Taylor Bay Campground

This is lakefront with a vault toilet and no running water. On a Wednesday night everything was quiet and peaceful. It is a self serve campground.

There are about 25 sites. No reservations, all sites are first come first serve. There are about 8-10 lake front. There is also about 8-10 in the woods. There is a block bathroom. There are fire rings and picnic tables at each site. There is a boat dock. There are no shower houses, no water, and no electricity.

Taylor Bay is a self service campground in Land Between the Lakes. All the campsites are first come, first served. There are no amenities except a vault toilet and a boat ramp. The roads leading back to Taylor Bay are all paved, and each site has a fire ring, and is usually compacted gravel. When you arrive, you find your site, stake your claim, and then go back to the "iron ranger" to fill out your camping registration, pay your fees and drop the envelope into the "iron ranger".  Generators are allowed, but there are posted quiet times.  I have AT&T cell service and could pick up three bars on an android. 

The sites are well spaced apart to still offer some privacy.  Most of the sites are shaded, but a few in the center have zero shade.  If you plan on using the boat ramp, be sure to check the lake levels...the ramp drops abruptly and during low pool, may not be usable. Taylor Bay is located near Hematite Lake (picnicking & hiking), and the Nature Station on the north side of LBL.

We’ve gone when there was nobody (it was fall and pretty cold) and got to tent camp by the water and LOVED it. We went back on a weekend in June and it was awful. Packed, and RVs were loud and honestly rude. No tent only sites and RVs won’t hesitate to park next to a tent rather than by an RV. Bathroom was stocked but rancid and had no water. The site would be great if it were less busy so scope it out before hand.

We camped for one night and arrived late with no one on duty to take payment so we used the honor system drop box. Stunning views of lake and awesome sunset. Left in the early morning to a bunch of deer everywhere.

I often camped here when I wanted something mildly primitive but still somewhat accessible not completely away from all people. They have many sites to choose from that are near the waters edge or further away. There is always a trailer there for the host of the area. I have never seen this place plum full so it’s likely you will find a site, for tent camping. It provides some beautiful scenery and a gorgeous view in the morning as the sun rises. You occasionally get people docking or putting in water craft as they have a ramp nearby, but usually not much activity in the area.

Campsite Review

This campsite was a very peaceful place to stay. There were campsites close to the water’s edge, away from the water and with a view, and then places tucked away with complete shade in the woods. There aren’t any showers here, but the grounds do supply drinking water and toilets. There’s a boat ramp and courtesy dock here, which people were taking full advantage of. There were some RVs here, but they were running off generators as there weren’t any electrical hook-ups – just your picnic table and fire pit. I biked from here to Energy Lakes and back – about a 9 mile round trip journey – and found the roads were very well paved and it made for good exercise. If you plan on biking inside the park to explore the area, just be warned there isn’t a lot of room on the roads to accommodate bikers (no bike lanes), so I’d highly recommend planning that activity during daylight hours and not relying on your bike lights to keep you safe at dusk. 

Product Review

As a Ranger for TheDyrt, I get products to test from time to time. Today I reviewed the Showers Pass Veleau Water Hydration system. I'm guessing the name is a hybrid of Velo and Eau (French for bicycle and water, respectively) which is almost as clever as the name Sirius Camper after the fact I'm a camper and my dog's name is Sirius :-)

This is essentially a way to take 42oz (1.25L) of water with you on a hydration system that's off your back and on your bike. Here's a video review. It comes with a small carry compartment (It was too small to fit my smartphone, unfortunately) separated by partition so you can carry small essentials like house keys or a multi-tool, plus keep it separate from valuables you know could get scratched if the mesh barrier wasn't there. It was very easy to install, and after some initial tweaking of where each retractable cable should go, I found it easy to have this tube to drink from and retract back to the bike, out of the way. I didn't have this thing getting caught on my components or in the way of my pedaling. If you cut the hydration tube, make sure when you reattach the tube to the bite-valve drink valve that there's a good seal, or else it won't deliver the water. I also suggest being careful how short you cut the tube, as I did it more by the installation diagram visually, but discovered when I was riding and drinking from the tube that it wasn't long enough for me to use when I was pedaling off my seat and climbing a hill. You can always cut off more tube, but you can't grow it back for the added length.

I'm a little wary the cables used to retract the tube back to my bike are thin and will break, but according to the product description online they're built from a 3-ply pylon parachute cord tested a zillion times, and so far so good. I also like how easy it is to take off and put back onto your bike, so if you have a few bikes for various different biking activities you can easily transfer this between bikes or keep if off your bike when you're bike's on your car and on a bike rack like the Saris Superclamp 2-Bike.

The outer material is somewhat reflective as well, and since this attaches under your bike seat, it's nice to add a new visual spot to oncoming vehicles that's meant to keep you safe.

Off the beaten path in Land Between the Lakes (LBL), Taylor Bay is backcountry camping at its best. Off of the Trace, directional signs are well placed ensuring your route down Forrest Service Road 136 goes with out problems (fully paved through LBL to the camp sites). No electricity or water, there is a vault or pit toilet, which is (usually) stocked with TP (but you may want to pack a roll to be sure)! I've not had any poor experiences with the cleanliness of the pit, but others have reported issues in the past. Boat ramp is available, although I have not used it. There is a community dock available for docking if you chose to not pull your boat. Often people swim in the ramp and dock area, and this may become cumbersome with a crowd there. The majority of campsites are standard, flat, graveled sites with a fire ring. They are well spaced so you have privacy. All are first come first serve, so the early camper gets the best spots. Camping spots by the water have minimal shade, and those on the back side are very shaded. None are a far walk from water to site. Camping at Taylor Bay is considered back country camping and requires each person over 18 to have a permit, this year they are available at both Welcome Centers, any of the hosted campgrounds or online (Taylor Bay is not hosted and permits are not available on site). Pet and Family Friendly. Bring everything you need, as the closest store is at least 15 - 20 miles out.