This was a nice site. We felt far enough away from everyone. Bathrooms were closed for the winter and don’t open until May 15 yearly. There were not a lot of hammock trees (mostly cedar) but we did find a good spot. The site was clean and well shaded. We had 1-2 bars of cell service (Verizon).

We were hoping we could get to the lake, but the level is extremely low. The boat dock was totally dry. We drove over to El Vado Lake, and while the level was low, the boat dock was still in service. We’re going to try that one for camping next time. It was very quiet and almost empty!

We enjoyed our weekend. The creek is very close and accessible, which is probably the highlight. There are plenty of hammock and shade trees. Sipapu resort is very close, so I was able to take my kid for a break from camping to get some “real food” ;) at the cafe. The pit toilets were really clean. My kid mentioned that specifically.

The negatives: Our site was really close to another site, which was not awesome. I prefer campgrounds where the sites are a bit farther apart. The road was not well maintained, but it wasn’t really a problem.

There is no view of the canyon from this campground, so be prepared to hike or drive down if you want to have great views. The real downer for us was the plethora of vicious mosquitos. We were eaten alive even though we sprayed with bug spray often. Our tent was swarmed with them such that we heard them buzzing our tent all night. We tried multiple sites and couldn’t find a bug free spot. They seemed to be sheltering under trees and in the grass and there was only one spot of water where they may have been breeding. It had rained recently, which may have been the problem, so consider trying this campsite at a dry time of year. We probably won’t bother trying to come back.

The good: Free Nice cement picnic tables Clean vault toilets Quality covered horse stalls which we used for shelter Dark sky area of the State so some of our party got a great view of Neowise

Notes: No water or cell service Not every site has picnic tables and fire pits No gas in the general area so fuel up before you get there.

$6 per night. Stay limit: 14 days

This spot really has a lot to offer. There are trees on one side, a creek on the other, and 2 sites with shelters directly next to the parking lot. The sites by the trees have at least partial shade almost all day, and the creek sites have no shade at any time. There are trees over the creek so we just walked across a log to cross the creek into the shade. The tree sites had great hammock trees! One thing that surprised me was 2 cars are allowed per site. The parking lot is small, so that was interesting.

A short walk takes you to the fishing ponds (one specifically for kids and disabled folks) which were really cool for the kids. The walk was technical in at least 1 spot, so I would walk on the road which led into the campground or drive over to the pond if you have mobility issues.

You can’t make reservations, and the area was already pretty busy Friday at noon when we arrived. We found 4 sites open when we arrived and the campground was full before dark. People need to be out of their space by 2.

The cons (in my book): There is no potable water, but the stream was running. These are walk-in sites except for the 2 next to the parking lot. There is no cell service for 30 minutes drive, so be prepared with directions to alternate campgrounds in case you can’t get a spot here.

We will absolutely be back!