Douglas Falls Grange Park Campground

What a beautiful spot! We arrived the weekend before Memorial Day weekend and stayed 3 nights. Saw eagles and deer right from our site. The vaulted toilets made life easy and the camp host was beyond friendly and helpful. The very small hike to the falls was only steps away from our site, and one of the sites you could even see the falls! We didn’t choose that one cuz it was full shade and a little noisy for my taste. The sites are roomy and pretty darn spaced out so we couldn’t hear the neighbor we had for a night. It’s about 10 min from colville, but make sure you get wood before hand, you can gather from the area, but stopping at a store to grab it costs a fortune. We might have to make this a regular spot, we loved it so much.

Our site #3 was tucked into a spacious area with tall pines. There was a wooden picnic table and metal firepit. The retro vault toilet was clean as was the entire campground. There was a camp host when we were there in early September but am unsure if this is year around. The waterfall was a short walk from our campsite and is very scenic falling over a rock face.

Campsites are clean, well spaced so you aren't sitting on your neighbors lap. It's fairly spacious as far as the hiking and nature paths you can explore. Sites are limited, I think there might be a total of 17 or so, some of which are day use only, but we have FULLY enjoyed our stay both times, and our dog is a huge fan as well! The water is clean, can't really swim considering it's more of a creek, but you can get in and cool off, fish, hike the creek itself or the several beautiful paths that seem to take you into your own private nature getaway. Lol, I am packing up to go again in the next few days. And the people that take care of the park are super small town friendly!

Camped here earlier in the year. Found it last minute after the sun went down. Quickly got a fire going in the fire pit and settled in. Wooded, cozy, bathrooms if needed. Honestly, we just stayed for the night, got up early, quickly checked out the nearby falls, and headed out. Our campsite, #5, wasn't that big but it fit the bill. The sites are decently spaced, although given I tend to prefer dispersed camping, I find most formal campgrounds can sometimes feel a bit crowded.

Would go back again to better explore the area, but I could take or leave this specific campground. Still giving it four stars because I feel like it could have more to offer for those willing to hunker in for a bit and poke around some, which we didn't have time to do.

Ranger Review: Aftershokz Trekz Air at Douglas Falls Grange Park

Campground Review:

 Wow! Wow! Wow!

First off, a bit about the campground itself. It is owned by the local grange, right next to the Colville National Forest. It is free with a Discover pass. The discover pass is $10 for a day or $30 for a year and needed for a lot of parks in Washington. It is also located just outside of Colville, where you can get anything you need. There is about 8-15 sites. Why don’t I know? Well the campground loop intercepts the day use area, and what is a site, compared to the day use area, we can’t tell. On the main campground loop there is 8 sites. In the day use area, site #9 appears to be the only marked ADA accessible site, though many of the others seem just as accessible. Site #10 and #11 are a slight downhill walk from the parking area. Site 10 does not have a clear parking spot, where all of the other sites do. Site #12 is basically in the parking lot. When we arrived we drove the main loop and there were a few other campers, then we came to the day use area and site #12 had a tent pitched there.  There is a short car road that is a one way access with additional sites #13 #14 and #15, this road was closed, but may open in the future. There were black table cloths on the tables, indicating not to use. All sites have a fire ring, and picnic table. Some have a cute log bench right next to the fire.

There is no garbage service at this campground. Pack it in, pack it out, please, leave no trace. There are vault toilets supplied with plenty of toilet paper, they were very clean and have an air freshener that almost makes you forget you are in a vault toilet! There is a huge field with a backstop for baseball/softball, a covered picnic area, Horseshoes, hiking trails (with the main one being a 1.5 mile nature loop) and the highlight was a gorgeous 60 foot waterfall that you can see from the parking lot or take short walk to. There is also a pretty cool suspension bridge!

