Ron K.

Bartlesville, OK

Joined January 2020

The Kings of Roam

Convenient Overnight Stop Along I-70

We stayed here in our 33' travel trailer in September of 2022 on our way back east from Colorado. You can't book online but I sent an email to inquire about reserving a spot and received a reply saying my spot was booked and to pay by cash onsite. It was a super easy process and so easy to get in and out from I-70. In fact, I just reserved a spot for August going back to Colorado. The price has gone up to $35, but still a bargain.

Great Spot for a Night

This was our first ever boondock spot on National Forest land. Most of the sites were inaccessible in our 33 foot travel trailer but we found one last minutes. We were right on the road in and OHV traffic was common along with the noise and dust. Still, it wasn't bad and the price was good. There are better places nearby if you're not into OHV riding. Early July 2022

Beautiful Views for Miles

We backpacked into this campground from Shores Lake on the west loop trail with the intention of going back to Shores Lake the next morning via the east loop. Instead, we had the campground host drive us back down the mountain the next morning. She was super friendly and graciously accepted a tip for her troubles. They have cabins on sight that looked quite cozy and would allow watching the sunrise from the mountain top without having to backpack in.

Birch Cove Campground

We had a spectacular spot with nothing in our view except hardwood forest. The road in front of our spot was a little busy as it was the main road to the fishing dock and it was a nice hill for kids to ride scooters and skateboards on. But all in all it was quiet and relaxing.

3 Times so far

First time here we stayed in a Yurt. Our group had 3 of the 5 Yurts and they were very well appreciated as the rain swamped some of the tents in our group.

2nd and 3rd trips here we stayed in our TT. Site #21 was awesome with electric, water and sewer hook ups as well as a lot of space all around our site. Site #18 was very cramped and only had electric and water hook ups. Our neighbor's water and electric hookup was literally closer than our picnic table. We walked around and found other sites with more space for next time.

The area is beautiful. Lots of trails, wildlife and a year round waterfall that is fed by a pump from a pond downstream. There is opportunity to fish in the pond. The waterfall is magnificent and can be viewed from an overlook that is easily accessible. The hike to the bottom and back out is moderately strenuous but there are places to take a break as needed.

All the Comforts

We stayed here over July 4th holiday to be closer to grand kids. This park is very nice if you make sure you are in the shaded areas. It was very busy and we had trouble finding a spot to fish with a 6 year old. The trails to the lake were pretty steep and intimidating. Some of the older kids had no trouble at all though. The park staff were great to visit with and very helpful. The bath house, pool and little store were all nice and a very good restaurant and gift shop next door.

Nice Quiet Campground

We were in site #31 with is right across from the fishing dock and close to a potable water source. The Campground is very shaded and the spot was large and easy to back in to with our 33' TT. The fishing dock was very spacious and secure for us and the grandkids we love everything about the park, except. The site did not have a dedicated water hook up. We had to buy a 75' hose to put water in our fresh tank. Not a huge deal. #2 complaint is that the site was slanted so much that we could not get level front to back. We moved a couple of times and tried all combination of stacking lumber under the tongue jack but still had to sleep with our heads at the foot end of our bed. Still not a huge deal. We'd go back and if #31 is the only site available we'll take it.