Gwern Gof Uchaf, Wales

Gwern Gof Uchaf

  Gwern Gof Uchaf - The Best Campsite Ever

I don't say this lightly

Owned by Sue and Bryan Williams this 750 acres of farmland is a little slice of heaven. The property is situated near Llyn Ogwn along the A5 halfway between Capel Curig and Bethesda.

Camping is £5 per adult per night

Website: http://www.tryfanwales.co.uk/

More info to come!

Tryfan from our tent

 

Sue & Bryan's House

Fiordland National Park, NZ

Lake Gunn Campsite

Location: Milford Road, adjacent to SH 94, 78 km north of Te Anau.
Fee: $5.10 adult/night (no booking)
Accessible for smaller vehicles (we drove up in a sleeper van and got in just fine)
Standard Campsite: 10 tent sites, toilets (portable if I remember correctly), barbacue, picnic tables, only stream water available, no showers

This basic campsite is situated along the Te Anau - Milford Highway in Fiordland National Park on the edge of Lake Gunn.  Melita Peak and Consolation Peak form a beautiful backdrop to the lake. We parked our sleeper van here after driving and hiking through Milford Sound earlier in the day. The shore was quiet and serene with just a few other campers about - gorgeous. 

Milford Sound

 Milford Sound is  absolutely majestic. The Tasmanian sea is the mouth of this fjord on New Zealand's South Island. The sound was deemed the world's top travel destination in the 2008 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards and is New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling has once called it the eighth Wonder of the World and it's easy to see why. Clouds sometimes hang low shrouding the mountains in gray wisps as they rise mysteriously out of the surrounding waters. Take a cruise around the lake and you'll see waterfall after waterfall cascading down the peaks. With its unusually high rainfall, Milford Sound is the wettest inhabited area in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world. The area wasn't discovered by Europeans until 1812 since the entryway from the ocean is so narrow. After its discovery it was named Milford Haven after the Welsh explorer's homeland.The Milford Track is a four day hike described by Kipling as "the finest walk in the world." It is a very well-traveled path by now and booking is required before hiking it.

Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park

Deleware Seashore State Park

You know how you will sometimes research a place and after reading several bad reviews think, "Aw, people are just so harsh. It can't really be that bad!"

Lesson learned.

I took a group of friends beach camping one summer in Delaware. My park of choice (Cape Henlopen) had sadly been discovered by the rest of the world so it was completely booked. In my frantic search to find another nearby seashore beach I came across Delaware Seashore State Park. Now, in my past experiences State parks have usually proven to be quite nice and well cared for. The reviews I read mentioned nearby construction and cramped conditions, but I wrote it all off to pansy campers complaining too much and I naively assumed all construction would be halted since it was the height of beach season.

Nope.

There is still ongoing construction at the Indian River Bridge and their website advises visitors to pay close attention to changing traffic patters. The campground itself was very cramped. The tent section had minimal space, little privacy and a scenic backdrop of construction vehicles. How rustic.

There are 146 family sites with water, electric, and sewer hookup, and 37 tent-only sites with no hookups. Electric, water, sewer and showers available April 1 through November 30 and electric and sewer only available year-round. Showers, laundry, ice and soda vending machines are all nearby. It's situated on the Indian River Inlet which is very scenic and made up for the campground a little.

One big issue: NO CAMPFIRES ARE ALLOWED. I'm sure it said this somewhere on the website when we were booking, but it certainly wasn't too obvious. We went into panic mode when we arrived and found it printed boldly on the campground's pamphlet since all we had for dinner was a cooler full of raw hotdogs and hamburgers. They allow BBQs if they are contained, so we bought a cheap one from a nearby WalMart. We may have pushed the envelope a bit far when we tried building a campfire within the BBQ...

Park Ranger: "Hey, there are actually no fires allowed in this park unless they are contained within a BBQ."

My brother: "Oh, but there's a BBQ under there."

Park Ranger skeptically examines the now-minor-bonfire

Park Ranger: "Yeeeeeah, um, I think this should still be put out."

There is a designated area for a group fire at the far end of the campground. The ocean is a short ways on the other side of the bridge and as long as you're facing the water you can't see the cranes and bulldozers behind you.