I had low expectations of this place, but I was very surprised! We took site #10 which is about 20 feet away from the upper portion of the falls. This site is a short walk from the parking lot, so you do have to walk your gear in.  The only other site in this area is #11 and it is a good distance away. From our site there is a small trail that leads to the main trail which goes to the top of the falls. If you take the main trail from the look out to the right there is access to the bottom of the falls. I listened to the waterfall all night and it was so peaceful and soothing I slept peacefully. The moon light over the falls was amazing, I wish I had my good camera! Did I mention the wildlife? Hawks, deer, super squirrels, Eagles, Chipmunks, Robins, Magpie and more! 

Over all, I hated it, you shouldn’t go there so I can have it ALL to myself! But really, this is a fantastic place to camp. It’s a beautiful piece of land, with so much to see and do. Go, have fun, and thank me later!

Product Review:

Aftershokz Trekz Air- Bone Conduction Headphones.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, sometimes I have the opportunity to review new products in exchange for an honest review. At this campground I tested Aftershokz Trekz Air- Bone Conduction Headphones. https://aftershokz.com/collections/all/products/trekz-air

These headphones are a wave of the future. Instead of sitting in your ear like most headphones, they sit on your jawbone. They are Bluetooth, so that means wireless! They are super easy to pair and connect with your phone. As with all technology, it is really best to charge them straight out of the box. The colored light on the side of the headphone is red if it is not charged or blue if it’s fully charged. The pads that sit on your jawbone sends vibrations through the bone to your year. They come in sleek colors, and they are so lightweight and comfortable you can forget they are there. The point of these headphones is to be able to hear the outside world around you and still listen to your tunes. This keeps you attentive to other people in the office or, in my case, able to hear your music over roaring waterfalls on the trail.

I had never heard of bone conduction technology before these headphones, and I certainly will remember now. These are funky and fresh. I love them, I love that they stay on my head while on the go, no cords to untangle and get in the way, or earbuds to pop out of my ear while walking. If you are not moving, the vibrations can be a little intense at higher volumes or songs with more bass, it makes it feel a little strange. They have a six hour battery life, and only takes about an hour and a half to charge. I also wish that there was a voice control in these as well so I could continue being hands free and answer the phone, skip songs or pause, at the same time. I hear that it’s in the works though, so I’m willing to wait. Plus, the button controls are easy to use, so it’s not a deal breaker. They come with a great carrying bag, ear plugs (if you don’t want to hear the world around you, you can use the earplugs to intensify to the volume of the Trekz Air.) and a charging cord. They also have a great warranty, return and exchange policy. There also arrived super quickly, I have been able to use them for a few weeks before the review, giving me the opportunity to get used to them and form an opinion.

These are by far the best headphones I have ever had and I don’t think I can go back to earbuds. I would definitely recommend these to anyone!

One of my new favorite campgrounds I found while researching for the Dyrt was Douglas Falls Grange Park. I must admit I was sceptical on my way up there as there isn't much on the net about it and it is less than 5 miles from Colville, a decent size town. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a well kept oasis that gives the feeling of being far from civilization. I saw no sign of noise/light pollution from the town 5 min. away, on the other side of the mountain.

Probably the most notable feature of this campground is its namesake, Douglas Falls. There are views of it from the parking lot as well as trails to the top and base with access to other trails. Another nice thing about this place is the extensive day use facilities. There is a groomed field with backstop, next to a covered group of tables and bathrooms.

I saw around 15 sites total with 2 clearly marked for day use and one was ADA. They mostly offered good spacing and sometimes even seclusion. My favorite sites were 10 and 11 as they were closest to the waterfall, tho many of the others seemed great also. There were bathrooms and potable water centrally located in both sections of the park. Since it is a state run park, camping is free for up to 7 days if you have a Discover pass, which is $10 a day, $30 for the year, or free from a wa public library! Keep in mind all sites are first come first served with no reserving, so show up early.

If you find you need a change of pace while camping here there is the aforementioned town of Colville just 5 minutes away with a walmart, several grocery stores, and even a drive-in theatre! It also has many other little shops and eateries. About 15 minutes on the other side of Colville is the Columbia river which provides lots of opportunities for hiking, swimming, boating, and fishing plus more activities.

Overall this campground is great and I hope you are able to get the same wonderful experience I did from it.

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