Having previously worked at Casini Ranch for 3 years I was curious as to how the place was going. So, I went along this weekend to visit with some friends who were camping there. I only stayed a few hours and was appalled at the way our friends had been treated. This place is getting worse - you can't have fun here unless you do it silently. Honestly, if you're just talking around the campfire at 10pm you're told to be quiet and go to bed - it's ridiculous. It seems the staff now, and even Paul Casini are all being brainwashed by Mike McCombs - they seem terrified to even smile at you these days. I'm sure a ton of people agree that this is definitely not the campground it used to be. Now it's all about money. I recommend anyone going here on a holiday weekend need to ensure they know how to get out cos if there's a fire this park is way over populated - talk about being greedy. Just be careful if you're either a camper or an employee - these people are ruthless and don't care who they upset as long as they get their money.

My boyfriend and I randomly decided to go on an overnight camping trip on a Thursday night. He suggested Duncans Mills, so we booked the campsite at Casini Ranch where we both had been before, but not for many years. Since it was a weekday, and their off season, the campgrounds were fairly empty, which was nice. The staff was very friendly and the grounds were well kept up. The campsite was very clean, as were bathroom facilities. A plus was that their grounds are dog friendly so I got to bring my dog, as long as he stayed on a leash, which wasn't a problem. They have a dog park so that dogs can run freely without a leash, which was also nice. We had a campsite right near the river, and went for a walk down on the beach. The only excitement we had was a visit from a couple raccoons. The campgrounds were very pleasant, and peaceful, and we definitely want to go back.

Just fyi. Be prepared to wait in a long line for check in if you come on the weekend. Also it cost a family of 5 on one site 375.00 to camp for four days on a full hook up rv site. Even though the site is for 2 adults and 2 children, they still charged us for 3 extra people at 12.00 each night. To me the 2 children should have equaled at least one adult and they should have charged us for only 2 extra people. Not cool. They were very good about security and kept the bathrooms well equipped. Next visit I would only go during the week as the weekends are intolerably crowded. Long lines for the restrooms. (There are only 3 in the entire campground) They do have showers but the lines are very long for those as well.

My family has been coming to Casini Ranch for 30 years for an annual one week camping trip and we have witnessed the changes good and bad over the years. Unfortunately over the last three years we have seen a decline in service and facilities, an increase in costs, and decline in the management. We are not planning on coming back next year. To be fair, the Casini family have created wonderful camping location and our experience with the family has always been positive. The camping facilities are large, there are hot showers most of the time, access to the river is great, and it's in a great location. If the following doesn't bother you, you'll have a great time.

Service: Every year the day before we leave, we make reservations for the next year. We all roll up our sleeves and expect to take one hour to make reservations for 6 families. Many times we have experienced reservation problems. As of our trip in July 2011, we were told they are implementing a new reservation system and were told to call back each week to find out when the new system would go on line. The overall reservation experience will probably improve as long as you're not making a large group reservation for several sites.

Facilities: Broken toilets and sinks during the busy summer season. On the positive side, the grounds are very clean and well maintained, camp trash is always emptied, and roads with in the camp grounds are safe for kids.

Cost: For a nightly hook up it costs $49 per night but only includes two people. The cost for each person per night is $20. So for a family of four that's $89. Add another car and it's $10 more. For one site we had five people and two vehicles and paid $119 per day. There is also an extra charge for dogs

Management: The Casini family brought in a management company which is focused on revenue and not customer service. Each morning at the crack of dawn a person roams the camp ground looking for cars that are not tagged and did not pay the $10 fee. Also, a family member had a run in with the manager who began a conversation with "you need to move this f***ing RV".