Pros: Close to the beach

Cons: Construction, cramped quarters, no campfires

Tips:  Reserve earlier and camp at Cape Henlopen

Rating: 1/5

Pohick Bay Regional Park

I have only been here once to put in my newly bought kayak with a friend. It's the perfect park for boating as it's mostly water oriented. You can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and jon boats on weekends (March-October). It also offers group camping, hiking, fishing, picnic areas, miniature golf, large play area for children, and swimming (it boasts one of the biggest outdoor freeform pools on the east coast). The hiking trails total 8.5 miles and there are specific bluebird trails that detour to bluebird boxes so you can check on the park's conservation efforts The waterpark is open May-September.


Official Website

Pros: Perfect for boating. Lots of water routes. Close to DC.

Cons: Some visitors have complained about the cleanliness of the cabins.

Tips: Get a kayak. You'll thank me.

Rating: 4/5

Westmoreland State Park, VA

Westmoreland State Park takes up 1,311 acres along the Potomac River in Virginia. It boasts 133 camping sites (electric and standard) and several cabins. The waterfront is perfect for fishing and picnics and gets quite crowded in the summer. There are no designated swimming areas in the Potomac itself but the park has a pool available in the summer. Bald eagles are known for nesting within the park and many campers scour the riverside looking for elusive sharks teeth.There are several small hiking trails (the longest just under 2.5 miles) that are ideal for children. I've camped here once for a quick weekend get-away and found the sites well-wooded though a little close together. Since the hiking trails are minimal and swimming isn't technically allowed I would recommend bringing a canoe or kayak as it's proximity to the Potomac is perfect for boating. Paddleboats can be rented Memorial Day through Labor Day and powerboats are permitted as well. Next time I go I'm bringing my kayak for sure.

 

Pros: Beautiful scenery and wildlife. Right along the Potomac River.

Cons: No swimming in the Potomac. Short hiking trails.

Tips: Bring your boat.

Rating: 4/5

 Website

Owens Creek, MD

Owens Creek campground is part of Catoctin Mountain Park and usually opens early May. I've camped here once just to get away from DC and be outside. It served the purpose quite well. The campsites were well wooded and it was fall so there were beautiful leaves everywhere. Aside from nearly being impaled by a large falling piece of dead tree while sleeping in the early morning, it was a pleasant and uneventful day and a half of camping goodness.

Campground information

Major Pros: It is quiet and pretty remote considering its proximity to route 15. A great weekend or one night get-away.

Major Cons: If you arrive after dark its really hard to find wood for a fire, but this is true of all campgrounds.

Tips: Arrive before dark. Avoid falling tree debris.

Rating: 3

Northern Wales

Here's the brief run-down of my recent trip to Snowdonia National Park in Northern Wales. I'll include more details later about routes, campgrounds, etc. Enjoy!

We arrived in Conwy and toured around the town and castle for a while before heading to a pub outside the city for some lunch. We must have lounged there for a good 2 hours talking to locals and staring at our newly purchased Snowdonia map before we decided to trek over Conwy mountain to get to some ambiguous campsite the map had shown. We hiked said mountain and were awarded with stunning views from the top. Our decent was was a bit spontaneous (and included  wild blackberries) and we stumbled out of some evergreens to find that  we were practically on top of a campsite with hot showers. Sweet as. Ran  up and down the nearby beach at sundown and laughed at our drunken  neighbors before calling it a night.

Caught the bus into Llanberis the following day. Llanberis is a dream: more outdoor stores than restaurants, sweet cafés, and climbers/bikers/hikers everywhere. We were pretty stoked. After buying some stove fuel and people watching (we definitely were not oggling over climbers) we got some hiking advice from a friendly store clerk and hiked down the road towards our next campsite. Explored a castle and sketchy cave on the way and got to catch the tail end of the Snowdon Mountain Run after playing around a stream for hours. The second campsite was even more glorious, nestled in a farm pasture in a mountainous basin. Beauty all around.

