Ideal campground is in the eye of the beholder

CajunCamper · Apr 11, 2008, 10:02 AM

I've had friends and family rave about Stone Mountain in Georgia so while I was in Atlanta about three weeks ago on business I decided to drive up to Stone Mountain to check it out. I was mainly interested in seeing the campground. I found the loop around the mountain to be a pretty drive with the lake always in view, but the campground didn't seem to be very well laid out. The campground was vertually empty when I was there, but the sites seemed to be stacked one on top of the other with very little if any brush or growth between sites to give you even the slightest privacy. To camp on the lake your only option seemed to be setting up your pop up parallel to the street leaving you only 4 to 5 feet from the street. I think the rates there are something like $25 to $30 per night for a site. I don't think I will be camping there after my visit. It just shows you that one persons idea of a great campground can be another persons nightmare.

CajunCamper

Old Starcraft · Apr 11, 2008, 11:24 AM

Quote from: CajunCamperI've had friends and family rave about Stone Mountain in Georgia so while I was in Atlanta about three weeks ago on business I decided to drive up to Stone Mountain to check it out. I was mainly interested in seeing the campground. I found the loop around the mountain to be a pretty drive with the lake always in view, but the campground didn't seem to be very well laid out. The campground was vertually empty when I was there, but the sites seemed to be stacked one on top of the other with very little if any brush or growth between sites to give you even the slightest privacy. To camp on the lake your only option seemed to be setting up your pop up parallel to the street leaving you only 4 to 5 feet from the street. I think the rates there are something like $25 to $30 per night for a site. I don't think I will be camping there after my visit. It just shows you that one persons idea of a great campground can be another persons nightmare.

CajunCamper

Thanks for the critique, My family and I were talking about camping there. I'm with you on that campng stacked on each other is not somethinig I care for either.

THANKS :tent:

McCampers · Apr 11, 2008, 05:39 PM

Most Campgrounds seem to be crowding in too tightly for my PUP liking. The 5W and bus crowd don't mind because they never come out of the house anyway, but I like to live outside and sleep inside. I'm 6'2" so I need more than 5 feet between campers.

butterflyfish · Apr 11, 2008, 07:00 PM

Quote from: McCampersThe 5W and bus crowd don't mind because they never come out of the house anyway...

What is it with them??? If they are going to stay inside and watch their big screen TV why not just stay home or get a motel room? Isn't camping about being in the outdoors? But then again, I'm new to camping, so what do I know...

McCampers · Apr 11, 2008, 07:08 PM

I ain't figured it out. Stay in the house, stay at home. I would anyway. It's alot cheaper than buying a wheelable house and all the crap to go with it. I suppose its their HOME away from Home.

wayner · Apr 11, 2008, 08:08 PM

Quote from: McCampersI ain't figured it out. Stay in the house, stay at home. I would anyway. It's alot cheaper than buying a wheelable house and all the crap to go with it. I suppose its their HOME away from Home.

yeah but now they come out all the time.. because some of those huge motor homes we are seeing now have that big 42 inch plasma on the outside... so they are outside watching their freaking nascar or some wacked out DVD's... under their awnings.. seems a bit over the top for camping..

PattieAM · Apr 11, 2008, 08:09 PM

Back in my tent camping days I had wanted to camp there - great views as well as trails and activities. Some day might make it.

McCampers · Apr 12, 2008, 04:53 AM

Quote from: wayneryeah but now they come out all the time.. because some of those huge motor homes we are seeing now have that big 42 inch plasma on the outside... so they are outside watching their freaking nascar or some wacked out DVD's... under their awnings.. seems a bit over the top for camping..

