Lake McClure & Lake McSwain

***ROACHES***ROACHES***ROACHES !!! Lake McClure– McSwain is infested with roaches. I wish I had read further into the reviews before coming here. Just returned from Labor day weekend with a couple of friends. We didn’t notice the roaches during the day, but we did see bats. The second night while hanging out in the evening we noticed one roach, then two, then we flash our light and they are running all over, next to our tents, our chairs, EVERYWHERE !!! We made an executive decision to check out the very next morning, even though we paid for another day. Our peace of mind was compromised, and we were sleeping in fear, especially worrying about them getting in our stuff. The next morning, we inspected everything, shook everything out thoroughly. It was disappointing the staff there are aware of the roaches and they do not post it on there website. What a waste of a beautiful campsite and lake… I Highly Highly recommend not coming to this campground !!!

This was our first stay at the Lake McSwain campgrounds. We really enjoyed ourselves and the campgrounds left me largely impressed. The campsites are a nice size. Some are large enough to accommodate 2 tents and 2 vehicles! Many of the tent sites are right near the water (but still far enough away to be safe if you have little kids with you). The swimming area is perfect. There is plenty of swimming space roped off and there is enough shallow area for little ones to play, but also a deeper end for adults to wade out to. Many people take advantage of the fishing, but we didn’t try on this trip. I appreciated the water spigots that were located within a close walk to each camp site.
We arrived on a Friday, which may have been bad timing… The people there that night were really rowdy and loud despite the designated quiet times. The rangers came through several times and didn’t seem to put a stop to it. (I don’t know if they stopped and talked to any of these groups. All I can say is that the noise continued until 3 or 4 in the morning.) Saturday was much quieter. On Sunday most of the campers packed up and moved out. We stayed until Monday. It was on Sunday night and Monday that we experienced some of the problems referred to in other posts. Once everyone left, our site was attacked by flies. They were horrible and guess who didn’t have a fly swatter… We also saw the roaches referred to in another post. A large one was just hanging out outside the bathroom and then I walked into a nest of small ones hiding in a rock outcropping on Sunday night. We had heard the bats every night, but on Sunday night we SAW them! They were flying all over the place directly above us while we were sitting outside the tents. Keep in mind that the adults in our group stayed up until about midnight quietly chatting outside our tents every night we were there, but Sunday night is the only night we experienced this. I really think all the critters and creepy crawlies come out of hiding when the majority of the sites are open.
Another negative was the restroom showers. Yes, there are showers, but no, I would not call them warm. My 3 year old son screamed like he was dying every time I put him in the shower and so did many other little kids that were being bathed while we were there. As an adult I could handle the less than room temperature shower, but for little ones it sucks. Also, the showers shoot out of the shower space and into the little changing area right next to it. So you have to be really careful what you leave out there, because it can get soaked, and then you have to get dressed in a puddle of dirty water. Just fyi, if your towel falls in that puddle, you’ll find out just how dirty that water is. There is no drain outside the shower, so the water pools until there is enough of it and then it forms a river that runs outside the bathroom and down the hill. One more thing on the bathrooms… on Friday and Saturday nights, there is a wait for the showers. People are lines for the showers between 6 and 9 p.m. Most people are cool about waiting, because a lot of these people are parents with little kids; but, some people, especially the single women, are flat-​out b#@&*es because they have to wait their turn. If you have a problem with waiting for a shower, I suggest you plan to shower earlier or later than the times I’ve listed.
Despite the bathroom and creature issues, we really had a great time. The rangers we talked to were super nice and helpful when we had questions. The bathrooms are kept clean, but that doesn’t mean it’s never dirty in between cleanings. It just depends on what kind of people are staying at the time. So most of our experience was good, but there are a few negatives.

