Check-in for the campground is 2:00 PM. The workers do a great job maintaining all the facilities--and they were all cordial. The bathrooms and hot showers were clean and well-maintained. The fish cleaning area and sink were spotless. Trash on the ground or in the water was a rare sight to see. For $58 a night, it was a great value. I had a nice view of the lake, too. After I checked-in and set up the campsite, with my tent, and a small camping table, I rented a rowboat for $25, good for five hours, so that I could go fishing. The walk between the campground and boat rental dock is about 25 minutes each way if you're using the shorter route. The lake itself is very clean. Though I would not drink the water from Lake Jennings without a water filter, out of curiosity, I did put some of Lake Jennings' water into an empty water bottle to see how clear the water is. To my surprise, the water is completely clear! While I was sitting in the rowboat, I noticed lots of different birds--bluebirds, coots, ducks, geese, grebes, hawks, herons, hummingbirds, osprey, sparrows, vultures, woodpeckers, a few others I wasn't sure what they were. Anyway, after the first hour of having my rod cast, I didn't think I would catch anything and began to lose hope. However, as the afternoon started to cool, under the mature trees, off the shoreline, just opposite west of the rental dock, my fishing line started to pull. I quickly reeled the line in and realized that this was a pretty big fish. I dipped my net into the water, to get the fish into the boat. I used my handheld fish scale and the catfish weighed just over eight pounds!! (I used homemade bait made up of oatmeal and fresh garlic, rolled up in a peanut butter ball, that I prepared the night before. Also, the line was about 15 feet under water.) After I caught the one fish, I returned the boat, and went back to the campsite to clean and cook it. I cooked the fish using a portable camping grill grate--with a bit of olive oil, a liberal amount of fresh herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme, diced garlic, and Hungarian sweet paprika), and lemon--over an open fire, in the fire ring, that they have in each campsite. I used Lucela mesquite charcoal to fuel the campfire. The catfish was high quality and delicious--easily the best catfish that I have tasted, in my life, to date. At night, the campground was completely quiet, even on a weekend night. The night sky was nice, too. However, the lake's management is strict about having all campfires extinguished by 11:00 PM. The next morning, I had planned to cook breakfast, but decided to sleep in. At about 11:30 AM, I checked out. Checkout time is before 12:00 PM (noon). Overall, this was a perfect little one-night trip. Hopefully, I will return in the future. If I ever do come back, I'll probably make it a two-night trip, so that I can explore more of the lake, and maybe aim to catch a crappie, sunfish, or trout. read more

Becky's family camps at Lake Jennings every Thanksgiving. Her brother and SIL secure a spot and her nephew and his family reserve an adjacent spot. We make the short drive up on Wednesday and spend the night before heading back home mid Thanksgiving morning. It is always a lot of fun. Bex family all love fishing and the lake provides ample opportunity. Stocked regularly with trout. They all caught their share. The spots are spacious. The staff are always friendly and helpful. The facilities and the grounds are clean and maintained. Prices are very reasonable. Besides camping, Lake Jennings offers boating (you can rent a boat or bring your own), hiking. There's on-site horseshoe pits too. If not camping, you can just spend the day if you want to. Lots of great picnic areas. We've always loved Lake Jennings. It was our favorite campground when we had our RV. We look forward to getting back into camping. read more

Lake Jennings - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

Absolutely loved my stay here! Host and workers were really nice. I usually camp off the grid, but was able to snag this campsite last min. We had a beautiful view- tip: you cannot swim in the water but you can fish or kayak for a great deal. Bathrooms and showers are clean. This is close to the freeway and a residential area, so you'll have service to use your electronics. read more

Lake Jennings - Kayaking - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

Lake jenning has always been my go to for camping. Clean restroom with shower and it free. Fishing is great. Tho i do wish we can fish as long as we like while were there but of course it isnt the case. But no biggie staff and ranger are cool and its just a great environment.. they also have ice and smore on hand for purchase in case u forgot and there a walmart and exit away. Ill be continuing to choose lake jenning as my go to spot for camping when i want to keep it local.. read more

