Camp Escape: The Lakefront

The Lakefront site was wonderful! The tree lined waterfront view is absolutely beautiful, and the campsite felt secluded enough to unplug (you might not have cell service; I did’t).

A small portion of the trail leading to the site might require 4WD if it’s a little wet, but there is a space nearby to park your vehicle and walk down. There was a small structure that looked like it might be an outhouse near that parking space, but I didn’t check it out.

At the site, there are two fire-pits set up. One is perched on top of a little hill next to a small floating dock. Along the shoreline there was a canoe and a few rowboats with life jackets available. The main grounds of the site contain your larger fire-pit, some plastic chairs, firewood, and a large garbage bin with a bag.

Bring your own water and maybe a table? I prepped on my cooler and wished I had something taller to prep meals.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time. My experience booking was painless; communication was prompt and helpful. Tara was lovely, there were cute chickens running around, frogs getting froggy, and raspberries growing all along the road.

So beautiful and clean the view of the night sky it’s amazing .

This was our family's first ever legit camping trip. And all I did was Google "lake to camp by near me" and it's then that I discovered hipcamp.com and found Tara's campsites.
I read through all of the reviews and the pictures posted and the Lakefront Site was everything I'd hoped for and more! So private and peaceful. The view of the lake is so picturesque and relaxing!
I know we lucked out and managed to have beautiful weather for 3 days in a row but there are so many trees to be able to put up a tarp if you want to be able to still sit around the fire pit even if it's raining. When I couldn't get my weather app to load on my phone to check the radar when we did hear thunder, I was still able to text Tara and get an update from her within mintues. By the way, Cellcom phones did get service at this site.
The fact that firewood was included and freely available was a bonus that I wasn't expecting! We love to have a fire going from sun up to sun down! Plus there's plenty of wood/branches all over the place to keep it going and get it started.
We took the UTV tour and my boys 10 & 16 rode in back while I rode up front with Tara and 2 of my dogs. She was funny, engaging and even when the trail was bumpy and uneven, we felt totally safe and enjoyed every mintue. The property is amazing and has quite an interesting history!
We fished off the dock and my son even managed to catch a shiner! Took the paddle boat out several times and would've swam but chickened out, maybe next time.
And there will be a next time! We've already booked two more stays! Once more before school starts and once more for my son's upcoming 11th birthday. He wants to show off his new favorite place to be!
*Can't wait to see those Fall colors reflecting off the water!*

The campsite was extremely private and large. The hosts were very kind, and checked to make sure I had everything I needed. Had a great time floating around Fox Lake, fires on the shore in the evening, and gorgeous sunrises directly across the water. Highly recommend!

Even more fantastic than our first visit!
My 10 year old son was a little apprehensive about swimming in the lake last time, because of it being dark lake water and it's so deep off the dock. He wished there was a ladder or some easy way out if he panicked. I merely mentioned that in our note of gratitude after our first visit. When arriving this time, we saw Tara on our way in and she said there was a "surprise" at the dock for him! She'd brought a ladder to the site before our arrival! Nothing fancy, but it was perfect! My husband held onto it at the side of the dock so our son could more easily climb out. But where he was then, he realized he COULD touch the bottom there, it wasn't as muddy or full of sticks as he was worried about and then laughed as he walked out of the water like it was any old beach! So the ladder wasn't needed after all, but maybe it'll help someone else out.
We got out this time and hiked with all 3 of our doggies all over the place. So much to see and so beautiful as the trees are starting to change colors.
Tara was a delight as usual and even gave us a quick tour of a site that we're thinking of booking in the future. Lakefront is still my favorite but The Woods looks like it'd be a lot of fun for a visit too!

Amazing, as always! Even with a solid day of wet weather, we enjoyed our stay. A well placed tarp tied up in the trees and we were still able to spend our whole day outside of our tent. Even without extraordinary measures we were able to keep a fire roaring the whole rainy day! Hiking in the rain, enjoying the fresh air, and beautiful autumn colors was still better than being stuck at home! Go to this camp and especially the Lakefront, you'll love it!

In response to someone NOT recommending one of the other sites because of the bathroom facilities, or lack thereof... maybe you could be a little more gracious. You're paying $5 to camp on someone's private land. $5! They don't need to make this available for people to use, but they're generous enough to. They don't have to leave a pile of firewood to start your campout off right, but they're kind enough to.
Why should they have to deal with your literal crap?! Bring a bucket and make a seat with a pool noodle, or even splurge and buy a fancy seat for it, and bag up your own waste and pack it out if you have issue with having to wipe off the commode seat or the thought of there being buried waste out in the woods. But to not recommend a well described as primitive but very BEAUTIFUL and PRIVATE and EXTREMELY affordable camping experience... take that crap somewhere else! Back to the KOA with you!
As for our family, we love Tara's land and can't wait for our next trip! 🥰

The campsite was a very nice place to stay. Tara gave me a tour of the entire property and was very kind to me. Would definitely recommend to anyone who needs to get away for a little bit!

I really enjoyed my stay at the camp ground. Tara was an amazing host. I highly recommend this campsite. I will be camping there again!

Extremely nice host and beautiful camp site tucked back in the woods along a lake. Very peaceful and quiet with things to do such as raspberry picking, fishing, or hiking. There are row boats or canoes to use at multiple lakes!