Campground suggestions in the NorthWest

jamesu wrote:
A couple of my favorite SP’s east of the mountains:

(1) Hellsgate SP in Lewiston, Idaho. A nice SP with plenty of large shade trees right on the Snake just south of its confluence with the Clearwater. It’s bike trail connects with the excellent Lewiston-Clarkston bike trail system.

(2) Wenatchee-Confluence SP. This a very nice SP with spacious campsites in Wenatchee at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. The Apple Capitol Bike Trail, which goes along the Columbia shore on both sides of the river in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, passes through the SP. A bike trail spur, heading north on the opposite side of the Columbia, continues on to Lincoln Rock SP. Good shade trees, and being so close to town is no big deal. Confluence is probably our favorite Washington SP. (Lincoln Rock SP is right up there also.)

We booked a 5 day stay. We like geocaching, biking, and kayaking. Anything else to do in the area?

Wenatchee has already been mentioned, how about Leavenworth and Lake Chelan. When our kids were little (now in their 50's) we used to spend the summers in that part of the country.

grampacc wrote:
I believe Washington and Oregon State Parks have a nine month booking window.

For parks on the coast of Oregon (Beverly Beach/Ft Stevens for example) the 9 month window is to be followed pretty close. We tried a couple of months ago to get into Ft Stevens and we could only get a couple of days in a row. We had stayed there before and liked it. We generally try to stay in one place for 7-10 days.

A couple of my favorite SP’s east of the mountains:

(1) Hellsgate SP in Lewiston, Idaho. A nice SP with plenty of large shade trees right on the Snake just south of its confluence with the Clearwater. It’s bike trail connects with the excellent Lewiston-Clarkston bike trail system.

(2) Wenatchee-Confluence SP. This a very nice SP with spacious campsites in Wenatchee at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. The Apple Capitol Bike Trail, which goes along the Columbia shore on both sides of the river in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee, passes through the SP. A bike trail spur, heading north on the opposite side of the Columbia, continues on to Lincoln Rock SP. Good shade trees, and being so close to town is no big deal. Confluence is probably our favorite Washington SP. (Lincoln Rock SP is right up there also.)

raychris1 wrote:
ScottG, I live in the Tri-Cities but we like Charbonneau Park. It is a Corps park. Very nice but very little cell service. You have to drive a ways for the normal amenities. We have stayed at Soap Lake a couple of times back when it was a campground membership site. It is nice and you can't beat the low water level and the temp of the lake.
What are some good campgrounds near Wenatchee? We do not boondock so we would need power. Showers would also be nice. We have not used the shower in our TT. We prefer campground showers. Not as sanitary but we do not have to clean them.

We stayed at Charbonneau once and it is indeed a pretty park. My problem with it is the locals seem to have the code for reservations and it is tough to get into. Another frustration was campsites were occupied by ski boats while families were camped in the gravel overflow area.

I have a couple of suggestions if you ever get over to the west side. Taidnapam is where the Cowlits runs into Riffe lake. Probably represents good paddling opportunities up the river.

Cresap is on the headwaters of Lake Merwin where the Lewis River runs in. There is a huge 5MPH zone that is popular with kayakers. Crystal clear water, small waterfalls and plenty of scenery.

Paddling Z Canyon We used to paddle up the canyon and tent camp at one of two primitive camp sites. But you can RV camp at the parking area.

I believe Washington and Oregon State Parks have a nine month booking window.

Central Oregon should have warm weather in August.

Thanks for the tips Ray and Edd.

Ray, we really like Wenatchee Confluence State park. It's on the bike trail, has a nice beach and the sites are spread out. It's a green oasis in the middle of the desert. It also has some great views of the surrounding hills and while it's rather seperated from the noise of the city, it's a short drive to downtown Wenatchee and some good restaurants (McGlinns or Rail Station and Ale house in the old train station)
Ohme gardens is nearby (you can see it from the park) and it's a short drive up to Mission Ridge.
Don't forget to check out Applets and Cotlets in nearby Cashmere and if you're into it there are some large antique stores (Apple Annies). Cashmere also has a neat little museum. The Hot Rod cafe is accros the highway and it a super friendly, delicious place to eat and score some local made ice cream.

ScottG, I live in the Tri-Cities but we like Charbonneau Park. It is a Corps park. Very nice but very little cell service. You have to drive a ways for the normal amenities. We have stayed at Soap Lake a couple of times back when it was a campground membership site. It is nice and you can't beat the low water level and the temp of the lake.
What are some good campgrounds near Wenatchee? We do not boondock so we would need power. Showers would also be nice. We have not used the shower in our TT. We prefer campground showers. Not as sanitary but we do not have to clean them.