The sites in the lower circles near the lake were extremely crowded and noisy. Lots of children playing in the streets. The upper circles were quite with very little traffic. This is a nice facility with extremely nice but limited staff. More attention should be given to litter control and to site maintenance. Once parked, we had to cut branches away from the sides and on top of the RV on our site and the site of our friends. We saw several staff members riding golf carts with tools but never once saw anyone using those tools. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Our Clear Creek Recreational Area stay was very enjoyable. My son and I camped out in a tent and we had a great time. The ground was level and we were able to use our fan during those hot humid nights. We had access to a picnic table, grill, and fire pit. All three were used everyday and night. Great place to grill out and have s'mores later that evening. The bathrooms were clean and toiletries were available. The swimming area is very large and you always had a place to sit. They even have a children's playground that has a great view of the lake. The walking and bicycle trails have beautiful scenery. There was never a dull moment and it was great spending time with family and friends. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
August 2008
$19
We were happy with our stay but a little disappointed given all the high rankings on this website. We found the park to be comfortable with nice site separation and privacy. he campground is about 17 miles from the nearest town so it was very quiet. Our site was fairly level with a paved pad. The reasons for our disappointment were: The bathrooms were a little old with no hand soap at the sinks; the toilet paper was left empty, firewood was overpriced at $5 a bundle considering the small amount of tiny logs, the noise policy was not enforced - my neighbor was playing a boom box very loudly for hours on end and didn't stop until I asked them personally. A host was nearby but didn't say anything. There are a few hiking trails, but they have obviously not been maintained in a while; trees had fallen and markings were missing. The bike trail was paved but clearly needs fresh pavement because there were pot holes all over the place. The water level on the lake was so low that the beach didn't exist. The water had retreated so far into the middle of the lake that the beach was a big mud pit. Locals told us that the water is 30 feet low due to a lack of rainfall. If you choose to stay here, know that this is a nice park; we just didn't find it to be as spectacular as others have reviewed it. Make sure that you choose the correct loop. Our loop, the Fawn loop was pretty peaceful (after the radio was shut down) as was the Bear loop. The other two loops at the water were very loud with large groups of campers partying late into the night. Looked fun, but not so fun if you're not part of the group and just want some peace and quiet. We would probably stay here again if our travels take us to this part of the country, but we have stayed at others places that we feel where better. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is an exceptional park. Well shaded sites. Level concrete pads. The site is filled with decorate pea gravel which helps keep down the amount of dirt being tracked into the camper. Very nice bike trails and swimming area. Clean bath houses. The only reason I do not give it a 10 is because only the host sites have sewer, however the friendly staff offered us a host site so we would have sewer but it was a bit smaller and not right on the water. This park is at the top of our list for parks near our home. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Simply fantastic! This campground, located in US Forest Service Recreation Area at Lake Smith has to be one of their crown jewels! Spacious campsites, very well shaded, with fresh gravel, paved camper pads, grills and fire rings. We were in a loop that did not have waterfront access, but since we were just overnighting on our way out west, we didn't mind. Other campground loops had sites that were on the water, and they were very nicely maintained and spacious. This campground is worthy of being a destination, and we are making plans to return! The office staff are very friendly and have lots of useful information. I chose my site online, and having never been there, just guessed about what might be a good site. Well, there isn't a bad site in the campground, but the ranger suggested I might like a different site even better, and she was so right - just perfect. Highly recommended campground! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
In regard to the actual campsite, this is no doubt one of the best campgrounds we have ever stayed at (even better than Fort Wilderness at Disney!). The individual campsites offer a great variety of shade, privacy, and location. Security was outstanding and the cleanliness of the grounds was impressive. The trails and roads were in wonderful condition and very useful. The layout and condition of the roads/trails make using bicyles enjoyable and easy. We only have two complaints/warnings: although we were warned by the host about the "activity level" of the loop we were staying in, we wish we had been told that "loud and intrusive music" is considered "activity". Second, the bathrooms/showers for the loop we stayed in were always filthy (paper on floor, mud in showers, unclean toilets, dirty countertop, cig butts everywhere)! I checked out a bathroom/shower for another loop and it was very clean. I would assume the bathroom/showers for the loop we were in stayed dirty due to the amount of usage of a full loop (many children and teens). Next time I will stay in a loop farther from the water and use a clean bathroom/shower. We will return to this campground and I highly recommend it, but we will choose our site more carefully. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
The sites are typical Forest Service with ample space and shade. There a 4 loops, 2 are directly on Smith Lake. They are very popular, crowded and busy. The 3rd loop is quieter, has limited view of lake but good access to bike trail. The 4th loop is up on a hill, quiet with no view lake. There is a very nice paved flat 1.5 mile bike trail along the shore from the sites to the beach with lots of places for wading/fishing. There are 2-3 miles of hiking trails that pass a couple of interesting rock shelters. There is a large playground on the water by the 2nd loop. The beach is very nice big lagoon with idealic picnic tables along the shore. The beach is about 2 miles via road from the site or 1 mile on the bike trail. Bring your food, there are no stores or restaurants for 11+ miles. Wal Mart and strip malls are in Jaspter about 13 miles away. Staff very friendly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We live close to this campground and sometimes grab a short weekend here when possible. This park is always very clean and well maintained. The perfect place to get away from it all for a while. Campground is beside Smith Lake, which offers many opportunities for fishing, boating, etc. There is a beach and swimming area on the property. Staff members have always been friendly and helpful. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Absolutely beautiful place to camp. Large spacey lots, with shade around them, paved
pads. Bike trails, hiking trails, playground, most lakefront lots have access trail to lake for docking of boat. Cleanest restrooms I've seen, large clean
showers. Very friendly and helpful staff. Also has adequate dump stations. Golden Age Passport gets nice discount. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
2003
$20
This is one of our favorite campgrounds. The sites are private and there is a big swimming area nearby with access via a very pretty paved bike/walking trail. I do not recall if full hook-ups are available. However, I do know that we used the clean showers many times - so some of the sites near the water do not have full hook-ups. The playground near the water is very nice. While the sites at the top of the hill do not have easy access to the water, the scenery is still beautiful. We found a small waterfull in the woods when camping up there. Some of the dirt trails have huge rock shelters that you can walk under. The kids like that. We always consider this campground when planning a trip. If you have a boat, some of the sites are right on the lake. We have camped here at least four times. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
1999
$20
One of the finest and most beautiful campgrounds I've been in. Has a beautiful lake for boating and fishing. Very nice and clean restrooms and showers. Very safe. Must have a code to get into the campground to operate the gate. We camped here in a camper.
This is definitely one of the better country RV campgrounds we've stayed at. It is a challenge going up the road to register, so go slow and be careful, but it is doable. Friendly staff. Everything is in working order, and it is clean and quiet. Grassy sites are fairly level. What a surprise to find they have wireless too in addition to 50 amp. The only thing is the sites are narrow, but they put people in every other site, so you aren't close together. It is off the highway so you don't have noise. Nothing fancy, but very affordable and quiet. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Spent two nights here as we have friends in the area and there's not many campgrounds to choose from. Quiet park, away from road noise during the night, but nothing special in the way of amenities for $30 a night and 30 amp. Registration office is up a hill to their private residence & then back down to park. If you have a big rig, it's a bit challenging but definitely doable. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
There are not many campgrounds around Jasper area and if you need a good night's sleep, this
is a good place to stop. The interior road is a little rough and gravel, but is quiet and the people that run it are very nice. We were very tired and saw a sign. The park is located on Hwy. 78 southbound. I am not sure they advertise in some of the books. We camped here in a Motorhome.