River Edge Resort and Steakhouse

Clark Fork River

Ruff Road Review

When you live full time in an RV, there comes a time that you need to grab a washboard and bucket or head to a full hook – up RV park to get the laundry done. That’s how we ended up at the River Edge Resort and Steakhouse just off of Interstate 90 near Alberton, Montana.

What does this park have to offer travelers?

This park is small but packs a lot of options for travelers. You can camp in the RV Park, which includes tent sites. There is a motel there, as well. Dirty clothes? Their laundry facilities worked great for us. Even though we have an on board washer and dryer, we opted use their facilities to get the job done quickly. If you like gambling, there is a casino there. Finally, you never have to leave the park because there is a full service restaurant on premises with yummy food and desserts. The restaurant even has a little gift shop area. They also will book customers for white water rafting trips. There really is a lot packed into this little park.

Local Area

We didn’t explore much in the area other than walking the pups down the quiet country road. There is a fishing area and lovely bridge about a mile from the park. We enjoyed poking around there and looking at the beautiful Clark Fork River.

Phone Service

Verizon worked great!

Dog Walking

You’ll have to utilize the nearby fishing trails and the frontage road, which is sparsely traveled to get a good walk in – for larger dogs that is. Smaller pups will probably be just fine walking around the RV park.

Short Stay, Worth It!

This stay was a short one but we enjoyed our time at River Edge Resort. The park is peaceful with most campers popping in for an overnight stay. You can’t beat the convenience to I90. There is a train track across the river from the park so expect to hear a train now and then.

If you are interested in learning more about River Edge Resort and Steakhouse, here’s their website: http://www.riveredgemt.com

What was our last stop in our trek from Oregon to Florida? We had an awesome boondocking experience at Cabela’s in Post Falls, Idaho!

https://ruffroadrvlife.com/boondocking-cabelas-post-falls-idaho/

About Us

We are two retired, full time traveling RVers with two dogs who keep us on the go! You can follow us on our You Tube Channel, Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw

https://www.facebook.com/Ruff-Road-RV-Life-775489835979588/

https://www.instagram.com/ruff_road_rv_life/

We are heading on down the road…to our next adventure…

“We like looking at freedom!”

Safe travels to all!

Boondocking: Cabela’s, Post Falls, Idaho

Boondocking Cabela's Post Falls Idaho

Ruff Road Review

This stay was another first for us! We enjoyed two days of boondocking at Cabela’s in Post Falls, Idaho! I had scheduled us to stop in Post Falls, Idaho for two days so we could buy groceries before moving on to our next scheduled campground, River Edge Resort and Steakhouse, in Montana. Since this was just an overnight stop, I decided on one night at Cabela’s and one night at the nearby Walmart. We pulled into the Cabela’s parking lot in Post Falls, Idaho and found plenty of room for us and the other few RVs there. When we went in to check on staying there for the night, we found the most genuine and welcoming people. Wow! We signed in and by this time had decided to stay both nights there.

Boondocking at Post Falls – Friendly Folks!

Now, it was amazing enough to be warmly greeted but this stop held some other fabulous surprises. Of course, the budget worthy food prices, friendly staff and tasty food in the cafe brought us back more than once. We don’t eat out often but every now and then we enjoy a meal out for something different. While I’m on food, Cabela’s has fudge! I’m not much for sweets, but I do love some fudge every now and then. Of course, no visit to a fudge shop is complete unless a fudge purchase is made and it’s wrapped up, tucked into a pretty box, along with a miniature knife that I will typically open as soon as I’m out of the store!

But wait, there’s more!

The best part of our stop here at Cabela’s is the location. We headed out for a dog walk, walking behind the store and down the dirt road. There, not far from the store, we found ourselves on the rocky shores of the crystal clear Spokane River. What a treat! This place was peaceful and a little surreal in the mornings especially. We hopped from rock to rock and the pups enjoyed frolicking in and around the water.

Area Parks

Since we had a little time, we drove around the area and checked out some nearby parks. Apparently tubing is a popular summer past time here because a couple of these parks were slammed with people and tubes. We did find a scenic park, small but scenic. Falls Park has a playground, picnic areas, pond, dam, gorge, and trails. We enjoyed this little slice of Idaho.

