Lake Sakakawea

Anticipating a busy holiday weekend, I knew we would need to secure a “first-come first-serve” campsite early in the week. After refreshing the tanks at Cenex in Devil’s Lake, we stayed a single night at the Dakota Territory Air Museum, toured a few places in Minot the next morning, then headed for Douglas Creek Public Use Area on Lake Sakakawea near Garrison, North Dakota.

Most of the route was paved, but the last nine miles were gravel. I took it easy in the motorhome and had no issues as it’s a reasonably wide road. There were a few fifth wheels and travel trailers already in place, but I decided to drive through both loops before choosing the first waterfront site as you enter the North loop as it had 270° views of the lake and we would not be sandwiched in by campers.

This is a free campground maintained by the Corps of Engineers. Each section has a vault restroom, dumpster, and boat launch. The surfaces are grassy and very hard packed. There is no electric, potable water or dump station available. Each site has a firepit/grill and a concrete picnic table. While there is ample space for each campsite, there are no boundaries separating them. The grass appeared to be mowed within days prior to our arrival and was getting mowed again the day we left.

The rules state that your stay is limited to 14 days and only one RV or tent per site, however I don’t believe they are very strictly enforced. We stayed 13 days, June 27 - July 10, and most sites had multiple occupancy and some were there longer than us. Considering the site next to us had roughly five travel trailers, a fifth wheel and a few boats, we were expecting a rowdy group but only heard the occasional vehicle coming or going.

Lake Sakakawea has very clear water. Lake levels vary and are monitored by the Garrison Dam. The level had increased a few inches during our stay as the peninsula initially before us had later been mostly submerged. You can still see your feet when waist deep. It does feel rather chilly but quite refreshing during the heat of Summer.

Over the 4th of July weekend, there were quite a few boats on the water, but that thinned out considerably after the holiday. We had tried out our new inflatable kayak and found it easily navigable even with the boat traffic. While there is no signage of the sort, we were informed to stay off the islands until after July 15th as they are a refuge for birds during their nesting season, to which we obliged. I did paddle along the island shore and was amazed at how very many gulls were there.

While Al had a few places he wanted to see while we were there, I stayed back to enjoy the cool breeze, the sounds of soft splashing wakes hitting the shore, and having occasional conversations with neighboring campers we had met. I noticed one was having issues with their awning and offered tools and assistance to get it operational again, to which they were very appreciative. Once most of the campers had left, we cleared the majority of sites of litter & pet feces, leaving our site and others more inviting.

We very much enjoyed our stay. While we did not encounter any mosquitoes, there were a few days that the biting flies were semi-aggressive, but fortunately they only cause a short sting sensation and don’t leave itchy bumps. It is a windy area, so prepare to bring in the awnings and slides if a heavy storm comes through. We were treated to some stunning sunrises and sunsets due to the weather. Please enjoy the overload of pictures we are sharing from our stay.

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