Gold Basin Campground

This was our first over night camping and we were lucky to find a spot. We stayed at site #77. It is a First come First serve. We reached there around 8:30am, on last week of Aug. There were 4 sites available and we picked the one close to the river. The river wasn’t overflowing but don’t be fooled by the small river. The currents are powerful and the rocks are sharp. There is only vault toilet as mentioned and it was neither clean nor foul. No cell coverage hence completely cut out from digital world. Carry $33 cash for the camping fee. The night stars were amazing. Nearest restaurant is in Granite Falls city which is 20-30 min away.

Could be a very beautiful campground. All spots have their own table and fireplace. However currently there is no running water or any other facilities just pit toilets. There was plenty space left for walk-ins. If you need a spot with water there are also Verlot and Tourlo campgrounds further down the road about 2.5miles.

This is a good campground for those you want to camp tent or RV. They have both single and double sites. Site 071 is a semi-secluded spot that is one of the closest to amenities including bathrooms, showers, drinking water and amphitheatre. While I was there, 3 nights at the end of July 2020, the showers and flushable bathrooms were closed due to Covid-19. The non-flushable bathrooms (modern outhouses) run out of toilet paper very quickly, so definitely bring your own. Back into the parking spot to make it easier to exit. The site is very close to the exit of the campgrounds. There is a small low-grade incline to the bench and campfire area. There is a yard low-grade incline to the tent pad. There is enough foliage and forest around to keep the area cool during hot days with just enough soon coming through in the afternoon. It is a 2 minute drive to the Lake 22 Trailhead. This trail has heavy traffic during weekends and decent traffic during weekdays. There is river access easy at a couple of points. (Check a campground map. There is another one north of campsite 36). The water is clear and there are a couple of places where you can walk across (the water to your chest at 5'9). We were there when it was in the high 70s/low 80s and the water was warm enough to be "cool" which a quick dunk would cure.

In its heyday, I'm certain this campground was wonderful. Now, it's a sad neglected spot with dilapidated facilities, no running water, a broken amphitheatre and closed for good restrooms. Despite all that, the forest service still demands that you pay top dollar for staying there. The sites are nice, deep enough for a travel trailer, but I have stayed in dispersed sites with better amenities.

This campground is beautiful and the sites are spacious. Our spot had enough trees to set up our hammocks. The only downside was the neighboring site had about 15 people and partied loudly until 2am. We even heard another neighbor yell at them to quite down. We spoke with one of the campground hosts the next day and he must have spoken with them because the following night the partying only went until around 10/11pm. It would have been nice if camp hosts were slightly more proactive on this kind of stuff. Lots of wonderful hiking in the area also.