Dale Hartman

Dale Hartman

Lead RV Park Reviewer

Full-time RVer since 2014 — 400+ parks and counting.

Dale has lived on the road full-time since 2014, when he sold the house in Boise and moved into a 34-foot fifth wheel with his wife and a stubborn beagle named Otis. In the years since, he's parked at more than 400 campgrounds across 41 states — from boondocking sites with no hookups to luxury resorts with concrete pads and pickleball courts.

Before the RV life, Dale spent two seasons as a campground host in Idaho's Sawtooth National Recreation Area, which is where he learned the difference between a park that looks good in photos and one that actually works when you're backing in at dusk after a 300-mile day.

For RV Parks Guide, Dale focuses on individual park reviews: site sizes, hookup reliability, road access for big rigs, cell signal, and the small frustrations that never show up on a reservation page. If a review says the dump station backs up on Sunday mornings, it's because he was in that line.

Experience & credentials

30 articles by Dale

Cades Cove Campground Review: Wildlife, the Loop & Year-Round Camping (2026)
Review tennessee

Cades Cove Campground Review: Wildlife, the Loop & Year-Round Camping (2026)

An honest review of Cades Cove Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park — rates, the 40-foot rig limit, the no-hookup setup, the dump station, and waking up next to the Cades Cove Loop.

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Elkmont Campground Review: The Smokies' Largest Campground (2026)
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Elkmont Campground Review: The Smokies' Largest Campground (2026)

An honest review of Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park — rates, the 35-foot rig limit, the no-hookup reality, the firefly event, and which loops to request.

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Anastasia State Park Camping Review: St. Augustine's Beach Campground
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Anastasia State Park Camping Review: St. Augustine's Beach Campground

An honest review of Anastasia State Park — 139 shaded sites minutes from St. Augustine's historic district, with Atlantic beach access and kayak launches.

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Apgar Campground Review: Glacier NP's Largest and Most Accessible
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Apgar Campground Review: Glacier NP's Largest and Most Accessible

An honest review of Apgar Campground at Glacier National Park — 194 sites, the only Glacier campground with showers, and Lake McDonald sunset access.

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Bahia Honda State Park Camping Review: Florida's Hardest Reservation
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Bahia Honda State Park Camping Review: Florida's Hardest Reservation

An honest review of Bahia Honda State Park camping — the two campground areas, RV size limits, and the exact strategy for scoring one of Florida's most coveted reservations.

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Bozeman Hot Springs Campground: Prices, Pools & Review (2026)
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Bozeman Hot Springs Campground: Prices, Pools & Review (2026)

An honest review of Bozeman Hot Springs Campground & RV Park — current prices (is $152/night worth it?), 119 sites, and 12 hot springs pools.

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Campland on the Bay Review: San Diego's Waterfront RV Institution
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Campland on the Bay Review: San Diego's Waterfront RV Institution

An honest review of Campland on the Bay — 50+ years on Mission Bay, 568 sites, and whether the $200/night premium is worth it for waterfront camping.

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Cheyenne Mountain State Park Review: Colorado Springs' Best Campground
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Cheyenne Mountain State Park Review: Colorado Springs' Best Campground

An honest review of Cheyenne Mountain State Park — 51 full-hookup sites, 21 miles of trails, and the best public campground near Garden of the Gods.

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Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground Review: Is It Worth $185 a Night?
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Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground Review: Is It Worth $185 a Night?

An honest review of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground — loop-by-loop breakdown, the real cost beyond the nightly rate, and whether the Disney magic is worth it for RVers.

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Fish Creek Campground Review: Glacier NP's Best RV Option
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Fish Creek Campground Review: Glacier NP's Best RV Option

An honest review of Fish Creek Campground in Glacier National Park — loop-by-loop breakdown, rig size limits, and whether it's worth the no-hookup trade-off.

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Flamingo Campground Review: The Everglades' Most Remote RV Option
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Flamingo Campground Review: The Everglades' Most Remote RV Option

An honest review of Flamingo Campground — 65 RV sites at the southern tip of mainland US, alligator neighbors, and the Nov-Apr window you can't miss.

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Fort De Soto Park Campground Review: Tampa Bay's Best-Kept Secret
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Fort De Soto Park Campground Review: Tampa Bay's Best-Kept Secret

An honest review of Fort De Soto Park campground — 238 waterfront sites, the booking strategy you need, and why it's one of America's best public campgrounds.

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Furnace Creek Campground Review: Death Valley's Only Full-Hookup Option
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Furnace Creek Campground Review: Death Valley's Only Full-Hookup Option

An honest review of Furnace Creek Campground — 18 coveted hookup sites, 118 dry sites, and how to survive camping at the hottest place on Earth.

