What is with all the terrible reviews? It also appears many of the reviews are for another campground in the area because AJ Acres doesn't even have a pool. I wouldn't believe what you are reading on here because it seems many of the reviews are not for this campground but rather a different campground in Clearwater. For some clarification, YES this campground has dirt roads, when it is dry they can be dusty and when it rains they can be a bit muddy, but you are camping-if you want tar and concrete camp in your backyard. No pool but a large beach. It is camping you will encounter dirt and bugs. You don't want it get a hotel. This is a great place to camp but be prepared to CAMP!!! They have amenities so it isn't like you are roughing it. Water, electric, fully stocked store, beach, bait, fishing pier, shower houses, swing sets, etc. Not first class like a resort but great for a family weekend out of the city to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. We camped here several times a year and keep coming back. We camped here in a Motorhome.
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Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
August 2011
$39
We decided not to stay here once we had a conversation with the lady at the front desk. We stopped in at about 8PM just looking for a place to park and sleep and be on our way by 8AM the next morning. The individual was very rude and really didn't want us to stay. It was if it was to much work and when she gave me the price for 7 people she had the nerve to say you might as well stay at a hotel because it will be cheaper. From the outside things looked nice but if that is how people in Minnesota treat people passing through, We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We read many of the reviews the day that we left. Wasn't sure what to expect. Having stayed only one night we can say the negative reviews are more than accurate. The campground is filthy. The sites are nothing but sand. Mud for us since it rained the entire evening. I thought we could tolerate the sandy conditions, but even die hard like us could not stand it for more than one night. There is no game room as advertised. Also, the petting zoo is a long walk for most campers and is nothing special. A couple wandering goats, a llama and a donkey are what we saw. The beach was disgusting. There were cigarette butts and litter all over. The seasonal crowd wasn't the most welcoming. They complained loudly about "weekenders" coming in. There also was excessive swearing and drinking at the beach. After 45 minutes I decided it was not the best place for our young children to be. I even felt uncomfortable. At night, it was noisy with loud campers and dogs barking constantly. The first thing we did the next morning was pack up and leave. I do not suggest this campground, especially to those with young children. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were heading home from vacation when we decided to look for a campground for our last night on the road. We made a major mistake by picking A-J Acres. When we turned onto their dirt road we were immediately struck by the roads disrepair. For the mile it took us to drive back to the campground we were jolted and jarred by the wash-board condition of the dirt road. The speed sign of 30 mph must be meant for Baja racers as we could barely maintain 3 mph with all the bouncing our truck and coach were taking. In all my years of travels, this road was by far the worst I ever had to drive on to get to a campground. When we finally managed to get into the campground, and into the office, I asked about the rough and deplorable condition of their road. The guy behind the counter just shrugged his shoulders and said they can't get the township to run a grader over it to smooth it over. In my opinion if I owned this place I would buy my own drag and pull it up and down the road with my lawn tractor. Anything is better then nothing... I also asked about a full hook up site and was told they were all spoken for. Later when we took a walk in the park I observed many full hookup sites sitting empty. Another thing about this CG is that it's very old and in desperate need of upgrading and repair. When we were given the map of our campsite the guy just pointed up the hill and told me to just pick a site. He told us to look for site numbers on the trees and to pull in. Well to make a long story short there turned out to only be a couple small, faded number signs on a few trees so it was almost impossible to determine what site we were actually in. All in all, I suggest anyone who wants to camp in this area look elsewhere for a campground. This is one poor excuse for a campground in my opinion. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We made reservations intending to stay a week, but left after only 1 night. The park looks great when you drive up to the security gate to check in. However, the goodness stops there. Our site was much too small for a big rig, very muddy and littered with trash from neighbors and previous occupants. It seemed most of the tenants of the park were there long term and their units in a state of disrepair with a lot of clutter around. After going to bed around 11 PM we awoke to noises outside our coach only to find upon investigating that a couple of children from a larger group had chosen our site for a hiding spot during a game of hide and seek. One had crawled under our coach the other was actually up on the top wrung of our roof ladder. Their parents were at the site next to ours "visiting" ( ie. drunk out of their minds) and thought it quite funny when we asked if they would keep their kids off our coach. As we walked away one muttered " _______ overnighters!! Think they own the place". If they would add a banjo player this park would be a good place for a remake of the movie Deliverance. