Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

Within the almost 4 million acres of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, lie countless locations for dispersed camping. This area of the southeast corner of the NF has very little traffic compared to others, we saw only one ATV for the whole time we were there. This area lies along the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route between the Cashmere and Chelan sections along NF-7400. Obviously, this is a 4X4 road and I wouldn't suggest it in anything less. Incredible sunset views of the valley in front of Chumstick Mountain, it gets pretty windy at night but there are treelines you can position against. This particular spot photographed is just up the hill off the roadside in a nice grassy clearing. More spots were just up the hill around the bend as well.

Silver Springs is our go-to for camping at Mt. Rainier. You get almost all the benefits of staying inside the park without most of the drawbacks (impossible reservations, permits, pet policies, etc.). Campsites are usually clean and spacious and kids feel safe riding around on their bikes and playing in the stream. Just be careful if you’re staying at one of the sites along the river during high rainfall as it can be dangerous for kids and pets.

Arrive early to snag a piece of this lakeside paradise!

Ranger Review: OOFOS OOMG Low Shoe at Owhi Campground on Cooper Lake, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington State

Campground Review: Owhi Campground

Review: 5 Stars «««««

Getting to Owhi Campground is a bit of an adventure in itself. Take exit 80 off I-90 and slowly meander your way through the small mining towns of Roslyn and Ronald. Once out of Ronald you'll find yourself on the 903 / Salmon La Sac Road. Follow for another 16 miles along Lake Cle Elum and the Little Salmon la Sac River . Take a left at the second bridge (NF-46) and cross, then continue on this road for 4 miles. At the end of 4 miles the paved road will end, a gravel road begins, and there will be a sign to Cooper Lake. Take a right (NF-4616) to continue onward. Another 1.5 miles down the gravel road and your destination will be tucked in the bush on the left, the beautiful Owhi Campground.

Staying to the left upon pulling into the lot, there are 3 parking lots each above a number of the 22 walk-in sites. The first parking lot has a pit toilet bathroom, self-pay station ($14 a night, $6 per extra car- one car and 6 people per site), and a main trail down to the camps and lake. The second parking lot also has a pit toilet bathroom and rubbish bin. The third lot is just parking but is bigger and I've seen larger trucks with campers or small trailers park here. Each parking lot also has "private" trails from the parking to specific camps so be warned that if you follow random trails you may end up in someone's camp.

The campground itself is made up of wooded, semi-private, to not-so-private camps set along a main trail that leads down from the parking lot towards and along the lake. The majority of the sites are mostly shaded. There are plenty of trees to hang hammocks amongst if you are a hammock camper, or if you want to hang one up to just sit in. Each site is equipped with a built-in picnic table, fire ring, and site number post with clip to attach payment stub.

There is no camp host but a ranger or volunteer will do a walk through at least once a day to check on things and collect payments from the box. There is no running water in camp, bring your own or pump from the local creeks.

The campground offers a boat launch. Please don't drag your beautiful Old Town canoe through the woods like a savage; just drive it over to the boat ramp. Cooper Lake hosts non-motorized-only boats which makes for a peaceful camping experience. The lake is absolutely beautiful, as is the surrounding Alpine Wilderness overlooking it.

We arrived on a Thursday early afternoon and there were only 4 sites left of the 22 available first-come-first-served sites. We quickly paid for sites #4 & 5 and began setting up camp. We talked to some gals up the trail in sites #9 & 10 and they arrived on Tuesday evening to claim their sites for a large group for the weekend. Duly noted; arrive early for the best spots.

When camping at site #5, you have one of the "private" trails from parking lot #1 straight into the camp. The trail was steep yet convenient to have easy car-to-camp access. Site #5 was split from site #4 by the main trail but felt more private as it was surrounded by bushes on three sides and only open facing the trail. Site #4 is closer to the lake and has a better view in general but is a more open site with much less privacy, and the ability to look straight into the next camp at site #3. Site #4, however, sort of makes up for it by having a straight path to the lake.

There are a few small pebble-strewn "beaches" along the lakeshore where you can set up a few chairs for an afternoon in the sun, or cast a line from in the early light. Rainbow trout are available to catch for the crafty fisherman. I strutted around in my super comfy OOFOS OOMG Low Shoes, with our chairs, rafts, kayaks, and SUP as we headed down to one of the beaches and set up for the weekend with other campground locals to enjoy the lake, sun, and mountain views.

