Orland Buttes

This campsite was overall a nice experience but a bit off-putting as well. Bear the camp host was nice and helpful. When we arrived it was nearly deserted and because of this it felt somewhat creepy. As the night progressed this eeriness intensified. There are not a lot of bugs out in the daylight so that was nice but once the darkness sets in it’s an all out frenzy. It seemed mainly the nonbiting kind of flying bugs. If you wear a headlamp, be prepared to be constantly hit in the face by them. There was also a fire ant hill on our site and I noticed the “water-bug” kind of roaches crawling around here and there. A white cat was roaming the night. There were rat traps by the lake-side fence.
The area is great for night-sky viewing and photography. You can see the milky way here. That said, the nights are brightly lit by the far-off city lights.
I would advise to bring a camping portable potty if you are tent camping. The bathrooms are kept well-stocked with soap and toilet paper but they don’t seem like they’re cleaned. They have showers in the restrooms too. There are water spigots throughout the campground.
Campsites must be reserved online through REC.gov. Easy to do once there since phone reception was great, I have ATT. Campsite #26 was flat but some campsites are sloped.
The campsite road starts/end at a cemetery, really sealing in those creepy vibes. We were glad when we saw others arrive.
To surmise, I am glad this place was available to allow us to rest midway from our home and destination but I’m not sure this is a great place for a long stay unless you have an RV.
If you are pre-reserving, campsites 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 35 are flat for sure.

Very clean campground with beautiful views of the lake. The camp host is super friendly and was also helpful in giving some recommendations on places to visit and eat in that general area.

Very clean campground with beautiful views of the lake. The camp host is super friendly and was also helpful in giving some recommendations on places to visit and eat in that general area.

Volunteer Staff - extremely helpful and nice.
Paid Staff - Was non existent
Campsites - great shape.
Restroom Facilities - Not so good. I cleaned the toilet and the sink myself. Urinals we're covered with appeared to be dried sewage coming up from the drain. Restroom also smelled like a sewage backup occured and was reopened the the public without repairs.

Overall - park needs maintenance staff. I don't believe volunteers should have to handle major restroom problems. The campsites we're great, boat launch was in good shape, and we felt like we owned the park.

Volunteer Staff - extremely helpful and nice.
Paid Staff - Was non existent
Campsites - great shape.
Restroom Facilities - Not so good. I cleaned the toilet and the sink myself. Urinals we're covered with appeared to be dried sewage coming up from the drain. Restroom also smelled like a sewage backup occured and was reopened the the public without repairs.

Overall - park needs maintenance staff. I don't believe volunteers should have to handle major restroom problems. The campsites we're great, boat launch was in good shape, and we felt like we owned the park.

Beautiful location overlooking the lake. Nice showers and large campsites. Lots of birds while we were there.

Beautiful location overlooking the lake. Nice showers and large campsites. Lots of birds while we were there.

Beautiful sunset at a quiet camp and easy access to freeways.

Beautiful sunset at a quiet camp and easy access to freeways.

I was just stopping over for the night on a road trip and ended up here. Practically empty, only two large groups pretty well-separated from each other. Sound does carry a lot here, and there is practically no privacy between adjacent sites (or even those in the same loop), so be mindful of your dates if you are a light sleeper. Bugs not bad, but it was also pretty hot out (still around 90 when the sun set), and being next to a lake, I imagine they could be really bad. One hiking trail to the old bridge, which has great views for sunsets (keep left at the fork, going right goes down to the water I think).

If you have a dog, definitely not an area to let it off-leash. A lot of the adjacent land has big signs indicating that the land is monitored (basically an "intruders will be shot" warning), and there are coyotes nearby - I even saw one about 200 ft off after listening to them howling periodically at night and in the early morning. Probably after many of the herbivores whose scat is all over the place as well.