Best Glamping near Ariel, WA

Stunning view of the mountain backdrop- crystal clear waters-access to a small shop and water activity rentals which is fun. There is a resort , and cabins as well as tent camping which I prefer. The lake itself is “busy”with families and kids during the day but nice clean camping otherwise -some might even call it glamping but it’s worth it for the view and having access to the activities the next morning.

This place is incredible. First to cover the basics.

The internet is super fast - I was getting 75mbps up/down when I was in my tent.

They have power/water hookups at each parking spot. The glamping tents have heaters, lights etc. There are heated indoor bathrooms with nice free hot water showers just a short walk away.

This place is at a year round camp/school that has multiple skate parks, trampolines, mountain biking courses, all season ski jumps etc. it’s an action sports camp.

They provide things like firewood and ice which they put in your cooler.

The people are super nice and accommodating. Ask for Jim - he handles all the camping stuff.

The gist: Right off of I5 but far enough you can’t see it (sounds like a waterfall or a strong river)

Well-maintained sites

Clear signage

Wood for purchase

Walk-in sites are well spaced (we can’t hear our neighbors!)

No bugs! (June)

Summary: We reserved the last site of the walk-ups and are very happy with our choice. It’s the last site on a trail leading to a seasonal waterfall and riverbank where we are paddleboarding, floating, and swimming for the day. Weather and bugs turned out amazing and we feel so spoiled by this spacious, private campsite that feels far away but is only 1000 feet from the car (and society). If you do reserve a walk-up site make sure you bring some kind of cart! So glad our cooler was on wheels. As an occasional backpacker I would call this glamping since there’s tons of cell service and so many amenities.

Our family has had the privilege of enjoying Columbia Gorge Getaways on three separate occasions and each time was a joyous and exceptional experience. Our first time staying was for a friend's wedding. Everything was perfect from start to finish and hands down one of the best weddings we have been to from the stunning Ceremony site overlooking the luscious forest to the fun event space perfect for any gathering. We stayed in a Bell tent and I have never slept so soundly as I did for this cozy glamping weekend. The bathrooms have everything you need and being amongst friends and family in such a gorgeous space was pure bliss. 

We gathered again for a lovely baby shower on a perfect Spring day! Again, the event space was such a great spot and our kids loved play area and fun lawn games! 

The last time we stayed we brought our tent and loved it. We were amazed at how comfortable and spacious our site was along with a lovely picnic table to enjoy our meals. The kids loved running around the safe and friendly campsite and playing in the play space. They have been hounding us to return and we cannot wait! We will be recommending Columbia Gorge Getaways to everyone as the perfect gathering spot! Thank you for the wonderful experiences each and every time.

Wonderful stay! Gracious, welcoming hosts! Privacy! Turn key camping! Farm Animals! Clean! Proximity to Portland! This place is great!

The Details: This was our first glamping trip and we booked via Tentrr. Our site had a large canvas tent with all the comforts of home: queen bed, heater, water, seating, a desk, WiFi, and even a front porch with two Adirondack chairs. We also added a second tent (large dome tent) for our friends and their two kids to stay in.

There is an awesome, covered kitchen area with three burner propane stove, kitchen sink, prep station, picnic table, food storage bin, soap and hand sanitizer, and more. We brought our camping supplies for cooking, and didn’t need most of them.

The fire area was one of our favorite areas. Lots of seating, bev holders, firewood and tools (Hatcher, fire starter etc), and even a citronella plant. We didn’t see a single mosquito while we were there.

The Loo is amazing! SUPER clean and creative. It has a clean and non-smelly compostable toilet, hand washing area, and very creative/useful shower. The shower worked so well and was unexpected!

For kids: you’re basically camping next to a pet zoo! We had a farm tour by our wonderful hosts (Lisa and Bonnie). The kids got to feed alpacas, goats, ducks, and even Jack-Jack the donkey! This was the highlight for the kids! The kids also loved the playground on site too.

We got some great hiking in on the Lewis River too. About 15 minutes for our site are Moultain, Lucia, and Yacolt Creek Falls.

This was truly “turn key” camping. We appreciated the less time setting up and more time enjoying the outdoors that this place offers.

Definitely stay here! You’ll love it!

This campground is about 20 minutes away from my parents place in Longview Wa. About 5 miles off of the freeway next to Silver Lake and the Mt Rainier Visitor Center. The campground is on the other side of the highway and you will need to drive to get to either location.

This is a pretty large campground, with spaces for RVs/ Trailers, tents and a loop of yurts called Yurt village. There are a few bathrooms and showers, all are ADA friendly.

