dianagraham

We really enjoyed Crab Flats CG and the surrounding area, so much so that we stayed 3 nights longer than planned. This is primarily an OHV CG with immediate access to all kinds of off road trails, which is why we were here. We did NOT tow our big rig here but tent camped. I drove our Ford F350 with the gear and my husband rode his adventure bike. The last four miles to the CG are on NF 3N16. According to the camp host, it had just been graded and was so rough before that the garbage truck wouldn't make the drive. I didn't have any trouble getting here but had to go super slow. That said, there were plenty of 2WD vehicles here and folks towing big trailers with ohv toys.

The CG is very quiet during the week but a bit of a circus over the weekend. We arrived with a reservation for site 28. But in talking with the camp host, we learned that site 4 is FCFS and was available. Site 4 is up a little rise, separate from the other sites, and has nice shade all day. So we moved to 4 and had a wonderful experience. Site 14 is also fcfs but was not as desirable.

Vault toilets were clean. Arrive with water. There is a spigot by the restroom but no water pressure. To refill our water containers, we had to go to Green Valley CG. For ice, there are small markets in Green Valley and Running Springs. Excellent Verizon signal (forgot to do a speed test, but fast).

A couple of additional Pieces of information: use the GPS coordinates in the Campendium description. My husbands Apple map brought us in the long way around, but I think Google map had a better idea of where the campground is. There’s a very nice playground immediately accessible from the campground if you’re here with kids. Also if you go out the back entrance of the campground you have access to a miles long bicycle trail which is very nice. I did not see another campground employee the two days we were here. Unlike most state parks there are pull through sites. All sites are full hook up.

Steele Creek Marina & Campground is one of the campground options around Kerr Lake. However, unlike all the other campgrounds, which are State Parks, Steele Creek is privately run. They have their own reservation system, the campground is smaller, and some rules are different, such as the cost to change or cancel a reservation, alcohol use, and the length of stay. The campground is rarely busy (mainly on weekends) and the marina staff are very accommodating. We were easily able to change our reservation to a different site when we arrived. If you’re looking for a last-minute reservation during the summer, Steele Creek can usually accommodate you. In addition, while Steele Creek does have water access via a small cove (a tiny inlet, really), the other state parks sit directly on the main body of the lake.
The campground itself is small, with a combination of 50, 30, and 20 amp sites, along with dry camping tent sites. The bathhouse and dump site are about ½ mile away, midway between the campground and marina. There is one porta-potty in the E/W area and there may be another one in the tent area (I didn’t check). The closer the site is to the cove, the more slope there is to the site. The three 50 amp sites, which are also the largest sites, are the most level and are several rows from the lake. The middle section, with 30 amp sites is fairly level. The smaller, 20 amp sites are along the lake and have the most slope. There are large trees throughout with deep shade in the summer months.
We have camped here on two occasions: in our 38’ fifth wheel for several weeks in 2017 while waiting for RV parts for a repair, and in 2023 for three nights in our truck camper. During this last visit, we rented kayaks and a pontoon boat from the marina. When we lived in the greater Raleigh area, before going full-time, we had a pontoon boat and were frequent visitors to Kerr Lake, although we usually slept on the pontoon boat under the stars. For old times sake, we took the pontoon boat to Clarksville VA for a catfish dinner at Bridgewater Grill. We paddled the kayaks back to the campground, took a break for lunch, and then paddled back to the marina. To my knowledge, Steele Creek is the only place on the lake to rent kayaks. While there are definitely tradeoffs between Steele Creek and the state parks, Steele Creek has a few unique features that, sometimes, makes it the best choice.

