roadtripper4996542

Unless you pull down on the east end lake shore all available parking is quite close to the highway. We parked on the knoll at the boat ramp which got us as far away from the highway as possible and it was far enough with no traffic heard overnight until early morning. There are entrances off the highway at both ends of accessible developed area on the north shore. Cell signal flaky from no svc to LTE with booster.

We came to try to catch the end of the spring bloom and there is absolutely none due to lack of rainfall. That said, we still had a great time. Climbed up the face of the Little Floridas to the microwave towers and to Lover's Leap in Spring Canyon. We were wowed by the camp host welcome and raked gravel around the picnic tables and shade awnings. The restrooms were uber-clean. Push button lavatory faucets not so great but push button showers provided ample warm water duration for good showers. We liked site 04 due to spacing from other sites . You'll never level in the pull through portion of the site but there is more than enough space for a big rig on the south side of picnic table. We guess the proximity to I10 contributes to many more 1 night stands than multiple night stays here. We thought it was very quiet.

This was a one night stand that we wish had been much longer. This is our first stay in a COE campground and we were impressed. Although out "in the middle of nowhere", we found the operation of the lock and the gator treading water below the flood control gate quite entertaining. The host at the entrance station was very cordial and helpful. We found it easy to believe that people worked hard at spending 2 weeks here.
The basin style construction of the holding station was the first we had seen and believe it is a tremendous asset for those who are emptying waste water portable totes. The hose there needs a new end on it. I had to use my own hose to connect to my black water rinse because the resident one was filling up my plumbing bay with the leaking.
I wonder what signage there might be in the future out at the highway for the turnoff. We missed it the first time because of a huge cluster of construction equipment working there.

The park impressed us. Later when we read that it had recently been acquired by the state and had previously been a private park, it helped connect the dots. We had looked forward soooooo long to getting to Florida and "hitting the beach" but when we arrived it was dense fog and fierce winds ( red flag) that made that more of a challenge than pleasure so we spent a lot of time riding bikes on the trails, some more than once. That scenery doesn't have much variation unless you stay close to the water but it provided a desired alternative to sitting in camp.
The site was big enough that we didn't feel like we were in our neighbor's lap. We were pleased with the large parking lot inside the gate that provided a roomy place to disconnect and reconnect towing dolly and car. Our experience here set the bar quite high for a Florida State Park in our mind that made our next stop at another state park more of a mental challenge.

Other reviews will adequately capture all the positives about this park. While we were not dependent on the bathroom/shower facilities we sympathize with those who are/were. For all of campground 1 there is a single facility in which are 3 combo rooms for each sex that each contain a toilet, lavatory and shower. When these are in use, there is no toilet available for someone who needs one and during peak shower use times, this could result in some urgency.
This was a fine location for us to visit New Orleans from and we enjoyed Madisonville.
The sites are a little small for an additional vehicle but there is additional parking nearby.
Know that you can experience some significant traffic delays west of the park on Hwy. 22 when the swing drawbridge over the river is operated.
Stayed 2/28 & 2/29/20.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." Psalm 19:1
5 stars:
1. Long lasting stellar sunsets. Site #5.
2. STUNNING night sky.
3. The trail to Sacred Rim Peak leaves the Pole Creek Trail to the left at an unsigned junction approximately 1/4 mile from the Pole Creek trail head. Photographer's Point has nothing better except a different angle. How far do you want to hike?
4. Moose ambling through the camp site.
5. If heading for the high country, what better place to camp than at the trail head. Move your vehicle from campground to hiker parking lot when you leave.
6. Verizon LTE from the high places while hiking compared to 1x at the campsite.
4 stars:
1. For the day hiker, steps saving horse trail that quickly junctions with the Pole Creek trail that leaves the campground at site #5, behind sites #3 & #4, then through the upper loop.
2. Lots of extra parking in the nearby equestrian loading parking lot. Great place for our toad.
3. Very knowledgeable and pleasant attendant in the information center.
4. Clean restrooms that get used heavily.
3 stars:
1. Outfitters arrive with the horse trailers pre-dawn to head out to provision or extract backpackers gear. We witnessed a backpacker extraction also. With the early morning noise comes the entertainment. Site #5 also has more exposure to evening noise that results from end of day hikers finishing the haul up from Long Lake and the parking lot in general.
2. How could there be so few flies with as much horse manure as there is? Wonderful!
3. There are 2 places near the top of the drive up the mountain where the roadway has significant damage.
2 stars:
The carnage in the forest from straight line winds the day after Labor Day in 2020 is staggering!! The magnitude of the challenge of clearing the Pole Creek Trail is amazing. The thought of being trapped behind it all when it happened is sobering. Is this clearly a good example for leniency in the prohibition of use of chain saws in the area designated as Wilderness. The clearing of the trails from the Pole Creek Trail to Miller Lake and Sweeney Lakes has not started and it makes for a lot of "work arounds".
1 star:
None

