On the shores of a 200-acre lake, Tully Lake Campground offers a classic tent-only camping retreat with an array of modern conveniences and outdoor recreation in the shade of towering pine trees.

Before arriving, you’ll reserve a campsite either inland or on the waterfront, each with its own picnic table and fire pit with grill. Along with a centrally located bathhouse with flush toilets and coin-operated showers, firewood, fire starters, and ice are sold onsite. Don’t wait to reserve, this campground fills up quick!

The Tully Lake Campground is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and managed by The Trustees.

Tully Lake Campground

The campsites are spacious and though there is not a bad site, some are better suited for certain purposes like group camping. Each site has a table and a fire ring.

There is one central restroom with showers (bring your quarters) and a place to wash dishes.

The camp's minimal store sells ice cream and a (very) few sundries, so come prepared.

If you are a car camper this is going to be more rustic as there is no driving up to the sites, but there is a main parking area and a few sites 50-100 yards aways from it.

The sites near the water or on bluffs are further away, and though they provide carts the trails can make hauling them tough. Keeping gear to a minimum is a good idea.

There is easy access to a man made lake which is quite beautiful, and you can paddle on it and explore its shoreline.

You can hike and bike (mtb). Nearby there are waterfalls (gorgeous) and a local mountain (I've not been there—yet).

The staff is friendly and know the locale, they were able to give us tips on good hikes.

Good family camping

Score a campsite at this Army Corps of Engineer owned/Trustees of the Reservation operated campground and you can either paddle or walk into your site. Trustees membership offers a small discount on the rate.

  

There's a canoe/kayak launch near the campground, so if you have a waterfront site you may choose to paddle your gear over. Some of the sites do not have waterfront access, however, and you'll definitely want to take advantage of the carts provided. Campsites are very basic, with only a picnic table and fire ring. 

  

Canoes and kayaks are available for rental. Volleyball and horseshoes are near the entrance. You may purchase firewood. The bathrooms offer flush toilets and a single shower on each site, plus a dishwashing sink outside. From some of the sites, this will be a long walk during the night. The mural inside is beautiful. 

  

From the main entrance, collect a cart, load your gear, and following the appropriate divergent path from the parking lot or bath house (they are color coded). Some of the sites are located on a small rise; I suspect that was appreciated the night 4" of rain fell recently! One site gives you an island to yourself.

  

Cell coverage is pretty close to absent or poor in most of the area, so download any maps you might want (driving, trail, geocaching) before you arrive.

  

Near the dam is a larger boat launch with parking. I was there in July and wildflowers were blooming. A disc golf course is also near the dam and was seeing a fair amount of activity. We hiked the 4-mile loop around Tully Lake. The highlight was Doane's falls, a very quick walk from the campground area. There's no formal swimming area and you can't swim at the boat launches, but you are able to swim from your campsites if you so desire.

  

I took most of my photos during a December visit (which is why the picnic tables are often resting against trees), but returned in July.

Beautiful walk or boat-in sites with central bathhouse

We stayed at site 1, which was HUGE and extremely private. Sites closer to the water that we saw were less private, but still very peaceful and spread out. No cars at all at the campsites, which was great for peace of mind as our toddler roamed around. It also made for a super quiet stay. We rented kayaks right at the campground for a paddle around Tully Lake. Great trip! We will be returning. 
