Excitement at Goose Point Park

 

We were so impressed with Goose Point Park during our trip last year that we decided to return this August. Goose Point campground has three different sections.   Section A is up on a hill away from the lake and has water and electric. Section B is on another hill above the lake, and has no electric or water. Section C is the most desirable loop with water and electric, and beautiful campsites right on the lake. I had reserved two campsites in the Section C loop - campsites 14 for five nights and 29 for the remaining 9 nights of our trip. When we arrived we were disappointed to find out that campsite 14  was too difficult to get into with a 30 foot trailer, so we had to go up into section A for five days. There was also a problem with campsite 29 - it was long enough, but our 30 foot trailer would just about fit into the site leaving little room for the truck, and we would have to really jack the trailer up because of the severe incline. Most of the campsites are reasonably easy to get into, and it seemed as if we had picked the two most difficult. After a bit of grumbling, we settled into a decent campsite up on the hill in section A.

About three days into our trip a tow truck with a flat bed appeared with an old class C camper on it. The rig didn't have any license plates on it and didn't appear to be road ready. However, the owner left it on the site overnight, and the next day a group showed up and moved into the camper.

We left after our five nights, and moved into campsite 29. We noticed that the old class C had driven down the hill and moved to a different site below us. The next day I was sitting outside, and my husband said "Oh my God - come look at this". The camper had rolled backwards and fell down the steep hill that the site was on. The only thing that kept it from plunging into the water below was a tree which had fortunately stopped it. The owner said that he was trying to move the rig and the breaks failed. The rangers came by and fined him $800 for damage to the tree and tacked on some other fines as well.  Guess the moral of the story is to make sure that your rig is really driveable and registered.

We took our canoe with us so that we could go fishing and explore pristine Philpott Lake a little more. Bob was told by a fishing store in Chincoteaugue that if you were a senior citizen you didn't need a license in Virginia. Unfortunately we found that to be false, and we were stopped by the police and ticketed for fishing without a license ($120 each).   Moral of that story is don't ever believe what you are told - check the rules for yourself.

In spite of some of the mishaps, we loved our stay here and will definately return. Now we know what campsites we prefer and which ones not to stay on. I'm sure our next visit will go a bit more smoothly.

Army Corps of Engineers Parks - The Best Camping Bargain in the Country

Bob and I stayed at an Army Corps of Engineers park for the first time in 2010 on the way to California.  I had heard from fellow campers that these parks were always clean, well designed and spacious, and that they were a real bargain for anyone with a Golden Age or Golden Access passports (these passes have now been replaced with the Inter-agency Senior or Inter-agency Access Pass), since the sites are reduced by 50% with these cards.  Most of the sites are already very reasonable, so the 50% reduction makes these sites some of the best camping deals we have ever seen.

Our first experience was at Goose Point on Philpott Lake in Virginia.  There are campsites right on the lake that are outstanding with water and electric for $22.00 a night, $11.00 with one of the passes.  This beautiful lake has swimming, fishing and boating.  We were so impressed with this park that we are returning for two weeks in August.

We next stayed at Floating Mill Park in Tennesee where we had full hookups and a very large concrete site right on a lake.  There are two swimming beaches - one for the campground, and a public day area beach.

Next was Maumelle Park in Arkansas, which offered a beautifully shaded site on the Arkansas River with full hookups.  The park is conveniently located near Little Rock if you want to tour the city.

We stayed at two more parks on the way home from California.  John Day Lock and Dam in Washington provided us a great campsite with full hookups from which to tour the Washington wine country.  Cochiti Lake in New Mexico had water and electric, but no sewer.  As usual though, we found the campsites to be very large and the park well designed.

Goose Point Campground, VA

Floating Mill Park, TN

Maumelle Park, AR

Not one of these parks was a disappointment, and compared to private parks that we have been to, they are far superior in the spaciousness and beauty that they provide.  If you are looking for a great deal, try out these wonderful parks.  You can reserve them at https://www.recreation.gov .