Swift Forest Camp

The campground would be much better if they didn't have so many rules! We printed out 4 pages of rules!! The worst was that they close the entry gate at 8 PM, not 9 PM as in the old photo on their website!! The rules said that they would cancel our ENTIRE RESERVATION if if we did not check in before 8 PM. And it emphasized that with the phrase NO EXCEPTIONS! Well, we tried to get there on time, but coming down from Mt. Rainier we encountered road closures and lots of road construction with one lane traffic & flaggers. So, we were late our first night!! Thankfully, we found another place to camp that night, but were very worried since we had reserved 2 campsites for 3 nights!! Fortunately, the camp staff let us in the next morning and did not cancel our reservations!! The other rules which are very unusual and unnecessary are the rules against using alcohol and marijuana at our campsite! Geez! We were on vacation!! Alcohol and pot are both legal in Washington! It shouldn't matter as long as we don't bother other people!... Also, access points to the lake are minimal because of a cliff alongside the campground, and the lake is divided by long barriers which are very limiting to kayakers!... We would never stay at this campground again!!!

We had the WHOLE campground to ourselves. Last weekend available for camping here for the year. First come and free! Were right on the lake. Big campground nestled in the trees. Certainly quiet.

Great campground.  The individual campsites are well laid out and provide some privacy from your neighboring campsites.  Bathroom facilities are very good for camping.  The reservoir is very low.  We visited in August 2021 and it seems like the water level is down a good 25-30 feet.  Consequently, the designated swimming area is non-existent.  The debris booms are laying on the ground instead of floating in the water.  Fewer boats on the water and many campsites were not being used (although when we booked it showed they were sold out).  

AT&T cell coverage was great when you were in the open and by the reservoir, but poor when you were in your campsite and protected by trees.

Sign when we drove in said the park gates close at 9pm and alcohol was prohibited.

Nearest store was about 45 minutes away in Cougar.

Downers:  It was hot!  We visited during a heat wave and it got very hot, especially in the direct sunlight.  Made the tent a little unbearable.  Obviously not the campground's fault, but we were hoping to escape the heat and it provided less relief than we were hoping.  It was also a bit smokey from forest fires.  Not bad, but noticeable.  Bugs were bad.  Not so much mosquitos, but there were other smaller bugs that looked like gnats that ended up biting a bunch.  Bug spray is a must and worked well.  Last bit of  a downer was that the campsites are for RVs and tents and several campers would run their generators all day.  Given the heat and an RV's ability to generate AC, I don't blame them, but it's kind of a bummer to go "into nature" and have to listen to a gas generator run the entire day.

Overall, the campground is great. Well run and excellent location.  Just a bummer that the reservoir is so low.