My husband and I stayed at the Lions Den with two of our friends and their families (8 total) for two nights recently. We all had a great time and were really impressed with everything that was set up and provided for by Alter Experiences. It also gave us a chance to try out some gear and games to see if we would want to purchase them for ourselves (I loved the Luci solar lanterns and the water bag is really convenient for hand and dish-washing). Even though I had looked at their website and read the informative email from Shantel several times after making the reservation, we still packed a lot of "just in case" things, most of which turned out to be unnecessary and unused.
Since we had three vehicles and the site only has space for two, we opted to pay for the regular campsite across the "road" rather than park it further away in the overflow lot. It's always nice to have your car nearby and it was worth the price difference ($28 per night for the campsite, but 1/2 off if you have an Interagency Military/Veterans Pass vs $10 per night for the overflow lot). Make sure to bring cash or a check if you have more than two vehicles. You pay the campground host or self-service fee tube for those, not Alter Experiences.
The whole Lions Den site was bigger than I anticipated, and also pretty secluded considering it's part of a public Forest Service campground. The bell tent with a queen bed and sofa bed is tucked away in the trees at the back of the site and very private. One of the 3-person families slept there. The lounge tent with the two sofa beds is more in the open at the outer edge of the "main" area and is where the other family slept. Both families said the bell tents were comfy and spacious. One had trouble restarting the propane heater after they had to change tanks during the first night, so the husband hooked up a bigger tank he'd brought from home and it lasted the whole second night.
My husband and I slept in a 2-person tree tent together the first night, but because of his snoring and me rolling into him (because he's heavier), I grabbed two of the extra sleeping bags that we'd brought with us and moved into the top of the two-story tent for the second night. It was VERY comfortable up there. I wish we had slept separately the first night too (lol). I was a bit worried about navigating the strap ladder for a middle-of-the-night nature call, so we put a cooler underneath the portal before I went to bed and used that as a step stool which worked out well.
While we had planned to do some hiking during our stay, we were having such a great time visiting under the oaks and pine trees and the kids were having such a blast playing in the huge hammock,
that we stayed at the site and enjoyed the scenery and each other's company the whole time. The kitchen was well-equipped and made meal prep and cooking easy, the slackline was fun for the kids and adults, and the campfire was perfect to tell stories and toast marshmallows around (sticks are provided) underneath the starry sky at night. We all agreed that it was an amazing experience and we hope to make it an annual trip! read more