Mary Smith Campground

The glamping tents are a little piece of heaven. Lovely views of the lake and trees and a comfortable place to sleep. While we were there, everyone was still working out social distancing, so some neighbors were more considerate than others, but the team that maintains the site was attentive and thorough with the cleaning. I highly recommend bringing an inflatable raft to paddle around the lake in. Also, it is a good idea to have sealed boxes for food. There are no bear boxes and some jumping mice were brave enough to come into the tent (while we were there) to try to chew through our paper towels.

The tent is not for 4. Just one queen bed for 2. We were 4 and we had to sleep all in the same bed. In front our glamping was another spot with a tent which is perfect, but if I knew that I wouldn’t had paid that price for not having a lake view. I will only recommend to rent spot 2. Restrooms were very spacious and clean.

Pretty & shaded small campground with 2 vault bathrooms (no sink) and wo/men flush bathrooms (stalls&sinks) in the main area, and plenty of water spigots. Host Darlene was very helpful and friendly. No food lockers; store all food/scented toiletries in boxes in your car. No parking spurs but very short haul to sites. All sites are shaded. Most are secluded, #15 where we stayed and #14 would make a good tandem for 2-3 tents, possibly same for 16-17, 12-13... Small tent pads, could be flatter. I can tell they work hard to keep poison oak in check, but truly it keeps popping everywhere. We came for two nights, loved the setting and added a 3rd night as we moved to site #7 in the main area, less private and squirrels for visitors. Cooper Gulch is 1/2 mi away with a day use area and shaded beach for swimming. We also rented kayaks at Pine Cove a few minutes north on. Two good surprises involving mammals: no signs of racoons (or bears), but we saw a lone river otter swimming upstream. Reserve time to go up Trinity Dam Boulevard and see the dam and the Trinity Alps from the respective vista points. Worthy half-day trip with gorgeous views.

We found on arrival a large group from the bay area had reserved three units with 8 people per tent. We left and canceled our reservation due to noise, overcrowding and no social distancing during the pandemic. Ruined our whole vacation!

A beautiful spot, but we are not likely to return. We had site 12, which was quite private but a steep walk up from the car. The site was small and it was hard to find a flat spot big enough for our tent, and our chairs were on a slope around the campfire. We had no view of the lake due to the trees. Sites 10-15 all seemed to be this way- sloped with small spots for tents. The main area had two tent sites (6 and 7) and site 1 was across the road. The glamping tents look nice with a great view, but not in our camping budget. The spot to get into the lake was very small and it felt pretty crowded in the main area. There was very little lake access from the campground other than that. We brought our kayak and enjoyed that, but there was little else to do- we took a drive and the upper end of the lake is very pretty and there are many spots to pull off and enjoy the water there. The bathrooms with running water and flush toilets were amazing and kept very clean- such a treat when camping.

Oh my gosh, I should have believed the reviewers who commented on the poison oak. As someone who is highly reactive, I can never go back to MS, which is a bummer because my non-reactive family had a really nice time on the lack. I'm not sure what the overseeing body is that would be responsible for cutting it back, but for some of us it's a bonafide public health hazard. Please consider at least mitigating oak growth in the campsites themselves. It was untenable. (And yes, even with great care I still got it.) Thank you!

The best! Be sure bring float tubes and/or inflatable raft and water shoes. Sites 2, 3, and 5a have direct shore access though you can walk on the trail right there to access even if you are not staying in those particular sites. Really fun to rent out these sites and other adjacent glamping sites with friends, though best to get out your energy during the day on the lake and not stay up late partying as quiet hours are in effect after 10pm and the vibe is very serene. I can't wait to go back again.

This is a beautiful place. There is not a lot of privacy between camp sites. We had site 7 and we liked not having any steps to get to it. We had a great time just floating in the lake

This was our first experience with "glamping" and Mary Smith was just perfect. The few campers we did see were kind and respectful, keeping physically/socially distant in this time of COVID.
The cabin was clean and had the essentials. Likewise, the bathroom facilities were tidy and having flush toilets was a bonus. The highlight of course was the lake. Unfortunately, we found out the day we were leaving that the local marina would actually deliver a kayak or canoe if rented from them. Next time, we're doing this for sure!

Exactly what was promised, and we needed.