We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.
From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls
Click on "Top Panel" to see where are and where to next
Our original thought on choosing Natchez Trace to camp at was to visit Nashville, but we never made it there. We had planned on staying for six days and moving on toward Memphis, but the couple (Bud and Melanie) next to us at Diamond Caverns were heading there the day after us so we added four more days to spend more time visiting with them. (Also, Melanie was sewing us new curtains.)
Another couple (Ron & Glenda) that we had met at Diamond Caverns also joined us a week later. On our first day there we checked out the store/cafe and met some of the local people who invited us to join them at their table for breakfast. That wound up being a daily thing. We also met three other couples there, one park ranger and his wife (Thomas & Pam), the other two (Bob & Debi) & (Rick & Kim) had also been at Diamond Caverns while we were there but we hadn't met them yet. With all the truly great people there, we added another four days to our stay.
When we arrived at the campground we went off in search of a full hook-up with 50 amps, but the only one available was in a bad location in the sun and at the time our AC wasn't working. So we then looked for a 30 amp full hookup site and found only a few of them, but they were also in full sun. So we found a great spot under the trees (I had to trim some branches while standing on the motorhome for us to back in) It was 30 amps and no septic hookup, but it was a great spot and there was a full hookup 30 amp spot that Bud and Melanie could use when they came the following day. Our park ranger friend (Thomas) set us up with a pumping service, so after five days we ponied up $10 bucks and got pumped out. When Ron & Glenda showed up, there were a few full hookup sites at the beach and we all moved over there. We occupied four of the seven beach sites for the Labor Day weekend. It was camping at its best. Thomas offered up his pontoon boat to use while he was working and once we took him up on his generous offer, we drove it back to the beach and picked up the rest of the clan and enjoyed a couple of hours out on the lake.
The weekend before Labor Day the campground hosted a charity auto show which featured mostly "Rat Rods". It was an interesting take on restoring old cars. The campground is also located right next to the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace is a 444-mile long national park. It's a road starting from Natchez, Mississippi extending north almost to Nashville. No commercial vehicles are allowed on the road and it has a 50 mph speed limit throughout. It followed a trail that pioneers used as they traveled north through the area. The site where Meriwether Lewis is buried is pretty close to the campground. That, and the Amish community nearby are just about the only thing to see near the campground as Nashville is about an hour and a half drive.
From what we understand about the campground is that the previous owners were going bankrupt when Thousand Trails picked it up. There are over 500 sites and it's very spread out. Because of the park's age, most of the sites are 30 amp without septic. Most of the facilities are run down and are in need of a lot of work. There are only seven sites at the beach that are near the lake that are available for "transients", the rest of the lakefront sites are annual sites. Hopefully, with enough annual sites, the park will be able to make the improvements that it desperately needs. The campground also has a lot of cabins, which we didn't learn much about. I think the number one draw to the campground is the people who live there, work there, and live nearby. Everyone we met was so nice. The other nice feature is the cafe that serves three meals a day with the best prices. Jackie and I both ate breakfast there every day for around six dollars together. I'm sure that the campground will continue making improvements and we're looking forward to our next visit.
Natchez Trace RV Camping is a beautifully wooded RV camp in Tennessee that offers camera-worthy lookouts and a relaxing getaway environment. Located right off the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez Trace makes RV camping an adventure. Its position within an 830-acre forested preserve means fewer crowds and more privacy. This nature-focused RV camp features some of the best outdoor resources and recreation in Tennessee: a large 3 mile long lake, pontoon tours, and excellent fishing for bass, shellcracker, crappie and more.
Getting outside of Natchez Trace RV Camping can be just as exciting. Nashville offers many sports and entertainment attractions including music, theme parks, and interesting museums. Other noteworthy day trips include Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills and the home of President James Polk in Columbia, both of which can be easily accomplished from your home base at Natchez Trace RV camp in Tennessee.
General Policies:
Reservation & Payment Policies:
Helpful Information:
We do not allow pets in some accommodation types; however, we do allow service animals and a service animal may have stayed in a non-pet rental.
