Pine Cove Campsites & Motel

So happy.This place is only five minutes from our house. This is a hidden gem. The food is always delicious. The owner is always readily available to give you a laugh. We were down there the other night. And my mom, who recently moved here, absolutely loved it. During the day, we have gone down here to just sit by the river to just relax, talk and drink our iced coffees. If you have not been, I highly suggest you go. And I promise you everyone you meet will be super friendly! And all the beautiful cats are a bonus l o l

Not very tent friendly. Serious chigger problem. Owners were very friendly and it does have a small playground for children. It is a quiet campground, but better suited for campers, not tents

Our first time at the Cove. Warm and friendly greeting. Lots to choice from. We ordered the farm raised catfish dinner and basket. Mouth watering favor and done just right. The hushpuppies was excellent. The staff was outstanding and very friendly. After dinner we met friends on the patio for some live music. Lots of friendly folks at this place. I got some good information on fishing and where to launch our boat. The owner stepped out and greeted us as well. We will definitely return for dinner again and to hear live music. Very highly recommended 👌

If you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing, peaceful place to camp, this is your place. Camping spots are first come first served, and they’re right on the lake. There aren’t many tent camp sites which makes it not very crowded! Each site has a fire ring and charcoal grill. Carol was incredibly helpful. I planned to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast but I forgot to bring flour. I asked Carol if they had some for sale in the bait shop. She told me no, but she brought me some of her personal flour! If it weren’t for her I would have had to pour sausage fat and milk over my biscuits like an idiot.

If you want the bottom line, Pine Cove is a good place to camp. If you want details, read on. First, the disclaimer that I am not an avid camper. I took my boys camping with Cub Scouts when they were younger, but can probably count the number of non-Scout camping trips on one hand. Maybe two hands. Second, this trip was entirely arranged as a group trip for the August 2017 solar eclipse. I had no contact with campground management at all. I just showed up, pitched our tent, stayed a couple nights, and left again. We were one of about 6-9 families in the group. I suspect it was one of the most crowded times the primitive camping area had seen. The first thing you'll notice is that there are no signs directing you to the site at all. You have to either be a local and know your way there or use your GPS. Eventually you'll round a bend and suddenly find campers in front of you. The primitive camping area is a good size with several fire rings and a few grills. There are both clear and shady areas. As far as I could tell, the area is not divided into individual sites, you just pick a spot. Other camp amenities are a boat launch and dock, a bait shop, a few motel rooms, a playground, a coin-operated washer and dryer, and, of course the restrooms. The boat launch was camp's most popular feature and there was a fairly constant stream of people launching and bringing in fishing boats, recreational pontoon boats, and jet skis, even on a Monday. The bait shop (see photo) is just that. Don't confuse it with a full-fledged camp store. The big attraction for campers is ice, but they also sell cold drinks, a few snacks, and lures and other fishing supplies. There's a convenience store/gas station 2.5 miles away at the turn off the main road if you need other supplies. There's only two restrooms, both featuring a toilet, sink, and shower. Theoretically it's one for each gender, but with our large group people would often use whichever one was available. Getting and maintaining hot water never seemed to be an issue when I showered, thank goodness! The showers are a little small, but adequate. Toilet paper was restocked regularly, but the paper towel dispensers were always empty during our two nights there. The sign on the entrance to the restrooms said they were usually disinfected weekly on Tuesdays, if I recall correctly. Speaking of signs, there were several helpful signs around camp. Most provided a phone number in case you needed something. The camp has a laid back atmosphere, so sometimes, for example, there wouldn't be anyone in the bait shop but give them a call and they'd be right there. Unfortunately for me, I had T-Mobile as my cell phone carrier and despite what their coverage maps might tell you, there's no service at the camp. That's an issue for me and T-Mobile and I don't blame the camp for it. I was told folks with AT&T had no issues with service. Overall, the campground was pretty much what you'd probably expect. Keywords are generally quiet (except for the boats coming and going) and secluded.