Walmart Nearby

Now a word about the Walmart, less than one mile from the Cabela’s. We scheduled our grocery pick-up there and found the same welcoming, “we’re glad you’re here” attitude as we’d encountered at Cabela’s! The staff who brought out our groceries answered questions about the area and made suggestions on places we might want to visit. They welcome RVers there and we saw a few RVs overnighting in the parking lot.

By the way, if you have not considered Walmart Grocery Pick-Up, I encourage you to check it out. That is unless you like going in various, different stores and trying to find your grocery items among throngs of people. A trip to Walmart is nice sometimes, but for grocery shopping, we like pulling up, paying, and heading out without the hassle. After many pick-ups across many states, we’ve not had one bad experience.

Final Thoughts

So, is it a Post Falls thing? Is everyone this welcoming and friendly? We had a great experience hanging out and boondocking at Cabela’s in Post Falls for a couple of days.

For future reference, I now know that Coeur d’Alene is less than ten miles east of Post Falls. That is a place you may have heard of and definitely a place worth checking out. It is breathtakingly beautiful! Next time…

For now, we are on our way to Alberton, Montana, ever so gradually making our way back to Florida.

Check out our previous stay in Washington at Hood Park, Army Corps of Engineers campground.

https://ruffroadrvlife.com/hood-park-washington/

About Us

We are two retired, full time traveling RVers with two dogs who keep us on the go!
You can follow us on our You Tube channel, Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw?view_as=subscriber
https://www.facebook.com/Ruff-Road-RV-Life-775489835979588/

https://www.instagram.com/ruff_road_rv_life/

We are heading on down the road…to our next adventure…
“We like looking at freedom!”
Safe travels to all!

Hood Park, Washington

Ruff Road Review

Just off of I90 in Washington, near the town of Burbank, is a US Army Corps of Engineers park called Hood Park. Hood Park is located on the shores of Lake Wallula and the Snake River which flows into the Columbia River.

Fun fact: Lewis and Clark camped near here where the Snake River flows into the Columbia River. You can visit this location which is now Sacajawea State Park.

What does Hood Park have to offer?

Hood Park is a picture perfect park like setting with sprawling shade trees and lush green grass. Even though it is a larger campground with 67 campsites, each site is spacious with plenty of room between sites. All sites provide a view of the water. The park has electric hook-ups but you will need to use your on board water. There are many water faucets around the campground to fill jugs and you can fill your tank with fresh water at the dump station.

Things to do:

Boating Swimming Fishing Bike Trail nearby! We enjoyed kayaking these waters.

Kayak sitting on the shore of the Columbia River
On the shores of the Columbia River, where Lewis and Clark once camped.

Dog Walking Report: Park roads and walking trails around fishing ponds provide ample room to walk dogs.

What about phone service?

Verizon works great at Hood Park. We only use Verizon, but according to Trip Wizard reviews, T Mobile, Sprint, and ATT also work here.

Where have we been? Where are we going?

We are gradually making our way from Oregon back to Florida. You can check out our trip to Oregon from Florida on our channel playlist, Full Time RV Life- Campgrounds from Florida to Oregon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwigIQJQWqc&list=PLm8lskmqAcnMNY1zzxKNXYHmIgpLbeQAR

Our last stop was LePage Park in Oregon. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/oregon-camping-lepage-park/

We enjoyed five days at Hood Park before hitting the road and heading to Idaho. After a peek at Idaho, we are on to Montana, and South Dakota. Our route will then take a dive south. Stay tuned for more reviews, full time RV life tips, and adventures.

About Us:

Our names are Gary and Sharon. We live and travel full time in our RV, Ruff Road, with our two half husky sisters, Terra and Luna. We share lessons learned, places we’ve visited, and provide videos and pictures of campgrounds in our Ruff Road Reviews. Subscribe to follow the journey. You can follow us on our You Tube channel, Facebook and Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw?view_as=subscriber

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Ruff-Road-RV-Life-775489835979588/posts/

https://www.instagram.com/ruff_road_rv_life/

“We like looking at freedom!” Safe travels!

LePage Park, Oregon

Ruff Road Review

Peaceful little campground just off of I84 in Oregon.

