The site was in a great spot in the middle of a nice, busy town filled with people you can tell live outdoors. Campsite was easy enough to get to. We weren’t at a drive-in spot, but the walk-in wasn’t too bad. Plenty of wildlife visit the campgrounds, so definitely be sure to use the bear boxes.

While it’s a mostly safe place to camp, the campgrounds are pretty much open and don’t necessarily have a gate to go through, so it’d be best to keep your valuables locked up and hidden or better yet, leave them home or on your person. We’ve seen one sketch person obviously on drugs walking the campgrounds one day.

The campgrounds are a short drive/bike ride from the hustle and bustle of the tiny town & an even shorter distance from Sherwin Lake trailhead (absolutely recommended).

The trail is great for off-leashing your dogs assuming they’re good with other dogs/people. The trail itself can get a bit of traffic, but it’s not terrible. The 2 mile hike up is worth it once you see the lake, the fish, & the meadow just across it!

Definitely worth the trip from San Jose!

We came here looking to maybe fish in the lake or, at the very least, be able to park right along the shoreline. Unfortunately, when we camped here, neither was possible.

The lake was low (because summer, duh), so that was one thing. The other thing was there was no place to actually drive up to the shore. Instead, the whole site is a cliff with a boat launch and a smaller parking lot at the end near a dam. In order to get to the water, you had to hike down. Albeit it isn’t a huge hike down, but it’s a hike nonetheless. There’s no way to park your car by the water because there are no roads that lead up to it.

Also, there is almost NO shade here. All the turnouts (save 2 or 3) have no tree coverage so your car has potential to get VERY hot in the summertime.

However, the water was BEAUTIFUL & CLEAR and there are a couple beachy spots you can set up a few chairs and relax.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad spot to boondock, just had some minor inconveniences. If you’re looking for a quiet, secluded place to swim or camp where there aren’t many people, this is the perfect place for you.