Island Lake Campground

I stayed at this campground for four nights after the July holiday weekend. It was easy to find a FCFS site midday Thursday. One thing to look out for when getting to the campground is that Google Maps will have you turn in north of the Lake due to the shorter distance. This upper road is much more rough and narrow. I highly recommend you go past the lake and enter on the south end. The road is better and a little wider. You will also get an awesome view of the lake from the main road before you turn off.

This campground is not on the lake, but a short trail across the road leads you to the tail around the lake. The day use parking area is also very close and your hanger for the campground gives you free parking. With how close the day use area is, we were able to just strap two paddle boards and a kayak to the roof of the truck and go back and forth. The vault toilets were very clean and water is potable. The host mentioned it comes from a mountain spring in the area. Most sites had a pull in long enough for a vehicle and small camper, along with a pad for the fire pit/picnic table and a pad for the tent.

Cell signal is very spotty. I could get one, maybe two bars of Verizon, but data did not always work well. Sometimes there was a faint T-Mobile signal. The visitor center is also close by, and while not staffed for the 2024 season, it has wifi, flush toilets, and filtered water for bottles. The lakes were amazing due to all the rain and snow this year. We were there just before peak wildflower time, but it was still beautiful.

Located adjacent to Island Lake, this campground is beautiful, but watch out for the mosquitos!  We took a non electric pull-through as a stopover for the night.  Our 35 ft 5th wheel fit easily.  The campground is pretty easy to maneuver in, even for a larger camper.  Be sure to take the longer road along the south side of the lake from the eastern most turn off of HWY 65 to get to the campground.  The norther western route is narrow, steep and very challenging for even the smallest RV.

The campground host was super pleasant.  We had to grab the mosquito repellent before we were even done levelling and setting up because they were absolutely unreal, swarming on a cool sunny afternoon.  They were just relentless!  The site was pretty level but we did use some levelling blocks to even things out.  Great spot to base for exploring the Mesa, fishing, hiking or offroading.

The table and recreation areas of each campsite are very well designed and maintained.

If you have an America the Beautiful card, be sure to mention it. I paid a steep discount with the card.

Flat, level, FHU, covered picnic table ADA accessible, fire pit, grill, trash and bathrooms nearby.

We have been coming here for years. It’s a great spot to go with family and just a short ride from the city. The fishing at Island Lake is always great (we use a troll boat) and it’s there are plenty of great trails and trees for shade.

The campground is tucked away and a little hard to find. We chose it because it had electric hookup, had availability on Labor Day weekend and it was near a lake. We were on site #2. It was one of the few almost level sites. Almost all sites have a parking pad and a picnic pad above or below the parking and shade. There is no cell service. The vault toilets seemed clean but smelled bad most of the time. Being near the lake was a definite plus. It was gorgeous! Definitely bring a SUP or kayak. The hiking is minimal from the campground. However, there are some awesome trailheads a short drive away. Most are hikers only, no bikes or horses.