Bonaparte Lake Resort

So I have heard about Bonaparte Lake resort from a former co-worker who has been visiting the resort for years. It was always my intention to visit someday and maybe rent one of their 9 cabins for a nice weekend with my family.

Well recently we have purchased a nice 23' trailer that fits our family perfectly and this trip made it to the top of our list of places to visit this year. Our original intention this year was to make our trips this year (2021) about exploring sites to visit next year. Making pros and cons lists and then planning more extended vacations and stays for the next year to our favorite spots.

Let me just say this... We can't wait for next year. In fact, we not only booked a stay for next year for an occasion we would like to celebrate but we also booked another stay for this year for us to take some MORE family along with us to share the experience. Because you need to understand, staying here is an experience. Do not expect to have any hand-holding or any type of intrusive visits from owners or camp hosts here. Really this is a "build your own adventure" type resort and I can't say how much more refreshing that is for us.

Come up for the lake, the beautiful picturesque scenery, and location, explore the many towns in the area, take a drive! All of these things are only a fraction of what really is waiting here for someone who loves to CAMP!. If you are feeling a little tired from rowing around the lake and catching too many fish the lodge is available with a full menu and let me tell you, the food is excellent!

Everything about this place feels like going to meet family and I feel like that is just the way it is intended to be.

With all that being said, you need to frame your expectations correctly. Don't listen to the aimless Google reviews or the bigots out there who are just out to cause more harm than good with the words they are putting on the internet about this place... Do yourself a favor, do your own research! We did and our expectations were exceeded in many ways.

The fact of the matter here, for anyone who wants to read this and use it in their decision-making process, there is a lot to love here, and sometimes what others appreciate and love are the same things other people despise. These are great people, this is a great spot, and one that we intend to visit many more times.

It is a perfect time to learn about this place and witness the plans they have to make this place even better going forward. My advice to you: do your research, pick out some activities for the area, book a short stay, and enjoy!

MORE INFO:

The site we stayed in was RV Site 1. Former guests may remember this area as the "tent site" area of the resort but that is in the process of being changed. The RV sites along the lake do not have full hookups, just water, and power, so you will need to manage your tanks or use some means of emptying tanks if they are small or you are staying for an extended period.

There are public showers to use so you can keep your tanks from being filled too quickly that I was told by my family are clean! Many of the full hookup sites are off the lake but there is a public access portion along the lakeshore near all the RV sites for everyone to pull their boats up to shore.

The store does have some things to accommodate those items that you may have forgot or not packed enough of but be sure to make a good list before visiting because town is a decent drive away (roughly 20-30 minutes).

At the time of our visit firewood was available to purchase and was a good bargain!

Saturday night is usually prime rib night if I am not mistaken, make sure that if you plan on attending dinner at the lodge that you make a reservation in order to ensure your ability to enjoy the delicious food!

RV Site 1 was a nice spot for us, but we believe that if you are with a boat RV Site 3 would be a little better. Cabin 9 is near Site 1 and cabin guests could make anyone looking for a "private" setting a little uncomfortable. However, for us during our stay, the guests at the cabin were not too bad and didn't affect our opinion of the overall experience!

There are many little lakes to fish/explore in the area so if you have your own fly fishing float, or a small boat, you will have plenty of options.

At this time (May 2021) the resort is being "improved" in a lot of exciting ways so it is helpful for guests to be understanding of that!

Bonus: If you have ever wanted to hear for yourself the haunting cry of a common loon, you will not be disappointed! This was one of the main hopes for our stay and I will remember it for the rest of my life, so will my family.

We stayed here for 4 days in July 2021 after another camping location was closed down due to fires.
When we arrived there was confusion as they had given our reserved spot to another party. We had our choice of a few others and picked what was the most level. All sites are close to the lake. The spots were dirt and rather rough and unlevel.
The "Resort" didn't have any bathroom facilities outside of the restaurant / store so you would need to be self contained. The food in the restaurant was very good. They did seem to be doing some upgrades on the grounds but had a ways to go.
The campground wasn't full and on Sunday afternoon most of the campers cleared out so things quieted down considerably. A lot of locals there.
The lake was great for kayaking, fishing, etc. There are also many other lakes in the vicinity to check out. It was cool to hear the loons in the morning and evening as well.
Not sure i would return unless I knew they had completed some needed upgrades, but did enjoy our time in the area. I would say it's more of 3.5 stars. You are in the mountains so you don't get a cell signal.