Observatory Campground

Expected a bit more than was promised, I suppose. Welcomed by an empty spot where the volunteer was supposed to be—never saw them in three days. Was granted a warm welcome by a trio of mosquitos, flies, and bees in unison that never left until nightfall. Searched for the trail to the observatory so at least an amazing view would be had. A 45-minute hike ended in the middle of a wooded area with a dilapidated barbed wire fence. Speaking of aged, not being of this education, it seems relatively apparent the wildlife is quickly dying. Throughout a 24-hour period, at least 4 or 5 branches will echo dying aches as they collapse from the tree—be careful where you set up camp. The great news is the guests were in good spirits. The restrooms were clean with toilet paper. The showers are unbelievably divine, considering they are in the middle of the wilderness. And if you appreciate bird songs, you’ll have your fill. There are gorgeous blue jays, blue birds, robins, etc. and an aromatic smell of fires in the evening. PLEASE, for the love of God, CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF! Your mom isn’t here to do it for you.

This is my first camping even though I am a hiker. This campground didn’t disappoint. I am always concern about bathrooms. This campground is clean. There is also a coin shower rooms. The fact that they provide walk-ins to camp. Make sure to check the map for spaces that mark W. It is quiet and very nice. You can buy wood on the way. In fact there is a truck that sells them just pay cash and drop off the box or bar code to pay. 5$ is enough to burn for a night for the experience and scare the bugs too. NOTE: there is a lot of bugs( make sure to bring a head net ) no reception that’s fine it will bring you closer to nature. Just bring a book to read . There is a fire ring on every spaces. And they have tables. I will definitely come back to camp. I highly recommend this place.

Nice shady sites and some are tucked away/private. Nice to have at least one flushing toilet. Hike to observatory is pretty with lots of shade and variety of landscapes.

This is a decent little campground with flush toilets and running water, as well as water spigots near various campsites. There are day use areas and ample parking, especially for those with disabilities. There are a small number of short paved trails. Vegetation is not kept up very well in all spots and some campsites are perpetually shaded. Beware when booking that some spots are double and cost as much. There's a tiny store down the road with the bare essentials including food, fuel and more. This campsite also has SHOWERS although I'm not sure about the water temperature.

Yes, there were bugs More flies and yellowjackets than mosquitoes. Here’s how we dealt with bugs (came prepared): - [ ] Bug zapper swatter (shaped like a tennis racquet) - [ ] Bug hat (with the ring that keeps the mesh off your face) - [ ] Battery fans - tabletop size. Dr Prepare and Ryobi, the latter especially good on level 2 will blow most of the flies away from your face. - [ ] Hand fan (wish we had brought our large Japanese one for sushi rice) - [ ] Screen room - we love our TailVeil (don’t buy the one on Amazon, it is a knockoff) and the Wawona 6. Used the zapper racquet on any strays that managed to get in. - [ ] Window screens for the car - cut roll stock of replacement screen to fit and sew seam binding around the edges, held in place with magnets and blue tape. - [ ] Yellow jacket traps - 4 of them in a wide perimeter (follow the directions!) - [ ] Picardin and 30%DEET lotions, as directed - [ ] Permethrin-treated long sleeve shirt and pants. We stayed after a busy weekend (Perseid meteor shower time), in sites 33 & 34 near the bathroom/showers building. The trash dumpster next to those sites was a yellowjacket magnet. (See above about dealing with bugs. By the second day, the yellowjacket trips were visibly popular, the number bugging us at our meals was fewer, and while one person cooked, the other stood by waving the zapper swatter.) Wished I had brought some Comet for the bathroom sinks, and was glad we had brought some toilet paper. On of the 4 showers was posted as out of order, as was one of 3 toilets in the women’s bathroom. There were electrical outlets in that restroom that were non-functional. We did not need to try any of the vault toilets, but noticed that campsites downwind from them (6&7) were stinky. The potable water taps were conveniently located and the water tasted fine. We did dishes with a solar shower bag and camping sinks at our site, collected the waste water into a leftover kitty litter jug, and dumped it in the toilet. (Wash water with food particles dumped at you site or rinsed near the water taps will attract more yellowjackets.) Getting accurate weather predictions for this campground was a challenge. It turned out to be both hotter and colder than I expected. The campsites vary widely in size, exposure, level vs incline of the tent pad and parking pad, and distance of picnic table from the parking place. The Recreation reservation map is less accurate than the map posted at the campground entrance.