This area is devoid of good camping spots, so I’m kind of glad we stopped here. There are a few things to know before you go, though.

• If you’re following geocoords and coming from the west, you’ll be tempted to take a more direct route from Willow Creek. The road is a disaster, don’t do it. It will be faster and much easier on your vehicle to take the tar road from Vale.

• There are incredibly high levels of arsenic in the reservoir. When you check in, you’ll get a packet of information dating back to 2012 on this. I’m surprised no other reviewers mentioned it. You basically shouldn’t touch the water. The campsite does not have shade like you might expect, most sites are in full sun.

• The wind is epic. I was grateful to be in a vehicle with the torrential gale blowing everyone’s tents halfway to Idaho. It’s the kind of wind where you get dirt in your eyes and dust everywhere. I tried to talk to other campers, but we couldn’t hear each other over the wind! It lasts until sundown, at which point it stops and the temperature gets much cooler and the nights are pretty beautiful. Sunset here is very very late in the summer, so keep that in mind.

The camp hosts live in a house nearby and were implementing a no contact check in (apparently reservations are possible if you call, but there was plenty of space on a weekday). They seem very organized and nice, but goodness, the weather made this inhospitable — and given the surrounding environment I feel confident saying that heat and wind are the norm.