I been going here since I was a kid I just brought my husband family for the first time July 19th we stayed 3 days they loved it ill never camp any where but collins the ice cream is heaven the staff is amazing and it's so clean read more

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We've stayed at Collins Lake, a campsite that's 1.5 hours from Sacramento, 30 minutes from Marysville, many times over the past 12 years. We stayed near the office in the 60s (don't suggest if you dont like noise, weekend live music, or crowds), we've stayed in the 100s, we've stayed all over this camp ground, but mostly we've stayed in the 200s. My least favorite place to camp was the sites near the office because of all the noise, loud music, close vicinity to the showers and swarms of people everywhere, especially in the summertime. For the past 5 years or so we enjoy staying in the 200s due to the low noise since in that area, it's only 1 row of campers, the ease of accessibility to the water for boat owners & quick access to swimming & lounging in the lake. The 200s are a quick bike ride or drive to the showers (we usually bring an extra car). And it's full electricity & water hook ups too. In the hot summer months, the water is perfect here to just lounge and do nothing but relax, chat for hours & soak in nature's Vitamin D from the sun. I personally love this place for the lovely tallow products by walkerstallowproducts.com that they sell in their adorable store. They also sell food, drinks, jewelry, mugs, tea, snacks, candy, some veggies, fishing stuff, ice & espresso drinks. My kids love their daily ice creams in many different flavors (they give free samples!). Hubby loves fishing here for the bass & trout. The BEST tasting fish tacos, or fish with rice, or fish sandwiches is when you catch, clean, and fish fry the same day with Zatarans & cassava flour. It's the best fish I've ever tasted. I highly suggest. This place is our annual RV camping tradition for the past 12 years & holds many memories for me & my family & I highly suggest it. If you know dates you want to stay here, I highly suggest booking a reservation a year in advance especially for major holidays. They fill up super fast. read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Books & basking - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

Amazing place for camping with family. Was a good experience :) We'll be back for sure next year read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

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I have 'camped' here at Collins Lake for many years. I say 'camped' because I usually book a RV or cabin on the property. This was the first year they didn't have RV's for rent as all of them were replaced with cabins. That being said, its a great place to camp. The grounds are very well maintained, it always feels safe and the staff/store is great. I saw another post about the lack of trails. There are trails, but the other review was correct, they are not the greatest. If you come to Collins Lake its usually for the lake experience. I will say, its a very popular place to camp and the campsites are generally right on top of each other. So the only drawback I have is that its a popular place and so you are usually rather close to other campers. read more

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Lovely campground. Clean well maintained. This is our third trip here. Very relaxing for RV or tent camping. Water and electricity at many sites. Dump station as you exit. Bathrooms and showers available. read more

This is my first time camping at this location. And I would say it was a great experience. We had the camp area towards the back of the lake. We enjoyed the fact they had showers and restrooms. In the backside I don't like the reporter parties, and thankfully the port of potties definitely were kept clean. I went down to the lake early morning, there were no issues or concerns during our two day stay. Couldn't have selected a better first camping experience location. I like the fact that you can go to the store in the front of the lake area and get ice cream coffee or any other things that you may have forgotten. Just prepare to pay a little extra if you forgot items that they have. Ice cream and coffee are very reasonable read more

25 of us camped at the Waters Edge group campground. Supposedly it would accommodate 40 people. It was extremely rocky. You had to hike up a rocky incline to reach the porta potty. They were cleaned each morning. The lake was nice but very rocky. Water shoes are a necessity. They had a nice boat dock that also had rentals available. There is a very nice playground that even has a zipline. Tokens are required for the showers. The store is very well stocked with necessities and souvenirs. The hand scooped ice cream cones are yummy and affordable. Order a small because the scoops are the size of a grapefruit. The employees are very friendly read more

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Nice place to rough it. Lake: always nice and refreshing. Good for trout, and "Yes" there is bass. Swimming dock is fun. -Campsite and facilities is clean. Ice cream keeps us coming back. read more

