Plot your spot: Apps help find the perfect campground

Donna Meredith
Guest columnist

 

Donna Meredith

 

Deep in a state forest where a creek burbles and pileated woodpecker calls . . .


A grassy clearing to park a teardrop trailer and car with mature trees and shrubs providing privacy from nearby campers . . .


Textured concrete parking pad, swimming pool, elegant clubhouse for socials, petanque and pickleball courts . . .


Every family’s idea of the perfect campground is different.


Whatever you have in mind for that perfect getaway, online and print resources can help you find it. 

 

. Army Corps of Engineer campgrounds, like Cotton Hill at Lake Eufala on the Georgia/Alabama border, usually offer waterfront sites at inexpensive rates. The closest COE campground is Eastbank just across the Georgia state line from Chattahoochee. You can reserve a spot at COE campgrounds on recreation.gov.

 

My favorite is rvparkreviews.com, a searchable site covering 16,242 public and private campgrounds and parks across the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. You choose a state, then city, and a list of campgrounds appears. Alternatively, you can click on an interactive map to choose the state and region you plan to visit. 

Initially, you’ll find general information on the campground as to size, amenities, contact information, and three reviews from fellow campers with price paid and sightseeing tips. Under “Campground Details” and you’ll find more reviews, possibly hundreds, for popular campgrounds. You can learn if the campground is full of permanent residents or if the campers and host are friendly—important details for some campers.

Good Sam is another popular website. The organization rates campground facility, restroom, and appeal on a scale of 1-10—useful, but I keep in mind that campgrounds who are Good Sam members probably are looked on more favorably. Campers who join the Good Sam Club can post reviews online and receive a discount at member campgrounds. The online trip planning tool is also helpful.

 

. Fort Desoto Campground in Pinellas County has 238 sites with water, electric, grills, and picnic tables. Many sites are surrounded by lush native plants with water views and mangroves in the rear. Flocks of white ibis wandered through our campsite every afternoon. White sandy beaches are a short bike ride or drive through this county-run park.

 

Good Sam publishes a comprehensive book listing campgrounds with amenities—I’m talking 1,664 pages in the 2015 edition.


All Stays is another website with RV park listings, but to use the full features, it runs about $32 a year. Other review sites include rvbuddy.com and camping.com. 
The start-up hipcamp.com lists 280,000 campsites, including 175 in Florida with 23 on private land you aren’t likely to find on other websites. Private land spots include blueberry or exotic fruit tree farms. Be sure to read entries carefully because some don’t have potable water or allow pets. 


Free phone app RV Parky can help you find campsites while you roll down the road while Roadtrippers will plot out your whole trip.


One website we use frequently is campsitephotos.com. This one is not quite as comprehensive as rvparkreviews.com, but it offers photos of individual campsites. If you prefer shade, want to avoid low hanging branches, or love lush landscaping between you and your neighbor, nothing beats a photograph to help you choose between one site and another.

 

If watching waves swish ashore is your idea of paradise, Red Coconut RV Park in Fort Myers Beach has a few precious beachfront campsites, but don’t expect any privacy from neighboring campers. The highly desirable sites at this privately owned park book up at least a year ahead.

 

 

Most state and national campgrounds use the Reserve America Reservation System or Recreation.gov. If you plan to visit parks, you will want to check out discounts in advance. The national park system sells “Annual” passes for $80, covering entrance fees for everyone in the car. The “Senior Access” pass for U.S. citizens 62 and older is good for a lifetime. Right now it is only $10, but the price will increase to $80 after Aug. 27.


Before we set out on our first RV trip out West, I bought “Your Guide to the National Parks.” The book details each park, campground, hiking trail, possible tours, times to avoid certain parks, and the must-see sites. Because we have a big rig, I often opted to stay in a private campground outside the park gates with full hook-ups.


State parks tend to be bargains for campers and offer some of the most beautiful natural sites. The Florida State Park website offers photos of its individual campsites, as do most other states. Florida residents 65 and over can stay in our state parks for half price. “National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States” highlights a couple of parks in each state, but is far from comprehensive. 


The Army Corps of Engineers website is less reliable in offering individual site photos, but generally their campsites are waterfront and nicely laid out with good roads and level sites. We’ve enjoyed Cotton Hill Campground on Walter F. George Lake on the Georgia/Alabama border and Foscue Creek Campground at the confluence of Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers in Alabama. “Camping with the Corps of Engineers” is a 345-page book with useful details on all Corps campgrounds. But always check online or call for up-to-date information because the Corps has closed some campgrounds due to budget cuts or flooding.


If you search online for Florida State Forest campgrounds, you’ll find campsites for RVs, tents, and equestrians—some with water and electric. Nationalforest.com provides similar information on U.S. forest camping. Forest camping offers seclusion and a true outdoors experience. 


While it’s true that popular campgrounds can be almost impossible to get into unless you reserve months in advance, there are so many great places to camp the real problem is finding enough time to visit them all. 

Donna Meredith writes on the road to Florida State Parks and other choice glamping destinations. Contact her at meredithds@comcast.net.
 

Summer series

Get out and play: Tallahassee writer Donna Meredith is on a camping kick to explore state parks and other destinations. She’ll be posting all summer with adventures and tips from her trips.