The Alabama cabin is the perfect getaway for the Crimson Tide fan. This newly remodeled cabin has everything for you to completely unwind. This cabin has 2 full beds and a nice size bathroom with a shower and is nicely decorated in Alabama colors. Be sure to enjoy the wildlife here while sitting on your deck.
The deluxe cabin sleeps 4 people and is located near the beach. These rentals include two full size beds. The back porch has a ceiling fan and patio table and chairs overlooking the lake. No pets.
The deluxe cabin sleeps 4 people and is located near the beach. These pet-friendly rentals include two full-size beds. The back porch has a ceiling fan and patio table and chairs overlooking the lake.
Welcome to the Fishing Cabin! Your perfect getaway for making memories. Screened in deck overlooking Chief Creek Lake right next to Natchez Trace Parkway. Fully stocked cabin: Towels, linens, pots, pans, stove, refrigerator, and a flat-screen TV. Sleeps 6 and 1 1/2 bathrooms
The newly remodeled Hunting Cabin is a perfect place for the family. It sleeps 6 and has 2 full bathrooms and the deck on the cabin overlooks Chief Creek Lake. Pack up the kids and food. The rest of your supplies is furnished in this cabin. A fully stocked kitchen, linens and towels, stove, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, and a flat-screen TV are here waiting on you. You and kids will make lifetime memories here.
Gather up the family and friends for a one of a kind experience at our lodge. Overlooking Chief Creek lake, this huge lodge has five bedrooms and three baths. With eight full-size beds, you can sleep 16+ people. Be sure to spend time out on the large gazebo right on the lake. With the gazebo's gorgeous, wrap-around deck, the lodge is the perfect place for outdoor weddings, family reunions or just making memories.
Phone Reservations Only - Please Call 888-551-9102 to Reserve Today .
The Nashville Cabin is the perfect place to get away and just relax. It has all the amenities of a home decorated in the music industries motif. Fully stocked kitchen, stove, refrigerator, towels, linens, microwave, and a flat-screen TV. Screened in the deck for you to enjoy the scenery and wildlife surrounding Chief Creek Lake located next to the famous Natchez Trace Parkway. Sleeps 4 with a large handicap bathroom.
The Pavilion has tables and chairs to seat 75. With a kitchen area, sink, refrigerator and more, it is an ideal location to host your wedding, reunions or party.
These three-bedroom cabins sleep 8 people and include two queen beds, two full-size beds in each room as well as one twin bunk. The large screened back porch has a patio table and chairs. Linens included. No pets.
Steps away from the lake and near a large grassy expanse, the big red barn is a great option for your wedding, reunions or party. This unique barn comfortably holds 75 and has a bonus loft space.
Venture back to the days of Route 66. This newly remodeled cabin takes you back to when times were more relaxed but has all the modern amenities. Lay back and relax on the 2 full-size beds that sleep 4 people, while watching your favorite movie on the flat-screen TV. After your shower in our spacious bathroom, go out on the screened-in deck and enjoy your favorite beverage.
These rental cabins sleep 4 people and are complete with linens and kitchens. Numbers are limited, so reserve one today. Call for availability.
These rental cabins sleep 4 people and are complete with linens and kitchens. Numbers are limited, so reserve one today. Call for availability.
Escape to the newly remodeled Tennessee cabin next to Natchez Trace Parkway. Perfect for the dedicated Vols fan!! Decorated with official orange and white Vols furnishings. The Tennessee cabin has 2 bedrooms with queen beds and sleeps, 4 people. The extra-large bathroom includes a full-size closet and a large handicap walk-in shower. This beautiful cabin features, AC/Heat, full kitchen, w/refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, coffeemaker and all necessary utensils to cook up a meal. After watching the game on the flatscreen TV, gather on the screened-in deck overlooking Chief Creek Lake. Memories made here will lure you back again and again.
We pulled into Willow Bay on a Friday morning and were greeted by a friendly young lady who checked us in. She pointed out the four sites that had septic connections and said we were welcome to choose one or any other site for that matter. The four full hookup sites had concrete pads, but there was quite a drop off to back in that our trailer hitch hit the ground preventing us from using any of them. (Later we saw a motor home pulling after dark and simply drove through the grass from another road and pull forward into a site with septic) However, the site we did pick was much better, but since the campground has no dump station, we first tried on of those. Most of the sites are in the grass and are very wide. There is a “green area” along the river to prevent campers from parking too close to the water, which is nice.
