Campground Comparison and Choice

At the moment we are choosing state parks because we are on a quest to visit every state park in the United Sates. : ) We usually choose more primitive camping for the privacy offered. Most of the state parks we have visited offer recreational activities for families, at least during the summer, even if it is nothing more than nature walks with a guide.

We've camped in state parks, national parks, private campgrounds, and just out in the woods. I prefer the more secluded campsites where you do not have campers all around you, but it depends on where we are going and what is available. We generally always camp in a tent and cook our meals over a fire or on a small propane grill. The best campsites for us are on a river or stream -- nothing like the sound of rushing water to relax to or fall asleep by. I do like the convience of a shower house and latrine, but we can make accomodations if none are around where we camp.

Generally we prefer the private campgrounds. The government campgrounds are a little too strick for my liking. There are a few KOA's that we have found that are wooded, and I generally like that there are activites for my 3 children. I don't like being right on top of your neighbors, but the neighbors are usually with us, as when we go, there are usually 7 families going together!

When I was a kid growing up, we used every kind of campground there was and always preferred one that at the least had a playground and was better if it had a park ranger(state park) that offered guided walks and at night had an outdoor ampitheater where we could gather around a fire and learn new songs or watch a movie.