McGee Creek State Park Campground

This is my absolute favorite place to escape into nature! This is very secluded wilderness area with lots of trails. Upon arrival, you have to stop at the Ranger's Station to fill out a permit mapping your stay. There are a lot of trails, so you want to plan your trip as best you can beforehand.

The trails are so peaceful and secluded, I have been 3 times and have yet to see any other people there. I truly enjoy the Rocky Point trails, and am working my way up to some of the longer loops. I have only seen some wildlife there, but got the privilege to see a very large bird, that I'd have guessed was a vulture or hawk taking off from the ground!

I have stayed mostly at a camp about 2 miles in on the Little Bugaboo, Rocky Point & South Rim loop near the Whiskey Flats trail, although, you could really camp about anywhere if you're capable, there are a few other designated spots to camp.

This place is densely vegetated in some places, so I don't recommend shorts or sandals, and do recommend lots of bug spray and a big stick for clearing spider webs as you go!

We camped at McGee Creek State Park over Memorial Day weekend. We camped at tent hill #3. The thing we really liked about this particular site was that there are only 4 tent sites here, so it’s secluded and nice and quiet. There is very little traffic driving by as well. What we didn’t like is that there is only a pit toilet and no water faucets. There is a real bathroom with a shower about a 10-15 minute walk away. The bathroom was pretty typical of a state park. There is an area that has some lake huts for rent as well. They don’t have bathrooms but the are heated/cooled.

There is another area about 1.5 miles away called Buster Height campground. This is where the swim beach and another boat dock is. There is also an RV area and a bunch of tent sites. Most of these tent sites are pretty small and crowded together. If you have a big tent or don’t like being near others, you might want to consider tent hill if it’s available.

On the other side of the lake (about a 25-30 minute drive) is the natural scenic recreation area. There are a ton of hiking trails that lead to backpacking campsites, equestrian camps and there are boat in sites as well.

Overall a pretty decent park but definitely not one of our favorites.

We met the camp host who assisted us in finding our spot. We had a site far from anyone else and had a lakeside camp spot. This made our site feel huge. My favorite moment was when I was able to strip bare in the moonlight and dance on the shore. It feels very private & peaceful

The sites themselves were awesome. We opted for a site with electricity and our site had a newly built & paved platform/deck with the picnic table, grill, and light hook. The camp host suggested we pop our tent on the pavement but we found a suitable spot so we could stake our tent in.

The bathroom were clean and easily accessible though depending on where your site is you may end up wanting to drive to the bathroom. Lol

I almost for got to tell you that there are cabins here. Very basic simple structures with bunk beds, a table inside, a fireplace, & screened in porch. On our way out of the campgrounds we drove by to take a peak & saw a ranger there who allowed us to pop in to see. She recommended a visit to McGee Creek during winter. Less visited & they get snow. How peaceful!

McGee creek State Park is a beautiful state Park. It has beautiful campsites nestled along the lake shore. Their campsites can accommodate big RVS. The lake is beautiful. The fishing is great from boat, shore or covered fishing dock. I love swimming and kayaking in the cool water. They also have campgrounds for people with horse. The lake is surrounded by the kiamiche mountains. There is no lights around the lake except at the park. Star gazing is amazing. The lake has 2 dams. The park has beautiful hiking trails going through the Pines. If you like to hike you can choose the type of hiking you want to do from just a few minutes hike or carry gear for camping in the forest. You have to sign in when you go hiking back country. I went hiking in the winter and because I took a trail that was new to me I was 5 minutes late getting back to the Ranger Station and when I came out of the Forrest their was a search team assembling. Very embarrassed but it felt good to know if I had been lost or injured they would have found me. The state Park also have 8 camping huts that are air condition and heated that have a fireplace, screened in porch that you can relax and look out over the lake. They are nestled in the Pines along the shore at Potapo Hill.They are unique. They were built back in the 40s I believe by WPA. The huts have a set of bunk beds, picnic table, heat and air, fireplace, fireplace, barbecue grill. The huts do not have bathrooms in each hut but have shared bathrooms outside that are clean and kept up. The huts are not equipped with refrigerator, cook stove or bed linens. So if I'm going for a few days or longer I take a mini fridge, hot burners for cooking. Basically this is camping with the luxury of having a roof over your head with the comfort of heat and air without bugs bitting. The huts have plenty of room for 2 queen size air up mattresses. They also give good discount for vets, military and disabled.