If playing on the lake isn't enough activity for you, there are a few hiking trails located close by. You can hike to Pete Lake by either driving or hiking the remaining mile down the road to the trailhead from Owhi Campground. There is also the Mineral Creek trailhead a bit further up NF-4600.

Product Review: OOFOS OOMG Low Shoe

Review: 5 Stars «««««

As a Review Ranger for TheDyrt.com I was provided with a pair of women's OOMG Low Shoes in black by OOFOS to test and review.

Pros

· Closed cell foam made from non-toxic properties and painted with non-toxic paints

· Latex free for sensitive feet (like mine)

· 6 month warranty

· Lightweight - each shoe weighs 6.12 ounces

· Incredibly comfortable!

· 4-way stretch mesh upper is breathable

· Machine washable (do not put in the drier)

Cons

· Do not dry out quickly - mine took 22 hours to dry out

· Not made to go on rough adventures in - tore a chunk from my sole trying to walk to the lake from my campsite

The OOMG low shoe is sold as a recovery shoe and it totally fits the bill!

While your typical gym shoe foot-bed was designed with many layers to help move you through your workout, Oofoam was designed by former athletic shoe designers with a single, closed foam cell to absorb more shock than a traditional shoe, ease hip and back pain, put the body into a more natural stance with high arch support, and give tired feet relief and ease the road to recovery post workout.

I tested these shoes to the limit on a 4-day camp trip on Cooper Lake and daily in my garden since our return. While at the Owhi Campground we hiked, kayaked, hung in hammocks and trucked from our camp to the lake and back more times than I care to count.

Post hiking:

Post hiking these shoes are a dream! Our weekend on Cooper Lake was hot, 85-100 degrees out, and pulling off my hiking boots and thick socks in exchange for the OOMG Low Shoe and ankle socks was so refreshing. The shoes are made from a closed cell foam foot-bed which is extremely comfortable and cushy, a 4-way stretch mesh upper which allows them to be incredibly lightweight, weighing in at 12.24 ounces a pair. They are surprisingly breathable and slide off and on with ease. Not to mention crafted with non-toxic materials/paints and are latex free, allowing all wearers to enjoy sock free, if you're into that sort of thing.

I spent an entire day in them around camp and my comfort level stayed impeccable. I did, however, tear a tiny chunk out of the inside of my right sole at some point hiking from camp to our beach set-up on the lake. I noticed that OOFOS has a 6-month warranty on their products that I will have to look into for my tear.

My suggestion when camping with the OOMG would be to keep them on the groomed trails or close to camp because they otherwise make a wonderful hammock camp shoe. No fuss sliding off and on from my hammock or buddies’ tent.

Water sports:

When I read the shoe was machine washable, I chose to test them out on the water.

I wore them for a morning of light kayaking. While my foot bed was wet the shoe didn't retain tons of water inside while kayaking so it was comfortable; not too cold and I was still able to retain grip inside my shoe without rubbing or blistering. The foot bed doesn't have a lot of grip to the bottom of the shoe so I didn't give it a go on the SUP, not to mention my balance sucks so I wouldn't be an accurate judge up there anyways.

My only real gripe about wearing them in the water was the dry out time. I'm lucky I brought extra shoes on the trip as these stayed wet for 22 hours on an 85 degree day, left out to dry upside down on a picnic table in a partial sun/shaded camp.

Returning home & around the Garden:

Since returning home the OOMG Low Shoes have become my go to house and gardening shoes. While wearing them in the garden I've found that I enjoy wearing my OOFOS without socks to water my plants; my feet can breathe, I don’t mind if my shoes or feet get a little wet (as it's been so hot out) and damn are they cushy. These shoes seem to be slowly molding to my feet and are improving my balance and posture. My family has mentioned that they've noticed I'm standing up straighter and look healthier (due to decreased pain levels) to which I truly give the credit to the shoes. Not to be a whiner but I have been diagnosed with MS, psoriatic arthritis and early onset osteoarthrosis and typically deal with left leg weakness and hip pain on a daily basis. Since obtaining these shoes I would say my hip pain has decreased from a 7/10 to a 5/10 daily. That may not sound like much to you, but to me it is a serious improvement. I was so impressed with them that I suggested them to my Dad who also suffers from hip arthritis with two (2) prior hip replacements! He purchased the Men's Ooriginal sandals in black and absolutely loves them. In fact, he loves them so much that after just a week of having his, he just purchased my Mom a pair of the Women's Ooahh Lux slide in black hoping they help with her bunions. My sister dropped by today to help in my garden and noticed my "funny" shoes but after she read my review and found out my folks each own a pair too, she is interested in her own pair of OOMG Low Shoe's for her post hiking and yoga adventures. Both of my sisters will be going to Disneyland for Halloween and I’ll be recommending them to my youngest sister for her hotel and pool-side shoes! Looks like we should invite the OOFOS team to Christmas as it seems you're now a part of our family. Thanks OOFOS!

