Love’s RV Stop – Hardin, Montana

We stayed at a Love’s RV Stop in Hardin, Montana. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An easy one-night stop; our first stay at a Love’s RV Stop.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-31
  • Check out: 2024-08-01
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temp 89°F, low 59°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 11 MPH

Noise:

  • Some road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • No immediate neighbor noise, but noise from the adjacent Loves truck stop

Site:

  • #40, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Fairly level site; a little high in the back; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 65 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 14 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table on grass
  • No trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, fairly conveniently located
  • 65 PSI water, very conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 20 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 100 ms ping
  • AT&T: 50 Mbps down, 14 Mbps up, 160 ms ping
  • Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Truck stop next door

Our review on Campground Reviews:

You can check out, but you can never leave

This was our first stay at a Love’s RV Stop, and it will not be our last. It was convenient on/off the interstate and the self-service check-in went without an issue. As some other folks have mentioned, the sewer hookup is a bit far back (we had to use 3x 10-foot hoses, which is more than most people would have), but the other utilities were convenient and worked well. The only issue we had was when we went to leave. The automatic exit gate refused to acknowledge our presence, and since we had our tow vehicle hooked up, we couldn’t back up and try it again unless we unhooked, which is a bit of a hassle. However, I called the help number, and someone came right over to let us out. He also mentioned that they were working on this issue, so it may not still be a concern. We camped at Love’s RV Stop – Hardin MT 679 in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Excellent Indian Tacos at Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe, across the street from Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument, which is also worth visiting….

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

I didn’t hook up the sewer until the next morning. Some reviews complained that it was too far back on the site, and yes, it is a bit; I needed three 10 foot sewer hoses, which is more than the usual one or two (and more than many people would have), but certainly not the worst I’ve ever experienced:

Sewer pipes

The other utilities; the electric had to be enabled via a link we received via email:

Electrical

A notice on the faucet:

Water notice

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

One major hassle: we exited just fine in our truck, but when we tried to leave with our coach, the exit gate wouldn’t open:

Exit gate

We called the Love’s store (using the number in the text we received to check in), and someone came over on a golf cart to open it for us. He said that the sensor under the concrete is calibrated badly, so if you go too slow it doesn’t trigger. He said they’ll have someone recalibrate it soon. It’s a brand-new park, so I’m willing to cut them some slack for teething issues. Still, super annoying for us, since we can’t reverse to try again with our truck hooked up; we would have had to untoad and re-toad.

An easy one-night stop; we would be happy to stay here again, especially for a one-night stay. And hopefully they’ll fix the exit gate before that!

Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park

We stayed at Legion Lake Campground in Custer State Park, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Custer State Park is perhaps our all-time favorite state park. We enjoyed staying in the park, though the lack of water and sewer was inconvenient. Especially since we hadn’t noticed that it didn’t have water, and only arrived with a half-full tank.

We do have a water bladder to fetch water, and a tote to dump waste, but coped without using them, since only three nights. The lack of a dump station in the campground would be very inconvenient for a longer stay, though.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-28
  • Check out: 2024-07-31
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, a little drizzle
  • High temps 82-92°F, lows 59-64°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 16 MPH

Noise:

  • Nearby road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Little neighbor noise

Site:

  • #01E, back-in, asphalt
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Unlevel site; high in front and passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Asphalt driveway about 70 feet long by 14 feet wide
  • 12-50 feet to neighbor on passenger side
  • 110 feet to footpath on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • No water; water spigot at bathhouse
  • No sewer; no dump station in this campground

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 22 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
  • AT&T: 160 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 90-110 ms ping
  • Verizon: 26 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up, 75 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Nearby lodge restaurant

Our review on Campground Reviews:

In the middle of everything

Custer State Park is one of our favorite places. The scenery, wildlife, and general ambiance are magical, and staying inside the park makes it even more special. All the sites are electric-only, and that’s okay as it’s the hookup we rely on most (especially when it’s warm). There is a water spigot by the bathrooms if you need to fill up, but the nearest dump station inside the park is in a different campground halfway across the park. The site was a bit unlevel, but not so much that our hydraulic levelers couldn’t cope. A nice view of the lake across the road and a tree-filled hillside behind our site made for a picturesque stay. We camped at Custer State Park – Legion Lake Campground in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Legion Lake map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Only an electrical hookup:

Only electrical hookup

Our coach from across the road:

Our coach from across the road

Elevation 5,010 feet:

Elevation 5,010 feet

Paladin was most fascinated by a taunty chipmunk that hung out around our site:

Paladin

Chipmunk

Entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Path to the lake area:

Path to lake area

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

(We wondered how they got the left-hand trailer into that position.)

Bathroom:

Bathroom

Info sign:

Info sign

Campground map

We are currently planning to visit this area again next year. But we’ll probably stay outside the park, so we can have full hookups, and explore other areas.

