Russel Crites - Hillsdale State Park

We stayed for a week in Crappie Cove. We have relatives in the area and have always heard folks rave about weekends at Hillsdale lake. We are spending 3 months this summer in our RV traveling the country and this was one of the stops along our way.

Pros:

*   spacious site
*   lots of trees/shade
*   Mostly quiet location
*   great playground for kids (though not shaded)
*   each site had a table and fire pit
*   far enough away from the city to see stars at night. :)
*   Lots of different camping loops - from primitive to full hookups.

Cons:

*   NEVER saw the camp host.
*   not sure the showers/toilets were cleaned in the 7 days we were there. There were always puddles everywhere in the bathroom, so much that the heat made them smell very bad. One toilet would never seem to hold water. Most of the time it was empty/clogged.
*   many many cars on some sites
*   standing pond of water covered in moss/algae and caused lots of bugs/mosquitoes to be around
*   Shower curtains had black mold all over them

This campground has great potential and we found some other bathrooms that were actually decent on another loop, so walked there daily instead of the one in our loop.

No one at the front booth when we checked in (middle of the afternoon on a Sunday) but we had already paid, so we just proceeded to our site, which was already marked with our name and dates. We went in and out of the park every day with no issue. On the 7th day of our stay, my husband is stopped and asked where his parking permit is. No one came by our site after we checked in. No one ever asked in 7 days, not even the camp host who should monitor that stuff. We had ONE vehicle on our site and everywhere we have ever camped, one vehicle is included in your camping fee. We were told we had to pay an additional fee per day for the vehicle we used to pull our camper to the site. AFTER we had been parking there a week already and it was the day we were leaving. None of the other cars in our loop had permits in their windows or windshields.

We have stayed at many state parks across the country and this is one of the worst, in my opinion. Camp hosts were non-existent until the last minute and then they were rude. Facilities are not well maintained (on the Crappie Cove loop).

Very Clean and Very Relaxing

Campgrounds are clean and aren’t too overly cramped. Trails for hiking and riding bikes and they offer canoe/kayak renting.

Easy Camping

Great campsite. Plenty of space for tents and other activities and very close to water

Great campsite

This campground is close to home for us, but we love it as a quick get away.  It has beautiful, tree-covered campsites that offer direct access to the lake.  The sites and facilities are well kept and clean.  Full-hookup sites don't have any tree coverage, but the electric/water sites near the lake are very cozy.  

  

It is a great place to bike and fish.  It also has excellent public hunting areas.  It also has a great bow range for siting in and practicing with your bow.  You can even climb towers to practice shooting from "tree-stand" elevations.

Trees, Lake Access, Biking, Hunting, Fishing, and Bow Range

Cool weekend at a great lake right before things turned green.  Closed last year to redo the electric, enjoyed Site 181 at Scott Creek, west side of Hillsdale Lake.  

Still a little cool and gray, but nice 60 degree weekend.


2022 Camping kickoff on April Fools Day

Great campground (Sunflower) The host's are friendly and knowledgeable of the area. The trees in the sites are small saplings, give them a few more years, and they will be nice.