South Shore

When we were at the South Shore campground at Suttle Lake on 7/5/21, we noticed that the majority of reserved campgrounds were empty. It is a shame that so many sites were available because of “no shows” who couldn’t be bothered to cancel their reservations.
In speaking with the ranger, we learned that they’re now booking 100% of the sites versus only 50% before the pandemic.
We noticed the same thing (empty reserved campsites) when we were at Suttle Lake’s Blue Bay campground a few weeks before. I would guess this may be happening at other locations, too.
They should return to reservations for 50% of the sites and/or change the cancellation policy to include a hefty penalty for no shows. Obviously people can afford to make reservations and then ignore them instead of canceling and allowing others to reserve a site.

When we were at the South Shore campground at Suttle Lake on 7/5/21, we noticed that the majority of reserved campgrounds were empty. It is a shame that so many sites were available because of “no shows” who couldn’t be bothered to cancel their reservations.
In speaking with the ranger, we learned that they’re now booking 100% of the sites versus only 50% before the pandemic.
We noticed the same thing (empty reserved campsites) when we were at Suttle Lake’s Blue Bay campground a few weeks before. I would guess this may be happening at other locations, too.
They should return to reservations for 50% of the sites and/or change the cancellation policy to include a hefty penalty for no shows. Obviously people can afford to make reservations and then ignore them instead of canceling and allowing others to reserve a site.

The location of this campground can’t be beat. Suttle Lake is gorgeous and perfect for water sports. The sites are spacious but very open so not private at all. The sites next to the lake are definitely the best. Unfortunately we felt like the vault toilet was horrendously dirty and smelly. We have no problem with vault toilets in general but this one was not well maintained.

The location of this campground can’t be beat. Suttle Lake is gorgeous and perfect for water sports. The sites are spacious but very open so not private at all. The sites next to the lake are definitely the best. Unfortunately we felt like the vault toilet was horrendously dirty and smelly. We have no problem with vault toilets in general but this one was not well maintained.

We loved the lake and were lucky to get #5 which had more privacy than many of the other sites. We had fun during the day playing in the water and were also lucky to get no to little wind.
However, I'd suggest not bring a Yeti cooler as 3 were stolen from different sites the Thursday night we arrived. The host who showed up Friday morning (too busy to be there 7 days a week (this is what he told us)) said theft happens all the time and didn't seem concerned or care about it. The following night we turned on our flashlights to 2 people wondering the campgrounds after 2am with red lights on. They immediately turned them off and left. We confirmed with our neighbors that they were not out of their tents that evening. We left a night early as we were concerned for safety.
Please also be prepared for noisy nights. We've been camping for the last 9 years and have not experienced such a loud campground. This does not include the semi's braking down highway 20 in the middle of the night. We confronted the host about the noise after 11pm (not just 10pm) and he said he was already asleep at 10:15. No patrolling the campground, no touching base with campers about rules, no concern for the campers who were smoking in the bushes during fire restrictions. We were very disappointed in the actual campground/hosting.

We loved the lake and were lucky to get #5 which had more privacy than many of the other sites. We had fun during the day playing in the water and were also lucky to get no to little wind.
However, I'd suggest not bring a Yeti cooler as 3 were stolen from different sites the Thursday night we arrived. The host who showed up Friday morning (too busy to be there 7 days a week (this is what he told us)) said theft happens all the time and didn't seem concerned or care about it. The following night we turned on our flashlights to 2 people wondering the campgrounds after 2am with red lights on. They immediately turned them off and left. We confirmed with our neighbors that they were not out of their tents that evening. We left a night early as we were concerned for safety.
Please also be prepared for noisy nights. We've been camping for the last 9 years and have not experienced such a loud campground. This does not include the semi's braking down highway 20 in the middle of the night. We confronted the host about the noise after 11pm (not just 10pm) and he said he was already asleep at 10:15. No patrolling the campground, no touching base with campers about rules, no concern for the campers who were smoking in the bushes during fire restrictions. We were very disappointed in the actual campground/hosting.

When we arrived the water system was shut down due to a broken pipe. The camp host told us an email had been sent out about it (which was true). One of the pit toilets was closed (why would you close a pit toilet?) and the garbage was overflowing. The camp host apparently got in his camper and drove away from the job, so there was no camp host for a couple days. Then a substitute came around and updated the reservation cards. I tried to camp in one spot for four days but was unable to given the reservation system. As it turned out, no one came on the day we moved across the road for a day, so it was for nothing. The current reservation system isn't working: reserved camp sites get left unused and meanwhile there are no first-come camp sites anymore. Probably the Forest Service just wants the cash flow, and meanwhile provides pretty poor service. Of course they are underfunded and understaffed: what does that tell us about our society as a whole? We can't even get our act together on camping.

When we arrived the water system was shut down due to a broken pipe. The camp host told us an email had been sent out about it (which was true). One of the pit toilets was closed (why would you close a pit toilet?) and the garbage was overflowing. The camp host apparently got in his camper and drove away from the job, so there was no camp host for a couple days. Then a substitute came around and updated the reservation cards. I tried to camp in one spot for four days but was unable to given the reservation system. As it turned out, no one came on the day we moved across the road for a day, so it was for nothing. The current reservation system isn't working: reserved camp sites get left unused and meanwhile there are no first-come camp sites anymore. Probably the Forest Service just wants the cash flow, and meanwhile provides pretty poor service. Of course they are underfunded and understaffed: what does that tell us about our society as a whole? We can't even get our act together on camping.

Suddenlink is beautiful. The water is wonderful. The campground is really nice. They do a pretty good job on the bathrooms and the host has always been nice.

My complaint is with the people who use this campground. This campground used to be about 1/2 First Come spots. Now it’s 100% reservable. This campground requires bookings six months in advance. These campsites go within minutes of being available online. It is very frustrating, when you stay here and see booked spots sitting empty for days.

They need a system that forfeits your camp spot if you do not show up.

Suddenlink is beautiful. The water is wonderful. The campground is really nice. They do a pretty good job on the bathrooms and the host has always been nice.

My complaint is with the people who use this campground. This campground used to be about 1/2 First Come spots. Now it’s 100% reservable. This campground requires bookings six months in advance. These campsites go within minutes of being available online. It is very frustrating, when you stay here and see booked spots sitting empty for days.

They need a system that forfeits your camp spot if you do not show up.