Better than a bullfrog

This is a delightful campground in the city of Elk Point, SD. It is a city park with 50 amp hookups. There are water spickets around and I'm not about dump stations. You are surrounded by a football field, two baseball fields and a nice children's playground. There is a lake with a fountain in the middle and a very large grassy area. We watched the girl's softball game. Also,  the field is full of found squirrels which are fun to watch but my dog wanted to chase them. This is a great stop over or a good place to stay a week. ATT - 4G LTE, 56.03Mb/s D T-MOBILE- 5G,  40.24Mb/s D, 6.6 U

Heaven in the Mountains

My wife and I were visiting White Sands  National Park and looking for a place to stay on our journey east.  I called in the afternoon to see if they had a spot available and they did. Passport America discount. Price $24.52 This place is fantastic.  15 acres of wooded pine slopes with lawn. Wildlife and friendly people. The hosts Rick and Gail are professional,  helpful and fun. My wife found some hummingbirds to photograph. There are places all over the ground to sit with tables. A great place to commiserate with like minded souls. A large activity room has been built.  AT&T is non- existent but I have 2 bars of T-mobile. There is wifi available.  After staying in the desert for a while this place is heaven.

Great in October

Convict Lake is a beautiful campground in the east Sierras. Fantastic fishing. The fall colors were outstanding. T-mobile is accessible at space 5. Convict Lake Trout Fishing 

Trout are the draw at Convict Lake.

With crystal clear water and abundant forage, the Convict Lake rainbows are hearty and ready to put your knots to the test.

Thanks to regular plantings and cool, high-elevation waters, the bite stays relatively good throughout the year, although definite peaks occur in the cooler spring and fall weather.

Brown trout can be found here as well, though there aren’t as many as the ‘bows. They do get big, though, so it’s definitely worth a try.

The fishing season runs from the end of April through the middle of November. Check with current regulations to make sure you’re within the seasonal guidelines. 

To focus on rainbow trout at Convict Lake, you must first decide if you want to fish the lake or the creek. Both are excellent fisheries, and both get a ton of pressure during the high tourist season.

The lake will offer more in the way of size, while the creek often offers faster action. It’s a toss-up, really, and you can do some of both if you’re staying a few days. 

The lake has several areas to target, though the key here is to fish the edge of the bowl. There’s a ledge around it that drops off into much deeper water. Fishing along this edge can provide some pretty great action.

Starting at the main parking lot at the marina, you can go out on the jetty that forms the bay. From the jetty, you can cast straight to the edge of the ledge and get your bait in front of schools of fish. 

If you choose the jetty, keep in mind boats are coming and going all day, and nobody wants their prop tangled up with your line. Use proper etiquette, and you’ll be fine.

Following the road partway down the southern side of the lake will get your to several parking areas with trails along the lake.

Intrepid anglers can continue on foot to reach additional areas with fewer bank anglers.

Trout can be caught right from shore all around the fisherman’s trail. It wraps around the lake and offers access to all sorts of great fishing holes. 

Fresh baits work great if you’re bait fishing, as do PowerBait and mouse tails. Using minnows can also be very productive here, as can injecting a nightcrawler with air to float it in front of cruising trout.

Check at the marina for minnows and other baits.

If boats are more your thing, this lake will give you plenty of reasons to come back.

Troll from the marina around the lake just off the drop-off, and you’ll likely do well.

Use the standard trolling techniques and watch your finder. Baits, spoons and spinners are always a go-to for trolling. 

The resort has reported that trolling Needlefish in the Green Frog pattern or Tasmanian Devils in the Bleeding Frog patterns have been effective.

Tie on a rainbow-colored lure, and you just might find the browns that are sprinkled around the lake. Browns love eating fingerling rainbows, and in Convict Lake, they don’t have to look very far to find some.

The lake’s southern end has some pretty great areas for setting off in a float tube and slinging some streamers.

The inlet usually has some pretty big trout holding below it, waiting for a tasty snack.

