Gifford Campground

I have stayed at Gifford Campground 3 summers in a row. I love that there is a lot of spaces that have flat ground for tents and that you can walk into the water. They are good about refilling toilet paper quickly In the vault houses. The camp hosts is amazing. He drives around what seems like every hour and checks on things, which makes me feel safe. They also gave me some cornstarch once for my pup. 10/10 recommend!

Great sites on the water which was higher than usual. Great place to camp.

We booked for beginning of May 2024 as temps allowed for water and flush toilets. 2 camp sites for 2 groups... we had the entire place to ourselves. Warning early spring season comes with random weather. Rain or high winds. Camping is like a box o chocolates 😀

Great place for a late fall camp, had the whole campground to ourselves. Would definitely recommend

In September This place is like your personal private campground. The weather is usually good. The leaves are beginning to turn brilliant colours. We make a post summer visit part of our end of summer.

Site 29 is a pull through site that like MANY others in this campground places your door and awning “opposite” of the picnic table and fire pit and everything else honestly. If you pull through the way traffic is supposed to travel around that loop your door will open to a tiny patch of dirt and the road. You walk completely around your vehicle to find a picnic table, fire pit, and a few trees to set up a hammock. Your neighbors camper or RV will have a similar set up with their door opening up relatively close to your picnic table and fire pit, and they will have to walk clear around their vehicle to find their fire pit and table. They were just as perplexed as us. But the sites were clean and ready, aside from some dog poop, there were SO many dogs in the campground, many unleashed so I can see how some poo is unavoidable.
It was a pretty full campground that weekend but everyone was polite and well behaved. Lots of kids and dogs and generators, which doesn’t bother us. The pit toilets are in bad need of being pumped and are all very rank, but the flush toilets were clean and nice. Our site had some unexpected afternoon shade which was nice. If you have a camper with doors and awning on the left this may be a nice spot.

We have been going here for at least 13 years. We love it. We camp with our RV. I have gone with my husband and dogs. Plus my kids and there family. The hosts ( Dennis and Gladys) became our dear friends from the moment we met them. It has about 44 spots in 3 different loops. Recently it has changed from first come first serve to Online reservations only. That made us go a little less since the better and shadier spots get reserved first now. All have cement pads. Hit and miss to get a flat one. But levelers help. The bathrooms are usually very clean. Sometimes the port-a-pottys can get dirty after major holidays. Also a great group camp at the end. Love fishing for walleye in our pontoon that we moor there also.

The location is very pleasant with a wide, sandy and not frequently used beach. Most sites are level and easily accessible to all but the largest units. The visitor population seems to be older and focused more on fishing so late night noise usually is not a problem.

Very clean an will be going back. Beautiful view of lake

I stayed in sites 3 then 2. The sites were clean and ready when I arrived. Each Sites 2 & 3 are very close together, sites 1&2 are also very close together. Like they could almost be a group site for friends. Both sites have a great view of the lake and has shoreline access they are also very close to the swimming area, it’s actually within eye sight. But they are quite a hike away from the boat slips and flush toilets. There is a vault toilet for that first loop but it was quite rank when I was there. Despite cleaning and chemical use it was very difficult to use it due to fumes and the smell would waft die to the sites in the evening making outdoor meal time unpleasant. NPS needs to move or pump that one.

These sites are set back in the trees a bit more than others in the campground so if you’re on the parking pads you get partial shade all day long which is important because the campgrounds get a STRONG western sun exposure so it gets HOT there especially in the afternoon/evening. There unfortunately are no tent pads nor a level spot to put a tent in these sites. There is a some what level area in front of the parking pads but it’s far enough away from the trees that you don’t get the afternoon shade, tents roast in the afternoon so plan on being anywhere but you’re tent in the afternoon till sundown. The parking pads for almost every site in this campground are narrow and have steep hills on each side so when you step out your door you slide down a steep hill. Sites 2&3 are also like this. Parking is tricky for bigger vehicles in these sites due to large pine trees that surround the parking pad.

Also keep in mind when the Lake level is low there will be NO water at this campground because the water drains out from the well. Nothing they can do about this, so check lake levels before you come. Lake levels will also determine whether or not there is any beach - high Lake level no beach. Low Lake level no water.