Established Camping
La Wis Wis Campgroundm- TEMPORARILY CLOSED
About
National Forest
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Overview
Situated at the confluence of three waterways near Mount Rainier, La Wis Wis is nestled under a canopy of towering Douglas firs and red cedars. The handful of sites that dot the riverbank enjoy the most sunshine. With an abundance of activities nearby, La Wis Wis is a popular destination for long-stay camping. Its proximity to Mount Rainier National Park makes it an excellent base for exploring all of the area's natural wonders.
Recreation
Hikers can easily access the Blue Hole Trail and Purcell Falls Trail from La Wis Wis. Anglers can fish for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and whitefish at either Butter Creek or Skate Creek.
Facilities
La Wis Wis is ideal for tents, car campers and truck campers with a slide-in. The Hatchery Loop sites can accommodate RVs, but navigation through other parts of the campground may be difficult due to narrow roadways and large trees. The campground features 122 sites, including walk-in tent camping. Both vault and flush toilets are available. Picnic tables, picnic shelters and grills are provided. Drinking water is available on-site at the main part of the camp. Campers staying at the Hatchery Loop need to bring potable water or get water at the main site.
Natural Features
Located in southwest Washington State, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses 1.3 million acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, established by Congress in 1982. La Wis Wis is located in the Tatoosh Wilderness area of the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District. The campground sits where the Ohanapecosh River, Cowlitz River and Purcell Creek meet. The campground features old-growth forest and opportunities to observe a variety of wildlife.
Nearby Attractions
La Wis Wis is located near the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The popular Henry M Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise within Mount Rainier National Park is 28 miles away.
contact_info
This location has limited staffing. Please call (360) 686-3008 for general information.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancellations Individual Campsites: Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee.__ A visitor who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee including tax and applicable add-on for a campsite. Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Group Sites Group Facility (including Cabins and Lookouts): A visitor who cancels a group overnight facility reservation less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee. No-Shows A no-show visitor is one who does not arrive at a campground and does not cancel the reservation by check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. No-shows are assessed $20.00 service fee and forfeit the first night's rate, taxes and applicable add-on for a campsite.____ Refunds Visitors may submit a refund request through their Recreation.gov profile within 7 days of the end date of their reservation. Refunds will not be issued after the 7 days has ended. Refunds for debit or credit card payments will be issued as a credit to the original bank or credit card used to pay. For check or cash purchases, Recreation.gov will mail a Treasury check for refunds of cash, check, or money order payments to the address associated with the reservation. Treasury check refunds may take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive.__ In the event of an emergency closure, the Recreation.gov team or facility manager will refund all fees and will attempt to notify you using the contact information within the Recreation.gov visitor profile.
Fee Info
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Pull-Through Sites
- Big Rig Friendly
A beautiful campground.
This campground has a spectacular shade canopy, if you’re looking to escape the heat. There are no flush toilets, as stated on this website. A new water system is being installed, along with new vault toilets in A-Loop. Host sites will also have electricity!
My Favorite Campground EVER
This large national forest operated campground wasn't up to full operations from COVID when we visited last summer, so our bathroom was closed and we had to use porta potties, but otherwise it was my favorite campground, I think ever. Privacy, gigantic lichen-draped douglas firs and yellow cedars, tons of thimbleberry to snack on, and adjacent Cowlitz River to play in. With a little hiking, there is a swimming hole and you can jump off rocks into the freezing cold water. According to the kids, this is the coldest water they experienced on our whole PNW/coast trip.
People were not worried about bears here (or anywhere in WA, really), in case you're traveling from a non-bear area and wondered about bear boxes. We mostly didn't get cell service at our site (Verizon), but my son got a call through to my husband a couple times on his older Samsung while my iPhone never got anything through. Water didn't taste great. Maybe bring a filter or your own water to drink.
Perfect proximity to Mt. Rainier. Really nice vibe in the campground and with the people. Just absolutely gorgeous and perfect.
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Great place!
The camp site are nice and you can plenty along the river. Wood is sold at times but if needed you can drive to pack wood and grab the wood needed.
Location
La Wis Wis Campgroundm- TEMPORARILY CLOSED is located in Washington
Directions
From Packwood, Washington, go 5 miles east on State Route 12 to Campground.
Coordinates
46.6738889 N
121.5877778 W