**WOW, WOW, & WOW** Family friendly to say the least. We have 3 boys and a golden retriever (who does not retrieve). The campground blew our expectations out of the water. The staff could not have been more helpful or nicer to deal with. The facility was very homey, welcoming, and an absolute blast for us and especially the boys (and the dog). Two lakes - one to swim in, the other to fish (catch n release) - the sites were clean and the location of the campground was remote. We felt very at-home during the entire time. We spent 5 nights at the campground and didn't feel like we wanted to leave. The weather was gorgeous in the mountains, and the town of Saluda was quaint and cozy. We were a bit surprised at the camp office and all that they offered right out of the office (from ice cream to Schwanns meats, breakfast, wood, books, videos, etc.) and all the little extras (horseshoes, ping-pong, carpet pool, and even a 3-hole course). They had all the gear and equipment already hanging out waiting for you to start playing at your leisure. You did NOT have to go to the office and request to play horseshoes or golf - only to find out the office was closed. You just walked up and did it. The campground was silent at night and only once (July 4th) did the chatter and noise go later than 11pm--a minor detail in comparison to other campgrounds during the holidays. The staff and the campground owner went overboard in making the visit to Orchard Lake a memory that my family will remember forever. We plan on coming back with the entire extended family. We had little phone coverage at our site (a positive), but TREMENDOUS Wi-Fi connection. Loved this part (as a business owner) and was blown away that we could be this remote in the woods of North Carolina, and still be online this strong. Pet-friendliness was a great part in knowing that other people were OK with our dog swimming the lake and chasing a ball and hanging with other friendly big-dogs. Lastly - a vast majority of people we talked to were locals who stay at the park when they want to "get away". Think about that - you live in the mountains of Carolina, but come HERE to relax... it says volumes at how beautiful and easy-going and welcoming this campground is. Bottom line - I could go on and on for more pages - just get to this campground. You won't be disappointed. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.

The road leading to the campground is winding and two-lane. However, there are plenty of signs telling you when and where to turn. We particularly appreciated being routed on a bridge over the railroad tracks in the town of Saluda. We were traveling with a 13-year old and he was greatly entertained here with the facilities available. He used the zip line, the lake for swimming and for paddle boats, and the skateboard ramps. Our site was long enough for our 36-foot unit and our full-sized SUV. The office staff was courteous and helpful. We enjoyed our stay and would stay again. We camped here in a Motorhome.

Below you will find an Email I received from the owners of Orchard Lakes Camp Ground 3 months after the review I wrote about their campground. They wish that I clear up some unclear items in my review so here goes. The roads were not dirt as I stated, they were Gravel. (people still drove to fast and still dusty) I didn't know we were in Polk County not Henderson County. Dogs still ran loose bothering our dogs on leashes. They ask people beside us about the problem we had and they did not feel the guys were drunk and loud (camp here a lot). We will always leave a camp ground before we have the owners confront someone around us. Makes for a long weekend if people around you are mad (especially if they appear to be intoxicated). I wrote the 1st review before I was contacted by them they did offer our money back, or a free stay. We declined both. July 27, 2009 I came across your review of our campground, Orchard Lake Campground, at www.rvparkreviews.com recently and would like to respond to your review. Again, I would like to apologize to you that your stay did not meet your expectations. Our goal that we work very hard towards is to give our campers a great experience though there are times this does not happen. However, if you read our other reviews you will find that most of our reviews are positive. As I said over the phone after your stay when I initially called you, it is unacceptable for someone to urinate publicly. At that time you indicated that you were under the impression that we were a Christian family campground. I would like to clarify that we are Christians that run a family campground. The difference as I see it is that I believe that both you and I are called to welcome and reach out to a lost and dying world which means that we at times have to deal with campers that do not act like Christians because they are not Christians. We depend on our campers to help us monitor what goes on in the campground and we do not hesitate to deal with campers and situations when necessary. It is unfortunate that you did not speak to us so that we could deal with this situation. We do not stay in the office 24/7 because we have bathhouses and cottages to clean, firewood to deliver, and a variety of other chores to perform. We have provided what has proved to be a very convenient means for campers to communicate with us when we are not in the office by installing a phone at the door that automatically dials the portable phone that someone carries and that reaches throughout the campground. We do not consider our office closed when we are out and about in the campground and merely a phone call away. Having insinuated that you are Christians, I believe that you left out some important facts and misrepresented others. I suppose there are two sides to a story. First of all, your campsite was located in Polk County, not Henderson County and Polk County does not have a leash law. We do require leashes but it is a constant battle that we actively deal with concerning neighbors dogs in the campground. Secondly, I believe that most would describe our roads as gravel, not dirt. I do wish we had a lot of money to pave the whole campground which would solve the dust problem but at this time the Lord has not provided us with that kind of money. We do have people that drive too fast and speak to those we can but we do not speak to everyone. Thirdly, your departure left us with the inability to deal with the problems first hand. However, both myself and our manager contacted you on a timely basis to discuss your concerns and offered you a refund. We also contacted your next site camping neighbor, frequent campers at Orchard Lake and also contacted the camper in charge at the site with the inappropriate behavior to voice our concerns. Your next site neighbors did not feel that the campers were loud and drunk. I wish we had the opportunity to evaluate for ourselves. We permit alcohol but it has to stay on a site and under control. We do not hesitate to ask people in the campground if they have alcohol off their site or to investigate whether or not someone is out of control with alcohol on their site. The camper in charge on the site with the inappropriate behavior apologized for the behavior of his relative that had bladder control problems. Our conversation with him would have been much more effective had this taken place on Saturday. The phone calls we made to you and others after the fact would not have taken place if we did not care about our campers out of a desire to treat others the way we want to be treated. While you are entitled to your opinion based on your experience, again I do not feel that you stated the whole truth. Regardless, I pray the Lord will bless you and hope you will have great camping experiences in the future. Sincerely, Kirk, owner Orchard Lake Campground We camped here in a Travel Trailer.