My kids loved the addition of a playground. Many parks dont have this and it kept them entertained for hours. There is a bathroom and extra parking right next to the playground. They also host junior ranger programs during the summer. There are tons of trees reminiscent of Endor ;) and tons of places to hike. Trail entrances are clearly marked.

The yurt village was my favorite part about this campground. If you are camping with a large family this would be a perfect spot to try and rent all the spaces. you would essentially have your own bathroom, outdoor play area and there is a camp host dedicated solely to the yurts.

Bring bug spray, they werent too bad, but I am prone to mosquito bites and got hit.

Nice state park. Close to freeway for easy access. Nice walking paths. Typical state park yurt set up.

I love Seaquest for their beautiful campsites and the proximity to a wonderful forest to bathe in. But don't go for the RV sites, which are laid out in a parking lot setting with no real distance from neighbors and not surrounded by trees. Unless that's your jam. It was definitely not ours, tent camping alongside some friends with a trailer who liked nothing more than to hang out at said trailer, and walk through the campground to look at other.. trailers. I don't think they even stepped foot in the 7+ miles of forest trails which is a few steps away. If you can step away from the hookups and get a real campsite off the RV pad, it is a stunning experience. Each site is surrounded by trees, creating privacy and serenity.  Another great option is the yurts. We stayed in Yurt 2 (the only pet friendly yurt) and loved it. 

For those with RV's, trailers, campers - look into the regular sites because I think some of them even have hookups and can accommodate most sizes. Just steer clear of RV sites T1-T16.

Campground close to highway questionable people. We had planned a day trip to check out the yurts and only drove through because it was so bad. Skip this one and head to seaquest.

Love this Park! Under 2 hr drive from Portland. Big campground with large private sites. Also has yurt village separated from campground by day use area. Great place for families! Always quiet clean and family friendly!

I've camped here a few times each year but I visit the park frequently for day-use throughout the summer. I typically camp here a few days in October or November during the off-season. The rates are a little less expensive then $25/night for a partial hook-up site (water & electric). The peak season rate is $30/night. They have 27 of partial hook-up sites; 15 full-hookup sites $40 peak and $35 off-season; 27 tent sites, $20/night and 5 yurts, $40/night. Extra vehicles are $5/night and extra tents are $10/night.

During the summer reservations are highly recommended because this is a favorite place for many people in the area.  Reservations may be made up to fourteen months in advance.  And they've recently required online reservations but you an make them from the office if necessary. Also the park now has reliable internet.

Check in: 2:00 p.m.  Check out: 12 noon

Yurts*: 3:00 p.m.  Yurts* 11 a.m. * yurt check in and check out times adjusted to allow staff extra cleaning time 6 persons and one vehicle allowed per site

The park is right on the Columbia River not too far from Astoria Oregon which is a gateway for international shipping. On any given day up to 10 ships can be found at anchor in the Columbia River along the Astoria waterfront waiting for berths to open upriver. Skamokawa is upriver and those ships pass right by Vista Park. You'll get some great photographs and the kids will love seeing huge ocean liners and even cruise ships passing by during your visit.

Skamokawa is a friendly quaint little town. If you visit in August be sure to check out the Wakhaikum County Fair. You can walk to the fairgrounds from the park (the town in so small you can walk to anywhere in town from the park.)  Be sure to visit the Friends of Skamokawa/River Life Interpretive Center when you're there.

The camping area isnt close to the water at all, unless you have a cabin or yurt spot, but its a fairly nice campground, we went in early May and there was stilk snow where our tent was gonna go, so watch for that! It’s a beautiful view though!

We have stayed at Lost Lake a couple of times now, once in a tent and once in a yurt. The lake is fun for fishing and renting a little boat or canoe to get onto the water. The store has a little of everything, though as you would expect, a little pricey.

This is a great campground for families. They have bathroom facilities and an old school playground. We stayed in the yurt village, which was outstanding. The park staff works hard to keep this place clean. The Mt. St. Helens visitors center is a 10 minute walk from the campground. There is a wonderful ADA accessible 1 mile trail that goes through the wetlands.

Cute little place, showers, potable water, toilets, buy wood, etc. Has two yurts also. A little steep at 30.00/nt to camp. You have to drive or walk a ways to the river which has a day use area with bbqs & picnic tables. The day use area also provides life jackets if you forget yours. The selling point for this camp ground was the disc golf c.ourse

The only thing missing from this amazing camping spot is electricity and running water. Otherwise, it’s perfect! Absolutely gorgeous view of Mt. Hood, tons of hiking, a beautiful lake and camping spots for everyone. They have walk-in spots, yurts, a-frames, RV spots, a horse camp and even a few rooms at the lodge. Make sure to spend at least 3-4 days!

