I brought my brother and his family here for a quick overnight in order to enjoy the park. Unfortunately we went in early November and the desert winds were brutal with little natural shelter available. While we were near the famous Skull Rock and the boulders offered some fun scrambling, this site is far from some of the better trails. Our site did have a fire pit and a picnic table, and was far enough from the other sites to have an illusion of privacy.

Maybe this is just a Southern Californian desert rat talking, but there is something very satisfying about hiking in and having a water source at your first night’s location. We had a lovely stay here last August. It was a bit crowded for a hike-in only site but still very enjoyable. The lake is devastatingly beautiful and makes a great backdrop, and the boulders scattered throughout create natural privacy barriers.

This site is highly accessible but still felt local and gives a great mixture of relaxation and creature comforts. There is a bar at the campground entrance if that is your speed, but we took advantage of the winding creek side path behind site 18. Our fellow campers were very respectful and the grounds were tidy.