California
Restrooms: Flushing, super clean and plentiful. Mid-week we were the only ones in there.
Showers: Pay showers, very clean.
Sites: Very small, for one vehicle only, and some may not fit a large RV. Campground road is pretty steep. Some sites are very shaded and dark, one site had a big wasp's nest. Other sites border a large, uninhabited meadow, perfect for stargazing.
Notes: Lots of hiking trails from the campground area. Bear warnings and use of bear boxes recommended. 24 hour camp host with firewood available. Only store within reasonable driving distance is a combo gas station/deli/bar, so prepare accordingly.
El Capitan State Beach 09/2013
Restrooms: Flushing. Old, but clean, sometimes runs out of toilet paper. Could stand to have a few more stalls available.
Showers: Pay showers available. Usually the pay function is broken and you can just hit it to start. Free outdoor showers located by the beach. As of 08/2014, showers are out of service due to the drought. Flushing toilets are still available.
Sites: Not the most private or the cleanest, but large. It's best to get a couple together if you're traveling in a group, for added privacy. You can usually fit about 3 vehicles per site. Reservations highly recommended as this campground has high usage.
Notes: Dolphins, tide pools with anenomes and starfish, and lots of bird watching. Beach occasionally has a lot of sand fleas and flies, but great for a long walk and sunset viewing. Goleta is only a 10 minute drive, with great restaurants, grocery stores, and museums/butterfly migration habitat.
Restrooms: Flushing, a little on the old side, but clean.
Showers: Did not use, not sure about condition, but they are available.
Sites: Close together, but heavily wooded and private. Campground has super high usage and reservations are recommended. On a weekday, we were able to find a site with no problem.
Notes: Safeway grocery store only a couple miles from campground entrance. Sites have space for only one car (maybe two small ones), but overflow parking is available. Everything in the town of Scotts Valley closes early. Touristy things like Santa Cruz and the Mystery Spot are very close by (about 7-10 miles).
Joshua Tree National Park (Jumbo Rocks Campground) 11/2013
Restrooms: Pit toilets only. Sites near the pit toilets can be stinky! Tip: we just drive out of the park and use the toilets at Walmart - nice and clean and flushing.
Showers: None available.
Sites: First come, first served. We advise getting there early Thursday morning if you want your pick of sites for the weekend. By Thursday afternoon, the campground is generally full. Some sites have stunning rock formations that provide privacy, but sites are located close together.
Notes: If you want to make reservations, try Indian Cove or Black Rock Campground - both are located a little outside the park. There are also plenty of great breakfast places in Joshua Tree or Twenty-nine Palms, if you don't want to cook.
Oregon
Restrooms: Pit toilets only. Plenty of them, though.
Showers: None that we saw. While people were using the lake to bathe, this is not recommended as obviously soap contaminates the water, but also there can be parasites that can give you swimmer's itch.
Sites: 140 available, and they never hit capacity, even on holidays. Sites around the lake are pretty popular but have A LOT of ants. Sites further into the woods are a little more private and spacious. There are mosquitoes, but they're not intolerable.
Notes: Easy access for boats, including a free boat ramp, and supposedly awesome fishing. The scenery here is incomparable; a clear, smooth lake with snow-capped mountains in the background. Lots of wildlife, especially ospreys and chipmunks.
Todd Lake Campground 08/2014
Restrooms: Pit toilets only, and only one that I saw.
Showers: None available.
Sites: 4 walk-in sites available, first come, first served. Beautiful view of the lake, with picnic tables. This is a really popular spot for day use, but on a Thursday in August there was no one camping overnight.
Notes: Early in the summer there can be an awful amount of mosquitoes here, but in mid August this year, there were none. Scenery is woodsy and you can fish in the lake. Tadpoles and frogs are protected as Todd Lake is home to endangered Western toads and Cascade frogs, so do not touch them, collect them, or injure them in any way.
Crater Lake Campground 10/2015
Restrooms: Flushing and clean, but no soap or hot water at the sinks.
Showers: Available but only in certain restrooms, and we didn't use them.
Sites: Tons of sites available, in about 6 different loops. However, one is for thru-hikers/motorcycle campers only (the PCT runs through Crater Lake), and two are tents only. The rest are RV friendly, which means it'll be noisier and less private for tent/van campers like us. You pretty much need to make a reservation in advance because it gets booked up quickly here!
Notes: There's a well stocked camp store, a gas station, a gift shop, and a restaurant on-site. You can also buy firewood and a bunch of different craft beers. At the gift shop you can fill up your water bottles with Crater Lake's crystal clear water for free. You can do take-out pizzas at the restaurant, and they serve a decent breakfast. Basically, this is easy-peasy, luxury camping.
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