Smalley Cove Campground

Very nice tucked away camp ground fairly easy to get too and a short drive from Clovis. The gate is only open from dawn to dusk though so keep that in mind when coming here. This is a managed Campground also with a administrator on site who was friendly but not overly strict like other site admins have been in the past. Dave I think his name was. Me and a few friends stayed here for 3 nights during the week and we were the only people here the entire time which was great. Really enjoyed the lake and scenery. For us it was 30$ a day for the group because we had 3 cars with the site being I think 20$ a night Lots to do nearby also with hiking and another smaller lake up in the hills nearby which gives amazing views of the lake itself! Not much firewood available on the ground as the place is well kept so make sure to plan ahead and bring your own firewood otherwise you'll be mostly stuck with damp rotting wood haha

The campground is beautiful, private, and clean. Kerchoff Reservoir (refreshingly cold in triple-digit weather) is mere steps from the campsites. The hosts we had in summer of 2023 were truly delightful. However, the robust jet ski culture on Kerchoff Reservoir makes this an unwelcoming environment for quietude, swimming, and paddling. On the weekends, the skiing starts at sunup and continues until sundown. The skiers are active in the evenings on weekdays. In our experience, the skiers showboated dangerously close to the beach, which restricted both swimming and paddling. Many visibly underage people were driving.

Great place to camp, clean restrooms. Beautiful setting

Giving this 5 stars because the host is super nice and does a great job keeping it clean.. However, the people that were there for the day use were loud and obnoxious. Beware that there are snakes in and out of the water. We ended up leaving early because of it. The snowmelt was roaring down through the lake and the current was really dangerous. We weren’t expecting that.

Love it here my family’s go to spot for a get away