Beaver Meadows Recreation Area was once a very popular area. The dam was built in 1936, creating a 34 acre lake. Corpsmen from the former Blue Jay Job Corps Center built Beaver Meadows campground and boat launch in the 1960s. Trails were added in the 1980s by Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) enrollees.
Beaver Meadows, noted for its beautiful pine overstory, offers 38 campsites in a serene setting. Each campsite had a large parking spur, tent pad, fire ring, and picnic table. Parking spurs were level and designed for travel trailer use (no hookups). Vault toilets and hand pumps were available. A small picnic area (eight units) overlooks the lake. Camping fees were $12.00 per night.
The campground was closed in 2010 and decommisioned in 2019. On Aug 9, 2021 the U.S. Forest Service signed off to remove all infrastructure, cover all roads within the campground with soil and rocks, and plugging water wells.
Bank and boat fishing are popular. Although the lake is not stocked, it supports fishable populations of bluegills, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, bullhead, and an occasional bass. A boat launch serves the impoundment; however, no motors are permitted on the lake. Salmon Creek, below the dam, is a popular trout stream. There is a blueberry patch in the upper loop of the campground.
The impoundment serves as a waterfowl refuge. It is the home of many herons, ducks and geese. Beavers also live in and around the lake.
A system of interconnecting loop trail serves the area, offering views of a wide variety of natural habitats. A floating boardwalk crossing at the upper end of Beaver Meadows Lake is a highlight of the trails.
*** Wear flourescent orange during hunting season. ***
This geocache is not on a trail, but is actually in the old site of the campground. If you look closely you can see the old roadway leading into the campground and from the cache site you could choose to either go left or right. There used to be a large bulletin board 50' from GZ where you would find a map of the grounds and envelopes to put your money in to pay for camping.
I never had the opportunity to camp here, but wished I had. My understanding of why the campground was closed was because the wells for fresh drinking water were found to be contaminated. After speaking with a forester at the Twin Lakes Campground just south of Kane, he informed me the same thing happened there, but money was appropriated to drill a new well and re-do all the water lines for the campground.