If you are looking for a nice place to sit and watch the sun set over the lake, this is the campground for you. While the area is forested with mostly Ponderosa Pines with little underbrush and very dry, the campground is acres of green grass with Willow trees throughout. The sites all have water and electricity and are really nice. There is no AT&T cell service and Verizon is very weak. The campground has no Internet what-so-ever and we couldn’t pick up local TV. This gave us lots of time to kick back enjoy the lake, the view, a gas campfire, and our fellow campers.
While there we drove into Spokane to shop and visit Northern Quest Casino and Resort. (they are currently building a new RV campground there) Also, we followed the lake / Spokane River to the dam which formed the 23-mile-long lake. The dam was built in 1915 and at the time had the highest dam spillways in the country, however, didn’t allow for salmon to pass further up river to Spokane and Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Willow Bay Resort - Advance Resorts of America
Resort ID: 2175
Type: Classic
Good Sam Rating: 4/4.5/6
Address:
6607 Hwy 291
Nine Mile Falls, WA 99026
Phone: (509) 276-2350
Fax: (509) 276-5320
Reservations Phone: (800) 445-9519
Reservations Fax: (360) 466-1398
Reservations EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Resort Information: Willow Bay Resort is located on Long Lake. The resort features on-site boat launch, multiple docks, boat storage, clubhouse with HD satellite, hiking trails, boathouse, laundry facilities and 24-hour security. At Willow Bay Resort and Marina swimming, waterskiing, and trophy bass fishing are right in your front yard.
Directions: I-90 at Spokane take Division Ex 281. Follow 3 mi N to Hwy 291 (W Francis Ave). Turn L and continue approx 20 mi to resort.
Web Site:araresorts.com
EMail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Partial Sites: 100
Pull-through Sites: 20
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: No
Maximum RV Length: 45 feet
Amenities: Activity center, picnic tables, beach, game room, hot showers, ice available, laundry, library, movie rentals, recreation hall, tenting, TV lounge, badminton, boating available, boat ramp, paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, fishing available, horseshoe, hiking trails, volleyball, water skiing, gambling casino nearby, shopping nearby, tourist attractions nearby, boating nearby, fishing nearby, golf nearby, winter sports nearby.
Accepts Pets: Yes
Pet Restrictions: No aggressive or barking dogs
Visitor Mail Accepted: Yes
We lived at Tri Mountain for a month while trying to get settled back in the Portland area. I thought that the photo from Google Maps would best describe the park. Actually, it is a very nice, clean, well kept park. The owners are extremely nice and the monthly rent was very reasonable which included electricity. We would definitely return there again. The obviously drawback is the freeway noise. The actual freeway isn't bad, just the jake-braking trucks that use the exit. There is a nice coffee house and a pizza place right next to the park. Also, just to the north (within walking distance) is a decent family restaurant featuring breakfast food and a convenience store with a Redbox.
Timber Lake is a nice RV/tent campground with only one thing missing... The lake. We found that there were plenty of nice RV sites, both back in and pull-through. The campground made a loop and in the center of the loop were hike-in tent sites. It was really layed-out nice and looked like it was continuing to grow. From what we saw, a good number of the campers were boaters. It is just a short drive down to the Columbia River. For us non-boater / hiker types, we found no trails, so we hiked around the loop several time and visited with other campers and chatted with the hosts. Overall, it is a nice campground with a childrens play area and a rentable rec center for family gatherings or such. We liked it and will go back again.
Rimrock Meadows is a private park and membership is required to use it.
After getting diesel in Wenatchee, WA our GPS gave us a couple of options of getting to Rimrock Meadows, one was twenty miles shorter so we took it. After driving halfway there on this route, the road turned to gravel. Then when we were at the turnoff to the park, the sign for the park was set to be read from the other direction. With our tow car attached, we couldn’t back up and little did we know it was another eight miles before we found a place big enough to turn around. So much for short cuts.
