Hayward Flat

The condition of the campground after the logging operation was terrible. Of the 6 sites we had reserved none of them were clear of debris or had a flat spot to set up our tents. The fire pits had been cleaned and filled to the rim with gravel and the ash and trash that was removed from them was either left next to the fire pit or scattered through out the campsite. We had 11 children in our group and everyone of them suffered punctures on their feet and shins from all the splintered debris. Extremely dis pointed in the Forest Service and the Management Company.

While the campground suffered a dramatic hair-cut this year by the Forest Service by thinning trees and increasing diversity, our group really appreciated the investment in the forest at the campground to assure a long future of family camping at Hayward Flat. Thank you, team...

Fellow outdoors people,
First, I will say that I am an optimist. I can usually find a few traits that I like about something, even if at first my opinion is not favorable.
So, seeing a ONE-STAR rating here should tell you something significant.

First, the positives: it is a campground. it is affordable. There is a body of water nearby, and it is safe to swim and play. It is pretty secluded, and the cell service is poor, so one can really disconnect from the pressures of our digital society. One will utilize their outdoors skills to set up a reasonable campsite, and one will also get to use all that bug repellent that's been taking up space in the camping gear. There is A LOT of FREE firewood!

As you can see, the positives took some critical thinking to identify.

Our camping party consisted of myself, my partner, and our two corgis. When we arrived, we were absolutely gutted to see how poorly this campground has been maintained. A significant portion of the trees have been cut down.

The timber was piled near the corner of Elderberry loop, complete with orange plastic fences, and is a complete eyesore. In the process of destroying this natural beauty, they have also removed much of the shade, which is essential in a place that gets upwards of 90 degrees during the summer months. Oh, and they left behind a literal carpet of wood mulch, scrap, small logs, trash, pinecones, etc, between campsites and also within the areas in which one would set up a tent.

There is also an inordinate amount of insects (wasps, yellow jackets, beetles, etc.) due to this ground cover of decaying lumber. Our dogs' poor beans were caked with tree sap, and keeping them cool was difficult due to the lack of shade.

Well, at least there's a body of water, and there is always a shoreline to sit and enjoy! Nope. The "lakeshore" is red and rocky, with only clay and sharp rocks. The bathrooms are scary and dark. Big NOPE from us. DO BETTER, REC.GOV!

-The Corgi Clan

After clearing out trees the ground was left with branches and debris when stepped on would flip over and stick your foot. This debris needs to be cleaned up.

They cut down a lot of trees this year which is good and bad. The good part is that you can see the lake better. No campground host so it was tedious changing campsites to get away from the generator noise but finally got it done. Surprisingly few campers but the lake was down a bit.

Stayed at site 36, yellow jackets when cooking but hey thats camping for ya! The bathroom was very clean and the open areas were well maintained. Access to the lake was very easy even with the low lake levels. Fair amount of shade and a good distance between most sites, this one was also fairly level. Easily fit a small camper but not a large tent. If you use a wheelchair or any other mobility aid it’s not gonna be a good time, does not comply with ada standards in most metrics.

We stayed in the elderberry loop. Seems like a lot of trees were recently cut down and are in a huge pile off to the side of the campground with a bright orange plastic fence. There is no camp host here, which is so odd, because the instructions for our site booking specified needing to purchase wood at the campsite and there was no one to purchase from. One of the rangers checking on the site/bathrooms said we can collect and burn wood. The bathroom up the hill in Elderberry was clean and the one by the lake had a leak and the floor was covered in nearly an inch of water. The sites are a bit rough because of all the mulchy cuts of wood around. We had to book two campsites to make up our 3 nights, and nearly all the sites were available and the person who had booked out first site was a no-show, so we had to move for no reason. It was very private feeling. Not much wildlife at the site in the heat of August, other than hornets. We loved the proximity to the lake and enjoyed much of our time in the water swimming and on paddle boards. We also love watching the Perseid meteor shower on the beach. Beach is rocky bring a fitness pad to sit on/something squishy. I loved the lake and location and quiet, but this campground could really use some TLC.

Ended up last minute re-routing our camping group to a different area after reading recent reviews.