Cow Lake

After reading previous reviews we decided to walk down Cow Lake Road to make sure our rig would fit. We travel in a Jayco Seneca 36 ft and a toad. It must be said that the area has not received rain recently so the roads were dry however, there are some rather obvious places that would be problematic in wet weather. We stayed in the area at the end where the creek empties into the lake. There were a few locals fishing but no one bothered us, one of them actually came and checked on us when he saw our rig parked on the farm road, said he wanted to make sure we were ok. The bird watching here is fantastic, we also saw coyote and mule deer. My husband enjoyed the fishing, all catch and release. We had a peaceful quiet night under a wide open star filled sky. If we had not already made a commitment to be somewhere else, we would have stayed longer. It has been said previously and it bares repeating, know your rig and your tolerance. The area is large enough for a sizable rig but you have to be able to tolerate the last 1/2 mile of bumps and ruts.
The only negative for us, and it is unfortunately not unique to this site, is the amount of trash and broken glass in the camping area. We filled a 13 gallon trash bag from the immediate vicinity of our site before settling down to enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Great bird watching lake if it wasn’t for all the local fisherman. We chose the site almost at the end where there are small rapids connecting two parts of the lake. That spot is apparently the place to fish. If we hadn’t asked our tow vehicle semi blocking part of the drive they would have parked all around us. Weekends in June the graduates go out there to party. So in the two days we were there we had maybe had 30 minutes to ourselves between sun up and sun down.

Took a day trip to check it out. Once you leave the gravel road, as mentioned by other reviewers the road is rutted and challenging. I saw a big trailer in there, so clearly it's possible. There are a couple/three spots that will accommodate a trailer and still give you privacy if other campers beat you there. However we noted CLOUDS of mosquitoes before we beat a hasty retreat. The campers there either had a secret weapon or were impervious.

We stopped here on our way east in early May 2017. It wasn't too hard getting here using the coordinates, but the road into the campground is a bit challenging for larger vehicles. Our 38 foot Newmar fit OK, but with the car towed behind us, the first cattle guard as you go onto cow lake road is very narrow and you have to be super careful. I've seen semis hook cattle guards, and it wouldn't be hard to do.

Other than that, it's a matter of avoiding the ruts and taking it slow. We pulled off right by the inlet to the lake, and the ground was solid and more level than some commercial campgrounds.

As I am typing this, it is raining, and that is one thing you don't want too much of here. Cow Lake road is really mostly dirt with some gravel. So there are spots where it appears people have gotten stuck, recently, I might add.

Anyway, the only reason I didn't go five stars across the board, is the touchy access and possible problems when it rains:) and people seem to leave bottles, etc. here. I suspect it is a handy place for locals to come party on weekends.

We camped here with a 36' fifth wheel. We were joined by one car camper after we had set up camp the first night and there were also some men fishing in one spot when we arrived. The farm roads into the area are graveled and well maintained. The road inside the area was also graveled but did have some minor ruts and a few puddles which could be challenging for larger rigs. I would say that this location is for those that know their equipment. There is a turn around at the end of the road as mentioned by a previous reviewer. The area had been receiving some significant rain and one hill just before you enter the area that had me wondering if I was gonna be able to get out pulling the fifth wheel (the hill can be seen in the background of the 5th wheel picture, not the 4wd trail) . The stay was incredible and we did get out.