Caught the bus to Pen-Y-Pas the next day to hike the Snowdon Horseshoe. Conditions were perfect, which is rare. We met a lady later in the trip that told us out of summitting Snowdon 15 times she had only seen the view from the top once. We got a cloudless day with perfect blue skies.  We hiked Crib Goch which is easily the most bad ass thing I've ever done or ever will do.  Pardon my french but I think I deserve the term after straddling, shimmying, and scrambling over a sharp mountain ridge with 1,000 foot drops down either side. It was a bit ridiculous and completely surreal. Maybe the fact that it  was so surreal kept me from contemplating my immanent death, but I made  it through with only a few blisters, bruises, and a sunburnt nose. We  summitted Snowdon with the rest of the world (there is a train and café at the top).  I heard a fellow hiker mention that there should be a fenced-off area  for Crib Gochers - I agree. We were going to finish on the "easy route"  but got a bit off track and finished off with the twin peaks instead - a  walk in the park compared to Crib. We caught the last bus back to the  campsite and tried celebrating at the local pub but I fell asleep after  my steak & ale pie and single pint so we called it a night.


The next day Theresa wanted to climb more mountains. Instead we tramped into Llanberis again and passed out on bean-bag chairs after a full Welsh breakfast at Pete's Eats (I highly recommend their black pudding and the turquoise bean bag).
We woke up and ate some more (I also highly recommend their chocolate cake) and consulted the map. Once we had pinpointed "a green looking area with waterfalls" we jumped on a bus bound to Betws-y-Coed and camped (slightly illegally) at an RV park that night. All legalities were solved in the morning. Not gonna lie - sometimes it pays to be an innocent looking girl. Don't know if it's a fair trade off with being able to pee standing up, but ya can't have it all.

Hiked up to Swallow Falls in Betws-y-Coed. Ate more wild blackberries. Ruined some scenic photos for tourists (how were we to know our sunbathing was blocking the view? It's not like we were lying directly on top of the waterfall... oh wait) Ate more sardines and paté (one of the many benefits of hiking in areas with no carnivorous predators) and that was that.




On to Ogwen Valley -my favorite campground by far. We set up tent on a hill away from the other travelers and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We also had a fire right, which was convenient considering our fuel depleted halfway through our noodle dish. Weather was gorgeous when we showed up but quickly deteriorated the next day. We planned to hike all the way to Tryfan via Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach but after picking our way carefully up the first peak (we could hardly see cairn to cairn in the fog and the ascent was all scree) we couldn't see any sign of the trail at the top. We sat cold, wet and huddled in a small outcropping rationing a pasty while contemplating life, love, and lousy compasses. We decided to turn back, and though feeling glum and defeated we soon met other hikers that had similar difficulties in the fog. Made some friends on the descent and found our way back to the warden station were we loaded up on hot chocolate. Spent the rest of the day trying to warm up in our sleeping bags. Thankfully the sun came out enough to partially dry some of our clothes before bed.

Back to Conwy the next morning. Ate another Welsh breakfast and hiked along the seashore. Dinner of fresh mussels and wine near the harbor. Serenaded by the Once soundtrack from a nearby sailboat (owned by a juggler with dreadlocks- we should have been friends).

Wales, Wales, Wales. Someday we'll meet again methinks.

Gauley River, WV

[review to come]

 

 

                         Surfing on the Upper Gauley 

 Thank you River Expeditions for the experience!

Kettletown State Park, Connecticut

Click for Campground Map

Kettletown State Park is situated along the Housatonic River and Lake Zoar in Connecticut and is open May-September. It has 68 camping sites (open or wooded) as well as youth group camping. My family camped here for two nights on our way up to Cape Cod and we enjoyed our stay. It has a fun family atmosphere and seems to appeal to families with young children. As of 2011 possession of alcoholic beverages is prohibited June through September so consider yourself warned. 

The campground consists of 605 acres and offers camping, swimming, fresh water fishing, picnicking and hiking (click for pdf hiking map). The trails are fairly short and easy, though quite pretty - ideal for children. There are cool pools of water and mini-waterfalls back along some of the wooded trails.

 

Pros: Pretty and wooded. Good for kids.

Cons: Short hiking trails.

Tips:  If you're not camping with children this might not be ideal for you.