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This is our families favorite camping spot that we have our annual trip. Great place to even fish for a daily trip. They stock the lake often and we can see some huge fish as well as catching some also. The store is filled with friendly staff and we love hitting their ice cream up nightly. We cannot wait for next year. read more

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Our go to campsite especially when we have a big group. The area is well maintained. Bathrooms and Porta Potties are kept clean. The general store is well stocked, which serves some excellent ice cream for this hot summer days. Only complaint is that the the beach area and Water's Edge group site are very rocky. Hard to find enough flat ground to pitch up tents for 40 people. read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Beach Area - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

Very important, check weather before your trip, avoid summer heat, it's 100F with no wind. The lake views are not the best, the hiking trails have nothing to offer, just dusty roads. The showers are the pain of all, limited shower rooms and far from our campsite, we need to drive 2-4 miles to get there, showers with hot water only (imagine showers in hot summer weather with hot water), some with very low water pressure, some with faulty shower heads. Always long lines at the shower rooms, waited for almost one hour even at 10.30pm night time. Overall it's my worst camping experience. Stars are for the gift shop with great ice-cream and friendly staffs. read more

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We have spent thanksgiving here for a few years now. The cabin are always so nice and cozy. They sleep about 7-8 comfortably . 1 bathroom. Small kitchen with a couch and tv with cable. One room with a full or queen size bed. Another room with double bunk beds. They have cabins with additional room to the right with more beds if needed. Absolutely no wifi unless you go to the shop and buy a code for 10$ for 3 days and up to two devices can connect. Or you get free 45 min daily if you connect to their hot spot. Love the store and all the different flavored ice cream they have along with souvenirs. My mom loves to spend her birthday here which is also on thanksgiving. Good memories here and many more to come. read more

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This place is amazing we come here all season but this past July 4th was it was crazy packed but all good vibes! Let me first give all the glory to the staff from the cashiers to maintenance guys and every single staff member there is at this lake, they are so cool and nice to everyone making the experience 100 times better thank you so much! read more

Camping was great and fishing was better. They even had my favorite ice cream butter brickle. We have a group which has been getting together for several years. I cannot remember any of us having issues over the years. read more

Great for camping, rvs, fishing, ice cream, smores, hiking, you name it it a great place to get out with the family, don't listen to the other comments about being too hot, obviously we have hot days but do your homework with the spot you pick out, may need to book one in year advance to get nice side and waterside. But I want to give a shoutout to the security, one of our cars got a dead battery, I asked the security once he went and came back with 3 battery banks just to make sure he found the correct one working! Friendly place! Big shout out to Mikey security and one more security to give my mother a ride to the office so she didn't have to walk a far distance! I hate to tell other how good this place is because they gets packed every summer! But honestly this place deserves the business for great prices on the gift shop and great ice cream! Check em out! read more

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I will start with what every review mentions.... THE ICE CREAM! It's as good as everyone says! So now for everything else: Check-In Very smooth. We arrived around 2:30 pm and the site was ready and they were even able to reprint my hubby's fishing license for $14. All the registers can help you with any question so that was also helpful. Definitely purchase your shower coins while checking in, they cost $1 per coin and each coin is 3 minutes. The customer service at check in was very good and the staff were extremely nice and helpful. Site 486 Our site was considered a medium lakefront and it did not disappoint. The lakefront site was located above the water with 10 ft trail leading down to the waters edge. The site was covered in gravel so there was no need to prep the space for tent's. You may want to add pads to protect your tent bottom. It was mostly level and shaded very well. The center of the site had full sun from about noon to 3:30 pm. Then the site was full shade. The picnic table was very sturdy and is an 8' table. There is no power, water or garbage can on the site but water/garbage/porta potty is 2 sites over. The fire grill can be used as a camp fire or to cook on. Lake The lake is clear and access from the bank very easy with minimal mud. There is a drop off about 5-6' from the back so children and non strong swimmers should always have life vests on. Camp Amenities The ICE CREAM! The showers were hot and clean as were the bathrooms. There are 2 buildings with showers, we never experienced a wait longer than 5 minutes. However we went to the showers around 8:30 pm and there was a line forming as we were leaving. They sale gas, propane and wood onsite for reasonable prices. The store had a small assortment of groceries and gifts. Also local wines! There is a public beach that is sandy and well groomed and maintained. Additionally the playground is extremely entertaining for children although we do not have young children. Marina We rented a pontoon fishing boat to explore the lake more closely. The pricing is VERY reasonable and the service both at the office and on the dock was very helpful. We initially were going to rent a fishing boat but the waves were a little much so we opted to upgrade and it was well worth the additional money. The lake is a little small so if I had one complaint that would be it but you can't change nature! Wildlife We saw deer, several bird species including woodpeckers! One morning we saw an osprey carrying a rainbow trout with talons across the lake! Overall Experience I enjoyed our time do much I booked immediately for another trip when I returned to cell service. We have T Mobile and did not opt to buy WiFi. It was actually welcome. We had service only by the public beach. If I had to complain about anything it would be that the porta potty was emptied after the "contents" were almost to the toilet seat. Otherwise they were extremely clean. We were camping during the week and did not experience the full weekend rush since we left Saturday but our time was met with nice neighbors and surprisingly quiet times. Even Friday night wasn't too bad! I highly recommend the campground and give RAVING kudos to the staff for being so attentive and kind. read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

