GulfView RV Resort is located at 10205 Burnt Store Rd. in Punta Gorda, FL

This RV Resort is part of the Thousand Trails/Encore Resort system. And a campsite can be reserved through them for up to a two week stay.

However, a reservation can also be made at Gulfview RV Resort outside the Thousand Trails system. And when you do, the RV camping rate runs between $90 to $100 a night.

Click here for a site map for Gulfview RV Resort

Gulfview RV Resort Features

The campsites at this park all have 30 or 50 amp hookups with water and sewer as well.

One reason why the price is a little higher than some is most likely the close proximity to Punta Gorda and also Fort Myers, FL.

It is a small park with only 197 spots, and there are long-term residents here. But there are plenty of spots for those of us who come in for shorter stays too.

The good news is that it is a very easy RV park to access. In fact, it is only a few miles off I-75 right outside of Punta Gorda.

The access roads to the park are very easy to drive. And there is plenty of room for even a big rig on the major roads all around it.

The park itself has pretty easy roads to navigate and are all paved. The sites themselves are not paved or concrete though, unless you pay for an elite site.

Most of the sites are just grass and some of them are definitely harder to level your rig on. And this is especially true if you have a larger rig.

Drainage Problems At The Park

Unfortunately though, drainage in the resort is not as good as in other parks we have visited.

For instance, we arrived right in the middle of a tropical storm, and found the site they had assigned us to was flooded.

And someone else had parked their vehicle in the campsite too. So even if it had not been flooded, we would have had no place to park our car.

And unfortunately, because of the inclement weather, we could not get in touch with the office to get another site.

So we found an empty one that was not quite as flooded and set up there for the night. Then we had to settle the matter about our assigned spot the next day.

I’m happy to say that it all did work out fine. But as you can imagine, it was stressful coming into all of that in the middle of such bad weather.

I have to admit that the office was helpful to a point. But we didn’t feel that they were exceptionally supportive at all.

Meanwhile, it took almost 3 days for the park sites to start to dry out and we were just very thankful we did not get stuck.

So if you plan on going to this park during the rainy season, just be aware of the possibility of flooding.

Gulfview RV Resort Amenities

With that being said, the park itself is very clean and well maintained. The bath house and laundry room were all clean and up to date. And the prices to do laundry were very good.

They also have a real nice pool and shuffleboard area. But what was really lovely was the club house near the back of the park.

There is where we found a bocci ball court and a boat ramp to put your watercraft into a nice sized creek that ran by the park.

The little boat dock had a couple of benches to sit and watch the creek and water fowl. And it provided enjoyable views at sunset.

Around the clubhouse area, there were beautiful trees that shaded a very nice veranda. It was a pleasant spot with plenty of tables and chairs and was extremely quiet and peaceful.

Shopping And Other Things Close By

This park is also close to most places that many people go to get their provisions. About a mile and a half down the road is a Publix grocery store. And about a half mile after that is a Walmart.

Also, next to the Publix is a Home Depot if you need any kind of maintainence things.

On the corner by the Home Depot is a main road that is called the Tamiami Highway. And if you go to the left on that road, it will lead you to other areas where there are restaurants and shopping areas.

So this is a really good place to stay if you want to be close to things like that.

Sights To See In The Area

There are, of course, beautiful sights to see in the area too. Since you are right near the coast on the western side of the Florida peninsula, you can access beaches nearby. And of course, Florida beaches are beautiful.

Not far away is the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park. Here you will find places to hike and launch your boat, and just enjoy some of the flavor of what older Florida is like.

We also enjoyed going to the Peace River Wildlife Center which is about 5 miles away.

It had some beautiful rescue birds that are native to the area. And they do a great job of taking care of them and explaining about how these birds normally survive in the area. It was extremely informative.

Another place that we visited in Punta Gorda is the Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Center. If you love animals and nature, we can highly recommend it as well.

It was a very unique sanctuary which helps preserve big cats. So you will see lots of lions, tigers, and even ligers.

All of the animals appear to be well cared for. Of course, they have other animals too, but they especially like to work with these magnificent creatures.

So as you can see, there is quite a bit that surrounds the area here.

Internet Connectivity

Because of it being in such a populated area, access to TV stations was not hard. And you can get cable in the park for an extra charge.

We did not notice if they had free wifi available because we access the internet by means of our AT&T hotspot.

But we had no trouble getting internet connectivity and T-Mobile worked well for our phones too.

I’m sure a quick phone call would tell you about their wifi if they have it though.

One other perk in the park was that a propane truck comes through once a week. So we were able to fill our propane tank without moving our RV, which made it very easy.

