I now understand why this is the most recommended campground in The Black Hills when the question is posed on social media. There is a site here for everyone. Small spaces, long space, shaded spaces, wide open spaces for you Starlinkers. Back ins, pull throughs. The sites are well spaced, so you don’t feel like you are in a big parking lot. The pool and playground for the kiddos are brand new. The office/store has basic necessities and ice cream. Bath houses are close and clean. And it is ridiculously well located. My site is easily over 100 ft long, back up to a wooded hill and leaves me lots of space from neighbors. All the full hookup connections are logically placed.

Stayed here to see GNP, and would 100% live here fall year if I could. Not a corporate parking lot with pools and bars like a KOA, but a classic lake resort going back to a 100 years. Owners were the nicest camp hosts I have ever met and called me by name every time I spoke to them. The lake is cold and gin clear, just like you e over from a mountain lake. Only small complaint is that some of the sewer inlet locations are a bit wonky, but that’s what you expect from a 100 year old campground that is slowly upgraded through generations. Bring extra sewer hose, 90 degree elbows, and a sewer grommet or “donut” to help with connecting. They even offered me these things in the office if I hadn’t already had them.

Stayed here two nights so I could visits Little Bighorn Battlefield on our way through. Just off the interstate, although down a washboard gravel road, so super convenient. Check in station has lots of local produce and homemade frozen meals. Was shown to my site that was only slightly off level, which is amazing since the park is on a hillside. Hookups were well located and maintained. Bathhouse was very clean and large. Laundry facilities were adequate, but only three stackable machines inside. 5 minute drive to the Battlefield if you wanna see it. Would definitely stay here again.

Decided to find a close, full hookup campground to do a shakedown trip on our new rig. Wanted a water vies, so we decided to try this place out. Spaces are all extremely level, some longer than others. Picnic area and fire pits are all kind of randomly placed. Some are in a good spot on the camp side of the trailer, but a few are on the complete wrong side of the camper. Recently updated to full hookup sites for all sites. They are nice connections as well. They were installing a new lift station to keep up with the demand after heavy spring rains proved to be too much for the last one.

Bathrooms are older but clean.

Only real complaint is that after heavy rains, there is standing water everywhere. Some sites are almost unusable with a mote all the way around you.

All in all, it’s a great place to get away… especially for full hookups at Corps prices.

The sites are rather narrow with varying sizes and locations for outdoor living space. Pay close attention to the states website regarding vehicle size maximums. As I walk through the park, it appears that all spots are full hookup and paved. We are on site 43 and anything longer than 30 ft will be pushing it. As it is, our 25ft trailer fits nicely, but the truck is parallel parked across the end of my site in order to be off the road. The picnic table is behind the camper instead of on camp side, which isn’t my favorite setup but we are making due. Some sites have metal fire rings, while others (like ours) have rock circle pits. Some campsites on the hill side have no picnic table OR fire pits. They also have almost no room to walk around the RV without tumbling down the hill. Sites 62 and 64 aren’t terrible, but everything else from 59 and up is pretty bad. 25-34 and 51-54 are short and back up to a a hill. Would be great for Class B or smaller travel trailers. Sites 10-24 are in a separate area from the rest. 35-50 are down on a low flat area near the water and are the best if you like a view of the lake.

Bath house in our loop is clean, not completely out of date, and heated for cold weather camping. There is a small area with 2 set of pay washers/dryers and a few vending machines.

All in all, well worth the State’s $32/night charge.

With all the parking lot style RV parks popping up these days, it’s nice to find these older parks around from days when people liked trees and breathing room. Stayed in the full hookup sites of Dogwood Loop. Some sites are hard to back into and require much work to get level, but they are well spaced out and large sites. Bath houses are a bit dated, but that is to be expected from older parks like this. Two boat ramps for those who bring boats. Plenty of sites close to water. Not many full hookup sites, but tons of sites with power and no water. 100% worth staying here is you are gonna visit LBL sites.

Sites are perfectly level and concrete. Sites toward the front seem pretty close together, but sites further from the road are spread out more. Lots of permanent residents who seem to take pride in keeping their sites nice. The pool is tiny, but well maintained. Bathrooms are nice. While not really a destination resort, it is a super nice layover for a night or two.

Took our brand new RV here for its shakedown trip the very day I picked up as it is so close to home. Was pleasantly surprised by the overall atmosphere of the campground. The entire place is completely shaded, as it seems they too the effort to not cut down many trees when putting the sites in. There is a playground for the kids. Bath houses are passable but need to be remodeled badly.

Sites are all over the place on size, so pay attention to site length on the website as you are booking if you are an RV camper. Tent campers will be happy with almost any site in the place. Another thing to prepare for is picnic are location on your site. While a lot of COE and private campgrounds tend to have the picnic are directly beside the parking spot for RV’s, only a few seem set up this way at Meeman-Shelby. Many sites have their picnic area and fire ring directly behind or even on the off-side of any RV that would use the site. I wish they would post pictures of the site for those wishing to book.

