Council Bluff Recreation Area

Great "out in the woods" campground.

There were so many sites and very few campers. This was our first time there and will go back again. The sites are separated by trees and very well shaded. We were in site 43 and our 28' trailer fit great and only needed minor level adjustments. Three issues during our stay: no water at all, limbs along the road are overgrown, and the campsite needs some updating. When I called the ranger station about the lack of water they advised to use Silver Springs and one other campground to fill up. We went to a nearby convenience store to get water. Site 43's buried terracing railroad ties are rotted and should be replaced before someone gets hurt. Other than stupid people leaving trash in the fire pit the site was nice and had a great level spot for our table and chairs. Putting my hammock under the trees with a fan next to me was great. You can walk to the lake from the site, but knowing there are people fishing and probably unrecovered hooks we drove a few minutes to swim at the beach.

I'm guessing the heat and lack of water kept a lot of people away this past weekend. We brought and used our generator a lot to run the A/C and cool off the trailer.

I dumped at Washington State park and they have a water tower where the elbow nozzle can unscrew for my hose. I would probably fill up with potable water from there before going to Council Bluff next time.

I saved raccoons from being trapped in the trash cans twice. They are able to open them and fall in but can't get out. I put a large limb in for them to climb out. The trash cans need to be animal proof.

Stayed at Wild Boar cg Mark Twain NF. 10/4/21 large sites. All had good shade. Sites 41 and 42 not the best. Beach area closed off season. Dumpsters available, vts clean and stocked. Water shut off. Got there on a Saturday, cg nearly empty. Double and group sites also an option

The campground and lake are both beautiful. It has basic camping utilities. We ourselves like to rough it but unfortunately no fires were allowed...that kinda sucked. People traveling with pets won't be able to stay due to no pets allowed...but other than those down sides it was nice

Great place for a picnic and enjoy the "beach" and swim.

Canoes and kayaks available to rent for a fee.

Clean restrooms and shower house available.

Picnic areas have tables and BBQ pits. Some under small shelters. Most are shaded.

There is a day use fee of $3.00.

You have to park in the parking lot and walk a little way to get to the picnic area and the beach. If you have a small cart or wagon it beats carrying a cooler and all of your stuff!

The campground is pretty good if you like rustic camping. The toilets are pit toilets and there are limited amenities. The campsites are surrounded by woods and has a good feel if you like to pitch your tent in the woods.

The showers are not in the campgrounds, you have to drive to the lake. All of the modern facilities are at the lake. If you have time, hit the 12 mile trail that goes around the lake. Avoid the feral hogs that inhabit the area. I din't see any but they are known to be up there.

You are supposed to have a National Park pass but there was no one there to check them, everything seems to be done on the honor system. You have to pay $3 a day to park your car in the lot if you are going to go backpacking or if you are going to spend the day at the beach.

The beach was beautiful with a large green space and pavilions for a picnic. This campground and park is probably worthy of 3.5 stars.

Very relaxing and beautiful scenery.

The Council Bluff campground is easy to navigate and has really easy access to trails. There are drop toilets close to the sites, and the beach is a fairly short walk (~1mi) to the farthest campsite. Mountain biking and running from the campsite to the trails is very convenient, especially if you snag a site that is farther from the campground entrance. I love this place!