Elkhart, IN – Elkhart Campground Review

Campground Website: Elkhart Campground

Date(s) of Stay: April 17, 2016 arrival; April 23, 2016 departure

General Information:

Located in the heart of the RV industry and Amish country, this campground offers 278 sites, 83 of which have 50 amp electrical service. Some of the sites have cable. In addition to the RV sites, they also have cabins which are available for rent. Location is very convenient to I-90 as well as several major state and county roads.

Rates:
Rates can be found on the campground website. During our stay the base rate was $43 plus tax. With a 15% Escapees discount our rate was $39.11/night ($36.55 plus $2.56 tax) for a full hookup pull thru site. The discount for Good Sam, AAA and FMCA members is 10% ($41.41 including tax).

Overall Impression – 3/5
We were here for an Entegra Motorhome Springfest rally so we were pretty busy during our stay with a lot of activities and were surrounded by fellow Entegra owners. Overall, even though it appears to be an older campground, we felt it was a decent place to stay. Pull thru sites were long enough for the rig and our Honda Odyssey tow vehicle. Our particular site (#718) was gravel bordered on each side by grass. The owners seemed attentive and proactive about upgrading and maintaining the property. They were in the process of converting some remaining all grass sites to gravel pads (actually crushed asphalt). We called the office a short time after our arrival about an electrical problem and the owner was there within 10 minutes to replace the tired circuit breaker.

Sites:

Size – 4/5
Pull thru sites were long enough for both the rig and the van. Sites were fairly close together and all appeared to be level.

Privacy – 2/5
No vegetation between sites to provide privacy.

Amenities – 3/5
Swimming pool (not open when we were there), laundry, cabin rentals, dump station, playground, picnic tables, propane, camp store, banquet hall, horseshoe pits, free wifi plus cable at some sites.

Location:

Convenience – 4/5
Located just a few minutes off I-90 and within a 5 minute drive to numerous restaurants, grocery stores and other retail. Not only is it very close to these conveniences, it is also close enough to several RV manufacturers such as Jayco, Entegra, Thor, Forest River, Nexus and Newmar. Other tourist attractions such as the RV Museum, the Shipshewanna flea market, and the Mennehof Museum are within a 15-45 minute drive. Elkhart has a Riverwalk and Island Park among several other attractions.

Physical Surroundings – 3/5
Suburban. Nothing special but pleasant enough.

Maneuverability and Roads – 3/5
A few tight turns but mostly big rig friendly. Gravel roads.

Peace & Quiet – 2/5
Close to a fairly busy secondary road so some traffic traffic noise is possible. Our site was a good distance from the entrance and we were never bothered by noise.

Utilities – 4/5

Sewer – Well placed, threaded cap close to grade so we were able to achieve a natural slope.
Satellite – We were able to hit Dish 110/119 but not 129 due to a tree in just the wrong spot. For most sites it will not be an issue but there are a smattering of mature trees that will present problems for some.
WiFi – Free, but we did not use due to poor performance at peak times.
Cellular signal – Good 4 bar Verizon 4G inside and outside without a booster.
Over-the-Air (OTA) TV – All major broadcast networks except ABC should be easy to tune in.
Power – Very good stable 120v + on both legs. Initially we had a problem with the 50A breaker at the power pole tripping. The owner arrived within 10 minutes and replaced the worn out breaker and all was fine after that.
Water Pressure/Quality – Good pressure 40+ psi. Water was very hard with a strong metallic smell. Bring your softener.