Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area (LETRA)

The area on its own is beautiful with a lot of things to do. We stayed two days and didn’t do all we wanted. Fishing was great here. The water is so clear that you can see the fish swimming around. The country store has lures but no worms. So bring worms if you need them. Country store has typical convenience pricing. If you have commissary access I’d recommend stopping there first for anything you’ll need. It’s about 20 min from LETRA. The beach was nice and decently maintained. The sand is super fun to play in. The slide is fun but they had to close it the second day we were here due to a shortage of lifeguards. So that was disappointing. They do have puddle jumpers and life jackets for guests. The bathrooms at the beach were maintained well and they offer showers. The mini golf area is a little rough around the edges but it doesn’t prevent you from having a great time. Overall, the area itself could use some better upkeep but it wasn’t so bad that I would never want to come here again and it didn’t affect our fun. We stayed in a large cabin. #5. I don’t get the impression that they clean them between guests. As we found a bloody sheet on one of the beds and hair in the shower and on the floor. The mattresses are not as shown on their website. They are foam and they are stiff. Sleeping in the room with the full bed is hot. They provided a fan that did not work. Multiple smoke alarms were removed from their bases. The upstairs air conditioning unit was covered outside with bird nesting materials. We were missing cooking pots in our cabin. One of the bedroom doorknobs was loose. They have an “inspection sheet” at the front of the cabin and it showed monthly inspections on the first but none in the month we stayed. We had family that stayed in cabin #1 and they were surprised by the layout as it was not what was listed online. Cabin 1 is ADA compliant with an outdoor ramp. It has a queen bed up in the loft, twin bunks on the bottom, and a twin futon. It appeared to be maintained much better than our cabin. The layout in 1 would be so much better for families in all of the medium cabins but I was told all others have two full beds and a futon. Bring everything you could need here. Amenities are basically what you’d get tent camping. They provide dishes and cookware but no dish soap. So bring that and a sponge to clean dishes. Expect tent camping vibes with a solid structure, mattresses, AC/heat, and a private bathroom. This is on a military installation and you will hear artillery firing at all hours. Yes, even at night. It’s loud and it woke us multiple times. Bring ear plugs or a loud fan. We had no wifi and was told it was due to storms. The tv worked fine but it was hard to navigate. Our tv remote did not work but the satellite one did. We didn’t use the tv much as there’s so much to do outdoors! I would definitely recommend this place and even the cabins despite their issues. Bring clorox wipes and expect to do a bit of cleaning when you check in. As long as you are prepared well and manage expectations this is a fun place. Given the conditions of the cabin, I do think it’s slightly overpriced but you’re also getting access to all the areas included in that price. If you want a camping experience but hate tent camping this is a decent compromise. I would say three days would be enough to do everything.