The views of Mt. Hood are amazing from this lake. Spent the day in a canoe, exploring the lake. Stayed in one of the yurts, which would have been better if it was away from the tent camping. Neighbors were a bit close. After exploring we did see that there were many sites that were more private...next time we will reserve those. You can rent boats, canoes, etc, and there is a store that has anything you would need. Very nice staff.

This place gets CROWDED, and is hard to drive around/walk around due to the amount of day users.  Stayed in a cute yurt which was a bit of walk from the lake (~.25 mi) which is fine but getting my kayak down was a bit of a pain due to the amount of people occupying the road/parking etc.   Stunning views and didn't see anybody on the hike up to lost lake.  Store was poorly set up and chaotic, check in process took quite some time and was confusing.

It's a really pretty park. Very family friendly. The day use area is huge with a playground. Dry wooded sites. Stayed in a hookup spot with power and water. Pretty large spot and well kept. The full hookup spot are just a field. I hate that type spot, I prefer more privacy when I camp and the site I was in was really nice. The park is well laid out with a good mix of RV and tent sites plus yurts and a couple walkin sites. The restrooms are clean. They have pay showers. Over all it's a very nice place to camp and I would recommend it.

stayed at one of the yurts here. its right off i-5, so we thought it would be a great idea to stay here while exploring Portland and the nearby casino. (we're from Lynnwood.) 

Lots of beat up cars/trailers that move around from night to night, not sure if they were paying for their spots lol. and lots of homeless people hanging by the bathroom at 3am. 

one day, my wife and i came back to our site at 7pm after exploring portland that day, and we'd found a car parked in front of our site. - they probably had thought that we weren't coming back for the night as it was getting late lol. 

i would not stay here again.

I have kind of a love/hate thing going on for Lost Lake Campgrounds.

Pros: It is beautiful. There's a reason it's one of Oregon's most photographed sites. There's a 3-mile hike around the lake that shows Mt. Hood and its lovely reflection in the lake. There's fishing, swimming, boating, and a camp store that has "It's It" ice cream (definitely a pro). The camp sites are nice, decent sized, and surrounded by trees.

Cons: It is crowded. We're talking thousands of people on a nice summer weekend, traffic jams, and no place to actually make it into the lake (except right at the boat dock) unless you claim your picnic spot really early. There's also no cell phone reception (at all), and while that may sound lovely in theory, when you're a family trying to find each other somewhere on the trail or in the campground it's a real pain.

On weekends and holidays, you also need to book not two, but three nights in a row (Thursday/Friday and Saturday, for example), so if you're trying to get away for a regular 2-day weekend you're out of luck.

In general: 140+ camp sites including several walk-in-only sites right near the lake. There's also cabins and yurts, though those don't include a bathroom on site, so the $70-$150+ seems pretty steep for still having to use an outhouse (we haven't stayed in the cabins personally yet, but have seen them in person). You can book online for both cabins and camp sites (reserveamerica for the camping).

Tips: For day trips, there's a $8 parking fee that you can avoid if you park outside of the entrance and walk the 1/4 mile or so. Also, cabins and yurts are half-price in May, something we may remember for next Memorial Day well in advance (since everything books up so quickly).

Campground Review:

I recently visited one of my favorite campgrounds with my family. Seaquest is at the base of Mt St Helens, right next to the Mt St Helens Visitor Center. They have tons of activities for kids and a great learning space about the volcano. At the campground, there are easy trails for kids to go on. The campground is surrounded by trees and wildlife. One thing I love about this space is the yurts are in their own area. We have yet to take advantage of reserving all the yurts at once for a family event, but I am excited for when we do. There is an amazing playground for the littles at the center of the campground. If you reserve a campsite around the playground, you can very easily sit at the fire, while being able to keep an eye on the littles.

Product Review

I also love how quiet and safe this campground is. I allow my littles to ride their bikes through this campground. Using the Midland X-Talkers with them makes communication so much easier! Each child, my husband, and I were able to have a radio. My girls were in love with their "camping phones". I was able to put their radios on their bikes very easily and by turning the volume up all the way, they were able to ride and listen. The radios have belt clips that held up during my run and my girls' bike rides. They also are small enough that they fit easily in a 6-year-olds pocket. I plan on making a clip for their bikes for easy holding on their handlebars. The range was tested to over five miles!! The only downside was the radios used 4 AAA batteries rather than having a rechargeable battery. However, so far, it seems like the battery life is really good, so I can't complain that much. We tested these with Midland radios one of my uncles has, and the radios were compatible with the X-Talkers so my young cousins could use them.

Overall, I am very impressed with the radios and look forward to using them for future trips.

https://midlandusa.com/product/x-talker-t20x4-walkie-talkie-four-pack/