We enjoyed our time at Marty's campsite and agree with other reviews that it was well-maintained and that the views were gorgeous. That being said, because of a few issues, we do not recommend this campsite. Most of these issues could have been avoided with a clearer description of the site. We hope that this review will give potential campers a clearer sense of what to expect so they can make an informed decision.
1) The driveway / entrance: The most significant - and dangerous – issue is the driveway to the campsite. Even in my 4WD station wagon, I was unable to get up the second very steep section of the driveway and almost ditched my car as it started rolling back. I made three attempts to get up the hill with as much power as she had. This was super scary considering the sheer drop-offs. A neighbour came to talk to us, and told us you needed winter tires or a powerful truck to get up the hill (this wasn’t communicated to us prior to coming to the campsite). Thankfully, the neighbour was so kind and helped us back down and drove our stuff up to the parking section. However, potential campers should know that, if you are unable to get up the hill, you might have to walk all your stuff up this steep hill (adds 2- to 300 meters to the trek in).
The 100 meter hike to the site was much steeper than we'd anticipated, and we would have packed lighter if we'd known how twisty the path was - again, a heads-up here would have been helpful. If it had been wet, the path would have been sheer mud and super slippery.
2) The campsite: The campsite is well maintained. In addition to the toilet, firepit, and wood, there is room for 2-3 tents and a small kitchen station. We think that a picnic table would make a great addition, as we even brought a folding table for our Coleman stove.
A fair warning to potential campers: the site is right under some power lines and just off the highway, so there was constant buzzing, traffic/ATV, and neighbour noises throughout the weekend. The forest and the lake are nice, but this is not exactly a backcountry camping experience.
3) The lake / dock: The lake is beautiful to look at, but tricky to access. In our communications with the owner, we were told that those with “mobility issues” might have trouble with the path to the lake. But we are all active and strong and some of us still did not feel inspired to risk it more than once (especially for the poor swimming). The last section of the path is particularly steep, and a rope-style railing (at the very least) is needed.
If you are hoping to swim at this dock, you might be disappointed. You have to access the water by scrambling over the canoe, and the lakebed is super mucky; we were sinking up to our knees at points and worried about leeches and stepping on sticks. Bring water shoes if you go. There were lots of birds and the lake is quite lovely once you make it past the muck. Canoeing to the big lake was fun; for those who want to do the portage, know that it is slightly tricky, but very short.
If you’d like a nicer place to swim than the dock, we enjoyed our time swimming at the rapids and spent one day at nearby Marble Lake Beach which was super nice (5 minute drive).
4) Summary: We made the best of our experience and had a nice weekend in a beautiful spot. Given some of the issues listed above, we feel that the campsite is not worth the $100. Again, more information and better communication from the owner would have been appreciated (and next time we will be asking more questions !) We encourage Marty to be much clearer with guests about the risks of driving cars up the sketchy 2nd hill and also about the nature of the hike in to the site - while it is almost a "back country experience you can drive to" that last little bit of walking is definitely no walk down a flat, nicely woodchipped entry way. For all the trouble of getting to the site and packing everything in, we could have found something much more secluded and private for much cheaper. Having said all this, feel free to read other campers’ reviews, as everyone has different experiences and expectations.