If you had to choose just ONE campground, which would it be, where, and why ?
That is so heavily weather dependent in the US, especially the West, that I have to give you two at least.
Winter? Palm Canyon Resort in Borrego Springs CA.? ?This is a decently sited and run commercial RV park with spa and pool sitting in the middle of Anza Borrego Desert State Park:? 625,000 acres of Colorado Desert.? ?You are in the best area I know of to come in contact with the American desert.? Vehicular access in street legal vehicles is allowed in most of the park on designated trails.? ?Commercial 4WD tours are available.? ?The night sky is stunning.? Sunsets are glorious.? ?The little town of Borrego Springs has a nice natural history museum and store and the park has an excellent interpretive program.? ?All sorts of drives, hikes, walks, and presentations.? ?Death Valley is more famous, but Anza Borrego is more accessable.? ?I took a couple of Brits there (Glaswegians) and they were overwhelmed by the experience.? You cannot get much different from Ayrshire.
Summer? Highlands RV Park in Bishop, CA
or Mammoth Mountain RV Park in Mammoth Lakes, CA.? ?Either of these two parks give you access to the glorious and largely wild main crest of the Eastern Sierra Nevada.? ?Highlands is the better park in terms of facilities.? ?It at the edge of a town.? Mammoth sits in a pine forest.? ?Highlands is at 4000 feet and will be warm but dry (90?F and maybe 30-40%).? ? Mammoth is at 7800 feet? and will be cooler but even drier.(70-80?F and 20-30%).? ?Day trips will give you access to the high country of Bishop Pass, Devils Postpile NM, the unearthly Mono Lake, the genuine western ghost town of Bodie, the little meadow town of Bridgeport.? ?The place is paved with gorgeous alpine lakes and snow capped peaks rearing up 12,000 to 14, 592 feet -- two miles above the? Owens Valley that Bishop sits in.? ?
The fishing, for rainbow and brown trout is superb -- streams, rivers, and lakes.? Unlike the UK most fishing is freely accessible and the licenses are cheap -- a 10-day non-resident fishing license costs $33.50, 2-day $16.80,? 1-day? $10.75.? ?Trout respond well to baits like cheese, marshmellows, and even worms.? ?Nothing beats fresh caught trout, rolled in cornmeal and sauteed in butter for breakfast.? ?;D? ? Spinning tackle is cheap enough to pitch at the end of your trip.? ?
Both of my sets of recommendations are not famous places that are on the must-do tourist list.? But either of them will well reward a week's stopover and both will give you a good in depth exposure to the American West -- especially Bishop, CA.