roadtripper3666622

There were several empty sites to choose from on Sunday Feb. 12. Our fee reflects a 2-dollar senior discount off the $20 fee. They call this campground in the Hearst San Simeon state park primitive but the amenities were fine for us. We had a fire pit, picnic table, level parking, nice grass, and a great view of grassy hills. You are allowed to use the showers in the other campground in this park, San Simeon Creek. That campground was crowded looking with sites very close together. A word about those showers--not great, at least the one near site 39. Tokens are required, the water was barely warm, there is a bench but your stuff can get pretty wet if you're not careful. Definitely needs a re-build. The proximity to the ocean is nice but a long hike from Washburn. You can hear traffic on hwy 1 (definitely moreso in San Simeon Creek) but not bothersome at all.

Call the phone number listed for a reservation. Very nice campground, best for tents, hard to get level for vans or truck campers. They say no vehicles over 21 feet long, no RVs or trailers, and this is a hard and fast rule because there just is no space for anything large. Bathroom with flush toilet, very clean. Little creek running through the campground. Tent campers can get more privacy. The preserve is all about educating people to the beautiful outdoors and they do an excellent job. There are a couple short trails near the campground and some longer treks after a short drive to the trailhead. There is a trail for biking. We saw coyotes, cottontails, and some birds including a Great Horned owl. In February the grass was green and the hills beautiful. No wildflowers yet but I understand they can be profuse in 2-3 weeks. Had 2-3 bars 5G with US Cellular. The gate to the preserve is locked at 5 pm, opens at 8 am. Donations are greatly appreciated.

Two very large paved areas separated by pine trees. VERY clean vault toilet. One picnic table. It's just off highway 140 and there is a bit of noise from traffic, but it was pretty quiet by 8 pm. Lots of room for any size rig. Could probably even pitch a tent in the pine trees. Snopark pass is required Nov-April. We are low tech but had adequate cell service with US Cellular.

We stayed in the double site (223-224) and it was the only site in the entire campground with any privacy. The price reflects 2 nights plus reservation fees of $10 each site. They also charge a whopping $17 per vehicle after the 2nd vehicle. There is a lot to like about the lake but the campsites (two campground loops, gate 1 and gate 2) are mostly very close together, somewhat like an RV park, with no privacy. The double site is fairly close to the water but this was after a wet winter and I don't know if the lake level gets lower in the summer. There was constant traffic going by our site, luckily the road is paved. Some of the other sites in the 200s are right on the water, but those sites are close together. There was noise from the nearby group sites. Our double site had room for 3 truck campers and 4 tents, all somewhat unlevel, but workable. Two large picnic tables, one fire pit, one grill. Dusty, and lots of rocks and stumps to trip on. The bathrooms were old but worked OK. Shower rooms had no separation of bench from shower, 1 quarter per minute, decent flow and temp. All in all this was fine for the birthday we were celebrating and the kids had a great time in the water. However, it's generally not our style of camping. No cell service with US Cellular but someone with Verizon had a little coverage.

Such a gorgeous campground. We were here 9/13-14 and it was not busy. We paid $9 with our senior pass. Most sites are small and the driveways unlevel, but our 22' truck camper just fit and we had chocks so it worked. There are nice level tent pads at most sites. We did see one trailer about 26' long that wiggled its way into a site. I admired their bravery driving up the 4 miles of steep, winding road with no guardrails. (Good quality road, however.) It rained one afternoon but then the sun came out and it was glorious and warm. Chilly nights, frost on the picnic table. The trail to Smith Lake was a challenge for our older legs but well worth the effort, the views were stunning. The water was off and there was no trash pickup, but a very minor inconvenience as far as we were concerned. The vault toilets were pristine. We checked out Angel Creek campground on our way up and it was mostly empty. It looked like a nice campground but nothing super-special, and we were so glad we drove up to Angel Lake. Surprisingly we had 1 bar cell and LTE with US Cellular, probably because of being only 12 miles from the town of Wells.

Knott creek road (off highway 140) was excellent for 10 miles or so, until the turnoff to the reservoir, whereupon the road became very rocky and rutted. The sign indicated it was 8 miles to the lake, and we decided we did not want to go any further, one reason being it is in the middle of nowhere and there is no cell service. Back on highway 140, Virgin Valley campground was not far away and would have been a decent choice, but we decided to head to Frenchglen and one of our favorite campgrounds, Page Springs.

We were there on July 24. The tent camping area was closed, so there was a great place to walk the dogs, which is very important to us. Our space backed up to a small open area as well. Plenty of space for our truck/camper. The site was level, but dirt, so I would imagine it would get muddy in the winter. There is some understory beneath the tall fir trees which made for a nice feel, with a little bit of privacy for some spots. Most spots were filled with what appeared to be long-timers, though most were pretty tidy. We were disappointed that the bathroom/showers were closed due to water shortage. There was road noise that mostly subsided at night, much better than the alternatives along I-5. Overall it was a decent place for a stopover just a few miles from I-5.

We were here May 26, spent quite a bit of time trying to find this place (Google gave wrong directions). The large parking lot near the boat ramp was available but was not appealing at all. We found the Columbia river to be very high and there were only 2 semi-private places to camp, there was no beach at all. No place to walk except on the gravel road, no views around the camp site, actually no views at all. The weeds had been mowed but were still about 5 inches tall, some with stiff, sharp stalks (hard on our dog's feet). There was a bag of trash that had been mowed and spread a bit. We did not check the vault toilet that was down the road a bit. It was very buggy, including no-see-ums. At other times of the year, with fewer bugs and lower flow on the river it might be nicer.

Great host. Neat and tidy grounds, even the full-timers. Private toilet/shower rooms very clean, with hot water. A few small trees but no shade. Not much area to walk the dogs. It's right on a freeway (hwy 395) so bring your white noise or earplugs. Good wifi and cell service.

We camped here on September 12 after driving over Harrison Pass from Elko. The road over the pass is excellent and the scenery was gorgeous. We paid $8.50 with our senior pass. The sunrise view over the refuge, from behind our campsite, was beautiful. Perfect weather, cool in the shade but warm sun. We had hoped to see more birds in the refuge, but we were treated to a sighting of a huge pronghorn buck. There is interesting history here, as it was part of the California Trail, Hastings cutoff, and old Fort Ruby. The vault toilet was clean. There was 1 bar of cell service with US Cellular. The next day we drove north to Wells and the dirt/gravel part of the road was excellent.