Pelton Park is a nice, little park that offers swimming and boating or just a nice spot to hang out. BE SURE you arrive from Highway 26, to the north; as the other reviewer said, do not follow Google map's instructions that may bring you in from the south. And, be sure you plug in Pelton Park Campground, not the marina or store, as your destination. The campground is at the bottom of a steep, narrow canyon, with Lake Simtustus on one side and NW Pelton Dam Rd on the other. If you are coming from the south, the turn into the CG is not even labeled and is likely not navigable by any thing other than a passenger vehicle. We brought our 40' 5W from Highway 26; just take it slow and watch for oncoming traffic, which is negligible. We did need to cross the center line on a few occasions. We had no trouble getting parked, but it is tight. Mature trees provide wonderful shade. The sites are on the small side but every site has a picnic table, fire ring, and some separation from neighboring sites. The main draw is the marina and the lake. The swimming area has a good sized dock.

Fraser Deep Canyon Grill offers a basic menu of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and ice cream. They have several beers on tap. The town of Madras, about 10 miles away, has several grocery stores. We had NO Verizon cell service; our neighbor, with T-Mobile had some. But if you drive toward Highway 26 and up out of the canyon, there are several pull outs where you can get a signal.

If you're arriving in Leadville from the north, be prepared to turn left on College Road and then make a quick right into the parking lot. The dump/water is right on the corner. If you're coming from the south, and are a big rig, you may not be able to make the turn. We had to go beyond the water/dump, make a U turn and come back from the north. There is a sign that ways the potable water is not for big tanks - turns out that is not referring to RVs but to large tanker trucks. Honor system for payment.

I live in this area and have stopped in at this campground on numerous occasions. While I have never camped here, my husband and I have been full-time RV for almost 10 years. Whatever you do, do not take Puerto, La Cruz truck trail off of Chihuahua Valley Road to get to this campground! it is a rough unmaintained truck trail. Instead, turn off of Highway 79 onto lost Valley Road. That will take you in on a single lane asphalt Road that dead ends at the campground. This is a national Forest campground and it appears that the national forest put in this asphalt Road just for access to the campground. My husband and I ride two up on his on an off-road motorcycle and while Puerto la Cruz truck trail is a gorgeous drive it is rough even on and on and off-road motorcycle and I cannot imagine trying to pull a travel trailer on that truck trail.

If you’re looking for a quiet getaway, this campground is lovely. It is lightly used because it is a little difficult to get to you and there’s nothing else around it. Beautiful California Oaks on every site with picnic tables and vault toilets.

First, many of the details in the header for Broken Arrow CG are incorrect. The corrected information is as follows:
Number of sites: 134 (not 118)
Maximum size rig: 50’ (according to the camp host; definitely bigger than the 32’ listed)
Roads and camping pads are asphalt (not gravel)
This lovely campground in the Diamond Lake Recreation Area is one of three NF campgrounds around Diamond Lake. The other two, Thielsen View and Diamond Lake, are right on the lake. Broken Arrow CG is just off the lake but the South Shore Picnic Area, with a swimming beach and boat ramp, is right around the corner. It’s only five miles to the north entrance to Crater Lake National Park, making it the perfect spot to explore the park and the area.

Approximately 60 sites are FCFS with the remainder being reservable. According to the host the CG fills up 3 out of every 5 summer weekends. We arrived early on a Friday afternoon at the end of July and had no trouble finding a site large enough to accommodate our 40’ 5W. The sites are huge and well spaced from adjoining sites. Some sites are ‘singles’ and some are ‘doubles;’ in general the doubles are either twice as wide or twice as long as singles. The singles are $15/night ($7.50 for Senior Pass holders) and the doubles are $20 ($10 for senior pass). Most sites are back-ins but there are also come pull-throughs (like B7 where we were). Bathrooms have electricity and flush toilets, the dump/fill station is easily accessed, there are hot showers, and water spigots are strategically spaced throughout.

A beautiful 11 mile asphalt bike trail encircles Diamond Lake and can be accessed from the
CG. I had a workable Verizon signal on weekdays, not so much on Friday-Sunday. Surprisingly the whole Diamond Lake, Highway 138 area has decent Verizon coverage; there's a tower above the Ranger Station on Highway 138 near Lake Toketee. We ended up spending a full week here instead of the four nights we planned on. The CG was busiest on the first Friday night we were there, but during the week it was very quiet.

