Shadow Bay

The negative:
Site host was seen once in a 3 day stay. No potable water and really stinky outhouses. Be cautious on selecting your site - insufficient info on the reservation page to ensure your equipment will fit in the site (we chose 81 and the only area available for our tent was on a slope).

The positive:
Waldo is beautifully clean, we had great weather for canoeing around the lake. No mosquitos, or nearly none as we didn't get eaten alive. Quiet and peaceful. Our fellow campers were also well mannered with zero generator noise or barking dogs.

Other:
Can't wait for North and Islet campgrounds reopen.

We've been coming to Waldo Lake for about years. The lake is beautiful and not too crowded. No motors makes it even better. The lake was very placid this year maybe because of the late date that we camped. Did not see any whitecaps. And no mosquitoes, definitely because of the date. The campground was quiet.
Only drawback is the lack of drinking water. But we were prepared and brought plenty. Hopefully fixed by next year.
We are planning to be back next year in August if we can get reservations then.

They still haven't fixed the water system.

We have visited Shadow Bay many times over the past two decades and have always loved it. While we still had a wonderful time biking and swimming in the lake, we were disappointed by the condition of the campground during our most recent visit.

The potable water system is still not repaired, and the composting toilets—which we have used in the past and are very familiar with—were in extremely poor condition. The anaerobic smell was unbearable, and it was clear that they were not functioning as intended.

The garbage can next to our campsite was full for several days. When the garbage truck came to empty the garbage skip, we asked the driver if he could also empty our campsite garbage, which he very kindly did. He mentioned that emptying those cans was the responsibility of the camp hosts. The garbage cans in the bathroom facilities were also regularly overflowing.

We stayed for five days mid-week, when the campground was mostly empty, but we never once had a hello or any interaction with the camp hosts aside from when they removed our fire pit flag. While that certainly isn't a prerequisite for a good camping experience, it would have been nice.

We love Shadow Bay campground, but the overall condition and poor maintenance on this most recent visit was extremely concerning and disappointing.

Waldo Lake was a beautiful as ever. We were disappointed that the water at the launch dock was not deep enough to launch our boat but we were able to kayak and enjoy the beautiful weather. The campground was pretty empty due to the big rain the day before we arrived. We were delighted to have the fire ring ban lifted our last night. First campfire all summer. We appreciated the email before our camp date letting us know there was no water available at the camp.

This was our first time staying at Shadow Bay, as for years we stayed at Islet Campground at Waldo, but it burnt up from wildfires in past years. Shadow Bay was a beautiful area also, but not as nice as Islet. The bathroom that was in our loop was disgusting, as it smelled horribly and had numerous flies. We drove, walked or rode our e-bikes to another bathroom because the one closest to us was so horrible. The other bathrooms were fine, so not sure why that one as so horrible. As always, the lake and area were beautiful and we enjoyed our time there.

Restrooms were almost unusable after noon due to the smell. They used to be so nice, but not now. The dishwater drains in each site hadn’t been attended to in years…dirty water simply sits in them. We didn’t see anyone who seemed to be in charge, so the reservation placards weren’t current…causing some confusion with those simply arriving to get a FCFS site. I love this campground, but it just felt overwhelmed.

1) As of August 23, Shadow Bay campground still doesn't have running water. You'll need to bring in your own.
2) No campfires allowed currently due to wildfire prevention, plan accordingly.

With that said, our visit had zero mosquitos (!) and the lake was gorgeous as ever.

The campsite was great and access to the lake was readily available.

As advertised, but no potable water and one of the 3 restrooms nearest to our site was not in order, which caused a short occasional wait. Overall the site was in good shape--the dishwater pits are ...interesting. Waldo was great, it seems very family friendly, so don't expect a quiet stay in the woods. It was a short walk to the water with our paddleboards, which is what we'd hoped for; the camp host did a nightly lap to checkin with sites, and was cordial.