Rating: 3/5

Official website 

Matthews Arm, Shenandoah National Park, VA

Mile 22.1 of Shenandoah National Park

I have camped here 4-5 times now and I thoroughly agree with Bill Bryson’s feelings in his book “A Walk in the Woods” when he stated, “Shenandoah National Park is lovely. It is possibly the most wonderful national park I have ever been in, and, considering the impossible and conflicting demands put on it, it is extremely well run. Almost at once it became my favorite part of the Appalachian Trail.” (By the way, Bryson’s book is definitely worth a read if you have any inkling towards hiking/camping or have the slightest appreciation for humor). Matthews Arm is one of the three main campgrounds in the park. Big Meadows is the biggest and most popular (it has showers), but because of this it often fills up the quickest on weekends with lovely weather. Loft Mountain is too far a journey south through the park for my humble little Corolla. Therefore, Matthews Arm has been the campground of choice for most of my Shenandoah trips. It is well situated for anyone wanting to do a good deal of hiking. Some of the hikes are a bit of a drive from the grounds, but there are a few that can be accessed by foot from the site. Like I mentioned, Matthews Arm has no showers, but there is access to potable water and toilets/sinks (the real flushing kind too, what a treat!).
According to reports, “Shenandoah is said to have the highest density of black bears anywhere in the world – slightly over one per square mile” and I believe it. I’ve seen at least one black bear on each of my visits (except for the abbreviated trip to Big Meadows in early March) and I once saw three during a two day trip. Needless to say, don’t ignore the bear-factor in your planning. All food needs to be properly stored in a bear proof container, disposed of in a labeled campground dumpster, or you can take the lazy approach and shove it in your car during the night (I have often employed this tactic with dirty dishes after dark). The end result of this last tactic is usually a car smelling of pancakes and chili for the ride home, but at least the bears weren’t catching whiffs of this delightful smorgasbord downwind while you slept unawares.
A word of encouragement for the ursaphobic (I made that up): In my 4-5 camps at this park I have had no up-close encounters with bears . I have headed all park warnings and kept all food, dirty dishes, and food stained clothing in the car at night and that seems to have done the trick. I’m not promising you won’t have an encounter yourself, I’m just saying there are things you can do to avoid said-face-off. In fact I’ve had more instances at Hickory Run than here – but then again I camp at Hickory run far more frequently . For more bear-avoiding tips check this out: Backpackers.com.

Major Pros: AMAZING hikes nearby. This is the closest campground to Overall Run (the largest waterfall in the park). Shenandoah is beautiful and there are plenty of scenic outlooks of the mountains and valleys.
Major Cons: If you’re into showering daily, too bad. And watch out for bears and snakes.
Tips: 1) Baby wipes work just as well as showers. 2) When hiking in possible “bear territory” make loud noises occasionally: talk loud, clap, sing, etc. A surprised bear is an angry bear, so let them know you’re coming, unless of course they’re hungry and waiting…
Rating: 5/5

Beaver Pond Campground (Harriman State Park, NY)

If you're looking for a quiet weekend get-away in the Palisades region of New York, I'd suggest a trip to New York City. NYC should be a relaxing picture of serenity during summer weekends since much of the inhabitants seem to migrate to Harriman State Park. No, but seriously, with cramped camping quarters, loud ethnic music playing well past 10pm, and children crying well past midnight (and somehow waking up around 4am with just as much gusto) all that was missing were a few paved roads, pizza-joints, and maniacal taxi-drivers to complete the experience.

At Beaver Pond Campground, most of the sites are quite bare tree-wise and very close together, making the noise factor even more of a problem. I passed ear-plugs around to my entire family the second night of our stay and we all slept like babies (unlike the infants in the site across from us). A truck delivered firewood to sites for a certain fee each evening, but there was no general store to buy ice at unless you felt like walking across the entire campground and beach to the pond-store. Each night we watched an individual across from us attempt to chop firewood with a motion that slightly resembled an arachnaphobe slapping a giant spider while our other neighbors set up their fire pit with a display similar to Stonehenge in wood form perhaps with the hopes that some ancient energy would spread the spark to each independently standing log. I do recognize that as a family we have grown into quite a group of camping snobs and I'm sure that Harriman makes an excellent get-away for the NYC residents (it is only 30 minutes away from the city), but as a whole our stay was quite disappointing and at times verging on ridiculous.