Right now there are huge piles of dead wood scattered around the CG and the Diamond Lake area in general with more dead wood yet to be piled up so it’s not looking its best. According to the camp host the wood will be burned during the winter. The NF has been taking down dead trees and thinning the forest. This is one of the few forested CGs we’ve been in that we had no concerns about low hanging tree branches striking our 13’ tall 5W.

Area amenities: Groceries-basically none. There’s a small camp store in the Diamond Lake Marina with very, very basic stuff, mainly microwavable meals; no fresh produce. Post Office, UPS, FedEx-there’s a tiny post office in the Diamond Lake Lodge, where they also receive UPS and FedEx packages. If you’re expecting mail via General Delivery, go in and let the post mistress know. Gas/Diesel-there’s a gas station just north of Diamond Lake Lodge with regular, super, and diesel. South Shore Pizza does a good job and has a decent collection of beer on tap. There’s a restaurant in the Lodge but we didn’t check it out. Visitor Information-there’s a Umpqua Forest Information Center across the street from Diamond Lake CG where we were able to pick up a Motor Vehicle Use Map and brochures with waterfall and hiking information. The Diamond Lake Ranger Office is a beautiful building with maps for sale and detailed trail information, about a 20 mile drive from the CG, on Highway 138. Verizon-On a Thursday I had 5.53 download, 0.07 upload, workable but slow. Early in the morning I was able to stream video. On Friday I couldn’t get my hot spot to connect. Waterfalls-there are over 25 waterfalls within a 30 -45 minute drive.

Crater Lake National Park notes: Through more accident than design, we landed in the area at the right time, late July. The summer season is very short. The rim road was open, we were able to purchase boat tour tickets, and there were no forest fires.

We arrived on Oct. 10 and left on the day the CG was closed for the season, Oct. 19. At this point in the season, only two loops were open for camping. Site 155 in the Gull Loop was long enough for our big rig and wide enough for our rig and Ford dually, but just barely. Site 155 was easily accessible, as all the sites in the Gull Loop appeared to be. Unlike most National Forest CGs all the sites are small and close to each other. The tent campers next to us were literally right outside our window. The bathrooms have flush toilets and cold, running water in the sinks - nothing special, for sure, but functional. The water/dump station is convenient and easy to access (first left immediately after the entrance). Verizon speeds: 11.1 Mbps download, 10.7 upload. It was very cold at night at this time of year: teens at night. Solar was excellent.

The main draw is the location. June Lake is postcard perfect and big enough to make it worth our while to set up our inflatable kayak. From the campground, it is a short walk to June Lake and a nice beach area that is open for Day Use. The little market in town is pricey and pretty basic. We arrived from Lake Tahoe well provisioned and just needed to pick up a few things. Propane is available in Lee Vining. From June Lake, we drove to Mammoth and visited the Devil's Postpile NM. It was a fun ride on our dual sport bike (KLR-650) to the warming hut on Bald Mountain with 360 degree views of Mono Lake and the surrounding Sierra Mtns. The incredibly gorgeous drive over Tioga Pass was open so we made a day trip to Yosemite Valley. The Mono Lake visiter center is worth a visit. June Lake Brewing and the Hawaiin food truck in the parking lot was excellent, although the parking is really tight.

The dump station is one of the amenities in the NPS great cabin camps complex. There’s a small NPS office where you can pick up your off-road permit (mandatory), get rid of trash in the large dumpsters, air up your tires and buy ice There are approximately 20 rental cabins and a bath house as well. I don’t recall any signage to direct you to the dump station. If the NPS office is open they can direct you to the dump station but if not, and you are getting off of the ferry, at the NPS office, make a left, go past the long-term storage parking lot, and follow the road around to the right toward the beach. I believe there is another dump station near the lighthouse, but I did not actually see it. There is no additional cost to use the dump station. Your offer a permit covers use of the amenities.

We did not end up staying here, but I called the restaurant to confirm that we could stay here if we chose to do so.