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I was really disappointed with the lack of empathy shown by this campsite. We had booked a reservation for my son's birthday weekend, but as the date approached, the weather forecast got progressively worse. I understand they have a policy against last-minute cancellations or rescheduling, but given the circumstances, we had hoped for at least a little flexibility--especially since we were willing to move our stay to another weekend rather than cancel outright. When I realized how little flexibility they were willing to offer, I'll admit I wasn't very friendly. Even so, I expected a more understanding and customer-focused approach. Instead, we received a rigid response that left a very negative impression, and we won't be booking here again. I also want to note that there is no need for management to reply with a copy of the policy--I'm fully aware of it. The only response that would be meaningful at this point would be an offer to come back on a different weekend. Otherwise, there's nothing further that needs to be said. read more

We camped at Lake Jennings we stayed three nights at site #92 The views of the sunrise and sunsets were amazing. Our campsite was very clean and restrooms were clean and fully stocked with toilet paper, seat covers and paper towels. The shower drainage was slow.We really enjoyed our time at Lake Jennings we will visit again. read more

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I went camping this past weekend and booked site 43 online back in March. The process was easy for online booking and you can pay on the spot. You can also risk booking in person but I don't think there would be many spots available versus the spots you can reserve online in advanced. I also bought some wood for the fire ring online, they deliver to your site after three pm. They handed out map for the site which is useful since it was my first time there. The campground had bathrooms, free shower and dump station. For after hours, you can call for the passcode to gain entry. When you enter, the gate opens toward you and when you exit, the gate opens the opposite way. It is free range to exit. They provide WiFi password, I tried to connect to it but it was not successful although I had strong signal (Verizon). My family did not have great phone signal (metro/t mobile) from where we were. They also provide landline numbers for business and after hours if you had any questions. My site was spacious, it had trees for shade and a dumpster near by. Each site has a water spout for cleaning etc. The downfall of my area was the cactus. We were surround by them, so we had to be extra careful not to go close to it. Sometimes we would feel the prickly feeling from the loose spikes around the dirt etc. We had a fire ring and one picnic table. Other than that, the site view was amazing and very close to the fishing area. I saw security/ranger a few times throughout the day, it's very nice to feel safe. There are fishing piers on the fishing day use side. You can rent paddle boats, motor boats, canoe/kayak or bring your own boat! You would just have to check in, Pay the fees and sign a waiver. I rented out a paddle boat for two hours and whew! It was a great exercise. You can also buy day fishing pass from the campground or day use side, you must have a fishing license in order to fish on their site. I caught a lot of bluegills, catfish and trout. I will return in the future, it was very easy to access the site and only 30 minutes from San Diego off the 8 East. read more

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Stay was great but our site was so unlevel we had a very difficult time trying to get set up. Finally got side to side within reason but the back was so low it was hard to get a good night rest. Water pressure extremely low - less than 20 pounds! read more

LJ is a neat lake. Campgrounds for those looking to stay and fishing for the enthusiasts. I saw bike riders and hikers going around the lake. The Flume trailhead connects to LJ as well if you happen to be hiking that. read more

I can't express enough how deeply grateful I am to the staff at Lake Jennings Campground for their kindness and support during an incredibly challenging time for my family. My sister was on hospice, and due to her condition, I had to make several changes to our reservations. The team was understanding and went out of their way to accommodate me, always with compassion and patience. Thank you read more

What a great Camping spot in east county. We were blown away at this secluded lake gated camp & RV oasis. Very well maintained and affordable. We found a great Mexican restaurant just a few minutes outside the park. highly rated on Yelp and Google. Located just down the hill on lake Jennings Rd. Fishing at the lake is very popular as well. 5 star experience. read more

Lake Jennings - Nearly all camp spots are minutes from the lake. - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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We camped April 12-14, 2024. We were pleasantly surprised at how quiet and well kept the campground is. There is some traffic noise from the nearby road, and there is a fire station nearby, so we heard sirens a few times. Overall, for a campground near the big city, it was acceptable. The only slightly negative is that the shrubbery on the "lake view" side of the campsite blocked a large part of the view. (site 95) Access for travel trailer: good. Restrooms: very clean and stocked with soap and TP. Campground employees: very helpful and polite. Water and Power: good. Dump Station: clean and accessible. read more

