Turner Falls Park — Attraction in Davis

I want to start off by saying the park is beautiful, geese, deer and bird watching is great scenery is truly awesome. That being said whenever I booked my cabin there was an option for check-in times. I chose the earliest 11am. Since my family and I were staying for 3days I bought perishable food in a cooler. We went to check in around 1130 and were told no one is allowed to check in till 4. But if the cabins are cleaned early we could probably get in earlier. So we played in the water for awhile it began raining pretty heavy with lightning around 130 and we were ordered out of the water. so we decided to go het some ice for the cooler at the lodge that’s where it is sold in the park, but they were out of ice, so we decided to go check on the cabins. All of the curtains were open and we could see that no one or any luggage were in any of the cabins and they were all clean (by the way they are not cabins they are duplexes with no insulation between rooms so you can hear everything going on in the adjacent room) since they were cleaned and no one was in them we went back to the check in and asked to check in. I was told that the staff is not allowed to let anyone in the rooms until 4. I was very polite and explained that we checked the 11am check in time and understand that they do not allow check in till 4, I also explained that we had meat that needed to be refrigerated there was no ice at the lodge and that we had been to the cabins the were cleaned and no one was in them. I was still told no. I asked to speak to a manager, so I was directed to the park headquarters office. By now it is pouring rain and there tons of people leaving the park, at the hq office I spoke to the manager I was very calm and polite and told them exactly what I said to the check in person earlier. The manager then said they have strict rules and no one is allowed in a cabin until 4 I explained that this is silly and they could make exceptions especially since they are out of ice. She stated that they might have missed something and they could not allow it. Now I am very upset, the turner fall’s employees are not being reasonable. And I am 4 hrs from home so I am not just turning around and going home. Luckily I have a yeti so my meat was still good. Like I said at the beginning the park is beautiful but the staff we encountered were terrible. It rained a lot while we were there obviously they cannot control that but when it rains too much the swimming holes are closed. We swam some in the rivers but they flowing pretty fast. We tried making fires in the fire pit but our fire ring was in a low spot and water all around it. We enjoyed the park itself the castles the hiking and the scenery. I will be back to the park but definitely do not recommend the cabins. There are private cabins in the park we will be staying in...

Had a fabulous experience staying at the teepees at Turner Falls! Loved the glamping alternative and the authentic experience this offered for my stay. It was worth every penny spent. Would love to stay in a covered wagon the next time I visit!

Just an FYI - the teepees have a futon pull out bed and a full size bed in the unit with electricity and an A/C unit. The futon is super comfy! You do also get access to private bathrooms of which you will receive a key for at check in with a private code to gain access to your own personal toilet and shower. The shower does have hot running water and the water pressure is amazing. In case you were wondering, it rained really hard one morning during our stay and it was water proof, though we did have some water come through on the edges, but it didn't get in too far and dried out very quickly. You will be in a four teepee village with a communal fire pit - so make sure to grab some firewood and stuff for smores! Also make sure to bring a lantern at night because while the pathways do have solar lights, it is dark out there at night outside of the teepees.

The falls area was beautiful and very clean. I understand why it is a tourist favorite for sure. There is a snowcone/food truck situation at the front of the falls, but make sure to bring cash or have cash app if you are counting on snacking on anything from there.

Just a few things that would have improved my experience that I would love to see when I come next time around: Mirrors in the private teepee bathrooms, and potentially hand dryers. An alternative way to pay through either Venmo or Cash App for the camp store given that at least once a week, the credit card reader goes out. I don't carry cash when I go camping for safety reasons, so it was really inconvenient to have to head into town for anything I needed that I would have loved to support the on site camp store instead. The website doesn't offer a lot of information about the trails or the caves. The caves are not what I was anticipating when I arrived and trails aren't really marked clearly nor have a lot of guidance. It's just kind of meandering around figuring it out solo. If you want to explore the caves, please be aware, these are explore on your own so pack a flashlight so you can see anything instead of going into a den of critters. Have more information about the checkout process for teepees and I assume the...

I thought the park was mostly disappointing and I wish I drove the extra hour to Hochatown or Broken Bow.

The shelters are very basic and I’m not complaining about basic, but I found them to be poorly maintained. On check in, my code had not been changed and I needed help getting in. The plastic mattress covers were peeling off, and in my friends’ shelter, 3/4 beds were broken on the bottom. I also am well aware that bugs are common out in nature, but my door didn’t even shut all the way, so that was a highly avoidable problem. I did appreciate that there was a ceiling fan with a light, and power outlets. The washrooms (porta potties) were gross and they didn’t even have hand sanitiser in most of them. The proper washrooms are all the way down the hill and they aren’t much better. The showers are fine with hot water but they are dirty on the floors.

While a lot of that is to be expected at cheaper camp sites, my friends and the family across from us felt that we were being watched by the police and staff who would drive by extremely slowly, watching us with no attempt to hide it, almost every hour. I get we’re not from around here but Jesus it’s weird. I have never in my life seen more than a few park rangers at a campsite, and I’ve never seen police. There were at least 10 drive bys from the police and my group was respectful and clean. I also was shouted at to slow down as I was leaving this morning by a staff member at literally 8am in a dead empty parking lot. Was literally going 20mph, calm down dude.

My last issue was with the actual falls. I get that the park has no control over the natural environment but it was not mentioned at all that the water is SHALLOW and SLIPPERY. Like you cannot have fun unless you are a toddler because of the shallowness, which was really disappointing. I do believe that it is deeper directly under the falls, though. You do not feel close to nature here as the hiking trails are small, and you can hear every jake brake on the highway.

Overall, if this is convenient for you and you really don’t mind being watched by police and staff and having a bad washroom situation, you should definitely visit should you find Turner Falls to be beautiful. I will, however, drive the extra hour to...