Lake McClure – Barrett Cove Campground

I’ll just be honest. I don’t like to report negative comments unless it can help others. The campground was very dry, dirty, and small as far as space for kids to play. I’ve stayed at many different campgrounds and this was by far, the worst. The woodpeckers are constant… woke me up throughout the night. Campsites were too close… partiers kept us up and the rangers could care less. I would never go back! Water is too far from campsites. No dumpsters or garbage cans except in driving distance… very inconvenient. I wish I would have Unilocaled this place before going.

The water is too far away from the campsites. We only made a reservation here because we called in advance and they said they allowed mini bikes. Within 24 hours of showing up they told us we were no longer allowed to mini bike. Our campsites were nothing but rock and did not have a fire pit. The only upside to this camp site was the fact that they had bathrooms with showers. Never going back. Woodward may be flat but the experience is soooo much better.

You will want to specify you want to be by the water. Because its a lake that fluctuates with rainfall and water demand from farmers for irrigation of crops. Also there is new management so you can reserve 7 days a week and only need 24 hours notice.

I would have had a better time in an RV. There was some kind of animals walking around our tents. They sounded pretty big. Also it has no grass on campsite. It is dirty and rocks. The showers and bathrooms were ok.
Also we went boating and the lake was great. We had a blast till our propeller hit something and damaged it. There is no sign or anything to warn you as Larry stated on his review.

Barret Cove is a decent campground. I like to come here in the off season (Spring-​Fall) when it’s not too hot. In the summer the lake is quite a walk away from the RV sites with hookups, and it gets too hot to not have hookups. There is a swimming pond, but it is usually packed with kids. It can also get pretty rowdy in the summer.
They let you make camp fires in the off season, and this is a nice place to stay when the heat isn’t a concern. The campsites are good size, and there is plenty of room to walk. There are plenty of full hookup sites.
This campground is close to me, and I have stayed several times.
One negative is the way they take reservations. They only reserve two weeks before, and there is no way to reserve online.

This was my first time tent camping and it was not what I was envisioning. The whole campsite was dry & dead. I was expecting to stake our tents in nice green grass, but instead, the area consisted of dirt & weeds. I also thought we would be right by or overlooking the lake but we were a good walk away. It was definitely no pretty site.
Yes, they say they have hot showers & bathrooms. However, it was soooo nasty in there. The showers were not that hot & the toilets did not flush good so other peoples’ feces were still in there. They did fill up the toilet paper daily, but the bathroom was consistently flooded from the showers.
There is no fire allowed on the campgrounds, so we were not able to have a campfire which I thought sucked since it was my first time camping. I would think that makes part of the experience.
Quiet time starts at 11pm & they are strict on this. Park rangers drive around consistently.
They do have 2 stores on the site, but take note that they close at 7pm.
Guess imy first camping trip could’ve been worse, but from other stories I heard, I know it definitely could’ve been better!

My sons boat was damaged when we hit rocks that were lurking just below the surface on the other side from the Marina, about 125 feet offshore.. The out-​drive was damaged as well as the prop, both have serious damage done to them.
They should have had a marker in the water to let boats know, they didn’t.
Next, the bathrooms at Barrett cove campground didn’t have working showers. The handles were missing from all the showers in all the bathrooms, Guess they are trying to conserve water or something.
I did give one star because the lake is beautiful and the campsites are pretty good. Security was also present, we had the federalites coming around every half hour.

The lake here is perfect temperature for just sitting around in the sun. The campsites are not too dusty. The bathrooms are kept clean. While I wish the water was a little bit more accessible, I can’t complain. I usually call three weeks in advance to book the site I like here.

We had planned on camping with my parents at Woodward Reservoir but when they arrived there were no sites available (first come first served) Another person suggested Barrett Cove to my parents and even called for my parents and were able to get them a site. My mom then called them to get a site for us tomorrow through Monday. They said you can only make a reservation a week in advance and would not give us a site. My mom even said she would pay for it right then with her credit card, so they would get paid whether I show or not. They refused. What kind of company willingly refuses a customer. So in the long run my mom told them they would loose two sites in that case in that they would not come either. I would never do business with them. Too many nice campground in Nor Cal to put up with bologna like this.