East Park Campground - Ashley National Forest

This campground is at end of the FS #18 paved road and then .7 mi of gravel. There are 20 sites, $10/ $5 senior. No host on site. No cell signal, no water and no trash dumpsters. Two vault toilets present. The lake has a boat ramp but the water gets drawn down and there does not seem to be any nice beach area..plus cattle were on the shoreline. Two stars due to no water, no cell signal and cows on the shoreline.

Nice CG, paved FS rd all the way except last 1/2 mile of gravel from FS rd #20. CG has 20 camp sites, no reservations. $10 nite, vault toilets but NO water or garbage. Boat ramp area is a bit rough. Lake has the bathtub look as it is drawn down. Biggest negative is NO cell service of any provider, hence the 4 stars. I saw no sign of any camp host or vendor running this cg

When we arrived the campground was almost empty. There were a handful of folks fishing at the lake but overall it was a very quiet visit. Except for an unusually aggressive cow that decided to yell at my family for 15 minutes or so. Other than that it was great. If you come here, make sure to take the time the drive Red Cloud Loop Scenic Byway. Within a few miles of the campground we saw 4 moose.

Campground Review:

East Park is a great campground located right next to the lake. They have several bathroom facilities. Graveled road and sites available for RV or tents. They also have water spigots. This campground is well maintained and the fishing can be hit or miss at the lake. This time I hiked all the way around the lake in a lil over 2 hours. For the most part it is an easy hike till you get to the far bank there you will encounter fallen trees and some steak inclines. This campground fills up fast during the summer weekends so keep that in mind and get up there early.

Product Review Section:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Primus 2.3L Primetech Stove. https://primus.us/products/new-primetech-stove-set-2-3l It comes with 2 pots; one anodized and one ceramic, a case, a burner base, a detachable handle, a clear lid with a built in colander and an igniter. This stove is really light just weighing in at 30.6 oz. I cooked rice in mine and it had the water beginning to boil in 1 min 45 seconds and by 3 minutes 15 seconds it was at a full roaring boil. I didnt have a chance to clean it the night I used it but the next day even with the food dried onto it, cleanup was effortless. Everything wiped right out, no scrubbing required! Because of the convenience and lightness of this it fits in my hiking backpack and I will be using it on overnight hiking trips. I love that everything can all fit together and go into the carrying case. I also used the Primus Micron Lantern https://primus.us/products/micron-lantern-steel-mesh it was bright enough to light up under an awning. My only concern was this was not a fast set up device. You have to burn the mantle until its all white which can take a few minutes. Definitely start assembly before it gets dark if this is your only means of light for the night. The mantle appears to be brittle after use and I'm not sure it will withstand being in my hiking pack for another trip. This being said I searched the Primus site and cant seem to locate additional mantels to buy as these are unique I'm guessing to the Primus lanterns. Overall it did its job and I will do an update on weather the mantel holds up to my next hiking trip after already being burnt

Nice little campground. Camping spots are to close to each other. Bathrooms located in the campground and by the boat dock are kept clean. Short walk to the lake. Great fishing! Although I would recommend that you go over by the dam for the best fishing. The fish are stocked and its kinda neat to watch the trucks unload them on the boat dock. Campground is usually pretty full every weekend