We left the lush coast of Oregon and headed east. Thus began our slow trek towards Florida. However, we had one more stay in Oregon, not the lush rainforest environment we’d enjoyed the past couple of weeks, but the high desert environment that has its own majestic beauty. We found a peaceful stay at LePage Park, an Army Corps of Engineers park, right off of I84.

How to Get to LePage Park- From the Oregon Coast

First, the route to get there from the coastal area was beautiful! We left the coast and drove towards Portland then on to I84 which runs along the Columbia River Gorge. Here’s where I wished I could wing it, because this is an interesting area to explore. We filed this away for future trips.

Heads up: This route can have some strong wind gusts but we did fine even though it was windy that day already.

LePage Park is right off of I84 on exit 114. The exit dumps you right into the park. That’s the only place you can go. When you leave the park, you follow the ramp to rejoin I84. Even though the park is right next to an interstate, the road noise was not bad. You might hear the rumbling from vehicles crossing the bridge or a train now and then from the tracks on the other side. None of this bothered us during our stay.

Campsites

The park is located on the John Day River which flows into the Columbia River on the other side of the bridge. There are only 22 electric and water sites with only one of those being first come, first serve. That spot was claimed for several days when we arrived. No worries, though, we had reservations. In addition, there are 20 primitive treed tent sites set on a lush grassy area. These filled up on the weekend, but the area was wide open during the week.

Things to Do

LePage Park offers a boat ramp, play ground, fishing, swimming area, and provides enough space to walk your dogs. We saw big horn sheep, a mink, and an eagle while there.

Phone Service

Heads Up: Verizon service did not work there. We could sometimes call out but the calls would drop without warning. If you head ten minutes back to the west, you’ll find a McDonalds in a Pilot with good wifi. Pilot offers wifi, as well. That’s where we headed when we needed wifi.

We Recommend this Park

All in all, we had a great stay at LePage Park. It’s a quiet, little peaceful park along I84 in Oregon. Next stop, Hood Park in Washington.

Lepage Park in Oregon

About Us

We are two happy retirees living full time in our RV, Ruff Road, with our two dogs. Our travels have taken us across the USA. We’ve only just begun to see this great country. We share campground reviews, a look at places that we’ve visited, tips and lessons learned along the way.

Here is our story.

https://ruffroadrvlife.com/about-us/

Resources

Follow the journey! You can also follow us on our You Tube Channel, Facebook, or Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw

https://www.facebook.com/Ruff-Road-RV-Life-775489835979588/?view_public_for=775489835979588

https://www.instagram.com/ruff_road_rv_life/

“We like looking at freedom!”

Happy travels!

San Isabel Lake Camping

Ruff Road Review

San Isabel Lake- Yes, you can camp here!

My Happy Place- San Isabel

San Isabel Lake is a beautiful blue lake a few miles off of Interstate 25 south of Pueblo, Colorado. It’s been the location of many trips while in Colorado, but I never had the opportunity to camp there. That is not until this year. This year, I finally enjoyed a San Isabel Lake camping trip at the La Vista Campground. No, we didn’t take Ruff Road this time. Gary stayed back at Ruff Road and took care of all the animals while I went camping with family. Bonus for me, I got to sleep in a tent. As a backpacker, I love sleeping in a tent! We also had a pop-up camper so we did have some conveniences, which was nice when it rained.

Campground View at Sunset

La Vista Campground, one of San Isabel’s campgrounds, offers primitive tent camping (walk in sites) and electric RV sites. Water is available but you need to have your own on board water or bring water jugs. There are many vault toilets and trash bins- clean!

Our Class A Would Fit Here!

We had a great time and this trip allowed me to see the campsites firsthand. In the future, we would like to take Ruff Road. However, until now we were unsure if the sites could accommodate our rig. It is in a mountainous area and we are still newbies at RVing in the mountains. After walking around the La Vista campground and seeing all of the rigs there, I know we won’t have any problem. We were considering the St. Charles primitive camping area, however after checking that out I know that it wouldn’t work for us. Also, I share a peek at the Southside Campground in the video which is primitive as well.

Serene Setting

The pictures of San Isabel Lake are stunning. It is surrounded by mountains, wildflowers, evergreens, and aspens. A clear running, rocky creek with large boulders runs into the lake. In addition, there are birds, deer, and other wildlife in the area. Indeed, it is a serene setting for camping.

