Bear Cave RV Resort Thousand Trails
RV Park
Write a Review 4085 Bearcave Rd Buchanan, MI 49107 269-695-3050 Official WebsiteGPS: 41.8812, -86.3632
Overview of Bear Cave RV Resort Thousand Trails
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Silver Pull-it on 8/12/2024
Longest RV Reported: 38 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Silver Pull-it on 8/12/2024
Weekly Rate Yes
Monthly Rate Yes
Number of Sites 135
Pad Type mixed
Reservations yes
Open Seasonally April - October
Elevation 688 ft / 209 m
Tent Camping Yes
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To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 269-695-3050
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Reviews of Bear Cave RV Resort Thousand Trails 14 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 6 Users
Last reported 6/10/2024
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 8/10/2023
Confirmed by 3 Users
Last reported 10/4/2023
“Amazing 3 weeks quality camping”
Reviewed 8/12/2024
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 21 |
| Site Number: | 124 |
| RV Length: | 38' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
Arrived on Independence Day weekend in 2024. There was a major motocross event at the nearby race course so first 3-4 days were VERY loud. The campground was full so I planned to re-locate after the weekend and the check-in lady said that would be OK. Many of the sites do not have sewer and I wanted FHU. Some nice folks saw where I was... more
Arrived on Independence Day weekend in 2024. There was a major motocross event at the nearby race course so first 3-4 days were VERY loud. The campground was full so I planned to re-locate after the weekend and the check-in lady said that would be OK. Many of the sites do not have sewer and I wanted FHU. Some nice folks saw where I was backing in and pointed out a FHU 50 amp site across from them. It was the only one. Site 124 was large and backed up to the border chain link fence. Not much of a view out our back picture window was the only downside. Sites vary in size, overall level, hookups variety as well as ease of entry. During my stay there was a leak in the fresh water system that created a Boil First mandate at about 6 sites. It was not mine. Park provided a Honey Wagon Service for a price. The park is located on the banks of the Saint Joseph River. There is a dock and there are non powered watercraft to rent. There is a launch ramp for personal watercraft. There is a store and under the store is "the Bear Cave". Self guided tours are available. Inquire at the store. There was a waterfall and I found a few overlook platforms with chairs for guests to enjoy the views of the falls and the river below. Buchanan is about 15-20 minutes away with gas, hardware, grocery, USPS, and the usual small town businesses. Costco was about an hour drive away in South Bend. The camp laundry is small with 4 washers and 3 dryers and takes quarters. I went into town for quarters and heard that the store can exchange/provide them to guests. Deliveries from UPS, Amazon and FedEx are dropped into a chest by the Guard Shack near the gate. When you turn off the main road onto Bear Cave Road, go slow. The road has a few cement speed bumps and watch for the low tree branches. NOTE: The policy for this TT Campground is that the day you will arrive the park sends you a detailed instruction about gate code, where to park rig after entering and instructions on how to find the store to check in. If you wait until you get to the gate to read this email you might be out of luck. There is virtually ZERO CELL SIGNAL at the gate. On the main road about midway near the race course is some cell signal. After getting through the gate turn right and park your rig. To left you see an arch with BEAR CAVE written over it. Walk under the arch, go down the steps and go through the ORANGE DOOR into the store to check in. The Guard Shack was never occupied during my stay.
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T-Mobile
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Quiet Campground”
Reviewed 6/10/2024
| Days stayed: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Site Number: | 155 |
| RV Length: | 37' (Class A) |
Overall Rating
This campground is a part of Thousand Trails. It is open from May 1-October 1. This campground did not cost me any additional money outside of my annual dues. In addition, they have regular retail sites. Upon arrival with your reservation the sites are FCFS. They have some FHU and some water/electric only. A dump station is available.... more
This campground is a part of Thousand Trails. It is open from May 1-October 1. This campground did not cost me any additional money outside of my annual dues. In addition, they have regular retail sites. Upon arrival with your reservation the sites are FCFS. They have some FHU and some water/electric only. A dump station is available. They also offer a pump out service twice a week for $35. Some sites are in the sun, others are under the trees, and some are along the river.
