I really don't why people like it other than, "it's a campground on Disney property where I can get some perks of being at a Disney Resort." They seem to put minimal effort into it. The bath houses were clean-ish, one of the two toilets didn't work. I logged a work order and it wasn't fixed by the time we left. Generally the resort feels like Disney's heart isn't in it and they just want to do the bare minimum to keep it operating.
The park was excellent. We had our own issues on this trip, but with the trip on the Metro being ~30 minutes to DC to see the sights you can't beat it. The spot we had was definitely beautifully level right-to-left.
It's a little strange to be in the middle of a suburban area and suddenly in a gigantic green space.
The only issues I really had were:
- The bathhouse situation. I don't know if it was due to the scout troop that we had to share the bathhouse with or not, but the showers were always filthy, even when they were supposed to have been closed for cleaning.
- The Balt-Wash parkway kind cuts through the Greenbelt Park and it can be very noisy, which is a bummer when you have to keep your windows open.
This is an absolutely excellent park at the Delaware Shore. We had beautiful walks down by the Indian River Inlet and through the park itself. Beach Access is so easy, my 80 year old grandmother who came camping with us made it over with no problem.
The sites are a little close together, but it's not noticeable. Everyone was so friendly including the staff that it was a pleasure to visit. When our dog got out of her harness on the beach, everyone jump ed in to help out.
The park is extremely dog friendly, and I highly recommend bringing your furry friends along.
The park is a little tight. If we had a neighbor across the street, there would have been no way we would have gotten into the spot. There were so many tired and old skirted-in trailers there as well.
On the plus side, the pool and playground were excellent. Our daughter had an excellent time.
The bathhouses weren't so clean, even though they were closed most afternoons for cleaning, and they had the gall to charge a quarter to shower in their not-so-fresh showers.
The staff was friendly, and did what they could to fix the things that went wrong. They were the highlight of our stay, and the staff is the only reason we'd be back.
We were across the campground from the train, and when it came by, the Earth shook. You have to be willing to make compromises to get a good spot.
The bath house was super clean.
My only complaint was that it was 90°F plus, but the pool was not open. There were plenty of kids playing in the stream to cool off.
We'll be back there next year if only to camp. It was a great facility, and I wish they all measured up to Hershey Park's standards.
Let me preface everything by saying, it rained for most of our trip, so we really did not get to do a lot of the hikes we wanted to.
We had high hopes after reading other reviews. I've been to Hickory Run State Park a number of times, about 20 years ago, never to camp, just for day trips, as my family had a home
Once we got to our site, it was super dirty. There was trash in the fire pit, beer bottle caps in the dirt, and other random pieces of trash all around the site that our Catahoula and 2 year old promptly brought to us. I guess we taught them well to "leave your site better than you found it." The water pressure was absolutely terrible, it took us all of Thursday and another 2 hours on Friday morning to fill our 40 gallon tank. On the positive side, on Friday we had the entire 300 loop to ourselves, but by Friday night, every spot was filled.
The park itself is sprawling, and you really do need to drive to the different trail heads. Be aware, the roads are all dirt and gravel, and they're not well maintained. You will be dodging potholes on the roads to the trailheads. We made it out in the rain to go see Hickory Run Lake and the Boulder Field. Our daughter was thrilled to watch the water pouring over the dam. With all the rain we got, it really was a spectacular sight. Her favorite parts of the trip were going to visit the "big rocks" and see the "waterfall."
I understand why it is so difficult to get a reservation at Lums Pond. I don't know if it's the host campers or the management, but they're definitely doing something right.
I have to say, Jim, the host camper by us was fantastic. As it was our first trip after a long winter, I managed to forget to put the anode back in our water heater. I went over and sheepishly asked him if I could borrow a 1 1/2" socket. He not only lent us a socket, but asked if I needed help, and if I had teflon tape (which I did) and was willing to lend a hand.
The site was fairly level, side-to-side, so I really only needed to level front to back. That was a bonus.
Our daughter really enjoyed the playground (which was excellent, by my standards). The only complaint I have is that the kiddie swings seem to be modeled after the seasickness machine that they had on Mythbusters (https://archive.org/details/MythBusters..Season.3..480p576P..DVDripHDTV..X265HEVC..O69..FIXED/Mythbusters+-+S03E26+-+Seasickness+-+Kill+or+Cure.mkv). I could only go on the swing with her for a little bit before I started to turn green. Other than that? She fought us about leaving the playground, and really would have been content if that was all we did.
I took her older cousins to the fishing pier, and we didn't even get a nibble, but I think it was too cold for panfish that close to shore.
The trails were well marked, and the day we took a hike, we ended up on the equestrian trail that runs all the way around the pond. It was a long, but easy hike.
The bath house was absolutely immaculate, and the design made even my public-bathroom-phobic sister-in-law comfortable and at ease.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I hope to go back soon.