Thursday, September 17, 2009

Camp Stories: Shadow Bay at Waldo Lake



I dream of finding that perfect campsite, private and quiet, with a view of a pristine lake that seems to belong to me alone. Even better, and harder to find, would be a lake warm enough to swim in, not only washing off the dust but cleansing the soul.

My brother not only found such a place, but shared the information, and I'm passing it along for you to keep in your "gotta go there" file. Here's his rave:

"(It was) far enough away from the neighbors so you hardly knew they were there. A 100' walk to lake's edge, where two little islands sat just offshore, serenely and scenically awaiting our exploration. The weather was fabulous, the water warm enough to swim in and crystal clear. Waldo Lake, along with Crater Lake and some lake in Siberia, is one of the three purest lakes in the world. I almost felt guilty tainting it with my body. But I did and it felt goooood! Amazing!"

The details? Go to Shadow Bay Campground at Waldo Lake and hope against hope that site F-80 is available (or make a reservation). Grab it. Make a drink. Go for a swim. And relax.

Read other reviews in the series: Trout Creek Campground, Paradise Creek Campground.

Photo courtesy BB at WineGuyWorld.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to a visit.

Jacquelyn said...

Oh, weird. I was just talking with my daughter about Waldo lake today, and she was saying how she really wanted to go there again because you can see all the way to the bottom and you know nothing scary is in it. I hope it's not all crowded now, after you posted about it on the internet for everyone to see! :D

Kathleen Bauer said...

Oooh…synchronicity strikes again!

And maybe someday GSNW will have that many readers, but methinks it would take a whole lot more than there are right now. And I know what you mean about spilling the beans, but is it right for us to deny others the pleasure and keep it to ourselves? (Who knew blogging would get this complicated?)

BoggyWoggy said...

We've camped at Waldo Lake for the past 13 years, traditionally on Labor Day Weekend, up until a few years ago when we started a new trend of going to the DaveMatthewsBand concert at the Gorge Amphitheater. Now, we just go mid-summers whenever possible. I'm leaving this weekend, as a matter of fact, for a Wild Woman Camp-Out with a large group of friends! What happens at Waldo STAYS at Waldo is our motto. I love to snorkel there, even though the pristine waters hold very little vegetation or animals...but I just LOVE seeing the rocks and features which are rarely seen in cloudier, murkier lakes.