Bowman-Haley Lake

We booked this site with our Class B van for the 4th of July weekend (Friday-Monday) because it was the only place we could find with vacancies. Our site was directly facing the lake, so the scenery was great. The signage for the numbered sites is non-existent. Although the electric poles are numbered, they not visible when occupied. All the sites with the highest numbers are in a grassy field; no gravel or dirt path to access the actual sites, only bumpy grass. Just be aware if you come in at dark, you will have a difficult time finding your spot. Since this is no longer managed by USACE, there didn’t appear to be “quiet time.” The best part of this stay is that a local family was next to us, and they were great neighbors! They were also disappointed in the nightly noise, both of us abandoned a day early.

Note: the COE link supplied by Campendium is outdated. This COE Campground is now leased to the Bowman Water Board. The correct link to reserve a campsite with electric ($15) is: https://bowmannd.com/plan-your-trip/camping/.
Marina manager: 701-206-0161
Marina landline: 701-275-6316
There is some question whether this COE campground will honor America the Beautiful Senior Pass 50% discount since it’s now leased to a private entity.

Primitive sites are on first come basis ($5), are much prettier and more private!

The electric campsites are not attractive, or level, and my first electric campsite #26, which was quite a distance beyond the Marina, had faulty electric, minimal Verizon signal and no privacy. I had to move to an electric campsite adjacent to the marina, not attractive either but had full Verizon signal strength. Also, the original campsite had a mercury vapor light that blinked non-stop ALL night long. As I understand, there is no water available near the campsites away from the marina.

Although the campsites need repairs, the roads throughout the campground are in excellent condition. Most electric campsites have a picnic table, grill, fire ring or a burnt area where people have campfires directly on the ground. (Note: campfires are certainly not warranted at this time, the grasses are extremely dry and it’s windy, strong chance of wildfire.)

Although the campsites are not pretty, the land between the Marina and furthest electric campsites are quite beautiful, with rolling hills of prairie grasses. We woke this morning to see four deer grazing by our camper.

Don’t count on swimming in Bowman Hawley Lake, signs posted stating “the water may contain blue green algae that can be harmful to humans and pets”. (Actually, blue green algae has killed a number of pets causing them to experience convulsions and die quickly.) Blue green algae is easily seen along the shoreline. See pic.

Oh, and the flies!!!!!

Beware, if you are traveling with pets, there are small cactus throughout the grasslands and ticks.

Beyond the marina is a dump site with non-potable water to rinse tanks, a fresh potable water faucet to refill freshwater tanks, and a bathhouse with a flush toilet and a shower. The marina has a Sunday brunch from 9-11 AM and serves breakfast and lunch the other days, plus beer and wine.

My initial reaction to the campground was negative due to electrical problems. However, I have since changed my mind, the surrounding areas are quite beautiful. Also, I indicated I had 4G/LTE 5 bars but that depends where you are in the campground.

This campground is right on the reservoir so beautiful views. It costs $15 per night for electric hookup and $5 per night for primitive tent/RV sites. We only needed a primitive site as we have plenty of solar power and were told we could just park anywhere! They also have a dump and water! And good cell service!

After looking around, we decided to park right next to a bathroom because the road was level and made for an easy turn-around. We stayed here for a night before heading to Theo Roosevelt National Park. It is about 8 miles off from Bowmon ND, off I-85 . Easy drive in as the only thing you see are a few cows and deer!

Was hesitant to come here because there were no reviews, but this is great camping! Tons of open space and also electric sites! There are bathrooms, trash, dump and water. This is a huge park that surrounds a lake. Lots of grass, picnic tables and fire pits. There’s a marina too and boat launch area. We saw about 10 other campers, all families. Highly recommend. Enter through marina side entrance. Roads are paved except side loops are dirt. If it’s raining, it will be muddy. Of course it rained all night, but we still had no trouble getting our Class A and tow out. Great camping!