I can’t believe that 2016 is coming to an end! As usual, it seems to have gone so fast! The best part of ringing in the New Year is that we will get to do it enjoying what we love the most – CAMPING and if that’s not good enough, camping with wonderful friends we’ve met and camped with over the years!
There were some bumps in the road for us this season and it was a very costly year. One I hope not to see repeated any time soon! In terms of camping, we had a slow start to our regular season, but once it got underway, it was fabulous! Not counting our winter camping, we made 18 different trips out and camped over 75 nights! Not bad considering we still work full time! We visited many new parks and returned to some old favorites. One of our longer holidays were spent in beautiful New Brunswick and I finally got to see the ocean!
So of the 18 parks we visited, did we have a favorite? One we’d return to in a minute and highly recommend? We actually had two favorites this year and for slightly different reasons! So here we go – the winners are………………………………………………
In second place and a very close second to our first place winner
SHAMADON RESORT!
We spent Thanksgiving at Shamadon Resort and enjoyed every moment of it! Upon arrival, we knew we were at a very, very nice park. The roadways were large, the trees and grass very well trimmed with lots of room to pull up and park to register. The staff we met were very, very friendly and extremely helpful. Upon arrival they recommended a different site based where friends of ours were camping and the type of site we said we liked. We ended up on a roomy pull thru corner site as per their recommendation. Firewood was waiting for us and I don’t think we were parked more than 20 minutes before staff came by to check in and see if we needed anything. Our little corner campsite was very quiet, close to hiking trails and very dark. There were no campground road lights. We enjoyed the dark skies!
Saturday morning they had cookies and coffee at the campground office and made a few check ins over the course of the day to see if we needed any firewood or had any garbage to pick up. All sites at Shamadon are three way hookups with WiFi throughout the campground included in the camping fee (as is the firewood). Kids would have a blast at this park with the giant trampoline, playgrounds, heated pools, beach area and stocked fishing pond. There were lots of things to do at this park without even considering local conservation areas and attractions.
The price for our campsite was $90 per night which, as I mentioned included all our firewood, three way hookups and WiFi. This price was without doubt the highest we’d paid per night in 2016, but we honestly felt this campground was worth it. So much so, we booked our site again for Thanksgiving 2017. Here are some photos of this beautiful park!
And now, the most loved park of 2016! A bit of a drive to get to, but well worth it!
SUGARLOAF PROVINCIAL PARK, NB
We stayed at this park for almost a week during our longer holidays in August. I was so excited to have found a really nice looking park so close to the ocean with so much to do! Sugarloaf is located close to Campbellton, New Brunswick and is home to a 1,000 foot mountain! In the winter, there are many ski trails including cross country and downhill. In the summer, these trails are converted to mountain bike trails. You and your bike can ride the ski lift up, then bike back down. The bike trails range in difficulty and length. The park is also home to 25km of various hiking trails including the Sugarloaf Mountain Trail which takes you to the “Summit Trail” to hike to the top of the mountain for a stunning view of the Chaleur Bay and Quebec. Also at the park is a restaurant – The T-Bar at which we celebrated my 49th birthday! The food was great and the view of the slopes awesome!
Our campsite was large, level, very private and had three way hookups! The park was very clean and what few staff we spoke to, very friendly and helpful. The laundry, washrooms and park facilities in general were very clean. This park exceeded all of our expectations including cost. It was much more reasonable than an Ontario Provincial Park with as good if not better quality and three way service as opposed to only 30amp in Ontario.
We paid $36 a night for a large campsite with water, 30 amp and sewer hookups. The campground was centrally located with everything being easily accessible by walking. If you’re looking for a park in northern New Brunswick, give Sugarloaf Mountain a try. Make sure you hike to the summit and you absolutely will not be disappointed! Here are some photos of the campground:
Well, it was a great year and these were our two favorites of 18 parks! Both were awesome parks and come highly recommended by us. For a more full review and more photos of these parks and others we visited this past year, click on the 2016 tab at the top of the page. A menu of the campgrounds we’ve visited will show. Just click on one you’d like to view. Here are some links to both in case you’re interested in taking a look!
http://parcsugarloafpark.ca/summer/
http://parcsugarloafpark.ca/winter/
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little mini review and we’ll be sure to keep our park reviews coming!
Sue and Daves RV Adventures 