Things to do

You can enjoy a peaceful walk around the lake. You could go all the way around but you’d need to walk along the highway for a short while. There are paths throughout the picnic area and trails nearby. However, there is much to do here besides taking a stroll.
You can…
Hike
Bike
Fish
Picnic
Kayak, canoe, paddleboard (non-motorized boats only)
Rent a paddle boat or row boat (from the Lodge at San Isabel)
Wildlife viewing
ATV Trail
Camp
Visit The Lodge at San Isabel for a tasty meal, pick up camping groceries, yummy fudge, or a gift. You can even rent a cabin here.

Visiting San Isabel- More Information

If you are interested in camping at San Isabel Lake campgrounds or just visiting it for the day, it’s an easy drive there just 42 miles south of Pueblo, Colorado off of I25, 87 miles south of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The drive is easy graded from I25 as you drive up to San Isabel on Colorado State Highway 165 for the final 18 miles of the trip.

You can reserve a campsite at Recreation.gov.

They do have walk-up campsites, which are reserved for first-come, first-serve campers. I hope this helps you if you are ever traveling the I25 corridor in Colorado and are looking for a great place to camp or visit for the day. The campgrounds are open seasonally and dates vary by year and according to the weather. In general, the timeline is mid May to mid September. The recreation area can be visited year round but you can expect there to be snow and the lake will ice over in the winter.

Online Resources

Check out our Ruff Road Review of San Isabel on our You Tube channel, Ruff Road RV Life at this site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R2iTb32kuc

You can read about our story on this site. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/about-us/

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Personal-Blog/Ruff-Road-RV-Life-775489835979588/
http:// https://www.instagram.com/ruff_road_rv_life/

I really “liked looking at freedom” from our campsite at San Isabel!
See you on the road!

Black Mesa State Park, Oklahoma

Ruff Road Review

Our campsite at Black Mesa State Park.

Black Mesa State Park is located in the northwestern panhandle of Oklahoma. We stayed a week here and enjoyed the peacefulness of this location. Also, Gary enjoyed some really good fishing along the creek that feeds Lake Carl Etling. There are a couple of little trails here with one that provides a birds eye view of the park and the lake.

Watch out for…

Beware of the prickly things, the varying cacti and plants that are in the area. This was our first encounter with prickly plants while walking our dogs so we were a little stressed they were going to end up with a nose full of needles. We managed to avoid that but we did have to remove prickly burrs from their paws on several occasions. Still, there are plenty of roads and trails to walk your dogs. Just watch their feet.

Wildlife

Additionally, this park is teeming with wildlife. Deer, turkeys, rabbits, and a variety of birds entertained our dogs starting very early in the morning with turkeys strutting right in front of Ruff Road. We even saw antelope on the road to the park! Of course, Gary would say the fishing was the best wildlife in the park. Make sure you know the fishing “rules” in Oklahoma. This is one state that he did spring for a fishing license.

Thinks to do: Here and Nearby

If you are the adventurous type, you can visit nearby Black Mesa Nature Preserve and hike to the top of the mesa. However, it isn’t that close at 15 miles away. We didn’t get to check it out in this visit. Maybe next time. However, I did kayak the small lake here and rode my bike on the sparsely traveled roads. It’s a beautiful setting.

You will be in the middle of nowhere!

Important: Make sure you have fuel and food before arriving at this park. You won’t find any nearby.

Also, be prepared for limited or non-existent phone service. We have Verizon and had no service. The ranger station does have wifi you can connect to and if you are lucky it will reach your site. It was hit or miss at our site, mostly miss. If we needed to text or check the weather, we would just go to the ranger station. It’s an easy walk from all of the sites.

Did we love it?

Overall, this campground is one of our favorites so far on our westward trek to Oregon. We kayaked, fished, hiked, and enjoyed watching sunrises, sunsets, night skies, and wildlife here. The campground fills up on the weekends so plan accordingly. Make a reservation ahead of time. Make your reservations at www.travelok.com.

https://www.travelok.com/

However, during the week we had the campground to ourselves. We visited the park in April.

Online Resources

Check out our Ruff Road Review of Black Mesa State Park on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9kPiDx4qo&feature=youtu.be

You can view all of our campground and outings on our You Tube channel, Ruff Road RV Life. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw?view_as=subscriber

Who are we? Check out our About Us page on this website: https://ruffroadrvlife.com/about-us/

“We like looking at freedom!” See you on the road…

Fort Supply Lake Campground, Oklahoma

Camping on the Water

Ruff Road Review

What does Fort Supply Campground have to offer?