Great place to relax and , if you're into ice creams WOW, they are so BIG and TASTY! Plenty of space for RVs , some with FHU , read more

i've been camping here every year for over 7 years now. I do a week long trip with all of my friends and we absolutely love it here. the lake is great, not too big but also has room for plenty of boats. I take my boat and wakeboard, tube, knee board, and ski, and we always have a blast. during the week it is usually pretty calm while the weekends do get pretty busy as the weather here is quite warm during the summer. the lake is gorgeous and in the mornings it's smooth as glass (perfect for wakeboarding). in the summer the water is warm and refreshing so we can also just float all day long. Even in the winter this place is so nice to go fishing or enjoy just camping. it gets chilly but definitely still enjoyable. they have a play structure (that got updated recently) that is super fun (even for teens) so there is things to do year round. the campsites are amazing! the website gives all the details that you need and pictures as well. the store is filled with cute collins lake merchandise and the best ice cream ever!!! It's not too pricey and it's so tasty. (they also have sorbets for us dairy free people!) since i've been camping here for so long, we've formed relationships with the workers there and they are so phenomenal. the security are so helpful with any troubles we're having and the lake has plenty of services to make your camping trip a breeze (on site gas station, trailer pump services, bathrooms and very clean showers and bathrooms). i truly couldn't recommend this place enough for camping and even day trips! the owner truly puts so much thought and effort into maintaining the services and making camping at this lake such a pleasant experience. we plan to continue this week long camping trip a tradition forever! (this year was our 8th year) read more

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This place has been my go to campsite all my life. Such an amazing comfortable place to be despite how crowded it can get the energy is always uplifting. Had a great conversation with a worker named nick who helped me out with my registration big shoutout to him I hope you read this thank you man !! Give that man a raise read more

We LOVE Collins Lake!! We have rented different boats there over the years. The party boats are a great memory maker! So much fun. So many great employees up there and the ice cream is fabulous!! We have had many parties up there. I'm very fortunate I live pretty close to the lake and get to enjoy it a lot, especially in the summer, but the ice cream? We can enjoy that year round! read more

Incredibly rude. I call to cancel my reservation, the lady is making jokes. Telling me how funny it is that I have to cancel and she doesn't. Then they tell me, even though I'm canceling a month in advance, they WILL NOT refund my money. I can camp here someday within 5 years from now. I'm a single mom and have to work and your employee is making jokes about how it's ok to keep my money. The women sounds old enough to know how to act at work. The customer service here is below par and it's NOT FUNNY that your keeping a single moms money. I was going to pay a bill with the returned funds. DO NOT CAMP HERE. There are many other options with better fishing. This place is a joke. read more

