Whistler Gulch Campground

After I pushed to be moved to a longer site, our spot worked fine and the campground was functional. Getting there took an argument with the owner, Robin, though. I’d booked a 50-foot travel trailer site a year ahead and asked them to confirm it would fit our RV and truck. Robin said the “system” had put me in a 40-foot site and told me I should have checked sooner. I was also told I’d get the 10% Good Sam discount at check-in, but Robin later refused it. Management’s motto seems to be that the customer is always wrong and management is right. Check your reservation carefully before arriving, and be prepared for a combative owner. The customer service needs work.

Deadwood itself was wonderful, but staying at Whistler’s Gulch wasn’t. We understand shoulder season: we camp often and have stayed at hundreds of campgrounds in all 50 states. Weather, maintenance problems, and reduced staffing happen. But guests still need basic preparation, communication, and service. Here it felt as if they were getting the campground ready while people were already staying there. I wouldn’t recommend booking a place that treats its patrons this way. We arrived about 5:15 PM after telling the campground in advance we expected to arrive around 6. The office was already locked and empty. The late check-in instructions were meant for arrivals after 6, but no one was available during normal check-in hours. They don’t allow check-in before 2 PM, so they only allow three hours for people to check in. The instructions taped low on the door first looked like a campground map, and we missed them. Communication was nearly nonexistent from the start. No one answered or returned calls promptly, whether we were booking or onsite, and voicemails went unanswered. We were told to email instead. Even though the season was already weeks underway and “high season” was less than a week away, the facilities didn’t seem ready. In the women’s restroom, two toilets were hooked up, while another had old feces in it. One shower stall had become storage, with loose tile blocking part of the way out. In the men’s restroom, another toilet was full of feces, one couldn’t be used, and a stall door wouldn’t latch. Near our picnic table, feces and toilet paper had been sprayed on the ground from the neighboring site. Laundry was listed as available, but the building was locked. There was no sign, message, or other indication it was out of order. We had to spend valuable vacation time babysitting our laundry offsite because of the poor preparation and communication. The owner’s response afterward was the most disappointing part. Instead of acknowledging the problems, it mostly blamed guests for not figuring out how to navigate an unattended campground with broken or unavailable amenities. The owner’s final email said: “Hi Ashleigh Thank you for getting back to me. Again we apologize that you did not get the experience you expected. Aside from the laundry being under repair, we delivered everything that we advertised for our early season. It's certainly your right to review a small family owned business for one amenity that was not available to you while you stayed with us. Please know though, we have the right to respond. As far as the campground not being ready for the season, you may have noted that we deal with weather issues all the time, we had 2 inches of snow and rain just on Monday. So, to say we could do things ahead of time is just not possible in the northern midwest. We are very much dependent on weather conditions at this time of the year and do what we can. Also please note that we are in the office from 10am to 5pm, not the 3 hours you assumed. We also agree that customer communication is important, on both ends. We are not sure what number you are calling, but both the 800 number and onsite number instruct you to email us or that we will return your message. You didn't seem to do either and we have no record of your number on our on site line that we would have returned your call on. Beyond commenting on anything else you pointed out, I will just decline to do so, you seem to be pretty set in your opinion on how we should run our business that we have operated for 30 yrs. Thank you for your time and any understanding that you can find at this time. Robin, WGC”

We came for the Marathon, but we’ll never return. Our daughter called the day before to cancel because her truck had broken down. It was past the cancellation deadline, but the breakdown wasn’t her fault. A rude woman still charged her for two nights. The place wasn’t full and had plenty of room. Never again.

The campground was nice, with well-kept grounds and very clean restrooms and showers. The pool was warm, but I couldn’t swim because I had other activities. I loved seeing the Trolley come through. I’d stay again.