Oh, Fort Supply Lake Campground! When the wind wasn’t blowing it was amazing for walking, biking, kayaking, and fishing. When the wind was blowing, just buckle down but enjoy the sound of the lake lapping against the shoreline. We enjoyed a week at this US Army Corps of Engineers campground. Our site was a pull through waterfront site with water and electric. That was great for fishing or launching our kayak right from our site. There are several camping areas along Ft. Supply Lake. The sites do not have brush in between them but provide plenty of space between them. Most sites provide a water view and there are several waterfront sites.

Sunrises, Sunsets, Moon, and Water

Do you love sunrises and sunsets and water? This park has breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. It’s our TV, just watching the colors change. There’s nothing better than watching a stunning sunrise from your bedroom window while nestled snug in bed. Bonus, the moon was full during our stay. What a sight that was as the full moon rose over the water!

Fort Supply Campground Location

Ft. Supply Campground is located near the very small town of Ft. Supply in northwest Oklahoma. Woodward is the nearest larger town about 12 miles away. Sites can be reserved at Recreation.gov. We would stay here again!

See This and Other Campgrounds on our Westward Trip

Check out our Ruff Road Review of Fort Supply on our You Tube channel, Ruff Road RV Life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLEjhE6in8U&t=16s

In this series, we are heading west. Follow along…last stop was Coon Creek Campground in Oklahoma. Here’s the link to read about it: https://ruffroadrvlife.com/coon-creek-campground-oklahoma/

If you’d like to see Coon Creek Campground, you can watch our Ruff Road Review on our You Tube Channel, Ruff Road RV Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpNpvbutBk&t=1s


Enjoying the journey…”We like looking at freedom!”

Coon Creek Campground, Oklahoma

Ruff Road Review

Overview

Coon Creek Campground, Oklahoma was our home for a week this spring. Read on for our Ruff Road Review of Coon Creek Campground! If you want a visual, check out our You Tube Coon Creek Campground, Oklahoma Ruff Road Review: https://youtu.be/qBpNpvbutBk

Our site was a WINDY site, but oh so pretty! We had sunrises AND sunsets! Coon Creek Campground is a US Army Corps of Engineers campground is located on Kaw Lake in north central Oklahoma. Kaw Lake, completed in 1976 by damming the Arkansas River and flooding the original Kaw City, required the town of Kaw City to be relocated. This campground is on a peninsula providing beautiful waterviews from every campsite. Coon Creek Campground is one of several US Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds around the lake. Due to the size of this 17,000 acre lake, you’ll find there are miles between this campground and other the other campgrounds and recreational areas around the lake.

Things to do

What is there to do? Well, first of all, anything that involves water: fishing, boating, kayaking, swimming. You’ll find a boat ramp here and you can hand launch your kayak on the Coon Creek cove area, which is just down the hill from our campsite. Kayaking Coon Creek, will reward you with a clear, rock bottomed, flowing stream with high banks. You will have to get out and pull your kayak over the shallow areas but this little trip is peaceful, scenic, and full of birds. It’s refreshing to wade in the cool, clear, rushing water.

There’s a playground for the kiddos near the boat ramp camping area. If you have dogs to walk or just like to walk, this campground offers a few miles of campground roads and open fields to check out. Watch your pups though, there are catfish heads and bones just left laying around in the grass. You can bike these roads and even head out on the quiet roads leading to the campground. There are hiking and equestrian trails on the other side of the lake, but since that was miles away, we skipped it.

Nearby, you can visit Kaw Dam and fish in the Arkansas River as it flows away from the dam. Finally, sightseeing and birdwatching are rewarding at this park and in the area. Of course, hanging out at camp made the list of things to do with beautiful sunset views. Ahhhh!

Phone Service

We can only speak for Verizon phone service here. We had service, no problems.

Noise Level

Overall, this was a quiet campground especially on the peninsula end where we were. The windiest area of the campground is the peninsula point area. You can expect wind noise there. There was less wind in the boat ramp area and more campers clustered there. It may have been more noisy in that area due to the higher number of campers, however that was only on the weekend. Still, we found it quiet and peaceful as we walked through those areas during the week.