Mitchell KOA Journey

We stayed at Mitchell KOA Journey in Mitchell, South Dakota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Another KOA Journey, with an interesting (and easy to navigate) layout.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-26
  • Check out: 2024-07-29
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temps 91-95°F, lows 71-72°F
  • A bunch of wind, gusts to 32 MPH

Noise:

  • Some freeway noise
  • Very occasional distant train horn noise
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #C-19, back-in/pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • A little unlevel site, high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 110 feet long by 15 feet wide
  • 10 feet to neighbor on driver side
  • 75 feet to dump station on passenger side
  • Two picnic tables
  • Fire pit
  • A couple of tall trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, fairly conveniently located
  • Loose sewer connection, inconveniently located (3 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 11-14 Mbps down, 12 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • AT&T: 29-32 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 120-160 ms ping
  • Verizon: 27 Mbps down, 9 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpster
  • Mini golf

Our review on Campground Reviews:

A nice oasis along I-90

This was a convenient place to stop along I-90 through South Dakota and to check out the Corn Palace and the Prehistoric Indian Village. There’s not much else to do in Mitchell, but this was a lovely shady place to camp to check them out. It’s reassuring/concerning that they have storm shelters scattered around the campground in case of emergency, but I’m just as glad we didn’t need them during our stay. Our site was very long and had a big grassy area on one side, but it was very close to the neighbors on the other. We camped at Mitchell KOA Journey in a Motorhome. 

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Spacious on the passenger side, a bit too close on the driver side:

Our site

(I typically prefer more space on the driver side, since that means other campers aren’t hanging out right next to our coach. We tend not to sit outside much, so space on the passenger side isn’t as important to me.)

The utilities; a loose sewer connection, requiring three 10-foot hoses:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Cabin and playground:

Cabin and playground

Mini golf and playground:

Mini golf and playground

Office:

Office

Dump station:

Dump station

Storm shelter (one of several); both reassuring and concerning to see:

Storm shelter (one of several)

Dog park:

Dog park

Retention pond:

Pond

A windmill, which didn’t seem functional (it was very windy, but wasn’t spinning):

Windmill

Entrance sign; want to buy a KOA?

Entrance sign

Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey

We stayed at Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey in Maple Grove, Minnesota. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Another KOA Journey, with a somewhat weird layout.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-23
  • Check out: 2024-07-26
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temps 76-83°F, lows 57-65°F
  • Some wind, gusts to 18 MPH

Noise:

  • Some road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Helicopters going over occasionally
  • A lot of neighbor noise (large family gatherings and yippy dogs)

Site:

  • #30, pull-through, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Rather unlevel site; needed to use extra blocks; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 60 feet long by 10 feet wide
  • 20 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees nearby, but not on the site (so no shade)
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, fairly conveniently located
  • 50 PSI water, somewhat conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, somewhat inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 48 Mbps down, 3-8 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
  • Verizon: 17-23 Mbps down, 16 Mbps up, 56 ms ping
  • AT&T: 28-39 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient to Minneapolis but needs updating

We stayed here because it was the best-looking option close enough to Minneapolis to take in a Twins game. The interior roads were a muddy, pot-holed mess our entire stay. Our site was pretty narrow and not very level. We were also lucky that the trailers parked opposite us left the morning we did, or it would have been difficult to navigate around all their vehicles when we pulled out. There’s also a weird separate powerbox for the 50A service that a staff member had to unlock for us when we pulled in, which was a new experience. We camped at Minneapolis Northwest KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

The utilities were somewhat unusual; our site and our driver-side neighbor shared a pedestal, with only 30 amp in the main box, and 50 amp for us on an accessory box; obviously a later retrofit:

Utilities

The breaker for the 50 amp was in another box on the back of the pedestal, locked with a padlock (that they unlocked for us when guiding us to our site):

Utilities

Two sewer hoses needed:

Utilities

Minnesota is our last new state for the year, as we head back west. Our states map is looking mostly filled in; just missing a few northeast states, and of course Alaska and Hawaii:

States map

From further back, showing the Sinclair Trails logo, map, QR code, URL, and social handle:

States map etc

A large noisy gathering in the buddy sites across from us:

Large gathering

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Oakdale KOA Journey

We stayed at Oakdale KOA Journey in Oakdale, Wisconsin. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A pretty typical KOA Journey, with easy access near the freeway.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-22
  • Check out: 2024-07-21
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy
  • High temp 82°F, low 64°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 7 MPH

Noise:

  • Nearby freeway noise
  • Occasional train horn noise
  • Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

  • #8, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t since just overnight
  • Fairly level site; used air leveling since just overnight
  • Gravel driveway about 67 feet long by 9 feet wide
  • 15 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees near site
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • Didn’t connect water, but conveniently located
  • Didn’t connect sewer, but two available, conveniently located

