Camping plans for 2008

[AZsix]

First I would like to say Happy Holidays to all. I hope the New Year will find all of you happy, healthy and ready to camp.

As the new year approaches I am curious as to what camping plans you have for the coming year.

Next month I will be taking my oldest by himself to Lost Dutchman State Park here in AZ for a night. It's the second installment of spending a night one on one with each of my four kids. In March we will be at the Grand Canyon for three nights. I'll be 51 next month and have lived in AZ for 8 years and have never been to the Grand Canyon so I am really looking forward to that trip. Our vacation plans in June are to try to get a spot in Yosemite for a couple of days but if we can't get in there we will find another cg close by. We will see as much of Yosemite as possible, visit the giant Redwoods, drive down the coast to visit the in-laws in SoCal, take the kids to Knotts Berry Farm and the beach. We may stop in Vegas on the way out or way back to visit my folks.

We are going to try to get out at least once a month when the warmer weather hits seeing as much of our diverse state as possible. We would also like to visit Rock Hound SP near Deming New Mexico.

I plan on posting a lot of pictures this coming year in our first full year with the pup. I'm looking forward to reading about your plans for the 08.

[GrizzlyTaco]

Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year first of all!!  If you plan on visiting Vegas try staying at Lake Mead campground or RV park, its not a bad place to camp..........Ed C.

[PattieAM]

While my plans are not yet firm, I do plan to visit other campgrounds within my membership, and hope to have my grandkids join me now that they are potty trained!  Hope to enjoy a few CG's in Pennsylvania, as well as spend a little time in NC as well as Virginia.  

If I can do it, I'd like to 'workkamp' -- but this requires considerable thought and a serious evaluation of finances.

[CajunCamper]

My wife is Irish with family still living in Ireland and I am Scottish on my dad's side, so we have decided to take two weeks in the late spring to tour Ireland for a week and Scotland for a week. During the trip we will be doing some backpacking and tent camping along the way. There are  trails over there that lead from one town to the next that we plan on exploring.

We also plan on visiting Yellowstone and Grand Tetons NP during the late summer.

I'm sure we will also take the opportunity to spend time in Florida camping as well as spending a few long weekends in some of our local state parks over the summer and next fall.

CajunCamper

[tlhdoc]

I plan on camping one weekend in January and February.  For Easter we will be going to Assateague Island National Seashore in Md.  
April 18th weekend we are camping at Hickory Run State Park, PA.
First weekend in May is a 4 day trip to North South Lake campground in the Catskill Mts of NY
Memorial Day weekend camping in NJ
First weekend in June camping with the BSA at Bald Eagle SP, PA
Middle of June a week long camping trip to Minute Man Campground, outside of Boston Mass.
Last weekend in June a 5 day trip to Watkins Glen SP, NY
Independence Day weekend camping but not sure where
July 12th camping for a week at the Eastern PU Rally in the Pocono Mts. of PA
First weekend in August camping with the BSA in Northern Ontario for a week
Second or third week in August camping at Assateague Island National Seashore for 5 or 6 days
Labor Day weekend camping but not sure where
Last weekend in September camping Fall COTOC Rally, Locust Lake SP or SP to be decided
Also plan to camp the long weekends in October/November and a few other trips that are unplanned at this point.

[HappyFLCampers]

Happy New Year to everyone!
We will be camping at Paynes Prairie (FL) over New Year's.
In February we will be camping at O'Leno State Park (FL).
We also have a camping trip planned for the first week of June in John Pennekamp State Park (FL Keys).
That's what we have booked for the present time - I'm sure there will be more reservations to come.

[campdaddy]

Well, let me start by saying that I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas or Joyful Holidays and may you all have a Blessed New Year. And may you have many pleasant camping experiences this coming year.

Our plans for this next camping season, which here in SW Ohio starts in late Spring, is a week in Eastern Tennessee  sometime around Memorial Day. We're probably going to stay in Warriors Path State Park near Kingsport Tn. but this park does not accept reservations -it a first come first serve basis- so our exact dates aren't known at this time. We have family in the area so that will work to our advantage in getting a site.

Then in mid to late June we are planning on at least a week in the Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky. We haven't decided on an exact Campground yet (but we welcome suggestions) but we have pretty much ruled out staying in the park because they do not have electric at the sites -no AC if required. DW and I are looking forward to visiting the Cave but DD '03 is looking forward to the local attractions like the alpine slide and Dinosaur World. I also would like to see the Corvette Museum in nearby Bowling Green KY.

Next, we are planning 3 -4 days at Stone Lick SP here in Ohio. This is about 1.5 hours South of where we live and we've never been there before. Looking at an aerial map, it looks like there are some campsites situated directly on the lake so we are wanting to get one of those.

This all we have actually sat down and planned to do but there are many more as yet unplanned trips we are.....well....planning?......to either some of the local SPs or maybe back to Stone Lick again if we like it. Also we have a small campgrounds we like to stay at along the Little Miami River (Morgan's Family Campgrounds) about an hour south of here. It is located on the Little Miami River and has almost direct access tot he Little Miami Bike Trail. The campsites themselves are on the river too. It is a really nice place except that the sites have no water or electric. The water we can deal with -there is potable water available in the campground but without electric we only stay there early in the season or in the fall when AC is not going to be required. We usually stay here once or twice a season.

I still haven't given up on trying a trip to the Northern of lower Michigan like to Sleeping Bear Dunes area or Wilderness State Park, but this will depend on how much time off from work DW and I can get.

[cable guy]

I have reservations at Guajome County Campground in Oceanside Ca. for March 16-18.