Campground Views

Water, water everywhere! Across the water you see bluffs and far off sandy shores. We loved the grassy open spaces with blooming trees. In addition, there were shady areas below spring green leaves dancing in the wind. Most campsites provided views of sunrises and sunsets.

Cleanliness

Ok, we’ll have to be honest with this one. We wish that the bathrooms were cleaned regularly, they were not. Also, we wished that fishermen would not throw their dead fish on the ground and just leave it there. Did you know that dogs are in danger of getting hooked if a hook is still in a dead fish? Fortunately, our dogs did not get hooked but we had to watch closely to make sure they didn’t get stabbed by fish bones and catfish spines. Any other incidental plastic bags or trash we think could be attributed to the gusting winds that prevail in that area. Generally speaking, the campsites were clean and well maintained though That’s a plus!

Campsites

The campsites are large providing space between you and your neighbors. You won’t find any brush buffers here, but the campsites are quite spread out giving you the feeling of your own space. The campsites are large but spaced closer together in the boat ramp area. Still, the sites have more room than your typical private campground. Several sites had covered picnic tables, nice! Our site did not. Heads up, if you want to enjoy camping on the point of the peninsula, expect the wind to be much stronger there. The views are worth it though.

Conclusion

Coon Creek Campground on Kaw Lake, a US Army Corps of Engineers campground, is easy to drive to, easy to park your rig due to the openess of the sites, and scenic. We loved this openess and the views. However, we didn’t love the wind but we had some really good days during our stay there. Perhaps it was just the time of year. We didn’t love the messy bathrooms and fish heads strewn about. Also, just as a heads up to those who love full pressure hot showers, the shower water in our bathhouse was not adjustable and would be considered barely lukewarm. Still, the good outweighed the bad and we really enjoyed this campground. The campsites were reasonably priced and bonus, if you have the America the Beautiful or Access Pass, the rates are 50% off. Worth it! We give Coon Creek a Ruff Road Review thumbs up!

Check out more of our campground reviews right here or on our You Tube Channel, Ruff Road RV Life. See you on the road!

“We like looking at freedom!”

Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas Ruff Road Review

A look at a campsite

Overview

Ruff Road is heading west, steadily and slowly from Florida. One stop along our journey was Lake Ouachita State Park located on Arkansas’ largest lake. This park is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest and close to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Our stay was one week at the end of March. We found this park scenic and just what I needed for a mountain fix and Gary needed for a water fix! You can check out Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas Ruff Road Review on our You tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c7nqegyVC8. You will be able to see the campground and park areas to get a clearer idea of what this beautiful park looks like.

Things to Do

What is there to do at Lake Ouachita State Park in Arkansas? You can hike, bike, fish, sightsee, kayak, and boat. Additionally, swimming, skiing, and scuba diving are three more activities listed on the park’s website, but we were there off season and it was still a little chilly. Also, there are boat launches and a full service marina with boat and kayak rentals. Of course, the kids can enjoy the playground near the marina. Important to us, this park is pet-friendly with dog pots and bags located around the area and plenty of room to walk your fur babies. There are day use areas, camping, cabins and on site is the historic Three Sisters Springs. The ranger station has a gift shop and they do have ranger led activities.

What did we do while here? Of course, we went on lots of dog walks, kayaked,and hung out at camp.

Hiking: There are two hiking trails here and miles of camp roads for walking. The Caddo Bend trail is four miles long and provides nice views of the lake as you follow the trail. However, it can be a little challenging due to ups, downs, and rocks. It is designated as “strenuous” according to the brochure. If you want an easier walk to the point or back, there is a service road that the trail crosses several times. There are deer here so if you are hiking with a dog who gets excited around wildlife, be aware. Additionally, there is a shorter half mile long trail called the Dogwood Trail. This one meanders along in a loop through the wooded hillside. The difficulty rating for this trail is “easy”.

Kayak: I kayaked around the peninsula here and in the little coves along the way. There are rocky cliffs and boulders in some areas and colorful rocks along some shores. The clear water and the mountains surrounding the lake made a peaceful paddle. Unfortunately, it was too windy to kayak on some days, but when it wasn’t it was amazing.