Outside of the campground is a great state park for those looking for a good hike. Tons of good trails. There is also a bike trail with another really nice playground at its trail head. Even if all you want is a scenic drive, there are some pretty good ones inside the park, and just along the parks northern edge is a road that will take you all the way down to the banks of the Mississippi River.

One more thing to prepare for is mosquitoes. This campground is immediately adjacent to low wetlands along the River. This means that mosquitoes are terrible in the summer around dusk. Some bug spray, citronella, and a campfire seemed to ward them off.

Let me start by saying that the Rangers who run this place are top notch folks. The head Ranger stopped in a couple times every day to ask if we needed anything and to inquire about our opinion of the new site (more on this later). The facilities were well maintained, and a pleasant surprise for such a small state park.

So, we stayed on site #3. According to the head Ranger, we were the first to camp on this site since its renovation. Previously it had been a tent pad, but was now a concrete pad with a new 50A post and new water hydrant. Online, it lists the site as being 40’ long and 15’ wide. What they don’t tell you is that only the pad is this size. I had another 30’+ of gravel to park on in front of the pad. It was large enough for the biggest of fifth wheels with slides on both sides. There are now 11 total sites like this in the park thanks to recent renovations. All seemed very level. Site #3 and it’s neighbor #2 seemed perfectly level laterally, but required dropping the nose quite a bit to get level longitudinally. I still believe any length RV could pull it off easily. Each concrete site had a charcoal grill with adjustable height grates, a lantern pole, a fire pit with grill grate, and a picnic table that is bolted down (this might be my only nitpick complaint, as I like to move my picnic tables under the awning and on top of my mat… but I understand why it’s done.). The two bath houses are basically single occupancy Men and Women side facilities, but are almost brand new and heated for winter use. The Ranger said they added to accompanying porta potties for extra toilets until they can add an extra stall on each side to the buildings.

There is no playground in the campground, but a short drive into the park gets you to a very nice picnic area with a playground that looks as new as the bath houses and RV pads. Drive a bit further and you can visit the museum dedicated to the Fort after which the park is named and the men who died there. Get a map and hike the well marked trail to see a recreated portion of the fort (yes, it well marked with colored flashes and signs). Along the drive you will also find a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River and a small lake you can fish in. Canoe, Kayak, and Paddle Boat rentals are available at the museum.

For those wishing for a more rustic camping experience, the primitive sites here are among the best I have ever seen. Ever site is level, and graveled with smooth pea gravel. They all have the same fire pit, grill, and table as the RV sites. Some Require a bit of a walk from your parking spot, but you will well rewarded with some isolation. The only down side for some is that these sites have no on site water and only a few offer an electric post. There are community hydrants around the park for filling up bottle or tanks.

My personal favorite spot for primitive tent camping would have been site number 27. It is accessed via a short gravel road off the main paved road and past site 26. While it is a haul to get water, it is almost completely isolated from the rest of the campground and you can drive rite up to it with no walking. It has low ground on three sides. One side is the road leading into the park, but traffic here is light and it shouldnt be an issue.

Speaking of roads, this place is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and the roads in can be narrow when meeting oncoming traffic. It’s not terrible but can make you a bit nervous when you meet another RV heading the other way.

All in all, I would say this park is a gem of a find since the remodeling of the RV sites and a solid 7/10 for those primitive tent campers. My only knock is the lack of a playground for those with kids. If you are empty nesters or young adults or just generally travel without kids, this is a solid 10/10 kind of place.

Best place in Pigeon Forge. It’s a ways off the main drag, but that makes it quiet. The sites are not just a parking lot with slides touching awnings. Within a few minutes of checking out, groundskeepers are Johnny on the spot with a weed eater, leaf blower, and a bucket to shovel your fire out out for the next camper. Sites 14-18 seem to be a little more spaced out, with much better views of the creeks. Sites are all very level and most are large enough for bigger rigs. A few spots do have trees that make it tight backing in.

We were the only family there with kids, and there is no playground. If you are looking for a super quiet place for a couple to go camping… this is the place,

Decided to do some fall camping in Huntsville to see the Rocket Center. Found this campground and couldn’t be happier. From an RV perspective, this place is phenomenal. We managed to snag a full hookup pull through site on fairly short notice. Site #30 turned out to be more than large enough for our tiny camper and could likely hold the largest 5th wheel/dually combos on the road or a 30+ foot travel trailer plus two vehicles. I walked the site off at an estimated 70 feet long. Sites throughout the park are pretty level, and ours required no leveling from side to side. Picnic areas are large and located on the proper side of the sites. Fire rings are large, steel, and have cooking grates. All sites that I could observe had all connections convenient and didn’t require any exceptionally long power, water, or sewer connections. I really liked the buddy sites for those who might be traveling together, but for those looking for some separation, this campground provides that. No parking slide to awning here. If a view is on your must have list, I suggest sites 46,48,49,51,53,55,57,59,and 61. These sites back up to the hill side and views through the trees are gorgeous. I’m sure it’s even better in the winter when leaves are gone. Camp store is nice and sells firewood ($7.50/bundle as of this review). Highly recommend checking out the Japanese Tea Garden for an easy, quiet hike. Wildlife is abundant and have little fear of humans. Squirrels and deer routinely entered our campsite while we were sitting around.