We booked the weekend at McSwain to celebrate our daughters 17^th bday. The campgrounds are huge! At each «site» there are shade towers, a BBQ pit, a fire pit and a raised food storage tower. Water spickets are nearby. This is a great, safe place for kids to play and the bathrooms are greatly maintained/​very clean! Showers are clean as well. The park rangers are friendly, really nice and very helpful. We frequent this campground because we always have a great time. Sometimes rude idiots will come to camp, but the Rangers are always on top of taking care of the overly rowdy. Great for families! We just got home right now and are planning our next camping trip there :)

We love to camp here at McSwain, The campground is huge! there is a lot of spot for your Rv’s, We like walking around the canpgrounds especially at night s coz you see many stars in the sky … David & Susan P.

We lucked out and booked a great spot to camp at lake McSwain. Clean camp spot and restrooms! They even have soap and paper towels. We enjoyed fishing and walking around the area. I think it must get really busy in the summer though as there are a lot of camping spots and nice day use areas with outdoor kitchens and a horse shoe area. Definitely will camp here again, maybe not in the height of the camping season though.

Lake McSwain is an aweseom place to take your kids for first time fishing trip. Parking, Restrooms, and water are really close. Plus they have a designated swimming area
Lake McClure is horrible. I couldn’t even find a way down to the water. i guess its nice if you have a boat. But if you don’t, its not the place you want to be.

My family and friends went camping for 3 nights at Lake McSwain, we love this place to take the kids because it’s a nice lake for them to play in the water. We also like the clean campsites and the shade cabanas over the picnic tables. I would have given this 5 stars, except one major complaint. Flies!!! The flies were SO bad, hundreds of them… really bad to try and keep your food from them, and we had dozens in our RV, more than annoying… if you go, don’t forget fly strips, spray and whatever else you can find!

I went and went swimming in the little area and my whole family got sock and everyone threw up

My family has been camping and fishing at Lake Mc Swain for over 20 years. 4−26−13 will be the last time we camp there!!! The camp sites are INFESTED and I mean INFESTED with Cock Roaches. Anything we set on the ground got infested. They were running all over the place even during the day! It was so bad we had to throw personal items away! We were informed this problem started 2 years ago and is just getting worse which means Merced Irrigation isn’t treating the problem. Camping isn’t cheap like it use to be so when you have to throw things away because of a roach problem it cost even more. We had to take everything out & check it before packing up and heading home to be SURE we didn’t bring them home with us. I still am shocked as to how INFESTED the camp sites were! We had E5 & E6. Cock Roaches also carry diseases that can make people really sick. If you camp here DON’T put anything on the ground! Yah right camping? Nothing on the ground? What a mess it was. Such a shame we have had many years of great times at this lake but until we know for sure this problem has been taken care of we WILL NEVER CAMP HERE AGAIN!!! Even if you just go for the day fishing you better check your stuff before heading home! Just gross disgusting aggravating disappointed. Come one Merced Irrigation FIX and TREAT this Problem!!! With all the other cut backs and for what you charge to camp here there is no excuse for an INFESTATION of COCK ROACHES.

We stayed at McSwain and the campsites are extremely close together, like so close if you’d fart the next three campsites will hear you lol. But the neighbors where nice had a good time, it would be a good idea to take some friends and rent out a few other campsites and you will have a blast, couple of things to keep in mind in this area is that there are rattle snakes and reports of mountain lions. So of course I was a little freaked out … Because of that and as we were going to bed all we heard were the coyotes howling around us … But all in all we had a good time, definitely be returning but with more people.

