Mary Smith Campground

Be wary of Swimmer's itch

Quiet and away from crowds. Delightful.

This is a truly beautiful campsite, and Ray the camp host is so nice he makes it a pleasure to stay there!

Spent two nights in one of the yurts. Spacious and clean. Original reservation was for Unit 3, which would've been closer to the water, but it wasn't very private and the small beach area seemed crowded with two families. The camp host was very friendly and nice enough to let us use Unit 9 instead, which was a bit away from the water, but very private instead, which was our preference. Other reviews noted poison oak, which was there, but not enough to be an issue. Lots of thorny blackberry though. Overall had a fantastic experience!

There was extreme smoke due to nearby fires and I had to turn around and come home.

Nice to have toilets and sinks with running water. If you’re not glamping, you’ll work out bringing things up and down your campsite. Overall, a beautiful place to camp

Enjoyed our "glamping unit" stay. Ray the campground host was friendly and helpful. Our unit was clean and ready. Despite being there during the heatwave, it was a beautiful view and very relaxing. We got to see a golden eagle, bald eagle and osprey. Spent time fishing after renting a boat at the marina. We made a trip to Weaverville to have a nice lunch and do some antique shopping. Glad the water was nippy to cool us off since it was 108'.

The lake was quiet when we were here before Memorial Day, and it is a great place to kayak, canoe, or paddleboard. Stayed in the glamping tents, which were spacious and clean. The shallow water near the shore is muddy with a lot of treefall in the water, making it quickly murky, and the bottom drops off fairly quickly. The campsite was fine, but no food storage or bear boxes on site could be a complication if bears are about, which the signs indicate they can be (didn't see or hear any this trip). Faucet water at the time we visited was non-potable, and there are no showers and only one flush toilet. Tried fly fishing from the shore area, which was a bust, but going over to the Trinity River below the dam there's great spots to drop your line in the current.

This was incredibly lovely campground. We literally had it all too ourselves for our entire 4-day stay, so it was deliciously quiet. The campsite hosts were excellent and friendly and kept the place clean and stocked. Birdwatching and paddling around the lake were delightful.

Would have given 5 stars except for the “temporary” lack of potable water and would have still given 5 stars if we had been given notice of the lack so we could have brought our own. As it was, I mentioned it to the camp host that the website said drinking water was provided. She then notified her boss and THEN we received notice 40 minutes after arriving.

Tons of mosquitos and yellow jackets. Lots of dead trees and “toxic algae bloom” in lake. No potable water in September. Over all, probably won’t go back. Might be nicer earlier in the year.