We first camped at Lone Duck four to five years ago. If you are fortunate enough to figure out how to find the driveway to the campgrounds (no signs indicating how to pull in) you will be greeted by a super steep entrance which leads down to the campgrounds (not large rig friendly). Our first impression back then holds true to today (just camped there this month (Summer 2015)). I was truly hoping to see improvements as the location is convenient. They also got hit by the floods since that first trip and I told my wife, "Maybe now they have repair/update the place with the insurance money!" That isn't the case; the place is still worn down and just as dirty. I understand the economy has been hard. I get the difficulties of family owned business (I worked for family) but at nearly $54 a night for our family of six, the place should be in much better shape. Heck, it should be at the top of our list at that price point.
The main building serves as the owners living quarters, which is upstairs. The ground level houses the main office/store/kitchen area with a tiny store up front. Towards the back is the eating area, bathroom/showers and arcade. As you walk around you notice it is really worn out. It's is not tidy at all. You feel like you're in an old stock room not a business. It looks like they keep adding areas with no master plan or flow to the place. The store area is really dark and it stuck in the corner, like it's out of place. The product has been on the shelf for decades. The stock is super low. Owners claim it's the end of season. This indicates they don't have the funds to keep it stocked. This also sheds some light as to the condition of the entire campgrounds. They just don't have the money to reinvest or don't care/lazy?
So we check in. Two adults, four kids, a dog, two cars. Travel Trailer. Electric site only. $36 a night. Additional $3 per person over the included two, so add 4 x $3 = $12, Additional Car add $3, Dog add $3, total for each night = $54 "Holly Cow!" I thought. I don't recall it being this high.
It's a good thing I didn't need Water Hook up, that would have been $57 a night. Or Full Hook up would have cost us $60 a night.
$108 dollars for the weekend. ($120 for full hook up).
You are not paying for high end resort camping, you're paying for the Owners Mercedes which is parked right next to the office door. It's a constant reminder where your camping fees are going.
I just accepted it. I wanted to enjoy the family and relax. Sometimes we can have too high expectations and that blocks us from having a good time. This weekend at Lone Duck didn't afford me to experience that frame of mind. One issue after another kept rearing its head as the weekend unfolded. One problem after another as it piled up, "I'm paying $54 a night for this!"
The campsites are very very small. There is absolutely no space between the sites. Our neighbor's fire ring was less than eight feet from the side of my rv. I walked around the whole facility. All the sites are like this. You then realize they are trying to squeeze the maximum amount of people into this place. The fishing pond also has camp sites right along the fence. If you are fishing at the pond near those sites, you will snag the people sitting around their campfire as you cast. It's just too tightly stacked everywhere. Privacy is only acquired if you enter your tent/rv. You hear every conversation your neighbor's are having. Along the back sites at Lone Duck are the local residences, houses. Those homes have a level bird's eye view of you sitting around your campfire. It's not camping.
More Issues:
-Hwy 24 road noise is very loud. You hear it everywhere at Lone Duck. It gets old really fast.
-Fish caught are $6 each. If all six of us catch fish, $36 more to the bill.
-One person was carrying his pistol in a harness. It was holstered on his side chest. Why? In a family campground. It's a local thing apparently.
-We kept finding dog poop everywhere. Dried out and fresh. They don't clean the grounds well.
-Gate on fishing pond doesn't auto close. Found it open all the time. Little kids can wonder in and possibly drown.
-People smoking pot there. Sites are so close you smell it.
-Pool Pump house has no door, so you see the pump equipment. It doesn't look nice seeing all that equipment. It's the Lone Duck mantra I'm learning.
-Arcade has some awesome classic video games but most are broken and need repair. Took the kids money without working.
-Bathroom toilet stalls are super tight; you will hit the doors with your knees while sitting on the pot.
-Showers in bathroom. There is no vent, so the steam gets everything wet, everything, it's gross.
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