Once there, the park host showed us the sites and we picked one with morning sun and afternoon shade. From what we could tell, the rec area with pool, camping, park setting and other amenities, were incentives for people to purchase acre lots and park their RV’s and build small outbuildings. Being Coast to Coast members, we could camp there for free ($5 for a site with full hookup) The park is an oasis in the middle of the desert. It has shade trees, lots of green grass and one of the nicest pools we’ve come across in our travels. (the first one deep enough to dive in)
I think that the one drawback for the park was that there was nothing close by to visit. However, it was worth the hour plus drive to the Grand Coulee Dam and learn some of the histories of the dam and the area. Most interesting was that ten thousand years ago a glacier in the pan handle of Idaho formed a dam the created a huge lake (Lake Missoula) behind it. Eventually, the ice dam gave way and the lake behind it caused a massive flood covered most of central Washington and Columbia River. It is believed that there was 400’ of water covering Portland, Oregon. For a period of time, the Columbia was routed over what is now called Dry Falls. Dry falls is more than 3 ½ miles long, the largest waterfall in history. Pictured is a comparison to Niagara Falls and a crop from Google Maps.
Rimrock Meadows
Type: Classic
Good Sam Rating: 7.5/7/6
Address:
4177 Tumbleweed Way
Ephrata, WA 98823
Phone: (509) 632-9800
Reservations Phone: (509) 632-9800
Reservations Fax:
Resort Information: Resort lies on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains and on the edge of the Moses Coulee, one of the West's most interesting geological phenomenon. The campground and Olympic-sized swimming pool provide a variety of family activities.
Directions: From Seattle: I-90 E, Ex 151/Hwy 283 to Ephrata. In Ephrata, L at 1st Ave NW. Approx 17 mi NW to Sagebrush Flats Rd and Coulee Meadows Rd (same rd). L on Sagebrush Dr (gravel), 1.5 mi to resort. From Hwy 2: S on Moses Coulee Rd, 20 mi from Waterville and Coulee City. The main entrance is framed by 4 basalt columns on each side of the rd. From I-90 Spokane: Hwy 17 Ex in Moses Lake and follow signs to Ephrata. R on Basin St and L on 1st Ave NW and follow directions above.
Web Site:rimrockmeadows.com
EMail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 24
Partial Sites: 15
Pull-through Sites: 5
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m./ 2:00 p.m.
Open: Apr 1 to Oct 20
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 40 feet
Elevation: 1700
Amenities: Recreation hall, Olympic-size outdoor pool, kiddie pool, tennis, horseshoe, hiking trail, playground, basketball, ice available, candy, snacks, group activities, picnic tables, dump station, laundry, propane, TV lounge, tenting sites, tourist attractions nearby. Nearby: Moses Coulee geological phenomenon, Lake Chelan, Lake Roosevelt, Jamison Lake, Columbia River, and Grand Coulee Dam, all within an hour drive.
RV Notes: Rate includes 30 amp partial RV site. Additional charges: 50 amp full sites $10/night, Wi-Fi is available for a fee. Limited cell service. Closest goods and services are in Ephrata.
Pet Restrictions: Pets must be on a leash and are not allowed in the buildings or in the Courtyard area near the pool.
Visitor Mail Accepted: No
Ponderosa Falls is not a public campground, it is a KM resort which welcomes Coast to Coast members.
We arrived at the campground around 9:30 am on a Saturday and had to wait until ten for the office to open. The office assigns sites based on availability and size of rig. They were very friendly and suggested a few sites that we either empty or going to be available by noon and welcomed us to go check them out before deciding. We found a great site that was to be available that morning, so we opted to wait for them to pull out. They did but without their trailer. After a couple of hours of waiting, we picked another site, which turned out just fine. (without the grass) Most of the sites had full hookups and varied in size with plenty of both pull-throughs and back-in sites, along with a few cabins.
The campground had a very nice lodge with some weekend meals. It also had a very small indoor pool, a weight room, and laundry. Outside there was a basketball and pickleball court, horseshoes, a kid’s play area, and one of the better miniature golf courses we’ve seen. Each hole had three holes to choose from. For little kids, there was a small paddle boat pond.
