By:
Submission
As of 10/10/20
A camper reported: The entrance is over the bridge. Down a steep decline into the Valley as they work on the other Dam and roads
Primitive camping offers a beautiful spot under cottonwood trees, right by the water. There was a covered pavilion that was ideal for food setup for our group. Great for bird watching. Downsides: no easy access to water spigot, bathrooms were quite dirty and had no soap (but showers are large and had good pressure), grass was quite long, trees had huge poison ivy vines all over them. We had a large group and the office had a terrible time processing the credit card charge for 12 sites--it literally took half an hour for them to figure out how to do it (note: the people were very friendly and apologetic but the system clearly needs work).
Toxic blue-green algae blooms failed to dampen my camping experience at Tuttle Creek State Park last weekend. Despite the occurrence, which the park handled beautifully with warning signs posted throughout the park, my husband, college buddy, and I had a wonderful time at our expansive campsite next to the lake. We had so much space to roam, we were able to use the grill to make dinner and eat at a picnic table near the water, play wiffle ball, take solo time out to read, and watch buzzards, carp, egrets, and dragonflies. The website was a bit intimidating but the actual park experience was laid back and the staff were helpful and friendly. The camp store sold ice, firewood, AND Klondike bars! Our "primitive" site also had a large covered shelter that protected us during an intense t-storm our second night that would've drenched us otherwise. Next time we'll be able to swim, gosh darn it!
This place is beautiful and well maintained. It's one of my favorite places to go running and it's always nice to set others out and about enjoying the weather and outdoors.
I buy a park pass every year so I can fish (crappie, bass and walleye). It's a beautiful, well-maintained park and campground. The bathrooms are clean and the grounds are well maintained. Lots of geese and herons. I even saw a pair of loons (I think) this evening. Can't beat sunrise on the lake! There is a dog park, a swimming beach, you can rent kayaks, there is disc golf, a nice playground.
We loved this state park so much we've been twice in the last month. Kids loved kayaking to the little island and exploring. The swim beach wasn't too crowded and clean. The primitive campsites were fairly large and spaced out. We did not feel crowded either time we visited.
