Lake Russell Recreation Area

This was a great campground! Absolutely perefct for what we were looking for. The lake was amazing!

1

Not just primitive but neglected and no enjoyment in camping. The restroom was clean but needed updating. The atmosphere was one of homeless shelters.

Lake Russell is a quiet, peaceful place to visit and stay with no generators running, or power boats making waves. We enjoyed kyaking and oar boarding on the lake. We saw some wildlife as well. The beach area is actually a grassy area with a roped swimming area which we enjoyed to cool off. We met wonderful people who were staying or visiting, which made the trip even more meaningful. The park and campground have recently been taken back over by the forest service and there are issues that need to be addressed, and I assume work is in progress as money is available. Please pay your use fee so the forest service can make improvements. The only negative was that we felt like the bathrooms could have had more attention during the weekends, when there is the most use. There is no electric or water at each site, which is fine with us. We use our electric car to power our very small camper, which came in handy when temps were high.

There's not many sites with access to the lake but we were able to get one of the view. The lake is beautiful and we took our kayaks and were able to really enjoy the lake. The campsite was spacious and not right on top of each other. The bath house was clean and showers had good hot water. Overall it was a great time!

Beautiful spot! I solo camped here and I felt safe and sound.

Super

I go for peace and quiet.

12 is not the best spot for tent camping, but there are 2 good spots for tents and several trees that would be good for hammock camping. The bathrooms were well maintained until we had another camper come in and mess it up for all of us. The camp host is very nice and pointed out the best hikes for us. I recommend taking the rhododendron lake access trail to the top of Mount Chinocetah for a spectacular view, and of course there are lots of good fishing spots around the lake that are only available to campers. Overall a good time.

We only stayed one night out of desperation. The actual site was in need of repairs and is at a steep incline. They need to do some updating to the campground and website.