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Gilbert Ray Campground Review: Camping Among Tucson's Saguaros
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Gilbert Ray Campground Review: Camping Among Tucson's Saguaros

An honest review of Gilbert Ray Campground — 130 sites surrounded by saguaro cactus in Tucson Mountain Park, right next to Saguaro National Park West.

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Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park Review: Worth the Hype?
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Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park Review: Worth the Hype?

An honest review of Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone — hookups, sites, pricing, and whether it lives up to its reputation as the top Yellowstone basecamp.

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Mather Campground Review: Grand Canyon's Largest Campground
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Mather Campground Review: Grand Canyon's Largest Campground

An honest review of Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon South Rim — 300+ sites in ponderosa pine, no hookups, and how to score a site in peak season.

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Moraine Park Campground Review: RMNP's Best RV Campground
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Moraine Park Campground Review: RMNP's Best RV Campground

An honest review of Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park — 244 sites at 8,160 feet, elk meadow views, and how to score a reservation.

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Morefield Campground Review: Mesa Verde's Only In-Park Campground (2026)
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Morefield Campground Review: Mesa Verde's Only In-Park Campground (2026)

An honest review of Morefield Campground at Mesa Verde — 267 sites at 7,800 feet, rates, the 15 full-hookup sites, and the cliff dwelling tours you came for.

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Mustang Island State Park Review: Texas Beach Camping with Hookups
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Mustang Island State Park Review: Texas Beach Camping with Hookups

An honest review of Mustang Island State Park — 48 water/electric sites on the Gulf, 50 primitive beach sites, and the best public beach camping in Texas.

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Pioneer Beach Resort Review: Port Aransas's Biggest RV Park
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Pioneer Beach Resort Review: Port Aransas's Biggest RV Park

An honest review of Pioneer Beach Resort — 363 full-hookup sites, fishing pier, pool, and the Gulf Coast camping experience at Port Aransas.

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Pismo Coast Village RV Resort Review: 400 Sites on the Central Coast
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Pismo Coast Village RV Resort Review: 400 Sites on the Central Coast

An honest review of Pismo Coast Village — California's largest beachside RV resort with 400 full-hookup sites, heated pool, and the dust issues nobody warns you about.

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Rancho Sedona RV Park Review: Sedona's #1 Rated RV Park
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Rancho Sedona RV Park Review: Sedona's #1 Rated RV Park

An honest review of Rancho Sedona RV Park — TripAdvisor's top pick, Oak Creek setting, walkable to town, and why it books out months ahead.

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Rio Grande Village Review: Big Bend's Only Full-Hookup Campground
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Rio Grande Village Review: Big Bend's Only Full-Hookup Campground

An honest review of Rio Grande Village in Big Bend — the only campground with hookups in the park, plus the hot springs trail, rig limits, and booking tips.

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Ruby's Inn RV Park Review: Bryce Canyon's Biggest Full-Hookup Option
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Ruby's Inn RV Park Review: Bryce Canyon's Biggest Full-Hookup Option

An honest review of Ruby's Inn RV Park — 200+ sites just outside Bryce Canyon, free park shuttle, and whether it lives up to the hype.

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Spanish Trail RV Park Review: Moab's Best Full-Hookup Basecamp
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Spanish Trail RV Park Review: Moab's Best Full-Hookup Basecamp

An honest review of Spanish Trail RV Park in Moab — 50-amp hookups, red rock cliff views, and the best water pressure in canyon country.

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Sunshine Key RV Resort Review: 75 Acres in the Middle Keys
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Sunshine Key RV Resort Review: 75 Acres in the Middle Keys

An honest review of Sunshine Key RV Resort — a full 75-acre island in the Florida Keys with marina, pool, and full hookups on its own key.

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Trailer Village Review: Grand Canyon's Only Full-Hookup RV Park
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Trailer Village Review: Grand Canyon's Only Full-Hookup RV Park

An honest review of Trailer Village RV Park at the Grand Canyon South Rim — 123 paved pull-throughs with full hookups, and what $65/night actually gets you.

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United Campground of Durango: Rates, Sites & Review (2026)
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United Campground of Durango: Rates, Sites & Review (2026)

An honest review of United Campground of Durango — current rates, Animas River sites, full hookups, walking distance to downtown, and the Durango & Silverton Railroad.

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Watchman Campground Review: Zion's Best Campground for RVers
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Watchman Campground Review: Zion's Best Campground for RVers

An honest review of Watchman Campground at Zion National Park — the only campground with electric hookups, loop-by-loop breakdown, and booking strategy.

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West Glacier KOA Resort: Rates & Review (Glacier's Taj Mahal, 2026)
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West Glacier KOA Resort: Rates & Review (Glacier's Taj Mahal, 2026)

An honest review of West Glacier KOA — current rates, 165 full-hookup sites, pool, hot tubs, and Bear Garden bar, three miles from Glacier's West Entrance.

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