I hate that I have to leave this review but I guess times change and it is what it is . So we have been doing a Family Camping trip every year for over 10 years , well it seems after this year we will be moving to another Camp Ground . Let's start with the good things , the store is great , the staff was friendly and helpful and the ice cream is cheap and delicious. Now let's talk about the security and the guys who drive around , these guys are absolute CREEPS ,,, they have a quiet time rule that starts at 10pm on weekends and will approach your site if you are sitting around having a conversation WTF ,, then they go and park up by the bathrooms with their lights off and stare at all the women who use the bathrooms and sometimes stand over there and make comments and try and make conversation . The sites are ok , water and electrical hook work nice ,, and the new rock they added makes it less dusty and dirty . Also they now seem to be letting people book sites on the first of a calendar year for the following year ,,, that's not ok , so yes this will be our last year , definitely more to do with booking and their security people ... read more

We truly love Collins Lake. Typically we pull our travel trailer up and stay at one of the sites with full hookups and 50 amps. There are places to tent camp and they also have cabins. The park is very clean with nice bathrooms and showers. *Note about the cabins. We've stayed in the one closest to the store and also in Sutter (off exit 4). Overall, the idea of cabins is good. They're close to water and for the most part have the amenities needed for a nice stay. This trip, we stayed in Sutter and beds are so uncomfortable! It felt like I'd been in battle after a night's attempted sleep. I dreaded one more night trying to rest on that rack with its very loose frame. Also, in the main part of the cabin it smells like dog. Like a very strong dog/pee smell. Even though the policy states no pets, people do what they want. All that said, it's a great campground. It does get crowded so if you're looking for peace and quiet during the summer months, you might have a hard time finding it. Overall, a park we use multiple times throughout the year and the staff members are terrific! The chocolate peanut butter and pecan praline ice cream flavors are our favorite! read more

Amazingly friendly and helpful staff. Clean and abundant amenities (potties and showers). Gorgeous setting. My one criticism: can you not have the guy that pumps out all RV black water tanks working on a busy Saturday morning? The smell is horrendous. Thank you read more

First of all this place was actually a 5 star rating overall. The location was great and easy to get to. The lake was amazing and geared for all ages and levels of swimming. It had various boats to go fishing, or hanging out on lake for the day. The prices of the boats were very reasonable and the hours were worth the price. It was equipped for RVs, had cabins and space for tents. The bathrooms/showers and port-a-potty's were immaculate and always stocked! The staff was really amazing and accommodating as well. The only problem my family and I had was there was little to no regulation. If you like peace and quiet after 10pm, this is not the place for you! People were blaring music until 1:30am (on Wednesday) and Friday/Saturday people were talking and kids were playing well after midnight. On occasion staff would come by and campsites would quiet down but then they'd get loud again as soon as the staff would leave. One night a campsite came and set up at 11:30pm, SERIOUSLY!!! At the lake people were smoking cigarettes, cigars, marijuana and not once did staff come to ask them stop. We also found multiple cigarette butts around the property and the fire danger level was extremely high! I just wish the staff was more involved in keeping people accountable to following the common courtesy rules. At the end of the day, we would return! read more

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Great area to get away family time lots to do. Bring quarters for shower Bathrooms super clean read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Sunrise great view - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

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We stayed here for a few days in March 2021. Very nice campsite, with picnic table and barbecue. This was our first visit to Collins Lake, and we were impressed with the size of the lake (1600 acres, 12 miles of shoreline) and the size of the campground. There are about 500 campsites, so there is quite a bit of activity! The have RV campsites with hookups, RV sites without hookups, tent sites, cabins and rv trailer rentals. There is a marina, a camp store, boat rentals, playgrounds, and hiking trails. Even though it was March, and the weather a bit cold, there were plenty of campers over the weekend. Sunday afternoon, however, almost everyone left, and we had the place to ourselves. Very peaceful. My husband did a bit a fishing near the dam, and caught a nice-sized big mouth bass. Their website states that they plant more than 50,000 trout during spring, so fishing is a main activity here. Only negative to our stay was while walking our dog near the dam, he picked up several nasty, huge, sharp burrs. Not sure where he got them; the burrs must have been in the rocks, because we didn't walk on grass or weeds or anything like that. Our visit to the store was pleasant; the staff were friendly and helpful. There were customers without masks, though, and staff didn't seem to be enforcing the "must wear mask to enter store" rule. read more

