Lake Lyell Recreation Park — Hotel in Rydal

I recently had the misfortune of visiting Lake Lyle Campground, not once but twice, and I feel compelled to share my harrowing experiences to warn others. My first visit was during the Easter long weekend in 2020, and despite the high hopes of a family getaway, it quickly became a nightmare.

From the moment I arrived, the state of the amenities blocks was appalling. The filth was unbearable, with both bathrooms reeking of urine and other unspeakable odors. It was a constant battle to find toilet paper, as the supply seemed to vanish almost immediately. This led to countless trips to the front desk. Cleanliness during peak times is not just a luxury, it is a necessity, and it was clear that the management either lacked the resources or the will to maintain basic hygiene standards.

The showers were no better. In fact, they were worse. Every time I stepped in, I was confronted with hair plastered against the walls, remnants of soap bars scattered across the floor, and soggy toilet paper clumped in corners. The stench was so overpowering that it made me nauseous. While I understand that holidays attract larger crowds, it’s baffling that other campsites manage to have staff clean or at least rinse out the bathrooms daily. Lake Lyle, on the other hand, seemed to operate completely different.

Fast forward to my recent visit with my kids on a regular weekend, and I hoped for an improvement given the reduced number of campers. Unfortunately, I was met with the same abysmal conditions. The amenities blocks were just as neglected, with the overwhelming smell and lack of toilet paper plaguing our stay once again. The final straw came on the morning of February 22nd, when I witnessed a particularly shocking scene: both a male and female cleaning out a portable toilet using the sinks in the women’s bathroom. This was the same sink where my children washed their hands and brushed their teeth! The complete disregard for hygiene was not only disgusting but alarming. The potential exposure to harmful bacteria and germs was enough to make my skin crawl.

I cannot stress enough how appalling my experiences at Lake Lyle Campground have been. I will be actively informing everyone I know about the abysmal conditions I encountered, and I will ensure that my own family never returns to this site. Camping is meant to be a fun experience, but Lake Lyle has turned that notion on its head. Save your time, money, and health—look elsewhere for a camping experience that prioritizes cleanliness and guest...

We were lucky enough to secure the only powered site that sits on it's own, overlooking the lake, this June. It is a lovely camp ground with easy access to the water, and views from every camp site. There are also firepits provided with every site, if you have brought your own firewood, which we did, so you can enjoy a real camp fire while camping out! The staff who manage the grounds were super friendly and very nice, but we have to give this park only 3 stars because of the facilities. There are only two amenity blocks, one housing only two toilets, the other with the only two showers, and 2 more toilets, for 72 campsites! Seriously! In summer, when it is fully booked you would have to line up for showers and even the loo, I'd imagine! The showers are coin operated, which is fine, but are small with tiny benches for your toiletries and clothes and no screens or curtains, so if you don't be careful everything gets wet! There are no electrical power points, not enough hooks or even bench space to finish up after a shower! On top of that, the lights are powered by sensors that only last about ten minutes. So if you are there on your own, taking time to organise your stuff, getting undressed, then showering, the light goes off while you are nude in the shower! And let me tell you, it's pretty dark when that happens! I had to finish my shower in the dark, because you don't want to waste your coin, then get out of the cubical to set the motion light on again! And of course, it is bloody freezing in June, only wrapped in a towel!! Also, no sanitiser bottles outside the amenity blocks as every other campground we visited over a month, had. Just saying!! It would not take much, and very little expense, to add extra hooks, more suitable lighting, soap in the disabled toilet and extra shelving or bench space to put your toiletries on. But, what it really needs is another amenities block, or an addition to the existing ones!! I know this is camping, but if the grounds are fully booked, ( that's 72 sites x average of 3 people per site = 216 people), 4 toilets for each gender, is seriously unacceptable! Despite my rant, we really did enjoy...

Spent the weekend camping here. The lake is quite beautiful to look at and great to be able to camp right on the waterside. The campsites are pretty cramped together for the most part so it loses its peacefulness unless you have one of the secluded sites . Amenities are quite poor, only two toilets and two showers for the entire camping grounds, so they get dirty quite quickly and are really outdated and can be pretty far walk depending where your site is (and up the hill). The power went out while I was there so no running water and no showers for a bit. If you hiked all the way there to use the loo at that time it was pretty annoying. $1 shower for 3 mins. I'd rather pay more for a site if they had better and more amenities. No where to fill up water or wash dishes so makes things a bit more difficult. Dog friendly. Overall an okay stay but I'd prefer to stay at other...