Melissa G.

Richmond , VA

Joined August 2020

Perfect Solitude (until it’s not)

We stumbled upon this GEM after having a hard time finding campgrounds that weren’t full. A friend had suggested checking out the cliff jumping at Greenbay, and lo and behold, we found the campsite of our dreams. 

There are two parking areas, and you have to hike down a short hike (moderately steep hill) to get to the campsites. Campsites are marked and have picnic tables and fire pits. They are all right on the water and offer the most incredibly serene views of Pend Orielle. 

There is a single vault toilet, they ask that you bring a bucket and shovel for solid waste. Bring your own way to dispose of trash, and have a way to lock it up, or animals WILL get into it. I have Verizon and there was no phone service once you get a short ways down slagle rd. Much of the road to the campground is unpacked and bumpy. Would not recommend for a low profile car. 

When we arrived on the first Wednesday after Labor Day there were several other cars in the lot, but everyone was spread out. People were friendly in passing but kept to themselves, and it felt like we had the entire lake to ourselves that first night. Despite haze from the wildfires, we still had the most spectacular views we could have imagined. Sunrise over the lake was incredible. We spent the morning soaking up the sun and wading around in the icy, clear water. You can walk all the way out to where you cannot touch and still see the rocks on the bottom. Our only complaint was that there were a lot of yellow jackets- A LOT. But they weren’t too aggressive. Despite being frequently swarmed by them, neither of us got stung while we were there. 

We were hoping to stay two nights, and we expected that since the site was a little more primitive, people that came would be respectful of the quiet and space. We were wrong. Midday Thursday, several car loads of families started filtering in. Someone pitched a tent 3 feet from ours (not in a designated site). They parked right on top of us, despite having ample other parking room, making it difficult to get in and out of our vehicle. There must’ve been 15 kids, they rolled all the logs off the beach into the water and literally took over the whole place. They were yelling for hours while we cooked lunch and broke down camp to escape. Good for them enjoying the outdoors, but it felt like they should’ve gone to a KOA. It definitely wrecked the nature experience for us, and we saw several other campers leave, also citing complaints about the noise and disrespect of personal space. In the future, I’d choose a site on one of the far ends versus the middle. We were virtually trampled once it filled up.