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Fun time with the kids and Halloween event. Teenagers and parents would not be quiet or leave the playground after quite hours. Had several campers upset. read more

What a beautiful campground. Although I didn't have the chance to drive the entire campground, the area that I camped out was great. The first campsite that I had was a small site but I did like the fact that it was a pull thru which was great for my suv and small teardrop trailer. I had friends that were tenting stay on my site as well. Each site has there own picnic table and fire ring. Our site had shrubs but nothing for shade. Each site had their own water spigot. The first couple of nights we were on the side where the view was of the city. The view on this side, the city lights during the evening is beautiful. How could I forget to mention the sunset views on the same side? GORGEOUS SUNSETS! The restrooms are decent, and showers could get busy. Expect a line during busy season. As I walked the campsite I found a perfect spot on the lakeside, with a great view. So I had my husband reserve that spot for me on the lakeside. I loved the view. The flies were a big issue. Having the dumpster near by might have been the culprit. The campsites that we had are on a hill. Walking to the restrooms may be a challenge for some. We were told there were bathrooms at the bottom, but we did not visit that site. They do have firewood available at the check - in station. I really liked the fact that the campground rangers were constantly driving by checking that everyone was abiding by the rules. I look forward to coming back here! read more

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This place has a lot of room for improvement!!!!!!! This is a place that should pay people to stay here. For the $77 a night for weekends it is a complete waste of money. The so called pull through spots are pretty small and a pain to get in and out of it seems like, unless you want to scratch the hell out of your trailer from the tree branches. My trailer is only a 33ft 5th wheel so not a huge trailer by any means. The camp site is very ran down with no green areas around at all. All the grass or weeds is all dead, not sure how that is considering that we have had a lot of rain this year. At the campgrounds they are so over picky on certain things that its not even funny. I had to take down my flags from my trailer. There was one that was anti Biden and a pro Trump flag and I had to take them down so I didnt hurt someones feelings. While camping there was so many roaches running around the grounds, it was so gross. The only cool part was there was a little bit of wildlife to see. we had a few rabbits that was running around and playing in the dead over grown that was separating the camp sites Wanted to do some fishing with some friends that I was camping with.... I took my Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayak with me to use it for fishing. I was told I can put that in the water because its to unsafe and I could roll it. This is a kayak that is built for ocean fishing to handle 3-5 ft swells I am sure it can handle the wave of the 5mph boats that you have on the lake. Also their website says they sell fishing license and they don't. Here is another thing if its a pay lake a fishing license should not be required then. Some advice on improving things spend some money and make the camp sites much nicer and more enjoyable. Where I camp out in the middle of the desert even has a nicer layout to it. Also educate your bait shop staff on watercraft. read more

Beautiful facilities. Spaces are on the smaller side. Our space was very private. We liked that they have a dump station on site so you can dump if you don't have sewer hookup. We rented a fishing boat but were unlucky in catching any fish. One complaint is the campground called and texted me so many times during our stay. Especially the day of checkout. They were very persistent in letting us know we needed to leave. Checkout isn't until 12 and we were getting calls and texts starting at 8:00. read more

They humiliated me and my husband, we got ready all day long only to make it to the lake with our camper and they tell us " it's not aesthetically pleasing because your back window is broken". They were having a side conversation the whole time and didn't even bother to actually acknowledge us with some decency. Absolutely despicable "workers" there. Never coming back there. read more

We went to check out the place and the rates for tent camping. The lady at check in was quick to assume that we lived in our car. We were actually traveling but then a ranger appeared he inspected our vehicle and he said he could not let us park on their facility because there because we had a small scratch in the front of our car. (We have a 2023 Kia forte so it's practically new). He proceeded to tell us that we could not park on the premises and was asked to leave immediately., it was very strange. read more

tried to book online, the worsts experience, finally was able to get ahold of their office which they were really helpful, in the next day morning, to see if the reservation was good, since we didn't receive the confirmation email, then they sent us the email, on the way there to get tru the gate I was told I couldn't proceed because the camper didn't meet the aesthetics, a bird hit the window on the trip and they said they couldn't get us in, and we had to turn around. All this while they barely aknowlegde us, it was very frustrating because they both the guy in the desk and the lady standing outside, I guess the fellows coworker, they kept having their conversation and completely disregard our time and presence, we planned this trip and tried in many ways to be able to enjoy our time, never we were told that it would be such a difficult time to be able to camp in California, it really takes away from the experience of being outdoor. I really enjoyed my times fishing here, but I am never ever coming back to the spot, which sucks because it's so beautiful, but the lack of professionalism and interest in the people that come here seems to be far from sight. read more