Just a few miles away was the Northern Quest Casino. We checked it out and saw that it had headliners like Donny & Marie. The gaming floor was nice as well. We also drove into Spokane to walk around. The city has some neat history, but what I enjoyed most about the city, is that it’s the site of the 1974 World’s Fair. I was there when I was twelve and some of the old pavilions are still standing. Over the years the city has let the area go, but are currently rebuilding it. I look forward to seeing it again when the construction is complete. The Spokane River runs through the center of the city with several natural waterfalls.
Ponderosa Falls Resort
Type: Deluxe
Good Sam Rating: 7/7.5/8.5
Address:
7520 S Thomas Mallen Rd
Cheney, WA 99004
Reservations Phone: (509) 747-9415
Resort Information: Nestled among beautiful pines in the foothills of Eastern Washington, this year-round resort offers the very best in amenities and local attractions. It is famous for its style of camping where the fun never ends.
Directions: 10 minutes W of Spokane. From I-90: Ex 272, S to 4-way stop by Petro truck stop. Go straight, through the housing development. At next stop sign, see our sign and turn R. Where the road turns to gravel, see our carved rock sign and turn R.
Web Site:kmresorts.com
EMail:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 168
Pull-through Sites: 47
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 1:00 p.m./ 11:00 a.m.
Peak: Apr 1 to Sep 30
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps.
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 40 feet
Elevation: 2400
Amenities: Indoor/outdoor pool (heated), sauna, hot tub, fitness room, kiddie lagoon with paddle boats, sports center kiosk, basketball court, pickle ball court, volleyball court (sand), horseshoes, 18-hole mini golf, game room (adult and children), group activities (scheduled in season), laundry, outdoor movies in season, big rig pull-through, pet walk, cable TV, playground (4), meeting & kitchen facilities, Wi-Fi, BBQ grill, community fire pit.
RV Notes: Additional charges: Cable $2/night, electric $2/night. Reservations required.
Pet Restrictions: All pets welcome. Please leash your pet, pick up after them and do not leave outside unattended.
Visitor Mail Accepted: Yes
Visitor Mail Restrictions: Packages accepted, no regular mail.
Mt. Vernon is set up so that it’s easy to check in. The welcome center is outside the gate and just inside the gate is a large parking area to drop our dinghy and use it to find a campsite. This really helps for bigger rigs in tight campgrounds. However, this campground was anything but tight. At the entrance is most of the facilities, the pool, rec centers, laundry, basketball court, etc. The roads are wide and branches are trimmed back. The sites are large and well separated. Most sites are in the trees, but there are sites in the open if you’re trying to get satellite. The campground follows the freeway so that campsites on the west side get the steady hum of traffic. We noticed that the staff was continuously working on the campground and it shows, however they did seem to have difficulties keeping up with the blackberries in some sites. This is the perfect campground for any size rig and it is very easy to access from I-5. Also, there is a large casino right outside the gate, if you’re into that.
From the campground, it isn’t too far to venture up into the Northern Cascades. We followed Mt. Baker Highway up the north side of the mountain pass the ski resorts to some of the most scenic views in the Cascades. Along the way up we stopped to check out Nooksack Falls. It is well worth taking a day and driving up to Artist Point and taking a short hike along the ridge and taking in the views of two mountains, Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. We had the bad fortune of having clouds come in and cover Mt. Baker, but it was still well worth the drive.
Snow-capped mountains and scenic rivers offer a stunning backdrop for this RV camp in Washington State. When booking a Mount Vernon RV Camping trip, guests can look forward to enjoying area festivals, sporting traditions, and great American pastimes. Additionally, Mount Vernon RV Camping offers the perfect location for exploring the Cascade Mountains and appreciating the local scenery. Lush forests provide plenty of hiking trails while opportunities for golfing and fishing are available nearby. Ferries to the San Juan Islands operate daily and we're just a quarter mile from the nearest casino.