Yeah I've seen some of those monster TVs and the whole cooking unit pulls right out the side too. I wonder if the designers wanted to trick them into actually coming out of their houses? I see more and more satelite dishes for campers of all sizes. I see them used by PUPs as well. We carry a personal DVD player in case it rains, and an Ipod stereo cause I gotta have my tunes, but that's it. I like to be outside in it, even if I'm only sitting around reading a book.

fallsrider · Apr 12, 2008, 09:29 AM

Quote from: CajunCamperI've had friends and family rave about Stone Mountain in Georgia....but the sites seemed to be stacked one on top of the other with very little if any brush or growth between sites to give you even the slightest privacy. To camp on the lake your only option seemed to be setting up your pop up parallel to the street leaving you only 4 to 5 feet from the street....CajunCamper

I agree with you. I've driven through the CG twice while in Atlanta, but I've never camped there. The sites do seem small, and some sites are very unlevel. I probably would not choose to camp there unless I got to pick my site.

Old Starcraft · Apr 12, 2008, 07:33 PM

Quote from: butterflyfishWhat is it with them??? If they are going to stay inside and watch their big screen TV why not just stay home or get a motel room? Isn't camping about being in the outdoors? But then again, I'm new to camping, so what do I know...

I agree. We camped at a KOA a few weeks ago in Charleston, S.C. we were placed next to a row or 5 or 6 diesel pushers. All of them were from CA, on our last day they started leaving around 4 am..

... of course waking my wife and I. The few days we overlapped with them only 1 couple, mainly the DH, were seen outside the motorhome. The rest of them we never saw step foot out of their rigs. Whats the point?:yikes:

'tiredTeacher · Apr 13, 2008, 07:35 AM

Quote from: Old StarcraftThe rest of them we never saw step foot out of their rigs. Whats the point?:yikes:

Those folks aren't campers, they're RVers.

flyfisherman · Apr 13, 2008, 08:22 AM

This is one of the reasons I choose those far away, remote, camping places (certainly not "sites"), as those type of rigs simply cannot get back in to. And then when I do choose a regular NFS C/G (without electrical hook-ups), I get to the far away sites not meant for large TT's, 5th wheelers or motor homes.

On the other hand, when traveling between "point A" to "point B", and have to lay over for the night, then will pull into a K.O.A. type place. Also, have had some business at a particular place and sought out a C/G not too far away, so I could spend the night in the PU rather than at some over-priced hotel/motel, in a strange bed of only God knows what has gone on there. Much, much, rather spend the night in my Starcraft's comfee bunk ... and that's another reason I have a popup.

Fly

CajunCamper · Apr 13, 2008, 08:54 AM

Quote from: flyfishermanThis is one of the reasons I choose those far away, remote, camping places (certainly not "sites"), as those type of rigs simply cannot get back in to. And then when I do choose a regular NFS C/G (without electrical hook-ups), I get to the far away sites not meant for large TT's, 5th wheelers or motor homes.

On the other hand, when traveling between "point A" to "point B", and have to lay over for the night, then will pull into a K.O.A. type place. Also, have had some business at a particular place and sought out a C/G not too far away, so I could spend the night in the PU rather than at some over-priced hotel/motel, in a strange bed of only God knows what has gone on there. Much, much, rather spend the night in my Starcraft's comfee bunk ... and that's another reason I have a popup.

Fly

Fly I couldn't agree with you more. I am the same way when it comes to selecting a campground or a campsite. When scouting out a campground, I always look for the areas where the big rigs can't get into, and that includes TT and 5ers.

CajunCamper

denbert · Apr 13, 2008, 03:02 PM

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Yep, there's a big difference between campers and RV'ers! Think I'll stick with camping.

'tiredTeacher · Apr 14, 2008, 06:24 AM

Quote from: flyfishermanThis is one of the reasons I choose those far away, remote, camping places (certainly not "sites"), as those type of rigs simply cannot get back in to. And then when I do choose a regular NFS C/G (without electrical hook-ups), I get to the far away sites not meant for large TT's, 5th wheelers or motor homes.

Fly

Sometimes you can talk Ranger Rick (or Ruth) into letting you into the tent area.

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Ideal campground is in the eye of the beholder