I love Lake Jennings Campground! It's so close. The lake views are amazing, the bathrooms are nearby and they deliver firewood to your site! Some of the prime lake view sites don't have a lot of trees or shade so I prefer the sites with a partial lake view and more trees. We rented the crystal bottom canoes (they're kayaks) right before the sun went down and it was amazing. We had luck with no late night partiers last time but the time before we weren't so lucky but the next day the rangers took care of it and they hardly made a sound! read more

Just came back from Camping in Lake Jennings. it is pretty cool, we were at site 89, a partial hookup site, nice lake view and you can also enjoy the beautiful sunset which is on the other side, and watch the sunrise from your tent. big playground and a lot of fun to explore. read more

Lake Jennings - sunrise view from site 89 - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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Not good at all! Our camper got full of ants that kept us up during the night and got into our food.

I haven't been camping in a long time but this was a great place to be. We had spot 64 which was near the restrooms, the playground, and not too far of a walk down to the lake. It was ideal for our trailer. My family tent camped at spot 35 and it was GORGEOUS overlooking the lake. The tent grounds are uneven and sloped but at site 35 it wasn't bad. And some spots have shade but many spots don't. The inner spots on the campgrounds I would never stay at. I rode a bike around and the innermost spots are basically just dirt- no view of the lake, not close to the lake or playground, and no shade. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were hot. The kids had a blast and fishing was good read more

Lake Jennings - Large shaded playground for kids - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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I really like this spot. Great view of the lake. You can go paddle boat on the lake just if it's at dusk take a lantern cuz they make you get off the lake if you don't have one when it gets dark. Nice park for the kids. Staff is nice. Showers are free just don't forget your shower shoes you will want them for sure. read more

Cockroaches. Lots and lots of cockroaches. If you have an RV, you will probably be fine (hence the 2 stars rather than 1). However, if you plan on tent camping or leaving anything out on your site at night, you will be infested. Not that many reviews mention the roaches so I decided to chance it this weekend, but it was far worse than I could have ever imagined. The cockroaches seemed to emerge from the ground by the swarm. Both large ground cockroaches and the far more insidious small cockroaches (including thousands of their tiny babies). There was no evidence of cockroaches during the day but as soon as the sun went down, we started seeing large cockroaches crawling across the dirt near the bushes. We then stood still next to the tent and noticed that the ground was writhing with tiny cockroaches. As lovely as the lake was, I would not reccomend these campgrounds to anyone who plans on tent camping due to the cockroaches. read more

Went camping here over the weekend in March on campsite #20(not a hook up). We actually thought it was the best spot out of all sites. We had a great view and privacy. The only down side to camping at lake Jennings is that it is surrounded by city lights during night time. read more

Lake Jennings - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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Great camping experience. Nice view and amenities and this adventure is so close to home

Stopped here visiting some of the local lakes in East County.  Did not spend too much time  here.  Stopped just long enough to discover where it is and take a quick look around. Place is really nice.  Not a lot of people on  a Friday.  Their is a fee to pay.  Pay at the tackle and bait shop.  On busier days, it looks like pay at the entrance.  Saw some tables half way down to the lake and some camp sites on the other side of the lake. Definitely will have to come back and check out the rest of the site. read more

Lake Jennings - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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Lake Jennings is a nice , clean campground with teepees, showers, lots of sites, some are tents sites and a lake to fish. During the summer it gets hot and there is not as much tree shade as we like. We came here as a group of girls and wanted a tipi, the teepees are pretty cool and well maintained $65 per night during the weekdays or $75 in the weekends. Ours wasn't exactly by the tree shade but there is picnic table by the tree shade overlooking the lake, we enjoyed there the afternoon since it looked like a community table. Staff keeps everything in working order and clean. For $30 a night you can get a tent site which are mostly on the back, it comes with water spigot , picnic table and fire ring, we notice that the sites were just recently rake cleaned, some have great views of the lake and others have tree shade. Make sure you walk with a light because there is cactus in some areas of this campground. read more