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Bathrooms were very bad. Bugs in sinks for multiple days in a row. Cobwebs everywhere. Toilets unflushed. Campsites were not marked very well, hard to find our site, no one available to help us find our spot. No grass, all sand, and dirt sites. Staff was not helpful at all. All dirt roads, and roads not maintained very well. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed at this campground last weekend. I don't have anything good to say about it. First, the rate was a bit high. We paid $77.00 for Friday and Saturday night. When we went to check in, the women checking us in was not friendly. She was rude, seemed rushed and went over very strict rules several times with us. They escorted us to our site and the site was not very nice. They were quite small with lots of sand and gravel, no paved pads and virtually no grass. The sites were all very close to each other. You could hear everyone around you at all times. The roads were gravel and not well groomed. The restroom nearest us was not clean. There was constantly water on the ground and sand all over the floor in the shower area. They made a loud speaker announcement on Friday night at 9pm when I was trying to put my daughter to bed. They were constantly patrolling and spying on you and would ask you to move cars, bikes etc off areas. They charge a $3 per person visitor fee in addition to your high nightly rate and they have someone guarding the entrance at all times so don't think you can get by without paying. The pool is small and the kiddie pool was ice cold. No toddler could sit in there for more than 5 minutes without their teeth chattering. There was a large dog barking at the site next to us all the time. We talked to the desk about it twice and there was never a change or request for the dog to be removed. They supposedly had quiet time at 10 pm, but there was loud music being played that could be heard across the campground well past that time. I would not recommend this place and will definitely not stay here again. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Swimming pool closed for season first week in Sept. In my opinion too much for dirt roads and tight (for big rigs) spaces. A nice and clean park, but not worth $41. Park is currently up for sale. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed for two nights and had a lot of fun. Pool is older and a bit small, but the water is warm. Wi-Fi signal was good. Some sites looked okay, but ours stepped into sand. The park sites/roads could use some new gravel. The nearby travel plaza has a great breakfast! We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
This park seems to have everything except cable TV and paved roads. The staff is friendly and helpful. Big rigs will have problem in many sites. Roads are dirt and somewhat narrow. The park is old but fairly well maintained. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
I wasn't pleased at all with our stay. I have never encountered a campground that had such rude and unprofessional employees. My family has camped for years and this is the first time I have felt the need to leave a negative comment. The swimming pool is very small for the amount of people they allow at a time. It was quite terrifying to watch kids jumping in the pool right on top of other kids. It is an accident waiting to happen. I was also disappointed in the park's location: a farmer bailing hay on one side of the campground and a cemetery on the other. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
June 2009
$37
This is a nice quiet park, and we enjoyed our stay. There was mini-golf, playgrounds and pool. Showers were clean, but could use up dating. They do have a strange rule: our daughter visited with grand kids and payed the extra $3 each for use of facilities, but they had to leave the campground by 10pm. It's not dark till 10 pm for them to enjoy the fire. Would stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This park is no longer a KOA. Very friendly staff and clean grounds. Some corners can be tight for big rigs. Wi-Fi is spotty at best. Quiet mid-week, a zoo on the weekends. Restrooms are older but very clean. We would stay again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
There are few RV parks West of the Twin Cities. We wanted to be near Avon to visit friends so we chose this park for two nights. As mentioned in past reviews, this is an older park in a rural setting although within biking distance from Clearwater on a nice paved bike trail. We did not have a problem parking our 40 foot rig in the site given us as they have many pull-throughs that are of good length. The problem with this park as with so many KOAs is that the interior streets are gravel and they do not re gravel often enough so that in actuality, the interior streets are dirt. If it is rainy, the streets are muddy, if it is dry, the streets are dust so your rig, your car, your feet and your puppy's feet get dirty every time you are out and about in the park. The tall trees provide nice shade and did not hinder our movement and the many kids in the pool seemed to be having a wonderful time. We would probably not stay here again if there were any other park nearby that was cleaner. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice open lots, two playgrounds for the kids, nice pool. Mini-golf was fun. Just a overall nice place. They do enforce the quiet time, however. We will be back. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Tight interior road corners and short pull thrus for big rigs over 43' long. Once in a site, can't get out unless your neighbor moves to assist you. They need to trim the trees. Handy location near I-94 and truck stop services at exit 178. Staff is helpful and friendly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Friendly staff but an older park. Many sites are marginal at best for big rigs because of tight access,
guests parked along access roads and tree limbs. We camped here in a camper.