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 16-51 Mbps down, 6-9 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • AT&T: 127-167 Mbps down, 7-13 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 99 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage pickup from site
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Great place to stop off I-90

We stayed one night on our way along I-90, and this campground was perfect. It has nice, clean, level sites, a convenient location, and is easy to get in and out of. Even though it’s close to the interstate, it was surprisingly quiet. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We’d definitely stay here again when our travels take us this way. We camped at Oakdale KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map (and a pack of playing cards gifted on check-in):

Campground map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Wisconsin cheesehead:

Wisconsin cheesehead

Riverview Ridge Campground

We stayed at Riverview Ridge Campground in Cascade, Iowa. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A good base for visiting the Field of Dreams movie site.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-18
  • Check out: 2024-07-22
  • 4 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly cloudy
  • High temps 76-80°F, lows 56-62°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 9 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #39, back-in, grass
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Fairly level site; high on passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Grass driveway about 70 feet long by 8 feet wide
  • 28 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • No trees
  • Mostly clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 & 30 amp power, conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
  • When we arrived, the 50 amp power didn’t work, so we used 30 amp overnight, and got it fixed the next morning

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 60-70 Mbps down, 11-19 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • AT&T: 64 Mbps down, 7 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 5-9 Mbps up, 50-120 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • River tubing etc

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Picture postcard Iowa

Close your eyes and picture “Iowa” based on what you know from popular media, and this campground is pretty much what you’d see. Rolling fields of corn, a meandering river, close to a cute little town, it was all very picturesque. The campground is a good size and sits along the North Fork Maquoketa River, and they offer various rentals to enjoy the river if that’s your thing. Our site was a very long back-in up a slope but was reasonably flat at the top. The 50A connection wasn’t working when we got there, but as soon as we alerted them to the issue, someone came out to fix it, and we had no further problems during our stay. We camped at Riverview Ridge Campground in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: The Field of Dreams Movie Site is everything we’d hoped it would be. I highly recommend going on one of the “Ghost Game” days during the summer; it made the whole thing even more special. We also drove to Cedar Rapids to see a Kernels (high-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) game, which was also good fun….

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

When I plugged in the electrical Watchdog smart surge protector, it reported an error:

Watchdog error

The app explained the error:

Watchdog error

It was late, so we used the 30 amp socket overnight, then I went to the office to report it in the morning, and the owner came by minutes later to fix the electrical panel. It was more complex than expected, but he patched together a fix, so we were able to use the 50 amp socket:

Fixing electrical panel

Cornfields next to the campground:

Corn

Corn

Corn

Unusually, parallel parking sites:

Parallel parking sites

Parallel parking sites

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Clubhouse:

Clubhouse

Fire pit:

Fire pit

Steep road to the river:

Steep road to river

People enjoying floating in the river:

River

River

A nice campground. We’d be happy to stay here again.

Springfield KOA Journey

We stayed at Springfield KOA Journey in Rochester, Illinois. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice quiet KOA, a bit off the beaten path.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-16
  • Check out: 2024-07-18
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps 78-84°F, lows 59-71°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 15 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • No neighbor noise

Site:

  • #43, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, parked behind coach
  • Fairly level site, a little high on the passenger side; used hydraulic leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by 9 feet wide
  • 18 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • No trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 50 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Verizon: 12-19 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • AT&T: 3-8 Mbps down, 0.8 Mbps up, 110 ms ping
  • T-Mobile: 22-35 Mbps down, 0.03-0.5 Mbps up, 80-800 ms ping, unreliable
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not currently available

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pool
  • Mini golf

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice KOA tucked away

Most KOA Journeys are right off the main road/highway/interstate and are pretty noisy because of this. On the other hand, the Springfield KOA Journey is tucked away in the country (over the river and through the woods…literally) and was absolutely quiet and lovely. Our site was nice and long, so we didn’t need to disconnect our tow vehicle, even though we did so we could check out the Abraham Lincoln Home NHS in Springfield. We camped at Springfield KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Campground map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Office:

Office

Office

Office

Playground:

Playground

Playground

Playground

Bikes

The mini golf seems to be undergoing repairs, or something:

Mini golf

Mini golf

Swimming pool:

Swimming pool

We’d be happy to stay here again.

Meramec State Park

We stayed at Meramec State Park in Sullivan, Missouri. (Campground Reviews listing.)

