Coffeepot Lake

widest, darkest skies in the state.... EXCEPT for the 3 glaring white/daylight floodlights in the parking lot. WTF. lay in your car or tent's shadow and the rest of the stars won't disappoint.

extremely, extremely active wildlife. dozens of kinds of birds and bats. neat big bugs. we woke up to a flock of pelicans. at night, coyotes howling in ALL directions and raccoons rustling all around by the water and looking at us. they had a loud growling tussle at one point. at another point, one of the birds (goose? duck?) met a loud, violent end in the water that sounded really close by. kinda spooky! found a dead duck right on the shore by the dock in the morning. i would have thought its killer had it for dinner...

if they turn the damn lights out, it might become the best dark sky site in the state. it's still pretty good but very frustrating to stay out of reach of greatness due to such a boneheaded design choice. daylight floodlights! in the *overnight campground!*

we packed in water. with all of the agriculture around here I dunno if the lake is filterable. there is a broken spigot.

This is a small little area off the road not too far. There was only one other person there fishing when we were there. The campsites are close together with no privacy between. They look big enough for a tent and this would be a fun area to float the small lake in a tiny boat and fish. We followed a little trail to another part of the lake too. This overall is not a place I'd recommend swimming. We saw a few deer and a coyote while we were out. I would return here though I don't think it would be my first choice for camping.

Was amazed at how quiet and peaceful it was here. I had a smaller camp trailer that didn’t really fit but I was the only one there. The 5 spaces are designed for cars and tents. The lake was so tranquil and the lake cliffs were pretty magnificent to boat up against. All kinds of birds, waterfowl, coyotes And deer. The launch is a bit sketchy and uneven under the water. Very easy access to this lake though and in a rather remote area so not busy during the week.

If you like being almost completely alone, this is your spot! They sites aren’t very huge and private, but that doesn’t matter because you will most likely have the whole campground to yourself. Only a fisherman or two may be there. The lakes crystal clear water is beautiful. There is a pretty nice beach if you take the trail down from the metal barn to the opposite end of the lake.

We had this place completely to ourselves when we stayed there...it was amazing! There is lake access with a small dock and boat launch, a common area consisting of covered picnic area with picnic tables, and a public vault toilet. We were camping in a tent trailer; easy access and ample space to turn around. Sites are fairly level and are back-in only...though there appeared to be a spot for RV parking (no hook-ups). There is a line of trees near the camp sites offering partial shade (depending on where the sun is), but the sun gets pretty brutal; other than the covered picnic area, shade is limited.

Note: There was no water available when we visited (locks on pipes & faucet handles removed), so be sure to bring your own!

Wildlife: We witnessed a confrontation between a giant heron and an osprey...it was pretty impressive! The heron made a noise that sounded a lot like what I'd imagine a pterodactyl would have sounded like. Also, we heard what must have been a pack of at least 6 or 7 coyotes a little after 11pm...and then heard wolves howling in the wee hours of the morning. Super cool!

Lake: We didn't have a boat or fishing poles...but I'd imagine that the lake would be great for both. It had a fair bit of algae...so probably not a lake you'd necessarily want to swim in. My husband, however, found the lake to be great for flying his RC float plane. Oh! And there was an old abandoned cabin on the opposite side of the lake...creepy cool.