Our Conclusion About Gulfview RV Resort

So how would we rate this park??? Well, we probably would give it at 3.8. Why??

Mainly two reasons. First, the staff could definitely have been more helpful when things were very stressful on our arrival.

Secondly, because the sites were somewhat uneven, and definitely should have better drainage.

All in all though, the park was in a great area and we want to thank everyone there for a nice visit.

Lost Dutchman State Park is located at 6109 N. Apache Trail in Apache Junction, AZ

This RV park is part of the Arizona State Parks system. And is an absolutely unique park with such beautiful views that it tends to be a very difficult park to get into. But if you can get a reservation, it is well worth it!!!!

You literally camp right at the base of the Superstition Mountains with views that change with the rotation of the sun. It is breathtaking!

If you are a photographer, it is an absolute must! You will not be disappointed.

All this being said, there are a few things that you need to be mindful of about the park.

Click here to make a camping reservation at Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman State Park Features

First, it is a state park. And like most state parks, none of the sites have a sewer connection.

But there is a dump station that is available to all campers. So you can take care of your waste water needs while staying there or just before you leave.

Some of the sites do have electric and water hookups, but by far most are dry camping instead. If you need RV hookups, very often you must book out many months ahead.

This is especially necessary during the peak usage times in the winter months.

When you book online, they let you know the length of the sites that are available. And whether they have hookups or not. So you can narrow your search to fit your needs when you are booking your reservation online.

How are the sites? Well, remember that you are camping on the edge of a mountain. So many of the sites are somewhat unlevel and this can be a challenge to level your rig if it is a big one.

It can still be done though. And for most RVs it won’t be a problem. But bigger rigs may be more challenging to level in this park. So just be aware of that.

The sites usually give you plenty of room between your neighbors along with some Arizona landscape too. And we really enjoyed that!

Pretty much all the sites have a very nice view of the mountains though. And some are just spectacular!

Lost Dutchman State Park Nearby Support Services

Since you are near the mountains, does that mean that you are very far away from places to shop? The good news is the answer is – “NO”.

Apache Junction is just a stone’s throw away, so to speak. And it has a Walmart, Safeway, and a very big Fry’s grocery store. So you can definitely get your groceries easily there.

But there are many other stores where you can get other things you may need too. For instance, such as a large Ace Hardware, CVS, and Walgreens. There are plenty of other stores too.

If you are looking for places to eat, there is no shortage there either. There are fast food places but also some Mom and Pop ones that can be explored.

But if Apache Junction is not enough, about 15 minutes from Apache Junction is the city of Mesa.

And you can find just about anything that you want there. So although the state park is out on the fringes of the Phoenix valley, a lot is still close by.

Things To Do In The Surrounding Area

But what about things to do while staying there? Well, there are hiking trails everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There are some for just about everyone, no matter what their ability.

And if you can’t find what you want there in the park, the mountains around have tons of hiking trails.

If you like horseback riding, that is available too. In fact, sometimes on your hike, you might run into a group of horses and riders on the trails.

If you are not a hiker, no problem. There are scenic drives that take you to local beautiful lakes, one of which is our favorite, Canyon Lake.

And if you just want a little flavor of the West, there is a place called Goldfield about a half mile from the park.

It has many different activities including a train ride and zip line. But you can also just walk through the town and look at the shops. And every hour on the hour is a western gun fight in the middle of the street.

So there is a lot available to you, not just in the park but in the surrounding area.

What About Connectivity?

How about connectivity? While we were there we had T-Mobile for our phones and it was fine.

There is no wifi available in the park. But we used our AT&T data plan with our hotspot and made out just fine. You are not that far from the Phoenix area, so connectivity in this park is usually pretty good.

The park is kept up fairly well. They try to maintain the beauty of the Arizona desert. And as a result, there are not many amenities such as pools and playgrounds, etc.

But the rest of what the park offers more than makes up for it. The bath houses are not fancy but clean. And as with most state parks there are no laundry facilities, so you have to do that off premises.

So summing all this up … what do we think of Lost Dutchman State Park?

Our Conclusion

If you love gorgeous views, beautiful starry skies at night, bunnies and quail scurrying around your campsite. Or if you enjoy desert flora everywhere, and flowered covered cactus in the spring.

If you love seeing wild flowers during the rest of year, and the relaxation of being surrounded by nature. And if you still like being able to find everything you need very close by to make your visit comfortable, then we think you will enjoy Dutchman State Park.

We still will give it a 4.5 rating though, mainly because of the difficulty of leveling your rig at times.

But it is a small price to pay for the experience you will have in this unique and beautiful state park.

Have safe and happy trails everyone!