Ottawa State Fishing Lake

We camped here from December 7th till 8th. A quick trip. A little chilly, but not bad for what we were expecting. This was our first time to Ottawa, and I must say we were pleasantly surprised. The grounds are free for 14days before you have to move along. We took a drive around the whole lake to scope out a good camping spot. A few of the areas on the north and east side were closed off for the winter, leaving the large west side as the only option. We found a great spot near the lake, take the farthest road to the right when the road splits, it’s backed by the trees and next to the lake. Open areas, no hookups. Trees were very helpful with blocking the wind. There were only two other campers on the grounds with us, both at opposite ends of the grounds. Campfire rings are chained down, some are bigger and taller than others. Only a few had grates if you didn’t bring your own. The only real downside about the grounds we had was the trash. There are no trash cans, so people just leave trash lying around. We did a quick pickup around our area, and gathered what you see in the grey bucket picture below. The toilets were open, however they are pretty much a hole in the ground with a seat attached. No sinks. There are a few benches, wood or concrete, around, but not at every site. There is a nice open building with two fireplaces if you are needing some place to gather. It looks like it may have been closed in at some point because there are spots for toilets closed off. It also looks like it has possible electric hookup. If you are looking for a great spot for a quick getaway, or quite vacation spot, this would be a great place to do so! We will definitely be back. 

Lakefront winter gem 

This place was beautiful. We drove all the way around the lake to find our perfect private spot and we basically had the whole road to ourself. There were all these little inlets into the water and you can sit out on them and it’s really pretty. 

It was the middle of summer so it was extremely hot. We slept in the car and it got so hot that we had to turn the car on and run the ac a couple of times throughout the night. It was also crazy buggy. The window had a blanket of bugs. Gross. Nice breeze though before we went to bed. 

There’s pit toilets but no running water. The water in the lake was pretty but quite gross but I imagine very nice for fishing. My dog pulled out some pieces of garbage. 

Beautiful private campground

It's all dried up theres barely enough to water to fish. I wouldn't go here. They do have a beautiful patch of sunflowers though. 

It's all dried up

This was a great place to get of the highway and relax and camp. No noise except the geese and owls doing their goose and owl stuff. Bring your own water, and PACK OUT YOUR OWN TRASH! Don’t ruin this wonderful campground.