Former Eagle Lake Campground under new ownership

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The location which was formerly the Eagle Lake Campground is under new management and is looking to be open to the public later this spring.

Now under the name, Wheatland Shores Campground, the site is now being operated by Cara and Ryan Carriere, who also own Rocking R Guest Ranch. 

“When the county was looking for a new leaser, we just figured that it was a perfect fit with the business that we are already operating, and our main goal here at Rocking R Guest Ranch was to be more open to community and events,” she said. “The campground is a perfect fit for that. One of the biggest things that drew us to it was the fact that they (Wheatland County) wanted it open to the public.”

Carriere explained the campground, once open, will be available for people to occupy sites, rent boats and interact with the camp store. 

In total, there are roughly 100 camp sites at the location. Of these, Carriere said 40 would be set aside for seasonal rentals, with the rest available for nightly and weekly bookings. 

“It is not only a seasonal camp anymore. We do offer that for sure, but we just want it to be more inclusive to everybody,” she said.

Current goals for the campground include exposure, to let the community know it will be up and running in the immediate future, as well as to renovate the grounds. 

“We just want to connect with everybody and just bring people out, whether they want to camp, whether they just want to set up for the day and have a picnic, it is just a matter of letting the community know that we are open to having everybody just come out,” said Carriere. “We are going to be open regardless, and then we will be continuing to do renovations and upgrades throughout the summer. We are not going to let that process prevent us from opening, but we definitely have lots of ideas and things that we want to upgrade and add to.”

The immediate focus, she explained, will be on the camp store and office space, to help better welcome people to the grounds, as well as to offer essentials such as ice cream, groceries and activities for kids. 

Eagle Lake Campground closed its doors after 30 years of operation in September 2022, after making the announcement the month before. 

Carriere said the goal is to have the campground open for May 1. More information is available online or by reaching out to contact Rocking R Guest Ranch.