Thousand Trails
We have an Elite Membership in Thousand Trails and stay with them about half the time. Next to boondocking and camp hosting, it can be the least expensive way to live nomadically. In other words, we don’t stay at Thousand Trails because we especially like them, but because we can afford them. For a full discussion of our experience, click to see Why We Chose Thousand Trails.
Below are the Thousand Trails campgrounds we’ve stayed in most recently. Click here to see all the Thousand Trails campgrounds we’ve stayed in since going full-time.
South Jetty RV Park (TT) - Florence OR
RATING: ♦♦♦
- Dates: Aug 2, 2019 – Aug 13, 2019
- Length of stay: 11 nights.
- Cost per night: $0.
- Discount: Thousand Trails Membership.
- Hookups: 50 amp electric, water, but no sewer.
- Site number/quality: #D-15. Large, level gravel pad with picnic table. Plenty of room to park and sit. Gravel extended over entire seating area. No tree debris. Much cleaner than before.
- Park Quality: This is our second time at this park. So our expectations were more in line with reality. We found a nice sight in the D loop, and were able to thoroughly enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, the park still did not have a properly working dump station. They allowed us to use the sewer at an empty camp site as we were leaving the park.
- Access: Easy access off US-101 just south of the nice little town of Florence, which is situated at the mouth of the Siuslaw River. There is ample dining and shopping in town.
- Connectivity: Verizon-OK, AT&T-Good, and T-Mobile-OK.
- Return yes/no?: Probably.
- REPEAT STAY: See previous.
- Notes: The best thing about this park is that it is located along the Oregon coast, which is spectacular. We also got to enjoy the town of Florence, especially the old town next the river. All and all, it was a nice stay.
- Website: South Jetty RV Park
Seaside RV Resort (TT) - Seaside OR
RATING: ♦♦♦♦
- Dates: Jul 21, 2019 – Jul 29, 2019
- Length of stay: 8 nights.
- Cost per night: $0.
- Discount: Thousand Trails membership.
- Hookups: 30 amps, water, and sewer.
- Site number/quality: #17. Large pull-thru site with level gravel pad. Grassy seating area with picnic table.
- Park Quality: Finally, a nice Thousand Trails park. We have generally been disappointed in the TT parks in the Pacific Northwest this summer, but this one in Seaside was a pleasant surprise. Full hookups, large sites, level pads. The park is divided into two distinct sections. We stayed in the south section. The north section is closer to the pool and clubhouse, but the sites are closer together.
- Access: One mile off US-101 that runs through the beach town of Seaside OR, which is about 15 miles south of Astoria.
- Connectivity: Verizon-Strong, AT&T-strong, and T-Mobile-OK.
- Return yes/no?: Absolutely.
- Notes: Seaside is a very active beach town on the Oregon coast. It has a big sandy beach, and looks like a typical beach resort community you might find on the Atlantic or Gulf Coast except for the tree covered hills in the distance. It is also known as the “end of the trail” for the Lewis and Clark Expedition that camped nearby in the winter of 1805-06 after completing their westward exploration of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers.
- Website: Seaside RV Resort
Chehalis RV Park (TT) - Chehalis WA
RATING: ♦♦
- Dates: Jun 27 – Jul 2, 2019, and Jul 11 – Jul 15, 2019
- Length of stay: 6 nights and 4 nights.
- Cost per night: $0.
- Discount: Thousand Trails Membership.
- Hookups: 30 amp electric and water. No sewer.
- Site number/quality: E-12 and E-5. After much looking, we found a fairly level, wide dirt site. Lots of trees.
- Park Quality: Though this is a popular park, there was a lot to dislike. Old hookup connections, few sewer sites, poor internal signage, small sites, unlevel sites, chaotic layout, tight turns, steep entry, inadequate check-in area, and generally run down. It is one of our least favorite Thousand Trails parks to date.
- Access: About 11 miles off I-5 on country roads. Hard to know why this park exists, since it isn’t close to much of anything of interest.
- Connectivity: Verizon-weak, AT&T-weak, and T-Mobile-weak.
- Return yes/no?: No, twice is enough.
- Notes: The park is about 70 miles from the Johnston Ridge Observatory in the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument, which we visited. Well worth the drive!
- Website: Chehalis RV Park
Click here to see all the Thousand Trails campgrounds we’ve stayed in since going full-time.