Full-time Airstream Life: May/June Camping Reviews

Wow did we keep a fast pace for the month of May! We knew it was going to be a fast turnaround to get from Tennesse to Washington in less than a month, but living through it was hectic! We covered eight states in just over three weeks and definitely felt like we shortchanged a few locations. In fact, we didn't even count Illinois or Kansas on our state sticker map because we felt like we were actually in Missouri for both of those destinations. Again, we ended up much closer to our original goal of $750 a month on camping expenses and are looking forward to seeing how much lower we can go as we head back to the Western US where there is much more free land on which to camp. Read on for our review of our May and June camping.

Mammoth Cave Campground in Mammoth Cave National Park

Our first quick stop after leaving Tennessee was Mammoth Cave National Park. We were fairly surprised at how green and lush Kentucky was, and the park was no exception. National Park campground are generally a low price camping option at $20-25 per night, but most often come without hookups. In our opinion, it is worth the price to be able to explore the park without a long drive in. If you book a trip to Mammoth Cave, make sure to book your cave tour well in advance as they sell out!

The view of the arch from the DraftKings RV park

We had heard from multiple sources that East Saint Louis, Illinois can be a little on the sketchy side, but we never felt unsafe in this park. It was a basic park with no trees and asphalt and gravel for the sites, but it was hard to beat having this gorgeous view of the arch from our site! In fact, we were able to see Tabitha in the RV park when we visited the arch! This is a fantastic location if you want to explore the arch as you can even walk or ride your bike from the campground.

Walnut Grove RV park outside Kansas City in Merriam, KS

We selected this park for its proximity to Kansas City and it got the job done, while reminding us why we don't love RV parks for camping options. Yes it is nice to be in the heart of civilization and close to tourist activities, shopping, and dining, but it is less than fun having the ability to reach out and touch your nearest neighbor's rig. If you don't mind being packed into sites like sardines, then this is a good option for exploring all that Kansas City has to offer.

Pawnee State Recreation Area outside of Lincoln, NE

Oh Nebraska you are flat and muggy in the spring! This was a lovely state recreation area just outside of Lincoln and the park filled up with locals picnicking on the weekend. We hustled through Nebraska so probably didn't get the best overall experience of the state, but with so many other places we want to visit, it is unlikely we'll be back anytime soon.

The view of Crystal Reservoir at Sunset in Curt Gowdy State Park outside of Cheyenne, WY

Curt Gowdy State park is about 30 minutes outside of Cheyenne, WY and was the biggest stunner of this month's trip. The park is remote, and our site was a 20 minute drive from the park entrance on mostly dirt roads, but look at this sunset view! We would absolutely return to this park again! Our only complaint was the fact that there was no dump station in the entire park, which is something we have come to expect and rely on in state parks. We're happy to not have full-hookups as a trade off for bigger sites, distance from neighbors, and views like this, but having to search for a place to dump our tanks after a visit is a bit of a hassle we'd prefer to avoid.

Rock Creek RV Park in Twin Falls County Park

We decided to spend a slightly longer stretch of time in Twin Falls, ID because we knew we would be exhausted after the pace we'd been keeping, and because we wanted to explore Craters of the Moon National Monument. This was a basic RV park nestled inside a lovely county park with walking trails along a peaceful creek. Another park without a dump station inside, but a free stations is conveniently located just a mile away. This is a great park if you are road tripping through Idaho and want a place to camp to explore Twin Falls and the surrounding area.

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Pals Brewing in North Platte, NE, Pine Bluffs Distilling in Pine Bluffs, WY, Anne's Backyard Retreat in Notus, ID and Hideout Hotel in Cokeville, WY

We have absolutely gotten our value out of the annual subscription cost of Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome. These spots are great ways to break up long stretches of drives and we always feel great about supporting small businesses! We had a fabulous dinner and beer on the outdoor patio at Pals Brewing, and delicious cocktails on the patio at Pine Bluffs Distilling. And both places were dog friendly so Salto got to join us. We enjoyed our stay at Hideout Hotel, and were happy to pay $25 for electricity and water, as well as to have access to their bathroom and continental breakfast in the morning. Leisurely showers are the height of luxury in full-time RV life! We appreciate the RVers who offer up free parking on their property as part of the Boondockers Welcome system. It was hot and humid in Idaho, and we were even more grateful the pay Anne $5 a day to for electricity so that we could run our air conditioning!

We will be home in Washington for the remainder of June and all of July. We are so looking forward to spending time with friends and family and doing our favorite things in our beautiful home state, before we hit the road again in August!