Oliver Reservoir Recreation Area | Established Campground

September 12th, 2023 by airntam

Trains. The trains are legit. There are several crossings in the area in addition to one right across from the campground. If you are a light sleeper, you will not enjoy this. You'll hear the horns in the distance followed by a blast to wake the dead as it passes the campground.

Lovely spot other than that. Noise cancelling headphones (which I typically wear to help sleep) were unsuccessful in blocking the trains. They pass about every 30-45 minutes.

September 5th, 2023 by antimacos

nice lake front, free place with good Verizon signal

March 24th, 2023 by blue_ec45

Clean and quiet. Just one other rig. We arrived after dark and stayed near the boat ramp. Ditto on the train noise. Did not check water availability.

September 12th, 2022 by thedragonwagon.me

Back again to this fantastic free site. The trains are LOUD but otherwise it's a dream place. Biting flies and mosquitos still an issue in September. See my previous review for even more details.

September 8th, 2022 by stevenhikes

Quiet mostly except for the occasional freight train :-). Plenty of room for truck or van. Verizon signal is 2 bars. Water makes for a nice sunset.

August 22nd, 2022 by Lady Ferns

Great place to stay for free. (14 day limit in 30 days). Camp host Karen stopped by, super nice and friendly. Saw that we had pets with us. Warned us to make sure we had the pets put up at night and safe, as they “have wolves here, and they will come right up to the campsites at night”. Figured that would be worth mentioning for others who might stop here with pets.

August 18th, 2022 by shantannaheffley

Nice free area, shade around most sites. Pit toilets are clean as they can be. Only issue is the loud train.

August 16th, 2022 by thedragonwagon.me

Free lakeside campground with 49+ numbered spots as well as overflow camp areas. Self-register required on arrival (with optional donation). Handicap-accessible boat ramp, swimming area, fire rings, pit toilets, grills, and picnic tables. This is right next to a railroad so you hear a lot of train noise and generators all night are permitted. Lots of biting deer flies in the day and mosquitoes after dusk. Camping limited to 14 days in a 30-day period. Three bars Verizon signal.

July 4th, 2022 by instagram.com/roadtrippingballs

This is really a nice lake. We loved the camp host, Karen. Spot 22 if you are in a van is by far the best spot and you can walk you boat or SUP down to launch from there. Spot 23 is probably the second best again for vans. Both of those sites are a lot more private. Quiet hours start at 10pm and everyone is pretty dead quiet by then which is awesome. The weekends are crazy though tbh. If you like peace and quiet you may not want to stay. A LOT OF OLD AND LOUD GENERATORS THAT RUN ALL HOURS. Dogs run around off leash and owners do not clean up after them so make sure you keep your eye out for bombs. Be prepared to have people walk straight through your site too. Again, all the negatives are really directed towards the weekends. Overall, good experience and stayed 14 days.

May 30th, 2022 by dandt4464

40 free spots to choose from very petty nice pit toilets very clean.

May 28th, 2022 by cmschultheis

Awesome spot right on the reservoir. Tons of space for small and large vehicles/campers. Free for 14 days.

May 16th, 2022 by freeadventurers.com

This is our third time stopping here. We love this place. The camp host stopped by and said hi, she was nice. Will continue to stop here whenever we pass by.

April 27th, 2022 by beans

Very nice, lots of spots, plenty of room for RVs and tents. Pit toilets, some spots to fill water. Mostly quiet aside for the trains. There’s a check in box and camping is free but donations are appreciated. 8/10

August 3rd, 2021 by michaelspath1

Wide open spaces. Pit toilets in decent shape. Self registration. Donation of $5 to 10/night. Can camp for up to 14 days.

July 13th, 2021 by rosie1393

Just as described. Fire pits, sometimes charcoal grills, picnic tables at each site. It was windy, but we were okay with our two-person tent. Quiet neighbors, but do expect the train and a distant, constant boom (maybe from fracking?). Wonderful for a free site!

June 23rd, 2021 by TheVamper

Still one of the worst campgrounds I have ever stayed at. Even if it is free! The trains alone - I counted 19 horn blast thru the night! Look behind my van - thats how CLOSE the trains are. Enough said.

May 23rd, 2021 by freeadventurers.com

Forgot to mention there is 2 bars LTE Verizon here. We were able to use our phones as a hotspot.

May 23rd, 2021 by freeadventurers.com

Very nice place. We have been to places that we had to pay for and weren’t as nice as this place. We got here early on Friday and most spots were full. On Sunday most people left.

May 21st, 2021 by remillard.gwinna

Awesome place, felt comfortable with all the other rvs/tents/vans around. Incredible amount of camp spots so not much to worry about if you are arriving late to just crash for the night. Would definitely visit again if it is on our route.

May 2nd, 2021 by Thriving Nomadic

FREE! Must register at entrance. There are a lot of campsites available for rigs of all sizes. There is also free dump station with nonpotable water. potable water spigots are spread throughout campground, you need a long hose to get to some of them.