Extras:

There are a few more things I'd like to give OOFOS a shout out for that are not necessarily part of the shoe but part of the company's core values; the Pink program and OOFOS rewards.

OOFOS Rewards is your basic rewards program except you are earning points towards amazingly cushy recovery footwear! They have all kinds of extra ways to earn points; share on FB for 15 points or refer a friend for 200 points for example but the basic point system is 1 point earned per $1 spent. Redeem 100 points for $5 discount, 200 points for $10 discount, 500 points for a $25 discount and 1,000 points for a $50 discount. In case you were wondering I totally signed up for the points program as I anticipate a growing collection of OOFOS footwear in my home.

The second project I'd like to point is the Project Pink program donates $10 from any Project Pink footwear collection sold, to breast cancer treatment research at Dana- Farber. I like to spend my money at companies that give back to their communities in one way or another, so cheers to OOFOS for doing their part to help fight breast cancer!

Eastern Washington near the water is my favorite type of landscape.  It's a hot, windy, and a true desert climate.  When you get near a body of water like you do along the Yakima River, the diversity of life expands and makes for great wildlife watching.

Umtanum Recreation Site is part of several BLM campgrounds lumped together along the Yakima River known as the Yakima River Canyon Campgrounds.  All can be reserved ahead of time via the reservation.gov website:  https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250985.  Standard for most BLM camping in Washington, sites are very basic.  Gravel parking, pit toilets, and a picnic table.  This place does have a dumpster for trash, not all do.  There are no hook ups, no drinking water, and in our case, very little shade.  Neighbors are close and there is not a lot of privacy.  The day use area is right there too, close to camping and can be loud.  It is heavily patrolled by the wonderful BLM folks to keep everything clean and the people orderly.  They also give out tickets if you don't mind the warnings for correct passes or day use fees.

The campground itself is one little loop with six sites.  The loop is an offshoot of a very large gravel parking area for day use.  Mostly boat launching and hiking access to Umtanum Creek and Umtaum Ridge trails.   You can check the Information Board for rules on day use and camping fees, passes, and how to check to see if a site is reserved. 

We arrived on July 3rd in the afternoon.  The campground was very quiet and all the sites were reserved.  The morning of July 4th, the recreation site turned into a total madhouse.  BLM Rangers, Law Enforcement, making constant rounds to patrol the never ending hoards of people coming to park and float the river. There was a lot of noise, dust, drunk and rowdy folks.  Friday was calm again until afternoon, Saturday was not as bad as the 4th but still pretty crazy.  It was also hot!  No shade to be had in our site.  After hiking in the morning, we spent a lot of time across the bridge, in it's shadow, in the river.  

If you are using this spot as a base to do some hiking, fishing, or floating it's very convenient.  I am sure in Spring and Fall when river floating is not at it's peak, it's gorgeous and peaceful.  The raptors and songbirds are splendid.  We saw Bighorn sheep on the hill, big rock squirrels, wild turkeys with babies, and fish.  No rattlesnakes or ticks, but this is prime territory.  Hiking down the Umtanum Creek trail, over the suspension bridge, is one of my favorite hikes ever.

I camped here over the past weekend and had a wonderful time. There are a lot of campsites to use and they are somewhat close together but I was not disturbed by any of my neighbors near or far during my two night stay. The is a good amount of tree cover but also plenty of open spots usually around the center of each camp. At almost every location you can hear the water from the river but you can also hear the noises of cats along the highway which was the main reason I give it 4/5 stars. They have a water pump for fresh water but I would recommend having two people to operate it. Bathrooms were spartan but clean and usable. Every site that I saw (about 20) had fire pits with some type of built in grill top so if there is no ban I’d strongly recommend bring local firewood to cook your dinner and make some S’mores!

