Reviews written by larryf

Stayed for a couple nights but could only get dry camping. $18 a night for dry camping is a bit high for being allowed to park on gravel with no hook-ups. Dry camping was almost empty. Wi-Fi worked well. We didn't use the restrooms. Weather was nice. A few rows of FHU sites were closed off, although a RV came in behind us and parked in one of the sites. Not sure how that happened, since reservations aren't taken. The...

Stopped by to view the camp sites, cabanas, and the beach. I updated the information on this site and uploaded some new photos. The Marine base is fairly large but finding the cabanas using the directions on this site was easy. The camp sites are rustic and for tents only (a small van might fit). There's porta-potties in the area. The cabanas look fairly small and old, but I'm sure they would be fine for a short vacation. As with...

Stopped by to research this recreation area and update the website. I also uploaded several new photos and a short video of the recreation area. Bellows AFS Recreation Center was much larger than I expected. This is a full featured recreation area. There's several types and sizes of recreational lodging, family campsites, and group campsites. In addition to the beautiful private beaches, there's disc golf, miniature golf, a driving range, and a game room. There's a small store and snack/cafe...

Stopped by to view the beach and cottages. I updated the information on this site and uploaded several new photos. This recreation area is located about 45 minutes from Honolulu, but that makes the location quieter than near the city. Getting there is pretty easy. The beach was a bit busy, but the cottages looked quiet and relaxing. The Beach House dining facility was also pretty busy. Looking at the menu, there's a good selection of meals and much more...

Visited the beach and cottages to learn more about them. I updated the information on this site and loaded several new photos. The beach and parking lot was extremely busy, but it was a Sunday afternoon with great sunny weather. The cottages are located directly on the beach and are "somewhat" controlled to prevent non-guests from getting near the cottages or the beach in front of them. There seems to be a theft problem in the parking lot. However, cottage...

Took a drive out to Tappen Springs. Nice area, located among the pine trees. Nice views of the nearby mountains. There's a combination of open spaces, and space among the pine trees. There's also a few small concrete pads with BBQ pedestals. This is open camping, so there's no designated sites. Just find an area you like and setup camp. Although primarily used as a hunting base camp, it can also just be a remote camping area.

We were worried if there would be any spaces available for our week's stay. However, the campground never got above 50% occupied during our visit. Nice, small campground located in the pine trees. Good location for local sightseeing and the Grand Canyon. Camp hosts were very nice and helpful. They were constantly in the campground keeping it clean. Restrooms and showers were very clean. I thought it funny that they charge an extra $5 to use the dump, even for...

Excellent weather during our short visit. Campground is quiet and relaxing in the outdoors. Love the smell of the pine trees. However, the dirt roads can get dusty. There are also various types of mountain lodging available. They are going to have a huge July 4th celebration soon. Wish we could have been there for that! Reception staff was pleasant,

We originally had a 7-day reservation. 5 days into our reservation, the FamCamp closed due to COVID-19. However, they allowed anyone already in the FamCamp to stay until they opened again. If we left, we wouldn't be able to return. Following the "stay at home" guidelines, we decided to stay put. We live in our motorhome, so this was a new home base for awhile. The camp hosts were very friendly and we saw them everyday. Although they weren't working...

We spent a couple days at this new FamCamp. Lance in the office greeted us and was fantastic! Being a new facility, everything was in great shape. We had made a reservation, which was easy, but wasn't necessary. There were less than a dozen RV's in the park during our stay, but the weather was still above 100F degrees. Everything worked perfectly. The restroom and showers are new and modern. The large laundry room had 3 washers and 3 dryers...

Spent a couple nights while traveling through the area. No problems finding the FamCamp following the directions on this site. The campground was full when we arrived, but was greeted by Chuck, the camp host, who offered us an overflow site with 50amp electric. Great! They ran electrical extension cords in several places to provide overflow guests with electric. A very nice courtesy. There's several residents who have stayed in the campground for more than a few months. The host...

We called the same day for a reservation - no problems. We just spent one night in a FHU pull-thru site in the old "wagon wheel" area. We met a host on the way in who showed us to our site. We called the next day to make payment. All went well. We didn't do anything and barely left the rig. We were just looking for a spot to spend the night and run the A/C. It was still above...

We had reservations for a week in a full hook-up site, but got delayed on our travels and had to cancel. We lost our 1-day deposit. We did eventually make it to the campground, but had to take a "primitive" site with water and electric. We liked the site, and the $15 a night savings. Nice view of the lake out our window. Sites in the primitive area are first-come and not all level. Some sites do have 50amp electric....

We spent 4 months here over the 2019/2020 winter. Even coming in mid-October, it was a bit difficult getting a site for the long-term stay. There's a variety of sites from old to new, from small to huge. We ended up in a site that was small and very close to our neighbors. The park had a few activities planned. The base is quiet but has a decent Exchange and a large commissary. The hosts and office staff were friendly....

We enjoyed our visit to Camp Carlson Recreation area. The campground isn't a fancy RV park, but it's clean and quiet. Laundry s $1 a load and $1 to dry. The campground was less than 80% occupied during our late season visit. No problems with Verizon or satellite. We enjoyed visiting many of the local attractions, including Mammoth Cave. I felt $30 a night (FHU back-in) was a little high, but many military campgrounds are getting this way. The office...

We enjoyed our week stay at this FamCamp. Of course, we visited the museum for a few days. The FamCamp is very reasonably priced and is kept in good condition. There were no signs of "homesteading", although you're allowed to stay up to 6 months. Camp hosts were nice and helpful. Sure, the drive to the FamCamp seems long, but you're on the other side of the base, on the lake, away from the main base action. Commissary and Exchange...