Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam)
Reuben
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2021

Beautiful spot. Somewhat disorganized.

I know the park rangers are spread thin, but the check-in system is pretty disorganized.  If you aren't familiar with the park and campground, it could be easy to take a wrong turn if you're trying to find your own way.  And that would be no fun in an RV.  We arrived at 4pm in our Class A, and there was a park ranger checking folks in.  He found our reservation, but NOT the extra payment we had made for our kids to be able to drive to meet us and park on our site (extra $10 per day per vehicle).  Later, I found the paperwork proving we had paid, but not  until my kids had already paid for a day when they arrived.  And getting a refund was going to be too much hassle.  And they don't always have any staff at the entry.  So some folks are left to fend for themselves when trying to find their campsites.  

That's the bad news.  Good news is that this tiny little lake and the surrounding area is lovely.  It's great if you fish. We don't, but we took several easy but longish hikes and it's just beautiful.  Lots of birds, wildflowers and we even saw a beaver on the lake!  The campsites are nice too...many are right along the Rio Cerros river (stream really) that makes up the lake.  The one loop with electric sites (where we stayed) is a bit back from the water, but there is still LOTS of shade.  We sat our for hours and enjoyed the quiet.

30 amp service only.  Decent water pressure.  No dump station on site (another drawback).  No cell service of any kind.  There are a couple of satellite wi-fi hot spots around, but after 30 minutes, you have to pay, and it is incredibly slow.  I had to use it once for work; not great.  So just plan to be 100% disconnected.  I liked the 2pm check out time, by the way.  We slept in quite late for us on our last day, and still had plenty of time to get packed and out of there!

We are already talking about next year's visit!

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  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021
  • Review photo of Fenton Lake State Park — Fenton Lake Fishing Area (and Dam) by Reuben , June 28, 2021