1st night stop in 5 week trip. Wanted to check it out since close to home in view of returning for a few days. Due to some other reviews with concerns about the wash we parked at the highway entrance & walked the entire loop before driving up. Didn’t even scrape with 36’ class A pulling a toad. Nice hike up the bluff before heading out in the morning. Our only concern for returning is that there are only 2 pull through sites.

Pros: Within walking distance of the visitors' center that includes stunning overlooks and 100' from the rim trail which has more great overlooks. Because we stayed in site 1 we were a short block walk across the road to the large vehicle parking for the visitor's center. This meant we could park our toad with all of our stuff so within easy reach. Quiet nights. Water right next to site. Trash and toilet both far enough from the site. We definitely will want to return!
A head scratch for us was a full campground on Fri. night that completely emptied on Sat. Nearly every site had reserved signs on them and almost no one showed up Sat. night.

Cons: The campground is under a special use permit to American Land and Leisure who does not honor any discounts including our federal Senior Pass.
Nothing against the site but our stay coincided with wildfire smoke filled skies that really took the edge off the beauty of this place.
3 bars of Verizon extended LTE got the job done but with delay using a booster.
The rim trail is a rocky bike ride until a few smoother spots along Skull Creek. Seems worse where the horses from the Red Canyon Lodge also use it.
The camp host is in the Canyon Rim Campground.

We were planning on one night here during a clockwise 3 week rotation around the Winds but a 3rd week August cold rain had us hole up here for 3 nights.
Having spent a night in Daniel Junction RV Park in order to get fresh water and dump waste, we knew we had missed the mark by not coming here instead. However, it was closer for our 1 day excursion to Green River Lakes to hike 6 miles up the Green there.

Other reviews will cover the details of the CG so we'll just mention seeing an adult Osprey that had caught a fish sitting on top of one of the cedar fence posts at the north end of the picnic area eating it and also that we walked across the highway chasing the sounds of 3 fledgling Osprey in the large nest on top of the old bridge over the Green. One of them left the top of the bridge for a short flight over us as it returned to the nest. Its beneficial to have a good campground host who has been here successive years and knows the history of these creatures. Very interesting to know details like that the nesting Ospreys are a returning pair and that they were displaced from a former nesting site by a pair of bald eagles. The host was familiar with a family of antelope nearby in the sage one morning.

Its easy to imagine this location being quite hot compared to the cold while we were here.

1. Getting here. After turning left off the Fremont Lake road from Pinedale, you'll cross a cattle guard after which the road is graveled. After you make the right turn to the campground the road is paved again. There is some significant road disrepair in the first 1/4 mile and at 1.7 mi. (dark spots in paving) to slow down for.
2. If so inclined there is a paved bike lane on the west side of the Fremont Lake Road all the way from the lake turn off to Pinedale.
3. There is a great variety of sites.
A. While not tenting ourselves, I am sympathetic to those who were for whom the site offered no decent tent pad. There are other sites that do not initially appear to have a good tent pad but they do exist out the back or side of the graveled area around picnic table, fire spit and bear box.
B. Some sites are very well spaced from others and the road while others are nearly end to end right on/next to the road.
C. There are generously sized sites that are both back in and pull through.
D. Over all the location of the campground along the lake provides a lovely setting and easy access to the lake from day use areas if not the camp site.
4. Arriving early on a Sunday afternoon we had pretty good selection of FF sites for a 35' motor home. We had ample space for our toad once backed in. I was told by a local employee that Mondays provide that best FF availability. We left to spend 2 nights at Trails End Campground and were able to reserve #26 for another night after that. A 1 p.m. checkout time provides time for a leisurely morning and departure.
5. We were in the north end which provided for a very quiet setting.
6. Recommend the Glimpse Lake Trail for quick good views of the lake from the other side and NW of the campground.
7. Do not recommend the Scab Creek Trail to Little Divide Lake which, in our opinion, has a high cost to benefit ratio.