Sanford-Yake Campground

Tried all day, without out success, to get a reservation with electric. So settled for dry camp and ran generators til temp dropped.

However, LOTS of free sites. Even better bathrooms with hot showers!!

Lake large and semicircle, but needs boat to fish, so we did not linger.

I had overnighted there in mid-August on my way West, during the week.
Cons:
- lousy, trashy campers. Despite the temps in the high 90s they showed up, set up industrial lighting, revved motors non stop, burned smelly fires and their 20 or so childen constantly yelled, and they clearly werent flushing the toilet. I heard them on another end if the camp even after I moved. Thats why I never camp in campgrounds anymore. The night before I camped on another TX lake which I had to myself.

- day use people just setup next to you while campground was only 1/6 full. I had to move my RV to the furthest end of the camp.

- there are natural gas mining facilities nearby and when leaving the camp I was poisoned by powerful chemcal emissions with horrendous smell, I was nearly throwing up all day, did not smell them inside the camp though

- no lake access from sites

Pros
- free
- beautiful lake and views from all sites
- tables have canopies
- lots of trash cans everywhere
- showers
- many sites which allows for some choice
- RV dump and water fill nearby and free
- good road access

At the time of our visit the lake was very dry and no recreational activity seen on or around it. The couple of little towns around the RA were pretty sad and non-functional. However, the camp sites, even tho dirt and sometimes chewed up from much earlier times when there was rain, offer beautiful and lonesome views of the countryside. There occasionally is another car or camper coming in, but for the most part this is you private place.

Like everything in most of Texas, the sky is big, the landscape stretches from here to forever and the wind blows (and does she!). Parked on one of those bluffs 75' above the lakebed you feel like you are at anchor in a rolling sea. Make sure you are stabilized and wheels chocked. If the wind is down you can sit outside and enjoy an unforgettable sunset or a cupa Joe with a magnificent sunrise. Chances are no one will be there to bother you and likewise bothered by you.

It's just you and the coyotes! Beats sitting out along a dusty road.

We stayed here end of March, 2017. The bathrooms and showers were free and clean. Trash cans near each spot and cleaned out every couple of days. Water fill and dump stations available at park entry point. Walmart and grocery stores located in Boger, TX about a 20 minute drive away. It was a good spot to stop and take in the views as we were passing through the area.

It was really windy both times we were there, 20-30mph with gusts up to 40 and the trees tell you that just looking at them.. Most of the campground is up on top of the hill and open to weather.

Not much to do here, if you dont have a boat and or are not into fishing. But it was quite for the most part. We got a few bike rides and runs in and the sunsets were pretty.

Negatives, there are natural gas vents and pumps/motors running non stop. Mostly, you couldnt really hear the motors running because it was so windy. But the smells from the Natural Gas lines were a bit overwhelming at times. All in all, we passed back through the area and stayed again for another 4 nights, so it wasnt all that bad.

Most of camp sites were for smaller rigs. There were a handful of Class-A's, but I would guess only about 5-6 sites that can handle something larger than 30ft . Most sites appeared level. Verizon service was great. All sites are gravel and paved roads all the way in.

Stayed one night in May 2017. The access was good, 5 miles to Fritch for gas, food, banking. Sites are flat, no hookups, lake is way down but views are still,good. Restrooms had shower, toilet, sink areas. Clean and a welcome amenity. Quiet, some road noise. If you are looking for lush, keep driving, if you are looking for rustic dry camping in federal land this is it.

Will make this trip again.

The views of the lake from this location are amazing if the weather if good. Bathrooms and grounds are extremely well cared for, the staff taking care of this park should be commended, or at least given some recognition for the obvious good work they do. Restrooms are heated, have showers with hot water and toilets are flush, all very clean and free! There are locations above and below the bathrooms, the lower areas did not have any signal for TMobile but the uppper areas did have a 4G LTE signal. As with any free place I am finding noise can be a consideration and this place is no exception. Early in October I stayed here closer to the lake and had no noise even from the road, last night I stayed here again and had the loud radio and sketchy car pulling in at 1am, randomly turning head lights on and off aimed at my rig from another camp spot... needless to say I didn't sleep well after that. I am finding all free places can be hit or miss so I caulk it up to stuff happens. I would highly recommend this place to anyone passing through or going as a destination, the lake really looks nice and there is a boat ramp in the same site. I would advise anyone coming to this area to stop some place to stock up on supplies since the local areas seem to be very expensive. There is a Walmart supercenter in Borger, TX which is not a horrible drive.

Edit April 5th 2018: I am staying here again over nighting between NM and TX and noticed the park has installed 10 new pad water+ eletric sites. It looks like the cement has not harded enough to park on but the new site aditions look amazing. The panels at each of these sites have 15/20/30 and 50 amp receptacles. I also noticed I am getting almost a full T-Mobile LTE signal if I park on the higher elevation campsites.

When I arrived I was the only one there, but by the weekend a handful of others had arrived. Very nice sites with trash cans, picnic tables, fire pits, great cell service in Verizon, toilets and shower. Bonus, there’s a dump station and potable water. Beautiful rocks to sit on and gaze out to the water. The lake is low but it’s still beautiful. There was tons of butterflies when I was there and even saw a tarantula.

I work out of my RV so cell serve is important. I didn’t have an issue and was even able that stream movies. Beautiful place to walk my dog and a nice sunset stroll.

Downside: Very windy at times. 1/3 of the time I was the the wind was 30-40 mph which isn’t fun in the RV. One night I literally thought I was going to die as a micro burst hit the RV causing it to shake from all sides. I thought it was a tornado. It was pitch black outside so you couldn’t see anything. Several others in the area said they saw a tornado in the distance when the lightening would light up the sky. If you can deal with the wind you’ll like this place.

It was quiet when I was there and peaceful.

Campground was very easy to find, and very impressive! Stayed here in mid-Dec, and we were happily surprised to be the only people there. Only stayed 1 night but have been talking about going back since we left! Views of the lake were awesome, we stayed at a site up on a bluff and saw a beautiful sunset & sunrise. Couldn't believe this was a free site!

Stayed here in early March while driving West. The location is a little strange to find but you should have service and easy GPS directions. Strange as in the area near Lake Meredith is very very rural and if you blink, you’ll miss the town.

I scooped out Fritch Fortress and Sanford Yake. O decided on Sanford Yake because it was less windy and less high up. The bathroom was really clean, and it seems like they do a nice deep clean everyday. There was only one other group there while I was there. If crowded, it could potentially get loud.

Lots of trash cans. Places to get water nearby when entering the campground. Some flies in and around the campground that get annoying.

It was a real nice stay. Each site had a pavilion or table. The sunset was beautiful. Have everything you need before getting to there because there’s nothing in the town of Fritch.

Arrived late afternoon on Thursday of Memorial Day weekend and had plenty of sites to choose from. Grabbed a great site on the cliff with awesome views up and down the lake.

This would be a good fee campground but for free it's amazing. The campground did fill by Saturday but it's so large and spread out that crowds and noise are not an issue. Also never had an issue getting a shower at night - what a bonus!

The lake is large and pretty full so even with the holiday crowds, it was not crowded. There is a gas smell that varies in intensity depending on the wind and the associated machinery sounds like a generator.

Overall I really enjoyed the facility and my stay but the weather was pretty nice. I'm sure some of their severe weather would result in a less pleasant experience.