We've been going to Scales for several years now, & it's one of the few places we keep revisiting! Yes, the road in is rocky (& not short…probly 45 mins from the road to the campground), but anything with Subaru Outback ground clearance will be fine.

The campground itself is great! It's right on the AT, so there are lots of through hikers that you'll see stop in for a night. That also means that there's lots of great hiking options! Our favorite parts are the beautiful views, wild ponies, & it's (usually) relatively quiet!

Additionally, there are a lot of fire pits& there are pit toilets.

Overall, Paddy's Creek is really nice. The bath house seems nearly new & clean. The sites are all nicely taken care of, & even though they're a little close together there are enough trees to separate them. Also, down the hill ~100 yards, through the forest, was a nice little private "beach" on the lake!

One note: The camping area for sites 6 & 7 are about 8-10 steps down from the parking pad. This wouldn't be a problem if you're ground camping, in fact, it may even be a bonus because it gives you even more privacy! But we have a roof top tent, so it wasn't ideal to have our vehicle & tent a little disconnected from the fire & table area. It's not a deal breaker, but I, personally, wouldn't book these particular sites for a roof top tent.

We stayed in Meador site 14, which was the furthest away from the bath house (still only maybe 150 yards), but it was on the water & was the most secluded (just meaning it's at the end of the row not between other spots). It was freshly mowed, had a fire ring, picnic table, & was right on the water with nice views of the lake & mountains. There were also TONS of deer all around (just hanging out eating vegetation) during our short one night stay.

Additionally, there was a nice trailhead right nearby.

We were there on a Sunday night & there were probly only 4 or 5 other sites occupied out of 20 or 30 total.

*Site 15 was nice & shady, as well as being on the end of the row.