Matthew J.

Parker, CO

Joined August 2020

Recommended for boating only

We stayed here one night on our way home from a long trip.  Potable water is avail close to the latrines if needed.  When we got to our site, BH-15, but we were confused b/c there was no pull through, carve out or any other markings other than a sign that said BH-15.  Many other campers just put their rigs wherever they wanted.  Our site had ankle deep weeds throughout.  4 dumpsters were actually overflowing with garbage and smelled awful.  The latrines were in as bad of a shape as the dumpsters, flies and filth everywhere.   We've stayed at many WY state parks and this was the worst.  Will not be back.  I'd rather Walmart 'camp'.

Gorgeous views but some drawbacks

The valley this campground is in, is flat out gorgeous.  Amazing boulder mountains and tall pines make for stellar views.  Sleeping with the sound of the river was also awesome for the whole family.  But, it isn't perfect (depending on your site).  We reserved site 21 b/c it was right next to the river, however it was right next to private land as well.  There was a literal chain link fence separating the campground from the private property.  I certainly can't blame them…but not a great thing to look at.  The well water was dirty.  I have a lot of well water in my life and this was close to the dirtiest.  Lastly, the river.  The river was awesome, but too fast for small children in June.  I'm guessing August is a much better time to be here.

Beautiful area but the roads and latrine

The lake and area are gorgeous.  Without a doubt.  The lake is great for SUP, kayaking and even swimming (although a bit cold, but nothing like further into the range).  The area is heavily wooded and depending on the site you choose there is distance between the campsites.  The downsides just about make it a deal breaker however.  First, the drive it.  The road is trash.  Absolute trash.  My F-I-L drove his camper from Denver to AK and back to Denver, yet in the 10miles we were on the roads to the lake, he sustained 5x more damage to his trailer.  He had doors that fell off, skirting that collapsed and a stove burner that came apart from vibration.  We averaged less than 10mph on the road…  Next, the latrines were in bad shape.  I've done lots of camping and frankly I don't know how not-for-profit gov't run Forest svc or national park campgrounds are cleaner than this place, for the price, the could install some decent latrines.  These reminded me of Camping in the 80's.  To ensure we were prepared for the trip I called the DAY PRIOR to arriving and asked about the potable water situation.  I was told there was H20 just a few sites away, so I only packed a few gallons of emer water.  When we arrived there was a sign on the pump saying the water was NOT POTABLE…so that was a nice change :( 

To sum it  up:  Location beautiful, Admin of the campground, well below par.

Close to the cities and heavily wooded

Great campground close to the cities.  Heavily wooded and spacious sites.  Water available and clean latrines.  Only downside was, since it is so close, all the open sites fill w/overnighters and it was a bit noisy, but everyone settled down by 930-1000.  Great hiking for little kids around the lake.

The views, the views, the views

We tent camped here for two nights (16-18 Aug) and picked a spot via recreation.gov.  We were on the sage loop, spot 16.  Sage loop is the loop closest to the lake.  The views from our site were out of this world.  Any of the even numbered sites looked to be in a great location.  The latrines were well maintained and RV'ers were considerate of the generator quiet hours.  The lake is obviously cold, but bring your SUP or kayak and enjoy the beauty.  The shoreline is mixed sand and rock, so be prepared.  The only downside was it's proximity to the main road which led to a little vehicle traffic at night (bring ear plugs).