Visited to see Manatees from the land. Cooler temps best for manatee numbers.

Campground sites feel secluded with vegetation but can be challenging for backing up into spots.

Had electric and water but trash is upon exit along with dump station

Nice paved road around campground and short trail to main park area. Canoe and kayak rentals available.

HISP has a pristine beach and well situated campground area separate from the public beach access area. Restrooms nice and clean with hot water in the shower. Washer/dryer set up as well and camp store is fully equipped and lots of souvenirs.

Campsite numbers are marked on electric boxes so kind of hard to see.

Fort De Soto county park is a fantastic park for the nature adventurer. With a huge variety of activities available it’s perfect for the whole family.

Dog friendly it has a huge dog beach and separate dog run.

Bike and kayak rentals are available as well as additional fee ferries to Shell and Edmont islands.

The campground area is huge with a separate area for those campers with dogs and kid friendly.

The restrooms are clean with hot water and have washer/dryer available for $1.75 per load.

Most campsites have electric and good water hookups. A pump out station is available near the entrance. 

The camp store and park gift shop are fully stocked with any thing you could need.

One negative is the loop I stayed on the loop road itself is full of potholes and really need to be dragged.

Assateague National Seashore on the Maryland side offers an incredible experience. 

Along with soft sand, balmy breezes and coastal views, wild horses wander the park at will.

We chose a campsite that did not require hiking onto the sand to reach. This made setting up camp much easier as no carrying was involved. We were early enough in the seasons that the mosquitoes hadn't kicked in yet, so it was an enjoyable stay. 

The restroom facilities are primitive. with a dump toilet, and exterior showers with warmish water. To turn on the shower water, one has to hold down a line to get it to run.

There was a good mix of tents and a variation of camper trailers on both the oceanside and bayside camp areas. The camper trailers are boondocking as no hookups are offered at this campground.

I find the restrooms on the bayside to be better, but in the warmer months, be prepared for lots of mosquitoes in that area.

The horses do their rounds in the morning for breakfast and in the evenings for dinner. DO NOT FEED THE HORSES  ! They are rather aggressive and persistent. KEEP ALL FOOD LOCKED UP IN YOUR CAR! They are Houdini's and have no trouble opening up any types of coolers with either their mouths or their hooves. There is a storage cubby below the picnic table - use it. 

The best way to shoo them away from your campsite is to bring a metal water bottle with small rocks in it. Shake it at them and they know to move along. It's what the rangers use to get them to move.

To reserve use recreation.gov

Tent camping in the large loop area. 

Escaping the Maryland summer heat, the cooler temperatures in Ricketts Glen State Park was perfect. This park offers a variety of activities. Hiking along the Falls Trail being a highlight. The Large Loop is closer and banks along the lake, where there are two separate beach areas perfect for swimming. Kayak rentals, fishing are some of the great water things you can enjoy. 

The campsite was perfectly sized for us - tent campers and close but not too close to the clean restrooms. A water spigot was handy across the road. Behind the restroom building is a dishwashing station. While there are showers there, the hot water was actually…cold.

There is a great small camp store if you need last minute items, and the concession stands at the furthest beach sells firewood and ice cream.

There are cabins available to rent, which looked really comfy. All linens, etc need to be brought along though.

Beautiful waterfalls surrounded by autumn color.

This campground offers full-hookup sites on the small loop section. You may also bring dogs to the small loop section. The Large Loop section is more geared for boondocking smaller trailers and tent campers. No dogs are allowed in that area.

Dogs are allowed on the trail, but are required to be on 6-foot leashes at all times.

The restrooms were clean and convenient. I found the hot water in both the small and large loops to be tepid at best.

Site 135 was perfectly level which made setting up camp easily. The water spigot was hard to operate as it was stiff. So bring along some WD 40 just in case.

The Falls trail is a hard/difficult trail. Although the loop is just 4.1 miles around, there are many stone steps and steep inclines. Bring hiking poles to help with the descent and ascent, along with snacks and water.

Camped at Oregon Inlet for its location near Alligator River NWR, and Bodies Lighthouse.

The PROS:

• Great location - plenty of beach access
• Warm water in the showers. However, I did wish they had an attached dressing area that was dry. 
• Quiet and respectful 'neighbors'

The CONS:

• Mid-September was hot, muggy and buggy. Also afternoon heavy rain showers.
• Hard to enjoy the campground during the day due to the heat, and at night due to the bugs. I took a Tent with bug screens that covered the picnic table, so that helped but bugs still got in. Used Thermocells to help create a bug free zone relatively. Next time I will waterproof the tent cover for rain showers and it dripped a bit.
• Bathroom doors left wide open and poorly ventilated, so they were hot and buggy, even at night. I discovered air conditioned bathrooms at Bodie's lighthouse and at the visitors center at the beginning of Route 12.
• Yes, there are sand spurs at the campsites. I wore shoes so didn't have a problem.
• It is true that you hear road noise through out the night. I found that week nights were notably quieter than weekend nights, including Sunday night.
• The campsites are small and closely together with no sun protection.
• Beach access involves walking over two high sand dunes on soft sand. Not terribly difficult, but hard for me with bad knees.
• No area for washing dishes. I take a portable wash bucket. Took my dishes up and showered and washed them in the shower room.
• One water spigot near the shower areas. I wasn't sure which was potable. Red and blue water spigots unmarked.