Hi neighbor! We are from Minnesota, and do a lot of camping. One place you may want to consider is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area... Beautiful! It's up in the northernmost part of MN. We go to a lot of state campgrounds... some of our favorites are St. Croix State Park, Interstate Park (I prefer the Wisconsin side), and Lake Itasca. Try the MN DNR site for good descriptions of each park; you can even reserve camping on the site. We like the walk-in or backpack sites- more privacy, and usually they really in the middle of nature. In Wisconsin, we like Big Bay State Park (Apostle Islands- in Lake Superior.) You take a ferry from Bayfield, WI out to the island (Madeline). Amnicon Falls Park is also a winner. Really... there are so many, I can't name them all. Northern MN or WI are the best locations- you really can't lose there. Have fun!

I am one only to hike and camp. My favorite place to do this is at Berryman camp in missouri. It is half way between Potosi and Steelville on Hwy. 8. It has 8 sites that are free. No water or trash service but for free......

I'm going to the Smokies at the end of May for a few days. It won't be great salamander weather but we'll see what we can find. I have agreat spot in Smoky Mountains National Park where you can find Four Toeds and Black Chinned Reds right next to each other. As well as many other species. Dave

Oops, sorry Mike. Somehow I read this whole post thinking it was Gary's. The comment remains though, very nice pics and trip documentation-- just add, "as usual!"