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Who in their right mind would pay $1800 per month to live in their RV? This place is rundown and gross. The bathroom showers have mold all over and are an absolute mess. read more

I have to start out saying the customer service here was very good. The ladies working the reservations/check in gate were awesome. I booked this trip about 2 months out. A week before I had to reschedule for the following week. No issue what so ever. No fees to change the date. We stayed at camp site 94. It has a level pull through driveway. The view was amazing. UNFORTUNATELY...this campground is crawling with cockroaches. We we're enjoying our first night there. Just finished dinner and lit the camp fire. As soon as the sun went down. The roaches came out. We packed up everything outside and brought it into the camper. It appears the toilets in the bathroom were cleaned multiple times a day. So I have no idea how they let the showers get so moldy. We chose not to use them. Which sucked, the warm showers were one of the reasons we chose Jennings Lake. One more thing. It appears there are many "permanent" campers here. Seems there not too friendly to the short term guests. read more

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We stayed at the campground (2 nights) and then went fishing on Saturday. The campground was nice and clean. We stayed in Site 5 it was surrounded by trees so it felt a bit isolated, we liked that. We would choose that site again. On Saturday we went fishing on the lake. We rented a boat. It was my husband, our 10 year old daughter, and myself. The one complaint I have is about the boat rental. They only offer a five hour rental for $48. Normally this would be just fine. However, when you have a 10 year old that gets bored(especially when the fish are not biting) 5 hours is too long. She lasted about 2.5 hours. I wish we had the option for a half day rental and only paid like $25. But... I guess we could have just shore fished. We would camp and fish again at Lake Jennings, but we would not rent a boat unless they offer a shorter time for less money. read more

Lake Jennings - On the Lake - Parks Near Me - Lakeside, California

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After reading so many reviews I was hesitant to camp here. So I wanted to leave a review that I hope is helpful. We are a family of 4 and booked a Friday - Sunday. I saw a few people complain about roaches and I'm terrified of them but that was not the case at all. We booked site 36 with the prime lake views tent only. This is a walk back space as well. Maybe 20ft? Not bad at all and we had a lot to carry. We Loved the space and the Views. No roaches but in the huge cactus bushes there are mice. They don't bother at all but we did keep food in the car overnights just in case. Kids thought they were so cute. Lol. We did forget a bag of food in our campsite while we were fishing and it wasn't bothered at all so there's that. The campsite itself was roomy and a reasonable distance from neighbors. There are other campsites that were a bit closer to their neighbors. Unfortunately we did share nearby areas with a large church group that was fairly loud that didn't respect the late night quiet hours. Kinda sucked as their younger group was pretty loud to nearly 2am one night. There's a 24hr line to call if you have any issues but we just did our best to deal. I think that was really the only negative for us. The staff was very friendly. A phone call to have wood and a list of other items delivered. Payment was taken over the phone. Bathrooms were fine. Showers were free! There were two shower stalls in the women's bathroom and yes it's a bit dated but it's camping. Just bring your sandals. We tried to make an early boat rental at 7am and missed it on sat. Lucky they had one available at 1130am when we came back after some shore fishing and were able to use it for 3hrs. They do close the marina at 230pm on Saturday's just FYI. And we did get a few bites and caught one trout. The lake is a bit small compared to others but they offer a fair price for the boat rental. $40 for 4 hrs but there is a lake fee of $12 per adult and a charge for teens as well. We had our camping pass to cover parking fees though. It could add up if you have a larger group. Also keep in mind you'll have to drive to the marina from the campsite. And this is no contact water. Not a biggie as we knew this ahead of time. Lots or reservoirs in CA like this that we fish in. I think late night shore fishing would probably be fun here. There is also a playground here that is nice and covered for the kiddos. Our kids loved it. Just use your own common sense with covid precautions. It is advertised as closed but there was no yellow tape up and lots of kids enjoying it. I'm sure we are close to rules changing soon with CA opening up more. There were some cool trails nearby I wish we had been able to explore but the kiddos weren't having it this weekend. In any case it's a nice camp area and if the traffic had not been so bad coming from Orange County (4hr drive on Friday afternoon) we would probably go back. It's just a bit far for a Friday commute for the fishing there but we had a nice time and if you're closer you should check it out! read more

