness of this campsite being the case, I actually expected it to feel more remote than it did. There were plenty of other campers to remind you that you weren’t alone, and there appears to be a homeless encampment set up by the reservoir, at the entrance to the campground.

Our campsite was number 10- it was a nice campsite, but we did have a neighboring camper lose control of their dog and run into our site- since our dog is extremely reactive towards other dogs, we ended up not feeling completely comfortable at our campsite and ended up deciding to explore the area rather than hang out there. This is not the fault of the campground and the person didn’t mean to let their dog off leash- they did apologize. We just weren’t completely comfortable given that event.

The campground is quiet, with no road noise. The surrounding forest roads were fun to explore, and we enjoyed driving into Maine to look at the mountains.

Not our favorite campsite, but also not the worst. We might have enjoyed it more under different circumstances.

Big Rock Campground is a small campground with 28 wooded sites situated immediately off the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Big Rock is a short 8 minute drive from the town of Lincoln, which offers many amenities for restocking groceries and supplies.

Big Rock was a small campground- we stayed at campsite #3, which had a long driveway and was unexpectedly private considering the proximity to other sites. There were several sites in the campground that offered ample privacy. Site #3 is very close to the bathroom but not so much that you lose privacy.

We did not have cellular service at Big Rock, but did have access to cell service in the town of Lincoln, 8 minutes away.

There was nothing particularly memorable about this campground and we did not stay there for an extended period of time, as we were just passing through. Our van fit well and the site was level. The highway is very close and therefore very loud, but it quiets down at night.

Campsite #3 is directly across from the big rock for which the campground is named, so this is a feature that kids might enjoy. The remaining sites mostly appeared to have decent privacy and ample space.

Though we did not have a chance to utilize them, the tent sites at Big Rock look to be exceptional, deeper into the woods and offer a view of the river, and are probably better than the RV sites.

Matthews Arm is a medium sized semi-primitive campground with 165 campsites on the northern end of Shenandoah National Park.

We stayed in site C163, which was situated about halfway through the campground and surrounded on all sides by other campsites. There is no electricity or hookups at Matthew’s Arm, and no cell service.

After our wonderful experience with Loft Mountain, it was difficult to not compare the two campgrounds because Loft Mountain was so comfortable, quiet, and well cared for, and Matthew’s Arm seemed to be a little neglected and much more crowded- not because of attendance, as neither campground was full during our stay, but because the campsites at Matthew’s Arm are built right on top of one another with very little space separating them.

We found ourselves wishing we were back at our Loft Mountain site that we enjoyed so much! But Matthew’s Arm is very close to the northern entrance and exit at Shenandoah National Park, and the location is precisely why we booked that particular campground that night.

The sites were easy to find and well marked, and the people around us were polite and quieted down after hours. The view of the stars might have been spectacular if it hasn’t been so overcast that night(and so much canopy overhead)!

Overall we were just as happy to arrive at our campsite at Matthews Arm as we were to leave it, so we are giving this one three stars for an average stay at an average campsite.

Loft Mountain Campground is a large national park service campground on the southern end of Shenandoah National Park. The sites are all non-electric, with a mix of pull through and back-in sites, as well as tent only and RV accommodating sites.

We stayed in Loop G, site 182- we were pleasantly surprised to find that Site 182 had a lot more privacy than an ordinarily pull-through site and it was perfect for us, as we tend to like more private, secluded campsites where we can’t see as many people. The campground was not very busy, and the only other campsites that would have been visible to us if they were occupied was the site directly across from us.

We found the campground to be well maintained, well marked, and easy to navigate. After exploring other sites in the park, it was clear that very few sites in the entire campground would be less than ideal- most were spacious and offered ample privacy. Most of the sites have trees dividing them from one another on three sides, and the picnic tables for the sites are sometimes located a short walk from the parking area to offer even more privacy.

This was a safe, quiet, and very comfortable campground that was pleasantly close to amenities, easy access to the park, and even a reasonable distance from the highway if you are looking to leave the park and come back later.

We would definitely recommend Loft Mountain Campground- after driving through all the other campgrounds at Shenandoah, and staying at both Loft Mountain and Matthew’s Arm, we concluded that Loft Mountain was certainly our favorite.

Shawnee State Park is a very large campground (319 campsites with mixed electric and non-electric, some pet friendly, some not) about 10 minutes off highway 76 and 20 minutes from the Flight 93 National Memorial.

My fiancé and I visited on August 21, 2022- a Sunday. We did not have a reservation and utilized the campground’s honor system envelopes to reserve our site. We drove all over the entire campground (which is, again, quite large) and decided that sites 22 and 34 were both well suited for our Sprinter van 144 and not too crowded for our reactive dog.

The park employees were very helpful and accommodating, though we only needed limited assistance with our arrival since we didn’t have a reservation. A campsite list is posted at the entrance that displays the list of available sites for that night.

There is a loop that can accommodate larger RVs but most of those were full- the remaining sites are not necessarily level, and only about 1/4 of them appear to have electricity. Our site, 34, is not an electric site.

The campground appears well maintained, though the $33.50 fee is a little more expensive than we are used to paying. But the price of the site was worth it for us for a safe and quiet place to stop for the night on our way to the Flight 93 Memorial and Pittsburgh.

A note that traffic and highway noise can be heard from the campground but it isn’t incredibly loud- you do get nature sounds that drown out the highway noise at times, as the bugs here are very loud, but if the sound of the highway in the background will bother you, this might not be your ideal campground.

This campground clearly gets very busy during some weekends, so definitely plan a visit during the week if you’re like us and prefer a more private camping experience.