Stayed here with my dog. Beach and swimming area are NOT dog friendly. There are areas to play in the water but it’s not as accessible. Staff was pleasant. Like any other place follow all posted rules.

This is my favorite place to be, but only in the summer. I‘m not a fan during the Spring due to mud, foxtails, and mosquitos, though I did find a frog and that’s pretty neat. As soon as it heats up for summer it’s perfect. The landscape is gorgeous, there’s a sand dune right around the corner, and the sunsets are breathtaking. Be careful with dogs around the cliffs—there are rabbits and marmots around and your dog should be contained.

This is my second time. It is free good spaces to camp with a lot for trees. I always sleep on my car but people camp on tents on the forest. Dogs welcome

Came for the Ellensburg rodeo! Stayed here for a week, had a great time near the creek with our dogs! Attempted some fly fishing after seeing some others give it a shot with no luck. Tons of dispersed camping up and down the road! Spots are far enough away to give you good privacy.

We enjoyed one night at this national campground. Nice spacious private sites. Clean fire rings and adequate bathrooms. There was wild roosters running around which was difficult for our retrievers who are pheasant hunting dogs. The mossy cliff was beautiful and fun foot bridge. We were warned there’s a lot of rattlesnakes in summer,but we camped in February.

Dog wasn’t feeling well so took a chance and went up this USFS mostly paved road. There are lovely views on the trip up and a few roadside areas you could car or van camp in a pinch. Towards the top a couple private roads break off, and just above the now dirt USFS road continues. Here is 1 large, not terribly level, high clearance needed, site with fire ring and lots of parking options.

There wasn’t a lot of shade, so definitely bring a canopy if you have one. We camped along the river, and had absolutely no cell phone service while we were there. There was a dog fight, people partying loudly all night, and people trying to peek into our tents. The campsites were not as “dispersed” as I thought they’d be. Overall, it was just a bad experience. The view was nice though

Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have this property on our platform. This host offers a heated "Glabin" that is off-grid (no running water or electricity) "We suggest that you bring water bottles and snacks. There is a portapotty at your campsite." This is a set-up from tent camping!  There are also horses, cattle, chicken, and dogs on the property! Check them out and leave them some love.

This is one of my most favorite places to camp and just hang out during the day. Ive met great people out here and its so peaceful. Theres tons of trails and wild life. Ive been camping at this campground for over 30 yrs now havent missed one yet! So ill see up there! Im not working...me and my dog mischief are up on the trails somewhere.

In mid-June 2021, we packed our camping gear and our German Shepherd and rumbled into Kachess Campground for a one-night stand.  Our tent was staked into site 86 and we took the dog for a walk around the grounds.  I had been here in 2006, but did not realize just how big it was.  The good thing is you really can't sense its size due to trees and growth between the sites. There are campsites here for whatever your needs are:  We saw some pretty big rigs here, some secluded sites, spaces near either of the two creeks, and plenty of opportunity to camp very close to the lake.

We cooked a pretty traditional camper supper, hotdogs over a fire, potato salad, cut apples. Smores!  In the middle of the night, we woke to animal(s) walking outside our tent. I suspect it was a deer or two, with carefully placed footing, occasional crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs. Our dog made sure they knew he was there with a few low-key but throaty "woofs".  You know what I mean.  :)

There are trout at Kachess, kokanee too, but you might be more skilled at fishing than I am and actually be able to catch something here.  I skunked again.  As I always say, though, being here is the biggest catch, and a fish is a bonus.  Some say "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work".  Whatever you want to say, you'll enjoy yourself here.

We think we want to try the south end of the campground next time, along Gale Creek.  There's a pretty nice beach along that end. Dogs aren't allowed on that beach, though, nor are jetskis, canoes, kayaks, kites, frisbees or just about anything at all except swimming (look it up, I guess).  We pulled into that area just to have a look at it on our way out.  A seemingly harried groundskeeper told us all about what we couldn't do there (we hadn't even asked).  Maybe she was just having a bad day, but I don't know how anybody could have a bad day here.

It's gorgeous at Kachess, and smells like heaven.  Check it out sometime.

There is not a lot of room for big rigs so I would not suggest staying here If you're 20 + feet long. Plenty of car camping and is a popular spot for rock climbing. There's a trail down to the waterfall and one toilet but no tp so be prepared. Dog friendly and there's a boat launch at the very end of the drive.