There are some potholes on the road that leads to the campground. The road itself is tight in some areas. I’m not sure that two large RVs could actually pass each other. When you get to the campground there is a gate with a key pad. The campground should contact you before your arrival with the gate code. You need the code to get into the park. No one was ever in the ranger station just past the gate. Had to go to the office to check in. If the office is closed they may put paperwork at the empty ranger station. Did not see office hours listed anywhere. Tried to go to the office on Sunday to do a cave tour only to find out they were closed. Campground does have a cave. Self guided tours are $4/adult and $2/ children ages 6-12 and 5 and under are free.
All sites are back in only. The roads through the park are gravel. Some sites have a concrete pad to park on. Other sites the RV is on grass or dirt. There are lots of mature trees at this campground and grass between the sites. Site had a picnic table and fire ring.
The campground has a laundry room with 3 washers and 3 dryers. They are $2.25 for each. The restroom that I went into was clean, but dated. They do allow for washing of vehicles with a purchase of a washing permit.
Verizon signal was 1 bar LTE. It was mostly unusable. Occasionally was able to open apps and search the internet. Some text messages would go through.
Enjoyed my stay at this campground. It was very quiet and the greenery was beautiful. The road to the campground was less than desirable, but not terrible. If I found myself in this area again I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here.
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Verizon 4G
Dawn would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Rustic Thousand Trails Location With Some Unusual Features”
Reviewed 10/4/2023
| Days stayed: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Site Number: | 15 |
Overall Rating
Upon arrival you need to enter a gate code to open a large sliding gate. The ranger went off duty at 3pm so it was a bit confusing where to go. We initially took a spot up near the main bathrooms. The site was level and had some shade. The weather was extremely hot when we arrived. That afternoon we took a ride around and found so... more
Upon arrival you need to enter a gate code to open a large sliding gate. The ranger went off duty at 3pm so it was a bit confusing where to go. We initially took a spot up near the main bathrooms. The site was level and had some shade. The weather was extremely hot when we arrived. That afternoon we took a ride around and found some additional sites for smaller RVs/Vans that had new electrical and cement pads. We were basically the only ones down here. We were able to pull in enough T-mobile (2-3 bars) to do some work and connect to the internet. The staff are very friendly and helpful.
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Verizon 5G
T-Mobile 5G
Gizmo Goes West would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Low expectations and pleasantly surprised”
Reviewed 8/10/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 5 |
Overall Rating
I read reviews and did not expect much. I only booked a 5 day stay as I read very few spot with FHUs. It's a bit weird when you arrive. A few days before my rez I received a call and the gate code. Upon arrival you need to get out of the motorhome to enter the code. Then there is no signage where to go. I figured I needed to go check o... more
I read reviews and did not expect much. I only booked a 5 day stay as I read very few spot with FHUs. It's a bit weird when you arrive. A few days before my rez I received a call and the gate code. Upon arrival you need to get out of the motorhome to enter the code. Then there is no signage where to go. I figured I needed to go check on at the camp store. Nope. It was after 3 and it was closed. There is a gate house with no attendant. I looked around and there is a box and luckily I opened it and found the paperwork for my stay. I drove around and see mostly annual type sites. I was lucky and found a large grass site that had full hook ups. The bath house was remodeled in the past decade and was clean. The park is generally nice and also quiet. Verizon and ATT both worked for data although ATT was better for uploading. It is not close to much shopping or restaurants. Elkhart is 45 mins away and was the main reason for my visit to this area. I'd stay again but wish they had more FHU sites.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
Joe the Computerguy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Manager, Lovely Campground”
Reviewed 6/12/2023
| Days stayed: | 10 |
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| Site Number: | 34 |
Overall Rating
This campground is very nice. There are not a lot of full hook up sites available due to annuals but they have pump out service twice a week for $15. Speaking of annuals, they maintained their sites and almost all were well manicured. The amenities weee very nice. Bathrooms updated and clean. This campground could use some road mainte... more
This campground is very nice. There are not a lot of full hook up sites available due to annuals but they have pump out service twice a week for $15. Speaking of annuals, they maintained their sites and almost all were well manicured. The amenities weee very nice. Bathrooms updated and clean. This campground could use some road maintenance as the dirt roads with very little gravel created an incredible amount of dust.