Toss some Woolly Buggers in the 8- 10-size range, Clouser Minnows in 6-8, and Mohair Leech patterns. These will bring big fish to the net.

Early mornings also offer excellent dry fly opportunities, as long as the wind stays away.

Fishing for Convict Creek Trout 

Convict Creek is a favorite fly-fishing destination, with decent-sized ‘bows, browns, and brook trout.

You may find a few brookies in the lake, but for the most part, they stick to the creeks.

The rainbows are the most common catch, especially after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife plants it below the dam in the spring, which is likely to occur by May.

If approaching the creek with a fly, think Olive Caddis in sizes 12 to 16, possibly with a Hares Ear Nymph below. Use the dry as an indicator.

Some flies you must have in your kit for the creek are Pheasant Tail or A.P. nymphs in 12-16, and one more dry, the Yellow Humpy, in 14-18.

Bait anglers can do well on the creek using small hooks in the size 10 to 12 range with one or two chartreuse garlic fireballs. If they aren’t biting on the chartreuse, try the orange shrimp flavor.

Trout go nuts for this stuff. Just don’t spill the liquid on your hands. Tough to wash that stink off.

Tall Pines by I-80

The scenery in this park is wonderful. Tall one trees next to a stream running over granite rocks. You just have to pretend the highway noise is the sound of the river. As for beauty it rates a 5. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. There are many walk in sites next to the river with parking just up the hill. Ideal for tents. The roads are narrow and I wouldn't try anything longer than 25 feet. Most of the sites are narrow also.

Great stop in Kingman

We were heading west and wanted to stay in Kingman. This was one of the choices and I'm glad we chose Sunrise. The price was $40 and our dog was no additional charge. The park is tree lined, the host is very nice. Hookups all worked perfectly. The dog walk is a small path around the perimeter of the park. The shower facilities were clean and the water was hot. Wifi was adequate. Very nice place to re-charge your batteries.

Escapees only oasis

This is a great park with well groomed sites that are owned by Escapee members. We stayed in #11. All the hookups worked. Note to travelers, Arizona is beastly hot in the summer. Our A/C worked but our absorbsion refer couldn't keep up. Had to get an ice chest and dry ice. The host was very friendly. This is out of the way but that helps with the road noise. Great stopping off spot.

Hot but great food.

We stopped here on our way to Maricopa. It is blistering hot but with hookups you can survive. All the facilities work. They have washing machines and it looks like they are set up for mostly full timers. The restaurant is fantastic with good conversation on the menu. TV reception is spotty by the T-mobile 5G is good. Some of the locals are messy but there are quite a few new tiny houses here. The store has quite a few things in it, from trinkets to clothing. I would stay here again. I got a Passport America discount. $20

Great stop over in a quirky town.

We were mapping our trip and Beatty won the draw for mileage. The Space Station win out. They were the cheapest. The host was very friendly and they were there until late. Many places are closed at 5 pm. We saw burros on the way into town and on the road. There are many places to visit here but we were just staying overnight so on we went. Adequate showers. The hookups had brand new electrical boxes. The site was gravel but level. They sell propane here also. Great overall site. Dog friendly. T-mobile and ATT were okay, the wifi helped.

Great spot when the other parks are full.

Some of the other parks were full so we kept driving and found this state park. There are only 10 camp sites but they are far, enough, apart. Water is available from a spigot and there are garbage cans around. It costs $10 of you are from Nevada, $20 otherwise. Of note is the simp station that has a $5 fee. The day use area is beautiful with flush toilets and a nice lawn.

Wooded Getaway from the Valley Heat

We came up on a Sunday as this campground is usually full. To our surprise we had the pick of most of the spots. We chose #10 which is adjacent to the creek. Campsites were clean, each one having a fire ring and picnic table. The fishing here is usually great but they were having problems at the fishery. As it was we still caught 4 native trout. Pit toilets and water is available.

