Welcome to our (very personal) reviews of the campsites we have visited. If you arrived here from a link on our travel blog, Semi-True Tales of Our Life On the Road, you can click here to read all of our campground reviews.

If you would like to know more about me, or contact us, click on "Who are We?" (to the right). For more information about what you can expect to find in these reviews, click on "About These Reviews". Finally, a note about the photos: hover your cursor over a photo to read the caption, or click the photo to enlarge it.

Friday, April 24, 2009

CAL EXPO RV PARK, SACRAMENTO, CA

This outdated review has been removed. Please click here to read our review dated November 29, 2011.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

PLACERVILLE ELKS LODGE, SHINGLE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

A more recent review of this Elks Lodge is available, dated October 27, 2010. No change, except the price has gone up to $17/night.
Our Opinion: Recommend. This is a newer lodge with large, level RV parking in an appealing, hilly setting.

Date of Stay: April 1 - 5, 2009. Sunny and springlike: highs in upper 60's to low 70's, lows in 30's and 40's. Some wind.

Sites: Eight 30 amp E and water sites, one 50 amp E/W site. NO DUMP on site. Sites are graveled, wide, and level. All sites are back-ins. Space available for drycamping, but it is quite sloped.

Rate: $15 with water and electricity.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones signal; aircard on Broadband, 4 bars. Tall oaks may obstruct TV satellite in west-facing sites. Several TV stations on antenna. Local NPR on 90.9 and 91.3.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Flat, level parking area in a hilly landscape at 1,390’ elevation. Views of large oaks, lodge and local light commercial/industrial businesses.

Lighting/Noise: Traffic noise from busy nearby road noise. A dog-grooming and pet-boarding facility next door is sometimes noisy during the day. Night time lighting is moderate, high, bright “streetlight” type lighting that is more or less intrusive depending on where you are parked.

Favorite Sites: Most sites are the same, though site 6, facing west, has 50 amps. Sites 7 and 2 are shorter than the other sites, the only sites not suitable for a big rig.

Hiking/Walking: Head south over the hill to access little used paved roads in an undeveloped area.

Comments: A much-better-than-average Elks RV parking area convenient to shopping and services, to Sacramento, and to small, historic, Placerville. Very friendly and active lodge. Nearest dump station is a crowded gas station a few miles away. Back Forty Texas BBQ, about a mile east, has good BBQ ribs and brisket.