The college-age employees seemed about as useful and knowledgeable as the cast from "Road Trip: Beer Pong," although slightly more sober due to the park's no alcohol policy. The girl behind the counter in the office was helpful enough, but the remainder of the motley crew seemed to loiter aimlessly about the campground flirting with each other and attempting to drive golfcarts down the hiking trails (which were about two shoulder breadths apart, hence the differentiation between "trail" and "road"). Granted, I may be slightly biased here seeing how after driving lost in NY for an hour (no NY state parks seem to be clearly marked, maybe sign-funding was cut due to the economic downturn) we arrived tired and on the verge of hysteria only to be reprimanded by a hot-shot youth for pulling across several parking spots (we had a 9-passenger van with a pop-up camper in tow). According to the numerically-challenged employee, they were expecting 200 reservations in the next 5 minutes (a daunting aspect for a campground of 140 sites) so we were forced to stick to strict traffic regulations in the then-empty parking lot during our 45 second reservation process.

In retrospect, our bad experience was probably as much our own fault as anyone's. The park's strong point is its many hiking trails (over 200 miles, including part of the AT) which we didn't take advantage of since our stay was more of a halfway camping break on our trek to Cape Cod rather than a backpacking trip. The one hike we did go on was pleasantly quiet, challenging, and picturesque though cut short by our decision to visit the pond in the morning. If given the chance again, I would reserve a camping spot in the A or W section (which seemed much more wooded) for a good couple days and spend most of the time on the hiking trails. Researching the trails beforehand would be useful, especially if there are maps online or in the library since they charge for maps at the campground.

Major Pros: Quiet hiking trails: the Appalachian Trail runs through the park, though not too close to Beaver Creek Campground according to employees (might want to look that one up).
Major Cons: Rather unfriendly employees, NYC influx, and golf carts on hiking trails. The campsites are sparsely wooded and cramped, quiet hours not-so enforced, only one water pump for the entire campground, no sinks to wash dishes in.
Tips: If you do camp here, try to get a site in either the A or W section. Both those seemed moderately wooded with much more personal space. Also, ask the Rangers for help/advice, not the college employees. Watch out for deer ticks (I found three after hiking). Lastly, when walking to the restrooms look at the roofs for the respective labels (mens/womens). The doors themselves are not labeled and my dad found himself in the womens room at one point due to this confusion.
Rating: ∆
Park Website

Five Blues, Belize

 Five Blues Lake National Park, Belize (Central America)


       Over 4000 acres of broadleaf tropical forest, limestone hills, and freshwater lagoons, this secluded national park is centered around an intensely blue lake (Five Blues Lake), thought to be 200 ft deep at some points. The park was established by the locals of St. Margaret village and is the only National Park in Belize managed by community-based organization. Orchid Island, in the center of Five Blues Lake, is covered with orchids in April and May.

     After getting off the bus at St Margarets you hike about 6 miles north along a winding track through acres of new citrus plantations to get to the actual park. Tourists had not frequented it in quite some time when we took our trip, so it all seemed very remote. We also did most of the hike to the park in the dark, which makes distance and difficulty hard to gauge. There was apparently once a Bed and Breakfast as well as mountain bike rentals near the lake, but we had the park completely to ourselves while we were there which only added to the experience. Floating around your own private vibrant blue lake with crystal clear water outweighs any insects or other pests you could come across. There are also nearby caves to explore as well close to 200 bird species within the park. All 5 species of wildcats within Belize have been spotted in the park, as well as howler monkeys, tapirs, gibnuts, peccaries and armadillos. We weren’t lucky enough to see any of the large mammals, but on several “bathroom breaks” in well wooded areas we were given quite a start by hearing a few of these species.

I will close this description with saying, of all the places I have been in all my travels (camping and non camping) this place is probably the one that I miss the most.

Major Pros: Having a crystal clear turquoise lake all to yourself.
Major Cons: If you don’t pack well, you might find yourself living off of tuna and peanut butter. While there we encountered a Fer de Lance (aka Bothrops Atrox), several scorpions, and large sounds from both the woods and lake. There kind of are no toilets. Also, in July 2006 Five Blues Lake mysteriously drained itself, with most of the water disappearing. Ecologists believe that the lake had been formed from a blockage that suddenly dissolved due to the lake's limestone formations. Since that time, the lake has again refilled, but you might want to hurry up and pay a visit before the natural plug gets pulled a second time.

