Sunlight Bay Campground

Was a vary nice campground, can definitely tell this site is aimed towards fishing access as the boat ramp area has ample room for numerous vehicles and towing apparatus. That being said the campground was very well maintained and fairly secluded. We enjoyed the quiet and we were probably the loudest occupants during our time there lol. Cell coverage is questionable. Both the wife and I have att …. she had no issues with calls and texts and for some reasons I did. lol. Phone shows 1(ish?) bars normally and frequently goes to sos mode, so do not count on cell coverage. Overall, this campground exceeded what I wad expecting but considering it was the weekend before the eclipse, I was just surprised to find a spot. The bathhouse was well maintained and was pleasantly suprised with the soap dispensors, those are extremely rare in a acoe campground. Would definitely stay again

Smooth roads and friendly ancient campground host.

The host really made the place better. His old smile and laughable computer skills, we chuckled together about how many years he existed on this planet before Steve Jobs was even born, and regular passes by as we sat at our site or looped the campground on our skateboards were just a joy.

The sites here have next to no privacy. If you’re traveling as a group, #27 is two spots paid for as one that have their own hookups (W&E), two separate driveway spots, but share a covered picnic table. That’s the only really private spot in the park. You can get it for yourself if you’re alone, but it’s $40 vs $18 for the normal sites.

One to two bars of Verizon occasionally worked for data, wonderfully for calls and texts. Even boosted we couldn’t get decent web access so don’t plan on streaming The Last Kingdom. As I finished season 4 the other day, it wasn’t an issue for me.

Despite Carter Cover being less nice, in my opinion, and about fully packed, this place had plenty of spots remaining.

They also accept reservations on the spot, unlike other COE sites we’ve been to which require reservations to be made online...sometimes frustratingly so when there’s no internet access at the campground.

Oh, and there’s a graveyard in the campground, so bring your wooden stakes and proton packs.

Sunlight Bay is a fairly standard Corps of Engineers Campground where the activity is focused on the lake. There is a boat ramp and a playground, unfortunately there does not appear to be a beach. The site quality varies but most of them are spread out in a park-like atmosphere with mature trees but little ground cover. Some of the sites are a bit narrow and can be difficult to back a trailer into, however most are just fine and there are a handful of pull-throughs. Plus there are a number of shared sites in the family area which is nice if you are camping with friends. The sites themselves have very nice fire rings/grates and concrete tables et into a gravel pad. Water is nearby, but you may need 50 feet of hose to reach it for some sites. Many of the sites have an awning over the picnic table. The one annoying thing is that the dump station does not have a fitting to allow one to use the black tank flush, it is simply a hose with the fitting cut off and no access to the hose bib.

Like some CoE areas, this one is subject to flooding when the lake level is allowed to rise. It was on its way down when we were there, however a number of campsites were still underwater when we arrived. The campground staff does a great job of restoring power and cleaning those sites once the water has receded. They were also very accommodating in moving us to a different site. However if you are making reservations far in advance I would recommend a site away from the water to ensure its availability when you arrive. Because of the flooding, there area can be a bit muddy/dusty and lacking in ground vegetation in the sites closest to the water.