Sandy Beach Lake Campground — Northern Highland State Forest

Decided on a last minute get away here and it was perfect. Super quiet and the views were great for the weekend. Yes there are flies and yes there are mosquitos, but get on the water and it is not so bad. I was able to grab a site near the water so I could get in and out with the kayak, but also the location lended itself to other lakes to fish nearby as well. Sites are fairly private because of the lower vegetation so you don't feel as though you are right on top of your neighbors. The sites in the back are super private and easy to get away from noise of other people, but they do have more flies bc it is less breezy. I did go down to the swimming beach and watch some turtles laying eggs. I will certainly come back again. I love this area! 

If you get the chance to get a walk in site...do it. They are very much in a perfect location!

With covid changing campgrounds to require reservations, we found a spot here over the weekend. We got one of a couple open sites. Upon arrival the horseflies greeted us with curiosity. They seemed to leave us after we finished setting up but we still put up our screen room. Sites that are near the lake have more direct access. For the rest of us it’s a short hike through the woods or a quick drive to the beach. We loved the amount of greenery between sites that kept us feeling secluded. The tall trees provided shade. We would enjoy this much more out of the fly season. They aren’t so troublesome in town so we did venture out to explore the area. Mercer is only about 11 miles away. It’s also a treat to have 2 dots of Verizon service in camp.

Campground is a hidden gem - these sites are huge and if you can get one of the sites right on the lake, do it! We reserved a site last minute and stayed on site 1933 which had a slight lake view but site 1925 looked amazing. Families staying here had kids swimming right off the campsite in the very nice lake.

There are bathrooms here but no showers. Sites have fire rings and picnic tables. There are dumpsters in the campground. They also had firewood for sale for $5 (cash or check).

We were inspired to stop here by the other Dyrt reviewer!

Me and the kids took a road trip from North Carolina to Wisconsin over the summer during Covid to get away. We stopped at several states and several campgrounds and this one to this day is still our favorite. Even though less amenities since there’s no showers... the site and scenery made that less important! The camp host was very nice and full of helpful information. The campsite was huge and private, also our site was on the lake with access to it. Perfect for pitching up your hammock and just enjoy the scenery and sounds of the lake. Mornings were beautiful with the pines mirrored on the lake and the crying Loons. I’d definitely make this trip again! It’s a great way to let nature just naturally reset your mind! It was sad when we had to leave. We also found a nice family market in Mercer which had everything we needed about 10-15 minutes away. Get the Cinnamon bread! We went up there every morning to get more😂🤣