We stayed at the Horseshoe Bend campground, Thursday, August 3, 2012. We picked a site in the A loop that was fairly level and had water and electrical service for our small motorhome. We self checked-​in as we arrived after the ranger kiosk had closed. I noted the $ 3 dollar senior discount for the camping fees, but the $ 4 per dog charge didn’t sink in… more on that later… so, $ 27 for a water and electric site. Not breaking the bank.
We’d stayed the previous night at Yosemite and spent most of Thursday driving through the park and then getting lost or delayed in getting lost by road construction. So even though I’d driven less than 150 miles that day I was zoned. So we just setup, grilled some salmon burgers, feed the dogs, and read ourselves to sleep.
When we arrived Thursday evening, we were only the second set of campers in the loop. On awakening Friday morning, we found we’d been joined by a few others.
We showered in the shower facility a few steps from our site. The water was free, warm enough, and had good pressure. The fixtures were in variable condition and cleanliness… Jane had a clogged toilet on her side, a faulty showerhead, and I had a couple of urinals that were overflowing on my side. I might have gone to 4 stars if it weren’t for the condition of the restrooms.
Freshly spiffed, we took our two dogs for a nice long walk. We hiked to an overlook above the lake and took some lovely pictures. The dogs enjoyed exploring new sights and smells and so did we.
Back to camp to get set for the road. As I was buttoning up a ranger stopped by… remember that $ 4 per dog charge? I helloed him and told him we’d enjoyed our stay. He saw the dogs in the motorhome and let me know in a friendly way that I should have paid for them. And with a smile wished me a good day and a safe trip home.
We headed to the RV dump to empty our tanks… clean, with easy access… and were on the road home with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts!

I like to go swimming at Lake McClure. Lake McSwain’s water is super cold. I like McSwain’s campsites better. And it has a store, McClure doesn’t. If I could switch the lakes then I would be happy! I have to say McClure is a little boring. McSwain has a lot more stuff to do, like playgrounds and trails.
Overall I like both, I would prefer to go to McSwain because of the store, but McClure’s water is warmer.

This review is for the Horseshoe Bend campground. We stayed at Horseshoe bend this past weekend for 2 nights. The campground was pretty empty, maybe 4 other groups of people there total. The staff was friendly but not very helpful. The rangers gave conflicting information about the nearsest place to get ice, etc.
The spots themselves are decent. A bit small but there are some gorgeous oak trees and a few sites have vies of the lake.
The positives: the lake was pretty, covered picnic areas (for more shade), clean bathrooms with running water.
The negatives: there is some sort of trailer park that backs up to the park. This park seems to be filled with loud, rowdy drunk people. Noisy at night. Night two some local kids came to play in the lake and were drunk, loud and yelling profanity late into the night (2 am). No sleep for me, luckily my toddler and 5 year old slept through it.
Fishing not great. None one bite in 2 days.
Bottom line is I would NOT go back. Still searching for the perfect late.

just letting everyone know houseboat rentals and marina store and restaurant have no affiliation with Barret Cove recreational area.

Last year we rented a pontton boat for a day out on the lake, everything went swell, so we decided to return again this year.
Much has changed since last time. The $ 250.00 rental rate was still the same, but this time they asked for a $ 500.00 deposit. Usually most rental companies place a hold on your credit card, but Lake McClure actually wants the $ 500.00 to hold. Strange but whatever.
So we get to the lake, get everything loaded on the boat, and are given quick overview on how to operate the boat. We are ready to take off, but the pontoon boat doesn’t reverse… hmmm…did we listen to the directions correctly?
Back to the marina office for help… turns out the reverse gear was broken. Ok, now what? Well they don’t exactly have any available pontoon boats, but after 15 minutes we were given another one. I guess I should have been suspicious that all of a sudden they had an available boat after being told that they were all booked up.
Anyway, we offload the other boat and get everything on to the new one. Take off, everything seems to be fine. Fast forward an hour and a half later. The pontoon boat dies… won’t start, the horn is broken, and our cell phones don’t have any service. We try desperately to flag down help, but other boaters think we are waving at them, and just wave back.
After drifting aimlessly for two more hours, one boater actually stopped to help us out. He could not get the boat started either, so took my hubby back to the marina to get help. Hubby waits at the marina for 45 minutes until a service mechanic can arrive.
Finally after another 45 minutes, the mechanic fixes the boat and we completely lose faith in the reliability of their rentals. We head back to the marina, to return their rental, only to be told that we are responsible for the entire day’s rental fee.
Of course this was ridiculous — who charges customers for a rental that they could not even use??? All I can say is the place needs to re-​think their policies, especially when it comes to renting faulty equipment.