Cabwaylingo State Forest
Reviewed Apr. 25, 2023

Small, Spartan SF Campground

We stayed one night in Spruce Creek Campground at Cabwaylingo SF in April of 2023.  The campground is small, tucked into a side hollow just off the main road through the State Forest with tiny Spruce Creek flowing right through it.  Be advised: heavy rains can cause the creek to partially flood the campground and the moderate rains we experienced turned some of the sites into a soggy mess.  Site #1 is a paved, level pull-through that easily accommodated our 21' campervan, and that site has electric and water hookups.  It's a short walk from any of the sites to the nice playground and the older but completely serviceable showerhouse.  Firewood was available from the camp store/office, which has limited hours as of this writing.  The wood was okay, cut & split but a touch damp to truly burn well.

There are multi-use trails and hiking-only trails that run right through the Spruce Creek campground, and we saw light ORV/ATV traffic driving through in the late afternoon of our stay.  This is a real bonus if you're wishing to drive those trails during your stay, I'm sure!  Our goal was fishing, which was a bust.  We only discovered after our arrival that Twelvepole Creek - while described as a stocked trout stream - has nearly all of the trout caught & removed by overzealous anglers within a few days of each stocking, according to the rangers.  Additionally, the streams and creeks in the State Forest were all pretty heavily littered with refuse, a real shame considering the potential natural beauty to be had.

All of the staff with whom we interacted were courteous, polite and extremely helpful - really wonderful people work at Cabwaylingo!  The cabins looked nice from the outside and the other facilities seemed pleasant but rather dated.  There are no good gas stations or markets in the immediate vicinity so definitely plan accordingly!

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  • Review photo of Cabwaylingo State Forest by Jeffrey A., April 25, 2023