Barrett Cove Recreation Area
T
Reviewed Sep. 5, 2021

Came for the mountain biking, stayed for more

To be honest, I didn't experience much of the campground, but that parts that I did were above my expectations. A friend and I went in March of 2021 to ride the mountain bike trails. I reserved our spots on-line with no knowledge of the layout aside from the PDF map. It turns out I picked a nicely isolated spot with great hill top views. 

Down the hill from us - about 1/8 mile - was a nicely maintained bathroom. as my buddy said, it was a 4.5 of 5 stars. It was clean, smelled good and, get this, had nice toilet paper! This was a pleasant surprise after a night of tacos and beer. 

Our spaces were basic, but included covered picnic benches. These came in handy for drying our wet biking clothes.

Shortly after our arrival the nice ranger rolled by to say hi. I imagine he may have had other objectives, but since you can't get in without passing through the ranger station I can't imagine it was to check our permit. 

The place was not crowded (rain was in the forecast, and the forecast was accurate), so we can't tell what it's like when full. The rain didn't impact the trails much - they drain well and have a lot of sand it seems - so we rode upon arrival, again after a few beers that afternoon, again the next morning and again after a couple beers that afternoon. On day 3 I stuck around by myself just to enjoy the solitude. It was a good move. 

During our stay I think there was a fishing competition. Down the hill and around the corner was a boat launch and that place looked to have some activity. Regardless, the lake wasn't obnoxiously noisy as some lakes can become. 

Overall we were very pleased with the camping and the trails. I know the area gets really hot in summer, so it may not be great then. We plan to return in the fall after the height of camping season subsides and the temps becomes moderate.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of Barrett Cove Recreation Area by Twindaddy , September 5, 2021
  • Review photo of Barrett Cove Recreation Area by Twindaddy , September 5, 2021
  • Review photo of Barrett Cove Recreation Area by Twindaddy , September 5, 2021
  • Review photo of Barrett Cove Recreation Area by Twindaddy , September 5, 2021