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We stayed during the middle of the week in March for Spring Break.  Then entire reservation and check-in process is seamless and painless.  All camp sites were clean and spacious.  The only negative, is that the porta johns at the campsites needed to be drained.  With that being said, the johns were CLEAN, I mean very clean.  There were no insects flying around in there.  You cannot smell anything outside the porta johns.  It was well stocked. Fishing was good, it really depends on the time of day and the bait you use... or how often you prayed to the fishing gods. read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Baby trout at the boat rental dock - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

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I always have a heart time at Collins Lake. It's so peaceful here. Those was my 2nd time coming here. Each time I've came here it seems like the experience gets better. Things to try; the ice cream shop, a slushy and if you do not rent a cabin, the showers are 25 cents for I believe 7 minutes or maybe 2 minutes. I know I used at least 3 quarters to take a decent shower. We had a cabin and a few outside sections but I found it easier to use the Showers outside of the cabin because we had a big group with us and the wait was too long to use the shower. The shower area also has bigger showers than in the actual cabins. read more

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Overall, a very beautiful spot. Friendly and welcoming staff. The maintenance of the sites left much to be desired. We had to clean up trash when we checked in and there was some vomit in the parking area. Trash cans are overflowing and toilet paper was empty in the outhouse. I hate it when that happens. Campsites are a bit close together and not a lot of privacy. It's more of a suburban type camping. read more

Rather you are tent camping or RV/trailer camping this is the place to go. The store has pretty much anything needed from food to fishing or a hot coffee or an ice cream. Good lake view sites. Wifi can be purchased but it's still pretty spotty. I have Verizon and had no cell service. The tv sites have electric & water hook up. There are a few dump stations you pass when leaving the camp ground. RV sites can be a bit hard to drive around depending on the size of your unit. I was in site 58, our view was nice, flat back up parking area which was perfect for our truck and 22 ft travel trailer. A little close to the sites next to us but luckily we had quiet neighbors. read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Enough space to place a tent if you want - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

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We've taken our sons camping since they were toddlers and they loved it. This is my favorite new spot to camp. They have real bathrooms and showers and a nearby store with everything you need including big scoops of delicious ice cream for only $3.50. You can rent an RV, a cabin or bring your tent like we do. I love the lakefront view and hearing the water at night. It's perfect weather in the morning and at night. At night we didn't have to wear jackets. The water was cool but never too cold. We brought our tubes but also rented pontoon boats for the day, it was so much fun. They bring in a band on Saturdays. The music was good. All the staff were very helpful and kind. We decided to buy firewood but couldn't bring all of it to the campsite. It was very cool that they bring it to you. These campsites are smaller than other places we've been too but just be sure to look at the map carefully to see if the campsite will accommodate all your camping setting. read more

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Just another update on Collins Lake! We absolutely love it here and every time we stay, we never want to leave. Check in is always so smooth, great friendly staff, ice cream is amazing and cheap! Water is so refreshing and a little mossy since the whole lake is full, that didn't stop us! We had such a blast and cannot wait to get back out there!!! read more

The service is awful all around. The people at the front desk are rude and the curfew for music is 10pm. The place is the worst campground I've ever been too. I'm sticking with Sly Creek from now on. read more

I have fallen in love with Collins Lake. Great campground! Clean and super family friendly. The main camping area has restrooms and showers. The farther camping locations have porta potty's , but they are cleaned daily and very well kept. Our camp sites were great. We had a beautiful view of the lake. Entry to the lake where we camped was very rocky but they have a beach area that is more sandy that is not a far drive at all. The general store staff is friendly and helpful and they have anything you may have forgotten. We visited the general store daily for ice and their delicious and HUGE ice cream. They had movie nights on the beach, volley ball nets on the beach, plenty of picnic tables and a fun dock for the kids to jump off. read more

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Great facility, well kept, nice staff, it's managed well, I will definately be going back

Campsite 298. Perfect spot next to the water, plenty of space for camp and parking, and potty is close by. No hookups. Great spot to take the kids for a quick camping trip since it's not too far from home. The campsites are always clean and spacious, the staff is great and the ice cream is always the best! read more

