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Fontainebleau
State Park
67825
Highway 190
Mandeville, LA 70448
985-624-4443 or 888-677-3668
Email: fntbleau@crt.state.la.us
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October
22-28, 2009
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family was celebrating my niece's wedding which actually took
place in Oregon in August, but this was the "Southern Celebration"
for those of us that could not make it there at that time. I
hadn't been back to the state of my birth since my dad died
in 2002, and it was really nice to reconnect with parts of the
family I hadn't seen in longer than that. The dinner was at
a very nice restaurant right on Lake Pontchartrain, and when
I looked to see what was a good nearby campground, I saw that
Fontainebleau State Park was less than 5 miles away and jumped
at the chance to live among nature while there. |
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Here I am in Site
#82, a pull through in what's designated as the "New
Campground." This site had 30 amps and water, but no
sewer. The only problem I had with this site is that the front
yard filled up with water during the rain that came down during
a couple of the days I was there. Site
map of this area.
Sites 73, 74, 75
and 76 all have sewer hookups.
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Looking
down the road that starts with Site #78 on the left. Site
map of this area. |
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After exploring
around a bit, I think this row from Sites 4-22 would be my
preference. All are large pull-throughs and the "front
yard" side faces the woods. Here you see Site #16, with
Site #12 ahead with a smoky campfire. In talking with one
of the ladies at the office, she said #8 seems to be the favorite
for reservations. Site
map of this area.
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The view past the
flower bed shows the row containing sites starting with #5
on the right and #60 on the left.
The dump is to
the left and I liked how it's set up to be able to dump from
either side, coming in or out of the campground.
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Sites 99-143 comprise
what's called the Old Campground. However, all of these sites
now have 50 amps, whereas it's still in the works getting
that upgrade at the New Campground.
Site
map of area. (I don't know why these are all marked with
tents, because these sites accommodate even the largest RVs.)
I spoke with Frank
Jones, Recreation Area Manager, and he said most groups prefer
this area because they can be closer together, the ground
sits higher up and is more open, affording better satellite
TV reception.
There's a second
dump in this area, also.
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Reservations must be
made through Reserve
America. As of October, 2009, rates are $16 for Improved Sites
(water and electric) and $18 for Premium Sites (all pull-throughs
and those with sewer). Note that there are reservation fees ranging
from $3.00 (walk-in) to $9.00 (by phone) for each site, whether
walk-in or reserved in advance. Golden Age/Golden Passport holders
get 50% off. While stays are restricted to 14 consecutive days,
during the winter months from October 15 - March 31, longer stays
are permitted.
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| It
was interesting to see the pictures of the campground following Hurricanes
Katrina, Ike and Gustav. Large parts of the park were covered with
4' of water with lots of huge, downed trees. I talked with LeRoy and
Jessie, camp hosts here for the last four seasons. They say they love
the park because of the natural beauty and the friendly people and
rangers. They didn't have it with them, but they have a picture of
an alligator floating by an RV site following Katrina! However, it
was also the first affected park that was back online and while there
is still evidence of the damage, particularly on the nature trail,
I was amazed at how resilient we can be in the face of such destruction. |
| Free
wi-fi is available throughout the campground. Even though my Verizon
aircard worked fine, I checked out their system and could get online
easily that way, also. |
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Links to what others
have said about Fontainebleau: RVParkReviews.com
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Click
arrow for a walk along the Alligator Marsh Boardwalk
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Malia's
2 cents: Since
I have been in an RV park for so long in the midst of downtown
Austin (currently with construction going on at either side
of me), the dark and quiet nights were particularly welcome
to me at this point. I was reminded again of the things I
really love about RVing - nature trails, friendly RVers and
helpful rangers.
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Location:
4 miles east of Mandeville; approximately 38 miles to New
Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
From I-12, exit at US 190; continue east approximately 5 miles
to turnoff to park on LA 1089.
GPS
coordinates: N 30.34523 / W 90.02269°
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