An hour out of St. Louis, with a very long road to the campground, and bad cell reception.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-13
  • Check out: 2024-07-16
  • 3 nights
  • We were originally going to stay 4 nights, but left a day early as the cell coverage was very bad

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some overnight rain
  • High temps 90-96°F, lows 71-76°F
  • Some wind, gusts to 24 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • Lots of neighbor noise on weekend, fairly quiet during the week

Site:

  • #2, back-in, asphalt
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Unlevel site, high on passenger side and front; used hydraulic leveling
  • Asphalt driveway about 70 feet long by 12 feet wide
  • 40 feet to neighbors on both sides
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Tall trees
  • Somewhat clean site; some small trash

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 60 PSI water, inconveniently located
  • Loose sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Verizon: 18 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 60 ms ping (okay the first couple of days, then got unreliable)
  • T-Mobile: 4-13 Mbps down, 0.01-0.3 Mbps up, 60-700 ms ping (unreliable)
  • AT&T: negligible service
  • Starlink: not used, too many trees to see the sky
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Beautiful state park, busy on weekends

This is a beautiful park with lots of trees and green spaces. The two major downsides for us were 1) the access road inside the park was long and twisty and uncomfortable for a big rig to navigate, and 2) the cell coverage was spotty at best, and we work remotely. None of the 3 major carriers got decent speeds, and all the trees made Starlink impossible. Our site was flat, and the hookups were decent, so that was fine. Be prepared for the campground to be party central on the weekend. We camped at Meramec State Park in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Entrance:

Entrance

Deer:

Deer

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

We wouldn’t mind staying here again, but the lack of decent cell reception is problematic for us.

Miles Landing Campground

We stayed at Miles Landing Campground in Elberfeld, Indiana. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A one night stop on our journey home, but we would have been happy to stay here longer.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-12
  • Check out: 2024-07-13
  • 1 night

Weather:

  • Cloudy, light rain
  • High temp 89°F, low 70°F
  • Negligible wind, gusts to 11 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • No train horn noise
  • No neighbor noise

Site:

  • #4, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
  • Mostly level site, a little high in the front; used air leveling, since only one night
  • Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by 15 feet wide
  • 20 feet to neighbor on passenger side; about 50 to neighbor on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • Fire pit
  • Some small trees
  • Clean site

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 60 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Didn’t use sewer connection, but conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe would be needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 60 Mbps down, 50 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
  • AT&T: 160 Mbps down, 60 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
  • Verizon: 11-70 Mbps down, 2-25 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none?

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Lovely spot for a quick stop

This is a nice campground not far from the interstate but far enough away that you don’t hear it. Our pull-through site was long enough that we didn’t need to disconnect our tow vehicle, which was very convenient for a short stay. We also enjoyed the nice view of the pond and wetlands below the campground. We camped at Miles Landing Campground in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Your GPS will lie to you about the road leading to the campground and where to turn….

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Pond view:

Pond

A nice campground; we would be happy to stay again, and for longer.

Thousand Trails Diamond Caverns RV & Golf Resort

We stayed at Thousand Trails Diamond Caverns RV & Golf Resort in Park City, Kentucky. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Convenient to Mammoth Cave National Park, and free with our membership, but rather unlevel.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2024-07-07
  • Check out: 2024-07-12
  • 5 nights

Weather:

  • Partly cloudy, some rain
  • High temps 82-90°F, lows 66-71°F
  • Little wind, gusts to 19 MPH

Noise:

  • No road noise
  • Occasional distant train horn noise
  • Minimal neighbor noise

Site:

  • #503, back-in, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
  • Rather unlevel site; high in front and passenger side; back wheels would be off the ground, so used air leveling
  • Gravel driveway about 65 feet long by 22 feet wide
  • Immediate neighbor on passenger side; 50 feet to neighbor on driver side
  • Picnic table
  • No trees
  • Unclean site; cigarette butts, bottle caps, etc.

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 60 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 15 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 35 ms ping
  • Verizon: 10 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • AT&T: 2 Mbps down, 0.01 Mbps up, 200 ms ping; unreliable
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: paid, not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Close to Mammoth Cave NP

This is an older Thousand Trails campground, and like most of the older ones, it needs some serious TLC. Most sites are seasonal/annual so there were only a handful of sites available when we arrived, with most of them being either too short or on a really egregious slope (or both). We found the one site that would fit us (503) but it was so unlevel we couldn’t use our hydraulic levelers and had to use the air leveling, which is less preferred. They obviously had some serious rain recently because there were a couple of sites showing extreme erosion and I worried about the stability of the terrace they were on. But for a short stay to visit Mammoth Cave, it was serviceable. We camped at Thousand Trails Diamond Caverns RV & Golf Resort in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: There’s a new Buc-ee’s not far away and Bowling Green has pretty much everything you could want….

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

Air leveling, with the rear wheels raised as high as they can go (and jacks up):

Air leveling

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Swimming pool:

Swimming pool

Swimming pool

Playground:

Playground

Mini golf:

Mini golf

Mini golf

Clubhouse and quiet room:

Clubhouse and quiet room

We probably won’t stay here again, though it’s hard to argue with free.