Free Camping at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is a special place for me. I spent several days here with Olive Oil bonding as she was only about eleven weeks old plus it was Thanksgiving Weekend. The place was just so peaceful that I did not want to leave but we had to as it was time to get back to Pittsburgh.
The view above is what I woke up to every morning as I was camping on a bluff that looked down on Lake Meredith below me at the Sanford-Yale Area of the park.
But the first night, I actually woke up here which is on the other side of the lake at McBride Canyon. As the parks grounds are large with a 200 mile radius around the lake, they have a lot of different areas to explore!
The lake itself is man made and is used to provide water for 3/4 of a million people by blocking the Canadian River.
The lake was once part of the area that the Alibates Flint Quarries which quarried Alibates Flint and traded it throughout the Northern American by the Antelope Creek people between 1150 AD and 1450 AD but more about that in another post Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument which is a great place to visit during your stay at Lake Meredith.
Harbor Bay is another area of Lake Meredith with is really cool. I had this view for a picnic and a bit of working on this site. It was very peaceful but it also has a boat ramp for those that need it. Camping is also available in this area.
The only issue that I have with the camping is that all but 10 RV sites which are at Sanford-Yake with electric and water are a first come first serve basis. It could fill up but with eleven places, I am sure that would never be an issue to find a spot. Check out the different campsites at the NPS.gov site because a few I will never see as they are off road vehicles only!
This three spot are tent only at Sanford-Yake which are the only ones that you don’t have your vehicle next to your picnic table. I believe that they are the worst spots in the camping area.
The whole bluff across the way is the Sanford-Yake camping area and picnicking area which have wonderful hot showers available for camper or those who need one after a long day of fishing and/or boating. Fritch Fortress is the only other camping area that has showers available.
Bugbee Canyon was my second favorite area to just be in. I will be camping here next time I go without Olive Oil. It only has a vault toilet but Stanford-Yale is just about 15 minutes down the road.
It is a primitive campgrounds but it was so lovely and the feeling was wonderful even as a major storm was coming that sent me on my way out of the area. (I move with the weather. If I wanted to have bad weather, then I would get a house or an apartment again. Or I will get a nice cabin in the woods with a fireplace and have nowhere to go!)
This is the camp site that I hide in at the top of the Canyon as the thunderstorm crashing down around me. The rain was so heavy that I could not even see to drive. Me and Olive Oil had dinner and waited out the storm. We also most stayed the night but the snow was coming and I really did not want to drive in snow.
But before I go, I want to leave just a few more moments that I had during my time at Lake Meredith. This is across from the Stanford-Yale Camping area on the other side of the dam.
The McBride Ranch House which was built by David Nichols and Abigail McBride in 1903.
The dam and boat launch near Sanford-Yale.
Spring Canyon.
The view to my right at Sanford-Yale campgrounds. I was here during Thanksgiving and it was chilling and I lacked the enerying to explore the area as much as I wanted too. But it is only about 45 minutes from Amarillo which I want to see in more detail. I am sure that this one visit will be one of many for me.