Nelson Reservoir Recreation Area

This free, primitive campground is not far off Hwy 2, with just a short stretch of gravel before the access. The 9 sites (1 handicapped) are complete free of any litter(!), and very open, but there are a lot of trees in the area, as well. We were here almost by ourselves and were able to drive right down by the water's edge. The reservoir has 30 miles of shoreline with a nice rocky beach and a boat launch so I imagine it gets quite busy here on the weekends. Sites are immaculate and there are 3 pit toilets and a few covered picnic tables. 4 stars for site quality only because I don't think they are very level.

We agree with the other review. We were the only ones there Sept 18, 2016. Beautiful views of the Reservoir. Altho it was very low at this time. The geese were coming and going while we were there. Enjoy listening to their honking! As far as a level site: we rolled over a slight hill until we were level and worked out great. I could see if it was busy it might be harder finding a level site. Internet was awesome.

7/19/17 lots of spaces, very clean and neat. Great views of the reservoir, everything mowed, some picnic tables, some covered group picnic tables, boat launch, pit toilets. Pack it in and pack it out, also no water.
There are a number of rigs left here week after week. We were the only people here, all the other rigs had no one in them. Obviously weekenders.
We had planned on staying here a week but I was outside for less than 5 minutes and got 3 mosquito bites and that is with a nice breeze off the water. I've covered myself in repellant and I'll see if it works!
The lake is down so there is (to me) a strong marshy smell.
If we can't sit outside because of the mozzies we will definitely move on tomorrow. If you want to stay here make sure you have lots of repellant.

Clean, easy access, waterfowl, uncrowded, no ATV (ie, no dust), but the skeeters absolutely swarmed us. Even a steady 10-15 mph breeze didn't help. In August this place was uninhabitable...

When we drove up, we were amazed at how pretty the place was. Right on the lake, and FREE as well. But things that look too good to be true usually aren't, and as soon as we set foot out of the coach we found out why. We were covered like a blanket with mosquitos and swarming ones around us. There is no way to do anything outside the coach, so maybe coming in the colder times would be great. Disappointed because that would have been a really nice stay.

Good: spacious spots, lots of places to park and pick from, nice views, decent facilities, FREE

Perfect cell service on both Verizon and TMobile. Saw two other sites working from their rigs.

Bad: absolutely nothing around for miles (which also means it was quiet!)

Ugly: as mentioned, the bugs were pretty bad. We’re not high maintenance campers and we thought they were a lot. Flies, mosquitoes, and water bugs. We still spent plenty of time outside but lots of swatting was happening.
Also, the water has TOXIC blue green algae. I’m not sure if it’s seasonal but your aren’t supposed to swim in the water. That eliminates one of the main things to do at this campsite.

Best for: remote workers spending time in their rigs looking for nice water views. Wouldn’t recommend for tent campers since the bugs were nonstop and thick.

We read all the reviews about the mosquitoes but, we stayed here after Labor Day and a few freezing nights. Some flies, lots of midges (they don't bite) and some moths. We parked right on the water near the camp host. Who was very nice and offered to move his boat in case it was in our way. We have a picnic table and fire ring with grill. Great for kayaks and smaller fishing boats. We wish we had a kayak! It is a rock beach with glassy water. Some patches of green algae but, not a full on bloom. I grew up on lake Erie in the 80's, so most water is okay for me.

The sunset on the reservoir is beautiful, though you can see a lot of smoke in the western sky due to the wildfires. Can we talk about the stars at night?! These city kids are not used to picking out the details of the milky way with the human eye.

Great boondocking, free pack it in, pack it out sites. There are picnic pavilions and quite a few day users on the water. We were only going to stay one night but, decided to stick around for one more to enjoy the area. There are towns with groceries within 30min. We like being in the middle of nowhere. The gravel hwy is a bit of a washboard. So, take it slow if you are in a motorhome like us.

Loved it here, mid week. Place all to ourselves. Lake breeze to help cool 92 degree heat! Birders paradise! Sitings included 3 pelicans. Lots of bird song & activity.

Very quiet but lake is way down so a lot of still or dead water. This produces a lot of mosquitoes like Everglades in Florida swarms of mosquitoes. we are used to mosquitoes as we are from Florida but this place was unbelievable. We turned on generator turned on air conditioning and just stayed inside. We are traveling east so only needed a place to stay overnight. We had great cell service and about a mile of gravel road getting in here.

This was a great stopping point from Badlands, ND to Glacier NP. Easily fit our 40 ft. Fifth wheel. Plenty of room to turn around and drive through the find a nice spot. Stopped in June and there were a lot of rvs just parked— may be a local favorite spot. The views were great and the night sky— beautiful. The mosquitoes were relentless. Thankfully we sprayed lots of bug spray and that took care of them. We would definitely come back- preferably in the spring/ fall when bugs aren’t a nuisance.