Our River Ramble travels took us to 45 different campgrounds in 2016.  While a few of them were simply travel stops, getting from one fishing location to another, most were places we stayed for 4 to 8 days at a time.  Since trout generally live in very beautiful places, we didn’t have much trouble finding campgrounds near each of the TU Top 100 rivers we fished, but they were all unique in their own ways.

Our criteria for picking these started with proximity to the river we were fishing, of course.  We were fortunate in that throughout the 2016 “ramble”, we were never more than 10-15 miles from prime fishing spots.  While proximity was #1 in our minds, its always nice if the campground has electrical and water connections.   The SaraLinda has a large water tank and a diesel generator so we we can easily “dry camp” without having connections.  However, its always nice to avoid noisy generators and carrying water weight.  Finally, being able to wash clothes, especially when staying for 8 days in one spot and traveling light, is a necessity.

Beyond these criteria, we found three other campground types that really became our favorites.  First, campgrounds in state and national parks were special.  These always seemed to have bigger spaces for the SaraLinda and our little Subaru XV Crosstrek.  They also usually had beautiful, large trees for shade.  We stayed in 8 state or national parks during 2016 including:  Yellowstone National Park; Unicoi State Park (GA); Deep Creek Lake State Park (Oakland MD); Kettle Creek State Park (PA); Hartwick Pines State Park (MI); and, American Legion State Forest (CT).   These were favorites of ours given their beauty and value.

Second, while proximity was our #1 criteria, the ultimate proximity was actually camping on the TU Top 100 river we were fishing.  Being able to simply walk out of the SaraLinda and down to the river was awesome!  Highlights of this kind of campground included:  Ekstrom Stage Station (Rock Creek / MT); Lake Placid KOA (West Branch, Ausable / NY); Kelly Gallops Slide Inn (Madison / MT); Ellensburg KOA (Yakima / WA); Roscoe Campsite (Beaverkill / NY); Angler’s Roost (Bitterroot / MT) as well as Yellowstone NP, Kettle Creek State Park and American Legion State Park.  We often overlooked some other criteria like laundry facilities, close to town, etc… in favor of being right on the rivers we were fishing.  PS…. if you are ever near Clinton, MT and want a great meal, go to the restaurant at Ekstrom Stage Station.

Third, and it’s really very close to the second, are campgrounds that are CLEARLY there to serve fly fisherman.  Of course, such campgrounds are often right on the river but that’s not enough.  These campgrounds typically also have fly shops, boat rentals, guide services and more.  The prime example of this, is Cottonwood Camp near Fort Smith, MT.  When you drive down the road to this campground, in addition to the RVs parked in spots, you see drift boats everywhere.  As you near the small hill that drops you down into the campground office, there are even more drift boats for rent.  Check in for the campground is actually in the fly shop itself.  This campground was fly fishing central for the Big Horn river.   Others we encountered on the trip included:  Slide Inn (Madison / MT);  Anglers Roost (Bitterroot / MT); and Roscoe Campsite (Beaverkill / NY).  If you are a fly fisherman and heading to these rivers, you must stay at these campgrounds.  If you’re not RV’ing, each of these have cabins as well.

We are really looking forward to our 2017 “rambling” that will take us to 49 more of the TU Top 100 Trout Streams and finding more campgrounds of every type.   For now, if you are traveling to any of these areas, please take a look at the campground websites.  We hope you enjoy the pictures we’ve included with this “Gallery” post.

Ramble On