Millersylvania State Park Campground

Just 20 minutes south of Olympia, WA you can pull off I-5 and pitch a tent beneath towering old growth Douglas Fir and Hemlock trees. This stunning state park reminds us both of the kinds of campgrounds we frequented as kids. 

Most of the campsites in the forest loops are small with limited parking and the narrow roads would not serve larger camper rigs. Our little 15 foot travel trailer made it in without any problem. The feeling of camping under the old-growth canopy is so classic Washington, but the solar gain is pretty minimal. Ironically, the electrical hookup sites, which more easily accommodate the big rigs, are out in a more cleared area where there would be solar gain for days. 

We camped on the closest loop to the full-hook up RV area and were able to get our solar suitcase out into the sunshine on its extension cord for a few hours. The bathrooms in the forest loops are pretty simple ranging from pit toilets to flush varieties with showers. There is a more modern bathroom facility with nicely clean and refreshing showers near the larger RV field. Things to do in this park are abundant. The water is super chill, shallow and warm. 

Only “cartop boats” are allowed in the lake, making it ideal for stand up paddle boards, small kayaking boats, inflatables, canoes, fishing dinghies and just swimming around.  Lightening storms in this part of the world are pretty rare, so very fun to see one over the lake while we were here.  The lake shore has some classic picnic shelters, built by the CCC, that are reservable, offer wood burning stoves, and lots of places to cook for a family get together. 

Hiking and trailing running in the park is wonderful, and with all the loops your efforts can range from 30 min strolls to half-day hikes. The trails are well mapped, and signed making it nearly impossible to get lost. 

Tumwater is about 10 miles away on country roads to the north, and Grand Mound is 10 or so miles to the south. Either of these communities provide the usual suburban supplies for groceries and restaurants. There are also some nearby convenience and general stores where you could pick up some ice and such. During the summer months the park has a small cafe and ice cream shop.

Stayed in site 202 in the RV section of the park. We had tents but enjoyed access to water and electricity. 202 is separate from the other camp sites which was great but can be downwind of the dump station and dumpsters. When the wind shifted it was bad. 202 also opens up to the main road entering the park. If you have small children or animals, I would not recommend this site for fear of them running into the street. This also resulted in a lot of campers thinking our site was a cut through and attempting to walk through our site at all hours. Upside was it was a short walk from our site to the lake, you don't have to walk through the rest of the campground but you do have to walk on the main road with no sidewalk. State park was clean and well maintained. Couldn't go 30 mins without seeing a park ranger or employee out and about. Lake was crowded from 11-5/6 but early mornings or late afternoon it really quieted down. Bathrooms by the RVs have the showers and a nice volleyball net set up. Would not recommend it if you are not kid friendly. This is a very kid friendly camp ground. Has a beer garden and snack shack but limited hours on those and rentals for the lake which was nice.

Clean facilities, some nice perks like a beer garden and ice cream and the lake is great. You’re packed in pretty close to each other, but the trees provide pretty good insulation. We enjoyed our stay.