RE: What do you think about YOUR state parks?

[CampG]

 
Really, what is your opinion of your state park system?  Not the scenery/location, I would venture to say that the majority of the state parks are located in beautiful locations.  I want to know what you think about the system.  
 Are they well maintained?  Are they staffed with good people?  Do the facilities, activities, etc emulate a  pride  in the system?  Or are they just there because somebody 50 years ago thought a state park system was a good idea?
 I understand that a lot of the state park systems are strapped for cash, and on some insanely tight budgets.  Realistically, it s the states own fault for this..... too many parks......poor maintenance from the beginning......pathetic business management, etc.
 I ll start off with my home state, Oklahoma.
 Oklahoma is another state who has cut back the budget for the parks system down to the quick.  This is painfully obvious when you go to the parks and the facilities date back to beginning of it all, which just happens to be the last time they did maintenance.  They have tried over the years.  One attempt was to label a couple of parks,  resorts , and give em a good heavy makeover.  Overall the system is lacking, with one or two of the parks just down right nasty.
 I m in no way saying that I stay away from them, I visit them for the location.  Just last week we stayed at Lake Tenkiller (beautiful!).  But I am saying that I am not proud of our park system.....actually, maybe a bit embarrassed.
 
 What about YOUR state parks?
 
 JR

[Wayfarer]

 CampG
About Texas State Parks I could almost say, " All of the above."   I ve not visited all that many, but every one seems different as to cleanliness (campsites, restrooms, etc.), road maintenance, personnel, etc.  Some are old and run-down, some are new and in great condition.  At some (most) parks the personnel are friendly and seem to go out of their way to make your registration and stay more enjoyable while in a park or two we have met the proverbial " Park Ranger from Hell!"  and were made to feel like we were interrupting their office work.  Guess it s like most franchise businesses - it depends on the workers at each location to make it profitable.  All in all we like our State Parks and much prefer them over most private parks we have stayed in or driven through.  I m sure all our parks could be better if they had the money, but then you get into politics and who decides which park gets the biggest slice of the money-pie, etc., etc.

[YellowXterra]

 CampG
Tennessee state parks are now days a Political pawn!   The Governor has let them run down and even closed them for several months because he could not get an Income tax passed.

[Bearnkat]

 CampG
Hi,
 
 We ll ditto a lot that Wayfarer had to say in his previous post. I feel that our Texas State Park System, or any other state park system, does the best with what they have to work with, (i.e., personnel, facilities, and funds).
 
 We have camped at around 10-12 different parks around Texas, and have had very positive results each and everytime. DW and I are firm supporters of the park system and do all we can do help.
 
 Chuck and Terry

[Gone-Camping]

 CampG
I think the Virginia State Park system is one of the best I ve ever had to deal with!!! They are clean, modern, most have Electric & water hook-up s available, and they seem to cater to their campers really well.
 
 As for their personel, I d say first rate! But don t take my word for it, ask our own Va State Park employee Louise (StateParkGrl)!!! []

[garym053]

 CampG
We generally try to stay only at State Parks, as they usually fit our camping style the best! So we ve stayed pretty extensively at Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts state parks.
 Vermont usually has the best run parks, friendliest staff, easiest reservations, cleanest bathrooms, etc. Although we did stay in one once, where the firepit hadn t been cleaned.
 New Hampshire also has pretty good parks, Reservations are so-so, as they will only take Visa/Mastercard or cerified check at the time of reservations. Parks are usually well run and clean, although one has the bathroom shutdown for 2 hours plus a day for cleaning!
 Massachusetts parks are generally filthy compared to NH & VT! Although we recently stayed in one where the sites were generally clean and you could stand to use the bathrooms. even though they were not REALLY cleaned all Labor Day weekend! (Watched to see if a dead spider on the floor ever got swept or washed away- It didn t!) Reservations are generally easy although don t like paying the extra $$$ that you have to pay to ReserveAmerica!

[4campinfoxes]

 CampG
Let me start off by saying that I ve only visited 2 or 3 of the state parks here in Iowa.  Why - well mainly because they do not have a reservation system.  The last thing DH & I want to do is load everything up for a weekend, drive to the park only to find there are no sites left.  We did that recently at a neaby county park, arrived at 8:30 am on Friday morning, guess that wasn t early enough. [:@]
 
 That said, the parks we ve visited have generally been well kept and fairly up to date.  Of course, the last time we stayed at one was before the big budget crunch so I m not sure how they ve fared since then.
 
