Sunrise Lake State Forest Campground

My family and I ended up at Sunrise Lake after searching for a campground. This is a State Forest site so no reservations are available. First come, first served.

The sites were all very big! We have a very large tent and it easily fit on the site along with our vehicle. All the sites are very well shaded. The vault toilets were clean and the water was very good with no odd smells or tastes.

It's a little strange because Sunrise Lake is across the street, so it is a short walk down to the beach. Speaking of the beach, there isn't much of one but what was there was nice. It sloped gently out into the lake and my kids felt comfortable swimming there. We fished a little from shore. If you're just going for panfish, it's not bad. Just don't expect to catch dinner.

A few bad things. First, the campground and half the sites back up against a road. You will hear every car or truck that drives by at night. We went in the summer with full foliage. The leaves and trees did nothing to absorb the sound. Second, being a small campground, you hear everyone who decides to party late into the night. No ranger means no enforcement of quiet hours. Third, it was hard finding firewood. The closest gas station sold pieces of lumber cut into 1"x1"x15" pieces. Because it was lumber and not logs, they burned so fast.

Overall, it was nice for a weekend getaway, but this isn't a place I would choose to go back to. We will look for something else next time.