Great Getaway from the Valley Heat.

This campground is a refreshing campground. We stayed at spot #10 just above the creek. I caught three native trout. The stocked fish had a disease and couldn't be released. Clean outhouses and a water pump. The sites are paved with a fire pit and a picnic table. The hosts were very friendly. As of today, no Coleman lanterns are allowed. There is NO cell coverage. Either travel down Hwy 32 45 minutes or travel up about 20 minutes. Turn on Hwy 36 towards Chester. BYW. Chester is a nice town to visit and get gas and food.

5 Stars for FREE

This is a parking lot behind a casino. To stay there is free. FREE. They just don't want you to make it look like a camp. Keep it clean. I was looking for a place to park my RV while I visited some relatives. Perfect. T-mobile 5G excellent coverage. May be able to get wifi from the casino but it is not included in the free parking. :-)

Windy view of thousands of birds.

This is a pullout along the dirt road to see the cranes. There is a pit toilet and garbage. The area is filled with cars parking so you may have to wait to pull into an area to park. Great spot to see the Sandhill Cranes and other wildlife.

Stones throw from the olde West

This is a bare bones campground but at $10 a night right next to the old town Tombstone, it's perfect. There is plenty of sun for solar. Some people used generators. It was very quiet. The host, John. Is very friendly and helpful. The campground is a short walk to Tombstone. Good place to relax and take in the sights and enjoy good food.

Peace and Quiet at 7000 ft.

Crags is one of the campground in this area that has adequate services for the camper. Water is available at several spigots around the campground. It is just at the line so there are sparce Ponderosa pine trees with the remainder being low scrub brush. The sites are well spaced. The creek is a short walk and is delightfully cold. There are fish in the creek. Not far away are Twin Lakes. Very enjoyable camping. Each site has a bear box for food.

Great campground at 7000 ft.

We spent five nights here in June of 2021. We had a campsite right above the creek (#45). There were a lot of fishermen and many families. Fires were allowed and the camp host sold firewood at $7 a bundle. Water spigots every few campsites. Clean pit toilets on the North loop and flush toilets on the South loop.Very nice campground.

Sleeping at cliffs edge.

Goosenecks State Park is better than Horshoe Bend at Page. You get to walk around at the edge of the cliffs. There are actually more bends here as the name Goosenecks states, On the right are some campsites on the edge with picnic tables On the left are some more civilized sites away from the cliffs with some more right on the edge. There is a double sided outhouse at the beginning of the campground. I was charged a nightly fee but technically I was outside the State Park and on BLM land. There are many sights outside the park. I supported them anyway. If you wait till after 5 pm there isn't anyone there to make you pay. Camp fires are allowed. There is NO water here. You need to bring all that in. The closest town is Mexican Hat to the south and Bluff to the north.

T-Mobile had about 2 bars. AT&T was 0.

Just a beautiful area to rest and relax and plenty to see in the surrounding area.

Desert delight and for free

If you like the desert you will love this spot. Nestled below Dome Rock is this group of BLM camp sites. Beautiful sunsets. Do watch out for the cactus if you have pets. Water and dump facilities are in Quartzsite, just a few minutes away. There are other sites around Dome Rock. Just look on the map for BLM land and enjoy.

Don't even apply if you have a "mixed" dog!

We went through the extensive application to stay a night and then called back and were told we could not have a reservation because our dog was "mixed". We were actually going to drop the dog off with family in Phoenix, but were told if we even enter the gates with the dog in our truck they would cancel our reservation. BTW, our dog is half Lab, half rhodesian ridgeback. Not a large dog. We were told if our dog was a purebred Lab she would be permitted. Really strange.

Not what the picture shows.

The units were spaced tightly together with a gravel pad and concrete patio. It was $45 but with GoodSam down to $40.50. Old park. Friendly staff. Bathrooms and showers aged but clean. I was told there was cable TV but didn't try it. The pet area was a sandy strip by the fence.