Collins Lake Recreation Area - Campsite 298 - Lakes Near Me - Browns Valley, California

I had to bug out of home as other half was positive with Covid. To cold to boondock in the mountains for free, my best nearby choice was here so I could have power for heat in my little 4x4 diesel w/cabover woman cave. I ended up staying 9 nights, and the saving grace was their fiber internet, wifi! It did cost a little money but super dependable and could live stream Paramount Plus, Netflix and Amazon Prime movies. Being by myself, recouping from a sports related injury, and cold outside, this totally kept me sane. The facility was very clean, the employees friendly and price was right, especially staying 7 days plus! I was amazed at the the amount of new trucks, and big campers! Where do people have that kind of money? Or possibly how much debt do these weekend warrior have? I had hours of entertainment watching these folks back up their rigs into their campsite. A few times I actually thought about going over and asking them if they needed help? (Have hauled big horsetrailors for decades). The downside of the weekend warriors, the majority sped through the campground and not to mindful about their outdoor lights blaring all night long upon their neighbors. The city folks make it hard to see the stars as they bring their city lights with them! ugh. Also many party'd into the wee hours of the night, music, hooting and hollaring. Where's the night patrol? It appeared a neighbor was dumping their gray water. Every morning, there was a whole stream/bunch of water down the dry road... not just maybe an ice chest full. Yeah I get not having to break camp to dump, but really? Dump your frigging grey water in the middle of the campground? I actually turned them in when I left...though sure they will lie. Yep, these same people were burning plastic....idiots! Anyways, for campground I give 5 stars, but for the McMansion Weekend Warriors a 1 star. Hey, warriors, please be more mindful, give a hoot and don't pollute...and oh yes, SLOW DOWN! read more

We had a really great afternoon at the lake. One of the best vacation days I've had in a while! We didn't camp or hang out too long, but we did spend enough time to review some of the goodies there. First of all, the folks working the store were super friendly. They were helpful, patient, and seemed to be enjoying being there. Yay Marysville! The store had the usual t-shirts, snacks, and bait. They also had complimentary postcards. Wrote to everyone, wish you were here! BTW, they did sell stamps too, so that was convenient. The store had great ice cream, perfect for a hot solstice day. I don't recommend the espresso drinks though. If you're a snob, better go back to town or bring your own kuerig machine. We rented kayaks. They were a bit unorganized, but the equipment was pretty new and in good shape. They offer 1 hour and half day rentals. I think the half day was the perfect amount. We were able to make it from the marina, up to the shallow arms to explore the feeder creeks, some time to swim, and back in time for lunch. It was a nice workout. Not too crowded on the water, but maybe peak summer is worse. Late june, we saw a lot of house boats, but not too many ski boats to rock the kayak. The beach was ok. The swim area was this little rectangle roped off on the whole lake, and everyone was crammed in. The sand was a little dirty, the rocks were a little sharp, so those with baby skin should consider wearing aqua socks. Or enter the water in front of the campsites, outside of the swimming area. The lake was so fun, we'll probably be back soon. Either renting a campsite, cabin, or rv hookup. Fun times at collins lake! read more

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This was the worst experience we have ever had camping. The staff do not care about enforcing the rules. We had neighbors with two big dogs off leash that were not friendly. They also had a block rocker and partied until about 2:30am. Screaming and yelling profanities the whole time. We were there as a family with two young kids. The other issue is they never kept their dogs leashed and at one point the dog attacked another child on way to the bathroom. Rangers came to talk to them 3 times and nothing happened- we werent the first to complain. We complained later on to the front desk and they wouldn't give us the time of day. The dog was aggressive and wouldn't stay out of our site and aggressively ran at my children. We left for safety concerns. Apparently, if you want a safe camping trip to get your kids outdoors this is not the place. Will never ever go back. My dad drove a long way to camp with us and see his grandkids. Unfortunately, we all left early when the rangers didn't do a thing. The beach is also completely rocks and goose poop. Good to know before you go. read more