By:
Submission
f you are looking for a place in the center of the Shawnee National Forest, then Lake Glendale Recreation Area is for you. Its central location makes it easy to visit main attractions on either side of the forest or any place in-between. Surrounded by tall pine trees and mixed hardwood forests, Lake Glendale Recreation Area offers a wide range of recreation opportunities including hiking, camping, swimming, boating, fishing and bicycling. The accessible picnic area has a large picnic shelter near the lake with party grills for group gatherings.
Open Memorial day weekend to Labor Day Weekend.
I will first write my review as if there wasn't an extremely loud group over in the group camping area there the first weekend in June 2022 disturbing the peace. (We stayed in the tent area sites 36-60 no hookups)
Pros: Beautiful sites in a diverse lovely forest. Sites are well kept and the hosts that were there were great and helped us pick a great site (for the first night anyway).
Cons:
1. As others have said, the larger shower building (near entrance) has only cold showers. I am not sure why you would make a nice shower building and have only cold showers? Never have taken an ice shower before, but I had no other choice (so I thought). Turns out the smaller showers by the tent sites (by site 55 I think) do have warm water. Heard a girl the next day say it was too hot :)
2. Wood sold at the campground was un-burnable. Bought fire-starters while we were out. Ended up going north a bit on 145, just off the road to buy wood that would burn.
We planned to stay 3 nights but left one day early because the loud group at the group area was unbearable. (Separate campground entrance but adjacent.) We figured they were there for the whole weekend. I had a lovely time the first day or two relaxing and enjoying peaceful nature. I added at least 20 birds to my Merlin Bird ID app list. Then came Friday. It was intermittent loud amplified music/singing for most of the afternoon followed by a couple of hours of constant stressful loud shouting. Yes, it ended by ten pm, but still... We came for nature, and ended up forcefully listening to a loud event that we did not sign up for. That event should be taken to a private event space, not a US National Forest.
The camp hosts were gracious and I think someone was going to talk to the group, but we made the decision to move on. We stayed in Giant City State Park, which was more crowded and less private, but much quieter (weirdly).
I have a couple of negatives but the wooded camping areas, the space between campers, and the beauty of the park out weighed them all.
Negatives: cold showers all year round. Not ideal for cooler mornings and nights. Showering in warm afternoons is recommended but most people are hiking or swimming in the lake at that time. Poison ivy everywhere, however, it keeps people on the paths instead of invading the beauty of nature around. Need wider paths though so you don’t accidentally brush up against any. Campsites are small for the price of them. Campsites are all gravel, no dirt or grass, bring a mallet if you are tent camping.
Positives: absolutely beautiful. Trees everywhere, shaded campsites, properly marked, easy to find, fire wood and ice for purchase on site (priced just right), tons of hiking nearby, bigger towns nearby for supply pick up or to get cell phone service, pet friendly, quiet time at 10 and management drives around to be sure of that.
Would I go back? Only during warm months when cold showers don’t bother me lol.
This beautiful, wooded and private campground has been a frequently visited spot for me over the years, but I have noticed recently that the vibe of this place has changed. I have noticed during each visit that the electric sites seem to be occupied by the same campers, as if they are living there permanently. Also, on a recent stay, during hunting season, some of the hunters were skinning and processing their kills at the camp sites! I'm not opposed to hunting but I do not think kids should have to see a deer carcass hanging by its back legs from a tree as they walk to the bathrooms. Then there is the mess that's left at the site for future campers to deal with.
Also, since when has it become common place to hang political signs from the trees at your campsite?
Additionally, on a recent visit, while staying at the non-electric sites, there was a suspicious individual that seemed like he was cooking meth inside a collection of large tents all covered by one very large grey tarp. They guy was using the electric from the bathhouse and had 4 extension cords leading directly into the tents. When he was breaking down the tents one morning I noticed 3 large sized propane tanks that must have been inside the tents as they were not visible outside prior to him breaking "camp".
Finally, the campground host spend the better part of a Friday using a gas leaf blower to blow ALL the leaves off of each electric site...ONLY the electric sites. Completely ruined the camping, getting back to nature vibe people are searching for when the camp. Not that I wanted the non-electric sites cleared, but I'm just wondering why the favoritism? Do you really need to have every leaf cleared from your CAMP? The hosts seem nice but also seem to be contributors to the major changes in this campground.
Wonderfully woodsy campground located at the edge of Glendale lake. We tent camped but wanted a site with an electric hookup and access to showers. This was perfect. It was quiet and the sites were partially shaded by the woods and they had some sites with views of the lake. The electric sites were set up for more rv camping and were fully graveled. It rained while we were there but because of the tree canopy we didn't experience the full brunt of it and enjoyed the sounds as we stayed dry in the tent.