Maryhill State Park is located on the north bank of the Columbia River just a few miles to the east of The Dalles. We found the park to be really nice. Our space was large with a picnic table and fire pit. (Full hookup) The campground is located in the high desert of Washington with no trees for miles and miles, yet the park had lots of trees and was well watered to keep it green. You need to pay attention to the sprinkling times or you'll get caught late at night moving things inside to prevent them from getting soaked. We found having a bucket ready to cover the sprinkler to be a great help. The park has a nice swimming area in the Columbia that is in a roped off cove. It also has a boat ramp and is a very popular spot for wind surfing and wind sailing. That being said, be prepared to stake down any tents or flys you may have, there is quite a bit of wind. Many sites have wind blocks to help. Overall the park was great. If you left the park there is a museum and a war memorial to check out. The memorial is a replica of Stonehenge. Also nearby is an observatory. We stopped in during the day and no one was there. Maybe a night visit would have made more sense.
After a not-so-fun drive through Spokane we arrived at Little Diamond Lake Campground. The campground is both a Thousand Trails and a KOA campground. It is divided as such, but only in aspects of campsite locations. When we arrive a couple of days before the Labor Day weekend, the KOA section was all but empty, but once the weekend hit, both sides of the campground filled up. The KOA side being newer had lots and lots of great sites. The TT did too, but there was a difference. The staff were all KOA people, but that didn’t really make a difference, everyone was quite nice. As campgrounds go, this one is really nice. Only, we stayed too long and with smoke from wildfires kept us and most of the rest of the campers inside after the Labor Day weekend.
The Campground features a small lake with a dock and paddle boats to rent. There is also a nice clubhouse with pool tables, ping pong, and others. There is a nice outdoor pool and an indoor spa. Also, a laundry, a store, and a small room for wifi, with books, videos, puzzles, and a TV. Overall the KOA people do a great job of keeping this rather large campground clean and well maintained.
From the campground, we took a couple of drives before the smoke took over. We drove down and explored Coeur d'Alene and Sand Point, Idaho. Both are great tourist towns with shops and things to do and explore. The best part of our visit here to Little River was the friend that we met, Lynne & Dean, and Patti & Dwayne. Meeting great people is one of the best perks to full-time RV'ing. Lynne & Dean introduced us to a website called RVillage. It is like Facebook for RV'ers. We signed up, saw who else was in the campground and met Patti & Dwayne.
Panoramic views of Northeast Washington are just one of this campground’s attractive features. Warm weather plus a trip to Little Diamond RV Campground in Washington is the perfect combination for summer fun. Our resort offers plenty of activities for the whole family, including fishing for Kamloops, paddle boating or lounging by the swimming pool. The popular nearby Silverwood Theme Park makes for a fun day out.
A fun family getaway starts with a reservation. Book your Little Diamond RV Camping trip today. Our on-site activities and full-service amenities are designed to give you exactly what you’re looking for in your next Washington RV camping trip!
With some poor planning on my part we arrived at Leavenworth on a Friday morning, fortunately, we were early enough to beat most of the weekend rush. By that afternoon the campground was pretty full, Sunday afternoon, just the opposite. Leavenworth is a campground as opposed to being an RV park. We found mostly weekenders and very few members living there full time. You get the best of both worlds, a regular campground for enjoying a campfire in the woods (when there isn't a burn ban) with lots of small squirrels to tease the dogs and a resort with a great pool, clubhouse, sports courts, etc. The only drawback that we found at the campground was the dust. We had to keep our RV closed up with the AC running to try to limit it, but then we're camping, and sometimes that comes with the course.
The campground is about a twenty-five-minute drive to the town of Leavenworth. Leavenworth was a dying logging town, the railroad had moved to an easier way over the mountains, then someone came up with the brilliant idea of making it a theme town. They did their homework and change the look of the town to resemble a Bavarian town. It started with a few storefronts, then expanded from there. Most of the business in town hold to the theme, including Starbucks, McDonald's, and even the 76 station. There are enough shops, restaurants, and things to do and see in the town that we took a couple of days to just poke through the shops. After we had left the area while visiting the Grand Coulee Dam we learned of the Leavenworth fish hatchery and its importance in keeping the salmon population going after the dam was built. We'll have to return to check it out. Leavenworth also has quite a logging history which is also worth looking into.
