Lafayette Park Campground

Our RV GPS took us right through the middle of Gothenberg where WAZE and Google Maps wanted to take us around on Avenue G to 11th St. Around to 11th would have cut out a lot of the stops going through town and the bumpy railroad tracks. But otherwise, it was not hard to find this campground (CG). The park office was not open this day at 3:00 PM as the person was out until the evening. We had reservations so we got a map and proceeded to pull-through site 23 with water (shared between two sites) and electric (50/30 AMP). The map didn’t help much but this was a small CG so we drove until we found the site and then maneuvered between the huge oak trees. We had to disconnect and park our F450 lateral to fit. Since the small back-in site 24 shares water with our site 23, and we were told the CG was going to be full, we put in enough water for our overnight stay instead of staying hooked up to water. Across from our site was a little covered bridge that took us to the main city park area, which was great to walk our dogs. We got a good variety of OTA channels. The satellite would be iffy from most sites due to the large oaks. This CG was okay for large rigs just be careful on site selection as some of the sites are short and back-ins were tight. There are sites like ours that will take bigger rigs but the easiest in/out site for larger rigs is pull through 28. There was a 40+ foot class A parked in 28 when we were there. The CG was okay for a short stay.

We arrived after dark. Park and campground were easy enough to find. Convenient online reservation system. There is a large park with walking trails next to the campground that made it really easy to run our dogs. Campground felt safe, was clean, and we found everything to be operational. 4/5 stars because it wasn’t directly off freeway and signage could be a little better for night navigation

Spent 4 nights here and enjoyed it. Our site had great shade what helped when it was 100. Great place to walk the dog. Campground manager helped us get an Amazon package delivered!!! Power with shared water but we never had neighbor. I think they are big cottonwood trees but seems to trimmed okay. A little tight winding road but our 37 5er and dually was fine. The road from the highway is rough so take it easy. We would stay again.

Lafayette Park Campground is a very nice city park across from a rodeo parade ground that has the occasional rodeo. The park is about a mile and a half from downtown Gothenburg. The campground is small, the host is sweet and accommodating, campers are each issued a bathroom key on request to hold for the duration of your stay. The shower rooms are private, clean, and secure. Plenty of cottonwood trees in the park so pay attention to the weather as a limb could do some damage. Site 11 is no problem but your door faces south so the sun is pretty much always there. The Pony Express Museum is definitely worth a visit. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The Sod House is not so hot these days and is in disrepair. It is still worth visiting to see how the early poor pioneers lived. Water and electricity is at each site. Dump station is on the way out.

Since others have had good experiences mine must be an anomaly, but I'll share it in case it helps someone. Overall it was weird and I won't be back.
The bad:
- Beware of parking under the beautiful trees with falling branches and bird droppings. The first night I arrived there was a storm, and during the night a branch fell and hit my trailer. The trailer door window shattered.
-The park staff couldn't have cared less. Had to call the office to let them know since I found the office closed when I walked to it (9AM on a Tuesday).
-I finally got to the office when they were open and the woman told me to take it up with the city. She then told me she would contact "Noah" from the city and ask him to call me. I haven't heard from him or anyone else. [As an aside, there were perpetually children's toys blocking the walkway to the office, and when I was talking to the woman, a little boy kept running into me on his trike and she didn't tell him to stop.]
-I realize we camp at our own risk, but it would have helped if someone cared and, I don't know, maybe helped me patch the broken window. I spent hours driving around town looking for supplies to cover the window, then patching it.
-The front of my trailer was covered in bird poo. Had to wash it off twice.
-You must request a bathroom key from the office but there are no posted office hours. If you're trying to conserve your tanks, you'll have to call the office whenever you want to use the restroom (don't bother walking there since it may not be open).
-The email confirmation I received gave a WiFi password for "Lafayette Park" which must have been for the park next door (which didn't appear on my devices). There was no park WiFi.

The good:
- There's a beautiful park right next to the campground with a lovely path around a lake.

Loved this little campground. A few miles off the highway and just a quick bike ride into town. Water and electric hookups at each site. Dump station at front of campground. Really nice pond nearby for fishing; playground equipment for kids; and bike trails that lead into town. Great overnight spot. A few loud trains during the night but nothing a sound machine can't cover. Would stay here again!

We needed a place to stop that was more than halfway home. The place has full hookup for $25 cash, clean bathrooms and showers. This is a very nice place. We called earlier in the day and they had a spot for us when we got there. It would be a cool place to explore in the day. They have the pony express museum. It would be cool to visit when they do the pony express reenactment. It is a very nice town and great park.

It is close to the highway about 3 minutes from I 80 but I would never have found it without google maps.