Camping Guernsey State Park, Wyoming
Written By: Sarah Reish
Camping is one of our favorite activities. We have camped in rain, wind, snow, and on the perfect summer day. Lucky for us, this trip offered up great, albeit cloudy, weather. We had our teardrop camper with us for our visit to Guernsey State Park, and we explored all of the campgrounds and found the perfect one for our trip.
The Experience
Our campsite was perfectly situated right on the water surrounded by trees. After setting up our campsite, we left to explore this amazing park. Having never been there before, we were delighted to find it offers a litany of activities that kept us busy. Our campsite offered a fire ring and picnic table perfect for cooking and relaxing after a long day. The location was protected, and we weren’t fighting the wind at all - this is a nice change from the norm. After exploring and learning more about the Civilian Conservation Corps, we headed back to camp and started a bonfire, so we could relax and enjoy watching the sunset by the reservoir. The next morning, we made some coffee and breakfast before heading out to our next camping location.
Campgrounds
There are 13 campgrounds around Guernsey State Park. Some offer utilities while others are more primitive. There are 192 campsites for campers and you can reserve your spot on Reserve America. There are quite a few campsites at Sandy Beach and there are lakeside spots available around the lake. Do your research before reserving. Some of the sites are not able to host trailers or RV’s and a few do not offer facilities. We explored each campground and here is a brief overview starting from the west side of the park.
Sandy Cove, Sandy Point, Cottonwood Cove, & Sandy Beach
These campgrounds offer great sites that both tents and trailers can utilize. This is the section of the park where the lake offers expansive beaches for those looking to lay out on the sand, build sandcastles, or swim. Visitors can use Sandy Beach Boat Ramp to get their boats into the water for water activities. Sandy Cove, Sandy Point, and Sandy Beach offer portable restrooms, Cottonwood Cove does not have a restroom, but there is one within walking distance.
Yurts
There are four yurts you can rent for single night stays or even a week. The Yurts feature decks, picnic tables, fire pits, charcoal grills, ceiling fans, and wood fireplaces. These yurts sleep six and there are two bunk beds. One night stays are $67 and a full week is $469.
Davis Bay
This is one of the smaller campgrounds, perfect for a group. There are four sites, one of them being handicap accessible. The campground is not near any of the others, so if you have a group using this site, you can enjoy being away from the busier areas. It offers trees for shade and sits directly on the water. This spot offers fire rings and picnic tables. It is located between Brimmer Point Drive and the yurts. Portable restrooms are available at this campground.
Newell Bay
This campground is not waterfront and is one of the campgrounds that is first come first served. This site offers visitors camping space when the other sites are reserved. We decided they are perfect for those wanting to spend their days exploring the sites, trails, on the water, or at the beach. Facilities are available at this location.
Spotted Tail
The spotted tail campground has a lower section that is reservation based and an upper section that is first come first served. This campground does have restrooms available. We almost camped at this location, but went on to explore the rest of the sites before deciding. These nice spots are more for tents rather than campers.
Red Cloud
This is another smaller campsite that has four sites you can choose from. There is no electricity, but it offers picnic tables and is located on the east side near the water. There are portable facilities at this campground.
Black Canyon Cove
This is a group campsite that can host up to 20 people. It is located with its own private beach and offers two picnic tables and a fire ring. You can fit RV’s and trailers. This campground was in use while we were exploring, but the campers using the site had their boats moored by the beach. This is a great group spot for those wanting to camp and enjoy water activities. There are no facilities located at this campground.
Black Canyon Point
This campground is right next door and has four sites. This campground is primitive without utilities. The camp spots are located right on the water. This campground does offer potable restrooms for campers.
Fish Canyon Cove
This campground is located directly on the water and has five camp spots. There are trees for shade, fire rings, picnic tables, and facilities.
Fish Canyon
This campground is not on the water, but rather is up in fish canyon. There are 9 campsites and two are handicap accessible. Facilities are available as well as picnic tables and fire rings.
Deadman’s Gulch
This campground has two campsites and is right on the water. There are no facilities at this campground and none within walking distance. However this campground makes a great group camping location.
Long Canyon East & West
These two campground areas have quite a few sites. Some of the sites are group sites and accessible sites. Most can host RV’s and campers, a few are pull through. There are also sites that are tent only sites. Facilities, picnic tables, and fire rings are at each site and there is even a playground. The west side has a boat ramp available.
The Details
Guernsey State Park is open year round 24 hours a day.
The Museum is open 9 AM - 5 PM May 1st - September 30th.
You can call the park with questions, however they do not reserve campgrounds over the phone, 307-836-2334
Reservation can be made here on Camp America.
Fees for Wyoming Residents is $7 per day and $10 for first come first serve camping spots.
Located:
Guernsey State Park - 2187 Lakeside Shore Dr Guernsey, WY 82214
Hit the road!
We hope that you fellow Wyomingites get out and plan a weekend or day trip to Guernsey State Park. We thoroughly enjoyed this location and already have plans to go back. Be sure to share your adventures on social media and tag us @LiveWYldMag and use #LiveWYld