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AT&T 5G
RonandDonna would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice Little Campground ”
Reviewed 6/1/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 147 |
| RV Length: | 24' (Class B Plus) |
Overall Rating
One of my favorite Thousand Trails park. Most of everything is well maintained compared to other parks. Wish cell phone service was a little stronger. The paid Wi-Fi is fast enough to stream and do remote work.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
Kneale would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Off-putting at first; more than meets the eye”
Reviewed 9/9/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 33 |
| RV Length: | 32' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
As we drove down the long gravel entrance, I wondered how this would go. We went over a LOT of bumpy roads coming from the west (though leaving to the east, not too bad ). As other reviews have noted, a lot of dust, and seasonals/annuals have claimed the best spots. We also had a wild turkey squawk at us as we entered our site, whic... more
As we drove down the long gravel entrance, I wondered how this would go. We went over a LOT of bumpy roads coming from the west (though leaving to the east, not too bad ). As other reviews have noted, a lot of dust, and seasonals/annuals have claimed the best spots. We also had a wild turkey squawk at us as we entered our site, which seemed weird. Turns out the turkey is almost a camp mascot--hanging around that section of the park for at least six weeks or so, and (s)he seems pretty domesticated. After walking around, I saw the awesome access to the St. Joseph River which changed my mind about the location. Next time, we'll look into some of the lower sites and see if we can get closer.
I still have some mixed feelings--the convenient check-in let us choose our onsite and give/receive all our registration online. However, that leads to an isolation of sorts, and I didn't see any park employees our entire time there. We also dragged our back end trying to get up the hill toward the dump station, and the lane also had an overhanging limb that made us a little nervous. A bit better signage would have made this easier as we could have taken a different path. We would have had to turn the RV around to dump, but that would make things a bit less adventurous.
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AT&T 4G
ELarew would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pulled in, looked around, & left ”
Reviewed 9/17/2021
| Nightly rate: | $67 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 0 |
Overall Rating
Well . . . At the low end for Thousand Trails. Pulled up to gate and pushed intercom button and was told they were closed ???? 2.30pm on Wednesday?? The drive to the gate was the first clue this wasn’t a place for me. The second was the price. All roads are dirt and dusty and I felt as though I was intruding. I now know where all of ... more
Well . . . At the low end for Thousand Trails. Pulled up to gate and pushed intercom button and was told they were closed ???? 2.30pm on Wednesday?? The drive to the gate was the first clue this wasn’t a place for me. The second was the price. All roads are dirt and dusty and I felt as though I was intruding. I now know where all of those 10 yr old plus trailers go. Most are seasonal and/or annual and many need cleaned. Makes the whole grounds feel run down. Bigs rigs going to the left after passing through the gate are doomed. Guessing those sites could accommodate up to 28 ft ?? Sites to the right can accommodate larger but only a site or two were open. And those are close to one another. This is not a campground but more of a place to live in a trailer.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“second time here,, same ole same ole.. ”
Reviewed 8/20/2021
| Nightly rate: | $74 |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 9 |
| Site Number: | 73 |
| RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
not a lot of sewer and river front site as most are taken by annuals.. the amount of annuals has gotten larger and there is only like 20ish site available to non annuals.. more or less. most of the site on river are taken, so you either get luck and get site with sewer, maybe 5?, or go by the bathhouse and get on of the open grass... more
not a lot of sewer and river front site as most are taken by annuals.. the amount of annuals has gotten larger and there is only like 20ish site available to non annuals.. more or less.