December 20th, 2020 by ohughes16

awesome little place. we were the only van here. right on the river and you can camp for 14 days.

November 15th, 2020 by jaysonwconover

Very nice free campground! Looks like at least thirty campsites, some are shaded by large trees and right on the lake. A couple typical park style pit toilets around the campground.Most sites have a steel fire pit.

The trains are frequent throughout the night, so I would say bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper.

Beautiful sunsets!

August 25th, 2020 by theresascott7

This is a beautiful and safe place to spent the day or up to two weeks, for free...be responsible and respectful of the places you stay. Pack it in then pack it out...Free water and pit toilets. Tent area and RV area. Can accommodate any size rig. Train noises day and night. Fire rings Throughout far as well as grills to cook on.

July 29th, 2020 by dmbailey1

Free, fishing, swimming, plenty of firewood...

July 22nd, 2020 by faithminier

Nice big lots with trees. Water looks nasty for swimming. Free dump station and water. Pit toilets. Peaceful except for the trains. Bugs aren’t bad, mostly ants. Very clean in my opinion.

July 17th, 2020 by Vangoat

Great free camping spot. Nice and spaced out and the neighbors are respectful. The trains run REALLY loudly and blow their horns the whole time while passing by. It’s a cool site but I couldn’t imagine sleeping here more than one night given the consistent interruptions throughout the night.

June 25th, 2020 by kfinlists

Freee! Rolled in around sunset on a Thursday in June and got one of the last spots - among the dozens of rigs and tents we noticed several large groups and some long term campers. Pretty spot with swimming beach and boat launch areas.

June 18th, 2020 by Traci Gourley

Train whistle is pretty loud, but was infrequent during our stay. grassy sites, leveling rig will require blocks, no water or dump. Very nice picnic tables and fire rings. A dead tree was cut the day we were there and the cutting crew made sure to size for building a nice fire. Tons of birds-break out your binoculars!

September 16th, 2019 by youtube.com

Very pretty place. Spots are nicely spaced, not crammed at all thankfully which I am grateful for, otherwise we would’ve found a rest area or wal mart. Monday around 1pm is when we pulled in and it was close to half full. Within the the next 30 minutes another 5 or so had pulled in looking for spots.

Large or small RVs can fit easily. We have 26 foot long rv and leaving our 4 door truck hooked up and still plenty of room.

Lots of trains. We live next to a train track so they don’t bother us.

August 16th, 2019 by scarlett-letter

Huge area with picnic tables and fire pits ! The restrooms are very dirty, bugs inside, anyway, they are pits so ... Very noisy at night, many trains passed close-by, and a strange noise like a regular boom came from the water all the night. But it’s free :)

August 15th, 2019 by methodtonomadness

Free. On the water. We got a shaded, level spot. Up to 14 days here. Fire rings. Picnic tables. Grills. Great spot, especially for this area of the country where there’s not a whole lot to choose from.

August 12th, 2019 by SedentaryNomad

Free camp site next to water. What more can you ask for. Train comes by often but you'll only be bothered if you're a real light sleeper.

June 6th, 2019 by cw

Nice spot. Campsite 1 where we stayed gets a lot of sun and the boat ramp is there also. Two trees right in front of camp for a hammock. Great view of the lake. Trains come often but not loud at all. Great camp ground.

October 23rd, 2018 by darrinchristy

only people here in late October. dump station still open and water spigots still on. what a great free/donation site!

October 1st, 2018 by allyson_watts

Large area to camp near the Oliver reservoir with toilets, tables, water and fire rings. Noisy trains nearby, but it's free.

September 8th, 2018 by 2girls1van

Great spot for a couple of nights (max allowed is 14 days).
Pretty quiet, excepted when there is the train.
Clean restrooms, potable water at the West of the campground.

Big rig are welcome here, so much space to park.

July 24th, 2018 by We are Sane, Everyone Else is Crazy

Great place! Very quiet except for the train.

July 11th, 2018 by Nomads365

The place is pretty much as described earlier. We didn't find the train noise to be bad at all. All sites have a picnic table and a decent fire ring. Some sites are close to the water now there's a short walk. There are multiple restroom locations. Unfortunately our site had quite a bit of small trash in it, butts plastic, etc. Guess that's the price you pay for free, though it's so sad to see.

June 10th, 2018 by end2puravida

As described. Great spot for FREE or small donation.

July 22nd, 2017 by ravensjourney

As described. Train noise: to qoute Ellwood Blues "they come by so often you don't even notice them." There is a water faucet but, it's in the middle of the park - be sure to bring your own containers; you can't drive up to it.

Lake was busy on a July weekend with swimmers and skiers.

When I arrived, the park ranger warned me that a mountain lion and her yearling cub had been confirmed in the area. Way cool - though I didn't see her.

June 18th, 2016 by 1moodybloo

free camping for rv or tents max 14 days next to lake.drop toilets.portable water.40 sites many with shade.beautiful but near train line.but still worth it.free