 Sharon

[jpreiser]

 CampG
Ours are ok, but un the summer theny can become a very roudy place.. since we have a lot of vacationers from near by states visit,,, some  have never seen the beach before while others dont take precautions when in the northern part of the state( Bears)   I think they need to be cleaned up a little and more security. Sure most people like to relax and drink while around the cam fire...[8D] but dont  be loud and actting like jerks.... we had one time been awoken to a HUGH monster truck pulling up to a site... trying to back his way in, yelling and cursing by then the whole family is out sitting ont
  the p[icnic table just watching    now this is happening at 1100 at night...Headlights shown tru the
  pop up like it was morning!![: (]AFter almost 4o mins of yelling crying kids, they packed up and went to a larger spot.....[]

[SkipP]

 CampG
Great post! I d say the North Carolina state parks have as great a potential as any place in the country. The shame is that it s not utilized to it s fullest potential. Politics...again. Our southern neighbor, SC knows how to do state parks right. From the mountains to the coast, they offer some very nice, well kept parks.

[JonesFamilyJayco]

 CampG
I agree with SkipP about NC & SC state parks.  We really like Lake Norman State Park.  The park is close to home, large sites & recently remodeled bath house.  I fish alot at Stone Mountain, but have not camped there (yet).  They too have nice sites & a nice/modern bath house.  
 
 Without a reservation system, I am sometimes hesitant to plan on a state park.  I doubt that they would be 100% full, but it would be a disaster if after a lot of planning to arrive without a site.
 
 No hook-ups is not a problem for us.  We do not have an air conditioner, & with some shade & a place to swim, we are ok.
 
 I signed up for information on West Virgina s state parks.  They, like SC, seem to have a very nice park plan.  Many of the parks have a resort-like list of amenities.
 
 

[cyclone]

 CampG
While TN state parks have been used as a political pawn with our previous governor, hopefully that s a thing of the past.  I have camped in 4 state parks in recent years and found all of them to be great places to camp.  The restrooms, although not " new"  by any stretch of the imagination, were relatively clean and not in a state of disrepair.  The camp hosts were helpful, cordial, etc.  While financial cutbacks are obvious, the parks I have been to have been maintained well.  Of course, we all wish there was more money available but I m sure that s the case everywhere.  I m not a fan of private cg s as a whole; so prefer the state parks or COE s for camping.

[Turn Key]

 CampG
Love my Texas State Parks![]

[jaycocamprs]

 CampG
Georgia seems to have been able to keep their Parks in good shape. They have a fairly good reservation system. Most parks have RV sites with W/E, and many also have walk in tent sites. Some of the parks do have older buildings. Many dating back to the 30 s having been CCC projects, but most have been maintained. Many of the parks that we ve been to have had major renovation, or new construction projects underway.

[CajunCamper]

 CampG
I can see from readng other post here, that Louisiana is not the only state who s State Park System suffers from budget cuts and political games. That being said, I believe we have a system here that works as well as any other state park system. All of our parks have both primitive sites as well as sites with power and water and some with sewer. The parks here seem to do a good job of keeping the campsites clean and the bath houses clean and in good working condition. Most of the facilities are what I would call rustic rather than run down. Sure money could be spent I suppose on building new modern bath houses with nice shinny faucets and clay tile floors, but I would rather that money be spent on trail development and maintenace, or the addition of additional sites and educational programs for the kids. So all in all, I say Louisiana does a good job with what they have. As far as the personel and their interaction with the public, I have only had one incident in which I was displeased and actually made a complaint to the Louisiana Office of State Parks. It was a matter of rudeness on behalf of the park employee and my concern more than anything was that I sure didn t want her treating visitors from out of state the same way she treated me. In my opinion that type of behavior could ruin the overall experience for our visitor and could persuade them to leave and never come back. Anyway, I called the main office and complained and I soon recieved a phone call from the Director of State Parks. He listened to my story, appologized and sent me four certificates, each good for three nights camping at any Louisiana State Park. I remain a happy camper here in Louisiana

[DiW]

 CampG
I haven t seen too many NJ state parks so I m no expert but I do plan to camp at a couple SPs in my area. NJ parks offer dry camping at $10/night I believe. I don t think they have an online reservation system. I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out a couple parks recently. I don t like primitive sites with pit toilets. I can do without electric/water sites but I want flush toilets and hot showers (not like those outdoor showers at Assateague).
 
 I ve enjoyed several NY and PA state parks. While I hate to pay the online reservation fee, I do like being able to check availability online. I must say I prefer the 3pm checkout time at PA state parks as opposed to the 11am checkout time at NY state parks. In NY, we always wind up paying for Sun night just so we can enjoy the afternoon there. I hate leaving on Sunday mornings, just doesn t seem like a weekend to me. Actually, I just hate leaving.
 Diane