Samuel Wahl Recreation Area Primitive Camping

Thanks to a suggestion from helpful staff we had a beautiful view. However the site was very unlevel and litter everywhere. The site was a reasonable $20 for electric and water, but we also had to pay a $10 per person entry fee. And dump station miles off site. Hard to find site due to poor signage and campground map.

Updates: 1). although the amenities say they have a dump station it is actually miles away in another RV park and costs an additional $10. 2). Total cost for 1 night was $50 3). Almost forgot the fees don’t include the showers which are coin operated. I feel ripped off

We were planning on spending 2 nights here on our trip from The Black Hills to San Antonio. However, we were unable to find a spot that we could get our 40 foot Fifth Wheel into. Tried one that was too tight, and spent 30 minutes backing back out.

If you have a smaller travel trailer, or anything like a class B, it would be a nice place to stay. They do have quite a number of water and electric sites, and more primitive ones if you like to boondock. Pretty lake. But there was a bunch of trash around.

The campsites are really nice with covered picnic tables and fresh gravel, many with lake views. The cedars and bushes make them very private. I think they may have widened the roads but it’s still probably not big-rig friendly except for a site or two. The signage is almost non-existent so you could get stuck in some places, and the “map” they give out is not very helpful. It’s a drone photo with numbers approximating the site locations.

We were enjoying our site with great internet (Verizon) and thought we would stay an extra day but changed our minds when they wanted to charge another $24 entry fee ($12/person) plus the $30 campsite fee. Not worth it.

Most notably, the place is full of litter! Some sites are worse than others. There are 2 large cans in every site so it’s a wonder that there is so much trash everywhere. Very disappointing.

On the other hand, the fishing dock and boat ramp are really nice. The water is low but crystal clear. It’s a beautiful lake and has the potential to be a real gem of a park. I hope they figure it out and fix the fee structure!

Site 7 is a long back-in pad that would hold a truck and 30+ ft trailer. Site 6 is a spacious pull-through.

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay in one of the primitive sites. Spacious with covered tables and trash cans. Amazing views and even better hiking trails. Be cautious of site 33 (primitive site) it is a journey to get to, recommended for 4X4. Standard amount of trash everywhere.