[AZsix]

Campdaddy,

Wow, it sounds as though you have one heck of a year planned.  :-() I'm jealous. We will do a lot of weekend trips up to the mountains. We plan on getting a BLM permit as well as one for AZ state land that will let us camp anywhere that camping is permitted. This way we can take off, find a place that looks good and set up camp. AZ is such a diverse state. I know that most people think of it as nothing but desert. Earlier this year my kids were playing in snow and then an hour and a half later were home where it was almost 90. We have three neighbors that park their toy haulers at a cg up north for the summer so we will probably spend at least one weekend up there. I want to spend as much time camping this year as I can. This is our first full year with the pu and I want to make the most of it.

[jeezy]

Then in mid to late June we are planning on at least a week in the Mammoth Cave area of Kentucky. We haven't decided on an exact Campground yet (but we welcome suggestions) but we have pretty much ruled out staying in the park because they do not have electric at the sites -no AC if required. DW and I are looking forward to visiting the Cave but DD '03 is looking forward to the local attractions like the alpine slide and Dinosaur World. I also would like to see the Corvette Museum in nearby Bowling Green KY.

Next, we are planning 3 -4 days at Stone Lick SP here in Ohio. This is about 1.5 hours South of where we live and we've never been there before. Looking at an aerial map, it looks like there are some campsites situated directly on the lake so we are wanting to get one of those.

This all we have actually sat down and planned to do but there are many more as yet unplanned trips we are.....well....planning?......to either some of the local SPs or maybe back to Stone Lick again if we like it. Also we have a small campgrounds we like to stay at along the Little Miami River (Morgan's Family Campgrounds) about an hour south of here. It is located on the Little Miami River and has almost direct access tot he Little Miami Bike Trail. The campsites themselves are on the river too. It is a really nice place except that the sites have no water or electric. The water we can deal with -there is potable water available in the campground but without electric we only stay there early in the season or in the fall when AC is not going to be required. We usually stay here once or twice a season.

 

It's been years and years and years and years, but when I was younger, we stayed at a Jellystone near Mammoth Caves.  As a kid, it was a very interactive park and I had a blast.  I've recently come across their web site and it doesn't look like much has changed.

We'll be starting our camping career as a family (though I grew up camping) with two young boys in the spring.  Not sure where yet, but being based in Cincinnati, we'll probably hit a couple local state or county parks to get the kids acclimated and familiarize ourselves with the camper.  Once we start branching out, Mammoth Caves might make for a nice regional option.

My wife is ready to haul it down to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge as that has been a popular vacation spot for us for years.

[campdaddy]

Campdaddy,

Wow, it sounds as though you have one heck of a year planned.  :-() I'm jealous.

These are all tentative, subject to change or cancellation especially considering my R&R Band hasn't nailed down it's scheduled yet.  But hopefully.....:#

Sounds like you have a pretty full schedule also..... I've never camped in the SW U.S. but my dream is to take the family on a cross country camping expedition someday....

[campdaddy]

It's been years and years and years and years, but when I was younger, we stayed at a Jellystone near Mammoth Caves.  As a kid, it was a very interactive park and I had a blast.  I've recently come across their web site and it doesn't look like much has changed.

My wife is ready to haul it down to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge as that has been a popular vacation spot for us for years.

We've looked into the Jellystone at Mammoth Cave a little bit and I'm hearing that it's showing it's age a tad bit these days, but then again with a 4 YO it would be fun for her regardless. We'll probably look a little further into the various campgrounds before settling on anything but Jellystone is one we're looking at.

The trip to Eastern Tennessee is primarily for a family visit but there is just so much to do and see in that area that I'm sure we'll do some sightseeing also.

If you live in the Cincinnati area there are many good places for you to camp nearby. We usually prefer State Parks and there are a lot of them in Ohio. Most are quite nice. We stayed at East Fork last summer and it was a really nice SP. You also have Huestin Woods to your West. We've camped there a couple of times without complaint but some people don't care much for it. I think it depend mostly on the site you get. Indiana has the White Water area that is really nice and then there is Kentucky, and West Virgina just a little bit further. All in all, I'd say your in a great location for camping opportunities.

[Pat Freetly]

Well to beguin with, Merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho, There I said it! Also Happy New Year!
This year will be Great! First to Quartsite AZ, for the rock and gem show at the end of Jauary. Then just short trips around the neveda and arizona desert gold and rock hunting,(mine is the gold, the rocks are my wifes). Then up to Utah in June for some fishing. After that it's wide open. Maybe the beach around ventura ca.

[jeezy]

If you live in the Cincinnati area there are many good places for you to camp nearby. We usually prefer State Parks and there are a lot of them in Ohio. Most are quite nice. We stayed at East Fork last summer and it was a really nice SP. You also have Huestin Woods to your West. We've camped there a couple of times without complaint but some people don't care much for it. I think it depend mostly on the site you get. Indiana has the White Water area that is really nice and then there is Kentucky, and West Virgina just a little bit further. All in all, I'd say your in a great location for camping opportunities.

I've tent camped at Hueston Woods, East Fork and Miami Whitewater.  At HW, it was in their large primitive area.  At the others, we were mixed among the RV's.  I really liked Miami Whitewater, though I've been to East Fork the most.  Nice thing about EF is it's a large park and you can almost always get a site at the last minute save for holiday weekends.

[AZsix]

Well we had to adjust our plans. The Grand Canyon trip we were going to take in March has been rescheduled for the first week in June. (Temps are a little more to our liking in June) After the Grand Canyon we may continue up north to Monument Valley or head to Vegas to visit my folks. We have scrapped the plans for Yosemite for the time being. My oldest (10) and I are planning a trip to Lost Dutchman SP two weeks from Saturday as long as the weather will cooperate. My wife is pushing for a trip to San Diego so I think we will sneak that in as well this summer.

My twin girl ( said her New Years resolution was to go camping more. I think she has been bitten by the bug!