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Came to lake Jennings for labor day. Very little shade in my spot and very cramped and ground is mostly unlevel and hard to camp on On next to last night we have roaches in our tent and left next day. I know rangers do best they can for that. For some campers this campground will be great for them but not for me, It is well maintained as far as bathrooms go and we were left alone by the staff read more

We stayed at the Super Site. The good: Perfect size for our family of 12 to spread out. The bbq grill was a nice addition to cook our burgers. Bathrooms close by were very clean! Nice and quiet at night. No loud campers nearby. The gazebo had great lighting. Two power outlets was a nice surprise. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The bad: However, the gazebo needs a deep clean occasionally. The inside is covered in spider webs on the ceiling, the walls and windows were filthy. We couldn't get rid of the spider webs because it was too high to reach. But, it was nice to have a covered area especially since it was blocking the wind. Overall...I would use the super site again. I may have to hose down the gazebo before the kids go in. read more

We love camping here! All of the staff we've encountered have been so nice and helpful. They do fun things for the kids during the holidays too. Just be sure to note the lake hours when planning your stay. The gate to enter the lake area is closed pretty early- at 2pm I believe. read more

Well Date of Visit : March 23 , 2021 and it was an Cloudy and Rainy day and I decided to come to Lake Jennings to see how it is . Well first It was not crowded at all and there are plenty of parking here . Next I park and if you need to go fishing then you must pickup your Bait and fishing stuff at the convenience store located near the parking lot . Also this is an not bad lake for fishing or a hike you can do both !! Also as I was walking around I noticed this lake is fairly big and you can walk , run , Jog or even drive your car around to look at the lake !! It's dock is where you park your boats or to just walk on !! It's an lake for everyone and because of the rain it kind of ruined it but I still enjoyed it and the views at this lake is beautiful !! Some days you will find big fish here and others you might find none !! But there are camping grounds here also !! So if your looking for camping then just follow the arrow posted right before you drive in . It's an lake for everyone and there are a few benches for you to sit also !! Well overall I enjoyed this lake even though it was raining !! So if I happen to be in Lakeside Again I shall return a enjoy this lake again !! But I do suggest you give this lake a look and enjoy !! read more

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I'm rating Lake Jennings a 4 out of 5 for these 3 reasons: 1)There is no swimming, period. No pool, no nothing. So if you're hot, then you're SOL 2)The Pavilion in the middle of the camp houses a rickety and broken down ping pong table (with no balls to be found) Also a foosball table that looks functional, although pretty darn beat 3)TIPI SITES, The tipi's themselves are amazing! Well kept, and just really cool. BUT, only one Tipi has a good view. Tipi site #74 has the best view, despite the fact that the website boasts #75's "lakeside view from Tipi opening". Tipi site #75 does have a lakeside view HOWEVER its 95% obstructed by trees :( Tipi site #74 has no obstructions of the lake, so thats the one you want Other than those 3 things, Lake Jennings was CLEAN, has FREE HOT SHOWERS, SUPER FRIENDLY STAFF. Its definitely a nice weekend getaway. Just remember to pack your sunblock because its a little short on shade read more

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My husband and i were looking for a place to go for New Years and found this little hidden gem. The workers here are absolutely the most delightful people i have met. Everyone was so helpful and kind. We really enjoyed the walking trails and the site overlooking the lake. So awesome to wake up to every morning. Due to covid the bathrooms/showers were closed and no tent camping was allowed. This didn't effect our trip at all as we have a travel trailer. Upon arrival all the parking passes and campground info was already at our site in the table. If you needed any ice, wood or propane the front desk was happy to drive it on over to the site. We truly enjoyed this campground all around and will be returning. read more

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Great place to fish! Only thing I do not like is it being closed from Monday to Thursday for Lake fishing and only open the Lake Shore Fishing Access from the campsite, which does not have any fish at all. But still recommend. Best times are Fridays from 6am to 5pm since most people still work at that day. For Sat and Sun, expect a packed morning. read more