Hanging out at Camp: Finally, we enjoyed just hanging out with the ruffs at our waterfront campsite. It was simply peaceful to just be in this space surrounded by water, mountains, and trees. We watched and listened to the many birds here. My favorite times are when we have our propane firepit brightly burning, Gary playing the guitar, and ruffs curled up at our feet. Ahhh. Good times.

Phone Service

How was the phone service at Lake Ouachita State Park? Well, I drove ahead and tried to call Gary to warn him about a steep hill entering into the camping area and he wouldn’t answer. That’s when we learned that we had no service in that specific area. We had limited service at our campsite. The ranger station had wifi that we could use anytime if needed. In case you are wondering about the hill, it was fine and looked worse than it was.

Noise Level

Lake Ouachita State Park was quiet during our stay. It wasn’t full but there were quite a few campers. Overall, peaceful and quiet.

Park Views

One feature we love about Lake Ouachita State Park is the views. Almost every site has waterviews and mountain views. As a bonus, many sites are waterfront. The sites are large, with trees and grass. Each site in our area had a gravel tent pad and a concrete pad for rvs. There is plenty of space between each site. Our site was waterfront although we did have a steep little walk to get to the water. Still, we were able to launch the kayak from our backyard and retrieve it up the hill.

Cleanliness

Lake Ouachita State Park is clean. We have stayed at a few parks with a little litter here and there, including many dead fish or fish bones. That was not the case at this park. We found it very clean, including the bath house. Nice job, Lake Ouachita State Park!

Campsites

Lake Ouachita State Park really spoiled us with 50 amp service, sewer and water hook ups! We stayed at site #25. There are 93 campsites with 58 being full service and the rest being walk-in sites or no hook up sites. Also, they have full service cabins with all the comforts of home. You can reserve a site or cabin on Reserve America. https://www.reserveamerica.com/

Would we stay here again? Yes, indeed. We enjoyed our stay at Lake Ouachita State Park. As a bonus, this park is close to Hot Springs and Hot Springs National Park where you can visit historic bath houses and dip your hands into the warm water flowing from the earth there. Look for our Ruff Road Review of Hot Springs in pictures coming soon.

If you would like to see a video of Lake Ouachita State Park, check out the link in the first paragraph. We want to share pictures and videos of the places that we stay because that information isn’t always available for every campground. We wish that it was available as explained in our last post, Campground Reviews: Ruff Road Reviews. https://ruffroadrvlife.com/blog/

Stay tuned for more Ruff Road Reviews as we continue our trek west!

“We like looking at freedom!”

You Tube Channel: Ruff Road RV Life

We’re on the road living the RV life, slowly moving to the west. Now that we are mobile, we’ll be sharing more content with you. Check out our You Tube channel, Ruff Road RV Life, to see the places we visit and RV life lessons learned. We will be posting at least once a week, unless we are in a no service/ limited service area. It happens even with Verizon.

How has the journey been so far? We have loved every campground to date. We have enjoyed the perfect combination of water and woods. The Ruffs, Terra and Luna, are loving the water and the wooded walks. We are enjoying colorful sunrises and sunsets in addition to our healthy walk- abouts throughout the day.

Is it what we imagined? Yes indeed, and more! We’ll be sharing these experiences as we travel. We’ve settled into a regular routine but we are flexible. For example, we went to lunch one day and learned about a nearby museum. So off we went for longer than expected visiting this museum. We love the varying window views as we move from place to place. We’ve enjoyed the benefit of 50 amp service and sewer hook-ups so bathing and laundry was no problem.

Follow along! Let us know if you have any questions about full time RV life. If you are full-time rving, share your experiences, we’d love to hear. If you have a website or You Tube channel, comment and share so we can learn from you. Below are the links to our You Tube Channel and to our latest posted video. Subscribe so you’ll know when we upload. Ruff Road rolling on…”We like looking at freedom.”

Ruff Road RV Life You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRpIFHJItKn3X_7DKY77Mw/featured?view_as=subscriber

You Tube Ruff Road RV Life, Paul B. Johnson State Park, Mississippi Ruff Road Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGjYfoWeJE&t=105s

Check out our previous post on this site, “We Are on the Road, Living the Full-Time RV Life” :

https://ruffroadrvlife.com/blog/