We only stayed one night, but wouldn't have minded another day or two in this welcoming country park.

We were traveling over the Independence Day holiday, and all our plans and reservations went to hell when we were waylaid by mechanical issues. When we finally got underway again, it was late in the day on July 3rd.

I called places along our route, and kept striking out. It was hot and humid, else we'd have just found a boondocking spot somewhere. By the time I called Whispering Oaks, I basically just apologized for even asking if they had space on a holiday weekend. The gentleman who answered the phone said he was sorry, they didn't, and then threw out "unless you want a 30 amp site."

We're a 50 amp big rig, but could deal by running only one AC. So we jumped on it.

When we arrived, the man I'd spoken with (can't recall his name 🙃) checked us in, backed us into the spot, and was generally just the perfectly welcoming and kind host anyone likes – but who is especially appreciated by weary travelers set back by repairs.

They were getting ready for a cookout the day we pulled out. Even if we don't always take part, it's nice to see a campground offering organized activities. Manchester TN might not be a bucket list destination, but if we're passing through again we'd stop at Whispering Oaks to chill out in the country for a day or three.

Note: Some of the previous reviews of this campground are clearly for a different campground. Walden's Creek Campground has no pool, lazy river, activity center or camp store.

The campground is as described in the listing: A small, family-built and family-run campground. It's well maintained. Our site was tight for our big rig, but level.

Walden's Creek is a decent place to stay if you're visiting Pigeon Forge. It's near enough to the grocery store or The Island to walk or bike and avoid the awful traffic along the main drag.

There's an abandoned bridge just outside the campground fence. It lets out onto a street that borders a school complex. Take a left and go around the school, and the road will dead end at a small bridge that will put you on the bike/walking path system.

You can get to The Island via the path. Mostly The Island was not our kind of thing, but the fact that Yee Haw Brewing has a taproom there, and that we could bike to it, made it a worthwhile destination.

It seemed nice to have the option of taking a trolley to get around, but I gave up on it after only a couple of rides. The trolleys aren't on a set schedule – they simply run their routes and get there when they get there. To get anywhere along the main drag you'll need to first wait for the trolley that services Walden's Creek, which may be up to 45 minutes, then take it to the main line and wait there up to 20 minutes.

Since you're waiting out in the elements (Pigeon Forge summers are brutally humid and hot) and still dealing with traffic, the trolley is probably not your best option if you have a bike or car. But if you do decide to try it, the stop is literally right in front of the campground.

Finally, with no playground or pool, this campground is not the best place for longer term stays with kids unless you plan to use it as a launching pad for activities elsewhere.

We wanted to be close enough to family, hiking and biking, and get a monthly rate during our stay this summer. This is apparently a struggle in the Colorado Springs area during the popular summer season.

The people who run the campground are an older couple and very nice, but somewhat disorganized. They were confused about our reservation, and accidentally overcharged us. No problem with a refund or our reservation in the end – just make sure you confirm everything if you decide to stay here.

The office/camp store is in disrepair. The park itself is a little run down, with a few recent looking upgrades mixed in (shower house, new chairs at each campsite). The worst part of being here IMO is the rigs that are obviously long term and look it, e.g., makeshift DIY winterization like plywood skirting.

Unless you get one of the spots in the back of the campground, all you see are these run down rigs. Not the mountains.

It's depressing.

There's moderate road noise from Highway 24. A white noise machine helps here.

There are picnic tables at each site, on concrete slabs. The one at our site was unfortunately sitting in mud, because the slab is too low and everything drains there. It's also adjacent to some sort of open drain, which doesn't help.

The maintenance guy came and shoveled the mud off the slab after we let them know we were moving the picnic table out of the mud. The next day it rained and the mud was back. By then I realized I didn't want to spend time outside in this park, at least not at the site we're in.