most of the site on river are taken, so you either get luck and get site with sewer, maybe 5?, or go by the bathhouse and get on of the open grass site with no sewer.. dump is behind the bath house so not that far to pull your tank or for $10 they will pump you out..
the road coming in from Red Bud is a bit rough.. (you turn between two houses oddly enough) some large "dips" out by the hwy and a couple of speed bumps to deal with. the entrance is gated and they call with gate code before hand. :)
there is a mix of 30 and 30-50 sites.. more 30 it seemed.. (we are 30 so not a big deal)
the bath house has been updated and looks good. new tile, toilets and the showers have strong pressure and hot water.. problem is the head sorta not able to adjust to not shoot water out past the curtain.. need to have another joint that will allow it to bend down more.
SPeaking of bathhouse.. the entire time there the floor was NEVER swept or mopped. toilets are cleaned, paper replaced etc counters at sinks wiped off but no sweep or mopping the floor.
you are close to south bend and notre dame university.. down the road is Red Bud motocross track.. the put on national and international talent races from time to time. Redbudmx.com
also not far is the RV Museum down near Elkhart IN home of a lot of RV manufacturers. Many give factory tours so be sure to call and find out more.. (covid had restricted them so be aware)
The Bear Cave is an actual cave.. lt was part of the "Underground Railroad" helping to funnel slaves from the south to freedom in the north and canada.. plus it was a location in a silent movie about bank robbers.. be sure to check the info inside the store and the waterfalls out back.
the pool area was redone and look nice.. the hot tub shown on map does not exist.. (a lot of stuff on the map is not correct)
if you bring kayaks there is a nice place to put in the St Joseph river right at the park and you can leave it tied up on dock.. there are lots of boat on the dock adn the river has lot of activity during the weekend.
Be sure to take time to check out the store and talk with the lady there. she is a hoot and super friendly. ( I think she is the manager but not sure.. )
there are some nice bike trails in town and in Niles to the east. (also the walmart store)
water is super hard.. had rust stains on my regulator from slight leak of backflow preventer. tested out at 399 TDS.. use softener if you have one.
Tmoblie and verizon were low, bearable usable.. ATT was good.. 22 meg down. no booster.
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AT&T 4G
Verizon 4G
carl2591 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice little RV park by the river”
Reviewed 8/11/2021
| Days stayed: | 11 |
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| Site Number: | 158 |
Overall Rating
We really enjoyed our stay here, this was a low key stay for us since going full time traveling. The sites are good size. Unfortunately they are first come first serve. We really liked our spot with full hook ups. This park is just outside the town of Buchanan and about 30 minutes for either attractions in ST. Joseph or South Bend. You... more
We really enjoyed our stay here, this was a low key stay for us since going full time traveling. The sites are good size. Unfortunately they are first come first serve. We really liked our spot with full hook ups. This park is just outside the town of Buchanan and about 30 minutes for either attractions in ST. Joseph or South Bend. You can tell the property is well maintained also, AT&T service was weak but our T-mobile hot spot worked just fine.
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AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
elliotthighcountrylivin would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Bear Cave RV Campground, Thousand Trails in Michigan -
Bear Cave RV is a cozy campground conveniently located on the St Joseph River less than thirty minutes from Lake Michigan and Warren Dunes St...
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- sewer
- Full Hookups
Recreation
- basketball court
- boat ramp
- horseshoes
- playground
- swimming pool: onsite
- volleyball
Site Amenities
- big rig
- picnic table
Facilities
- cabins
- dump station
- laundry
- restrooms: flush
- rv storage
- showers
- swimming pool: onsite
- trash
Discount Clubs
- Passport America
- Thousand Trails
Pets
- pets
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