Overall, this was a great campground and one I'm sure we'll return to. (Maybe during the week, next time) We were there for the eclipse which we experienced while playing shuffleboard. We were too far north for the sky to get dark, but it was a weird light and the temperature noticeably dropped.
Leavenworth RV Open Year Round
What's your activity of choice? Hiking? Fishing? Snowmobiling? Sledding? Book a Leavenworth RV Camping trip and you won't have to choose! We offer countless activities for every season. This beautiful RV camp in Washington boasts a serene location situated amid 300 acres of forests and meadows. Visit in the winter and you'll have access to over 200 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. Snowshoeing, sledding and cross-country skiing are other popular snow sports, with plenty of on-site hills to choose from. Our hills are even tailored to skill; Chipmunk Hill for the kids and Grizzly Run for the daring adults.
Is summer more your thing? No problem. Warm, sunny days provide picturesque conditions for sunbathing, river rafting, kayaking, paddle boating and more on Alpine Trout Lake and Otter Pond.
Additional off-site recreation is right around the corner. Leavenworth RV Camping is just 29 miles from Steven's Pass Ski Resort and four miles from Fish Lake, a popular ice fishing spot. For additional sights, visit the Bavarian Village of Leavenworth for seasonal festivals, historic architecture and German culture just 17 miles from this exciting Washington RV campground.
On our continuing quest to find new campgrounds, we found Ike Kinswa. Since it's February, the campground was mostly empty and the trees were bare. Even without leaves the campground is beautiful. The sites are all paved, some back-in some pull-through. (I did notice that most of the pull-through sites were in the form of a tight arch and maybe too small for larger vehicles if they're not hitched in the middle and the back-in sites are narrow, designed for camping behind your rig) Don't let that scare you away, the campground overall is great. It is located on a peninsula reaching out into Mayfield Lake. We found a nice but short hiking trail along the lake, complete with a rope swing for a warming time of year. Also, there are several cabins for those so inclined. They are 12 x 24 with electricity, but no plumbing. From the outside they look quite nice. We will have to visit here again, maybe next time in the summer, when we can enjoy the lake more. All and all, it was a great weekend and I'm glad we found the campground. It's about 20 miles off the interstate halfway between Portland and Seattle.
(From Wikipedia) Ike Kinswa State Park is a publicly owned recreation area on the northern side of Lake Mayfield, located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Mossyrock in Lewis County, Washington. The state park covers 454 acres (184 ha) that include 46,000 feet (14,000 m) of shoreline mostly along the Tilton River including the point where the Tilton and Cowlitz rivers once merged. The park offers boating, fishing, swimming, waterskiing and windsurfing plus facilities for camping, hiking, and mountain biking, It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. The park came into existence with the construction of the Mayfield Dam in 1963. In 1971, the park's original name, Mayfield Lake State Park, was changed to Ike Kinswa State Park, in honor of a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
Our visit to Grayland Beach State Park was picture perfect! It was very hot in the city and the beach was wonderfully cooler at 75 degrees. We had been told by Jackie's sister that the park was really nice, in fact, her favorite. We got there and found out why. The park was beautiful. All the sites were paved, level and very clean. The site with yurts also had very long driveways with room for large RVs. There are three loops along the beach and a few pull-through sites along the road between them. The photo here is what woods is like along the beach. There are a couple of loops as you enter the park before you get to the beach area that is also paved and clean, but the woods are denser and I notice that there were more bugs further from the beach.
Jackie's sister Tammy and her husband Eric were at the campground already when we arrived. They joined us for a hike out on the beach which was wide and flat. Just north of the park, there is a beach access where people can drive onto the beach. Not sure how I feel about that. After dinner (in town at the local tavern) we came back and spent the evening sitting around the camp fire listening to Eric tell stories about their Africa trips.
Overall, I can't say enough good things about the park. According to Tammy and Eric, it is one of the best birder campgrounds around. We are looking forward to our next trip back. To get the better sites along the beach you need to reserve way ahead of time. We got lucky this go round. When I go back, I'd be happy to get the same site again.
It's nice to have long arms when taking a "selfy" Jackie and me on Grayland Beach Washington.
Below is a link to the Thousand Trails Campgrounds that we have visited.
- Indicates Trails Collection Resort