Tips: Bring bug spray and long sleeves... and toilet paper. Try to start your hike through the village before 6pm. Hiking semi-lost in the woods in the dark in a foreign country can be a little unnerving.
Rating: ∆∆∆∆∆ (this undoubtedly ranks as one of my favorite places in the world thusfar)

Check it out: The Mysterious Case of Five Blues

Hickory Run, PA

Hickory Run State Park (near White Haven, PA)

My family has camped here every year for as long as I can remember, sometimes even twice a year. About 15500-acres, the park boasts more than 20 different hiking trails totaling over 40 miles. Ice-skating, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling is allowed in the winter, and Sand Spring Lake and Hawk Falls are always busy in the summer. Camping spots are almost all well shaded and spacious. My family goes on the same hikes every year and we always shoot for one of the camping sites near the playground/pond. It never gets old. The only major downside is that the little camp store has come under new management, and (to our shock and horror) no longer carries teaberry gum or small woodland animal figurines made in china (the latter is not such a loss).

They do, however, still carry the state-renown Lehigh Valley chocolate milk, unless of course you camp during our annual stay, in which case the store will be sold out due to Nik and Ricky's undying love for this delicacy (they have been known to buy several gallons in one day). The wildlife is also a plus. Each time we have camped we have seen tons of dear and about every other year we spot a bear or two. The most memorable bear experience of my Hickory Run camping generation was no doubt the time we had some neighbors pull into camp, unload an entire pick-up full of food onto their picnic table, and promptly leave the scene despite the signs tacked up every 5 feet reading "Beware of bears! Do not leave out food!" My entire family then watched with delight as two moderately sized black bears ransacked the feast (one of the many reasons that camping beats tv). We also had some personal food/trash stealing experience with raccoons and skunks. The best Hickory Run bear story by far though is from my mom's younger camping years when she and her uncles tried to convince my not-so-adventurous grandmother that

the mother bear and cubs crossing the street in front of their car were actually a family of black labradors. Knowing her, she probably fell for it. But even if you've got a touch of bearphobia, I'd still encourage a trip here. The hikes alone are well worth it.

Major pro: tons of beautiful hiking trails

Major cons: If you leave food out, it WILL be eaten by either skunks, raccoons, or bears… or a combination of the above.

Tip: Pack for colder weather than you'd expect. My mom had it snow in June during one of her stays...

Score: ∆∆∆∆ (4 tents)

Harpers Ferry, WV

I have gotten bored with this blog, so I am renovating. An idea struck me a little while ago, I love camping and hiking, I also am quite fond of complaining, why not review campgrounds? So I will. Here is my most recent venture:

KOA, Harpers Ferry, West VA
Been here once. KOA sadly stands for Kampgrounds Of America. I’ve been to two KOAs in my life, and each was outfitted with an arcade, a pool, and a moderately large grocery store/accessory salon/gift shop called a “campstore” that has anything camping or non-camping related that you ever could fool yourself into thinking that you needed. Yes, here in America we can even make CAMPING excessive: Feel like getting away from it all without really getting away from it all? KOA is perfect for you! Complete with movie theatre and free WiFi (no joke). In fact, the actual tent-sites at this KOA seemed like they were added in as more of an afterthought, as if after building the cabins, pool, arcade, indoor basketball court, oversized chess board, and inflated bouncy balloon they suddenly thought, “Oh wait, what if people want to actually camp here?” You can’t choose your site when making reservations like most campgrounds, not that it would have mattered much because most of the tent-sites were basically a hill with a tiny, flat, gravel area where you were forced to set up your tent. The Harpers Ferry area itself is fantastic. West VA, VA, and MD converge at the intersection of the Potomac and Shenandoah river. There is tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting along the rivers and both the C&O Canal biking path and Appalachian Trail meander through the region. There are some fantastic hiking trails with great views and a lot of historical sites to visit. So my advice? Check out the other campsites (which do NOT appear on a googlemaps, fyi) in the area. They will most likely be less expensive and more camp-like.

So for a quick sum-up...
Major pros: If you hate camping, you’ll love it here.
Major cons: If you love camping, you’ll regret not choosing a different campground.Tip: Don't use google maps to find good campgrounds

Score: ∆ (1 tent)