Dowdy Lake

I love Dowdy Lake. It is peaceful and beautiful; people are very quiet and respectful.

I love Dowdy Lake. It is peaceful and beautiful; people are very quiet and respectful.

Site 51.
This site is close to the vault toilet and when the wind blew the toilet smell passed over our site. Otherwise great experience.

Site 51.
This site is close to the vault toilet and when the wind blew the toilet smell passed over our site. Otherwise great experience.

I want to say it was horrible to make it easier to reserve spots next season but that wouldn't be fair. Such a beautiful campground. The cleanest vault toilets I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Seriously, I kept waiting to see someone from the cleaning crew so I could tell them they are amazing but I always missed them. The grounds were quiet at night, compared to other campgrounds I've been at this year where it is a dance party all night long. I am an avid paddleboarder and Dowdy Lake did not disappoint. So many interesting inlets, islands, and rock formations right in the middle of the Lake. You do want to keep an eye out for them when on the water. I almost beached myself on one and would have been knocked off my board. My husband and I hiked the length of the lake one day and it was amazing. Great gravel for running or walking and not a lot of steep inclines or items to trip on in the trail. We went past a group on horses, a lot of folks fishing, and the day-use side. I will say, the day-use side was a bit chaotic. Cars were parked everywhere and people were everywhere, not much distancing happening there. It is very different in the campground and I couldn't wait to get back there from the day side. There is drinking water near the bathrooms and trash cans throughout. We were amazed by the hummingbirds that would come right up to us. We've never had that happen before. This is our favorite campground now.

I want to say it was horrible to make it easier to reserve spots next season but that wouldn't be fair. Such a beautiful campground. The cleanest vault toilets I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Seriously, I kept waiting to see someone from the cleaning crew so I could tell them they are amazing but I always missed them. The grounds were quiet at night, compared to other campgrounds I've been at this year where it is a dance party all night long. I am an avid paddleboarder and Dowdy Lake did not disappoint. So many interesting inlets, islands, and rock formations right in the middle of the Lake. You do want to keep an eye out for them when on the water. I almost beached myself on one and would have been knocked off my board. My husband and I hiked the length of the lake one day and it was amazing. Great gravel for running or walking and not a lot of steep inclines or items to trip on in the trail. We went past a group on horses, a lot of folks fishing, and the day-use side. I will say, the day-use side was a bit chaotic. Cars were parked everywhere and people were everywhere, not much distancing happening there. It is very different in the campground and I couldn't wait to get back there from the day side. There is drinking water near the bathrooms and trash cans throughout. We were amazed by the hummingbirds that would come right up to us. We've never had that happen before. This is our favorite campground now.

We picked up a last minute (3 weeks in advance) reservation for site 26. Please note, this site has no shade even though the website says there is. There is morning shade until about 8am and evening shade after 6pm. All the trees surrounding this site were cut down due to beetle kill. Bring a shade tent/tarp. This site is also close to the sites near it (like the rest of the sites on loop C) so close so that you can hear the snoring from the neighbors. You will also see hikers near and often as the trail goes right by. An 8 person tent fit on the pad, but don’t expect to be able to fit another tent. Maybe two small ones. The first day we arrived in the afternoon and set up. The next day we found a cozy spot by the lake in the shade, we brought chairs and hammock to but it was so hot at our site, items were melting in the provided metal bear box. It was way too hot for the dog. There were a lot of no-shows and wished we would’ve switched. When we got ahold of camp hosts doing their rounds late the second day, they said there were no available sites to move to. Again, there were no shows and much more comfortable sites were available. Another thing to note is that all the parking is at the top of the loop, you have to walk your gear down to the sites for most of the sites on this loop. It is not drive up. Not a long walk but involves a hill/stairs. The lake is beautiful! The trail is nice! We enjoyed watching the wildlife (birds, squirrels, deer). The facilities are decent.

Beautiful lake, clean campground, friendly hosts

We picked up a last minute (3 weeks in advance) reservation for site 26. Please note, this site has no shade even though the website says there is. There is morning shade until about 8am and evening shade after 6pm. All the trees surrounding this site were cut down due to beetle kill. Bring a shade tent/tarp. This site is also close to the sites near it (like the rest of the sites on loop C) so close so that you can hear the snoring from the neighbors. You will also see hikers near and often as the trail goes right by. An 8 person tent fit on the pad, but don’t expect to be able to fit another tent. Maybe two small ones. The first day we arrived in the afternoon and set up. The next day we found a cozy spot by the lake in the shade, we brought chairs and hammock to but it was so hot at our site, items were melting in the provided metal bear box. It was way too hot for the dog. There were a lot of no-shows and wished we would’ve switched. When we got ahold of camp hosts doing their rounds late the second day, they said there were no available sites to move to. Again, there were no shows and much more comfortable sites were available. Another thing to note is that all the parking is at the top of the loop, you have to walk your gear down to the sites for most of the sites on this loop. It is not drive up. Not a long walk but involves a hill/stairs. The lake is beautiful! The trail is nice! We enjoyed watching the wildlife (birds, squirrels, deer). The facilities are decent.

Beautiful lake, clean campground, friendly hosts