I went here in July. Honestly, if you are visiting the national forest I suggest going to the south side of the parks instead of staying at this campground. In July it gets hot hot hot here, and all of the major attractions are in the southern end of the parks which will be a two hour drive around curves and hills. There is plenty of shade in this campground but you can't really hang out in the campground during the day, it is just too hot. So you will find yourself driving to the lodge or to the river to chill. The lodge is only .25 miles away so you can get ice or food, you won't be entirely away from civilization lol.
There was no mosquitos just some small flies that could get annoying once in a while.
The bear boxes get old real quick with constantly taking things out and putting them back in . Expect to be woken up any time a bear shows up because people honk their car alarms to scare the bear way instead of just leaving the bear alone (if it's not digging through your food just leave it alone imo). We had bears every night in the campground (people honking every night) but I only saw one
Some people were putting food wrapper trash in the bathroom so the bears were getting in their. Just like any campground, they people are the worst problem
We were allowed to have a campfire and we could use any fallen wood of which there was plenty around, you don't need to buy firewood . I suggest bringing a small axe to chop up the fallen trees for your self. Do NOT leave your fire unattended. My neighbors did that 🙄 and got a ticket for it
I did see one bear, they really aren't a big deal to be worried about as long as you follow the rules.
The restrooms are flush toilets but a few of them were closed off so I had to walk a bit to get to them from where my site was .
The rangers are very friendly
If you have a very large tent expect the ground to be on a tilt so you might want to bring a way to level your airbed, etc
Each spot has a bear box, a parking spot, area for the tent, and a fire pit with a grill on it. The campsites are very clear of brush or foliage, they mainly are all dry pine needles. Expect though to get very dusty shoes.
There were NO showers available at all. Not even pay ones at the lodge, they told me the showers had been closed for the last two years, I wonder why they even have the signs anymore!
If you try to use any soap at your campsite make sure to capture it, grey water is not allowed to touch the ground. The restrooms have a sink station where you can dispose of grey water, wash dishes, and brush teeth, etc.