Best Cabin Camping near Clarkston, WA

We dreaded dealing with crowds over the 4th of July weekend and back in March, this was one of the few state parks where I could get reservations in this area. Keep in mind that "this area" is about 40 minutes from Clarkston, the nearest town so make sure you stock up and don't count on cell service (except for the top of Puffer Butte!) The campground is small - only 20 sites but even on July 3, there were still a handful of empty sites. It was very quiet. Some sites are pull through and some are larger than others (mostly the ones on the outside of the loop) Site 16 was large and could accommodate several vehicles and tents. One restroom that was very clean with my three necessities: soap, hand dryers, and garbage. Coin-operated shower but make sure you have quarters because there is not always a staff person to give you change. Firewood is on the honor system at $5 per bundle. There is an actual spring that the park is named for but it was still turned off (didn't know you could turn a spring on/off?) There are teepees, cabins, and shelters and it appears to be a popular place in the winter for cross country skiing and tubing. The 2+ mile roundtrip hike to the Puffer Butte is a must as the three state view (WA, ID, OR) is sweeping and gorgeous. Other than that, we enjoyed a quiet two nights at this state park

Freeman Creek at Dworshak State park has great opportunity for all levels of camping. Tent sites, RV/Trailer sites, or a few small primitive cabins (no bathrooms or kitchens in the cabins). There is also access to the reservoir for boating, fishing or to mini-camp sites all along the reservoir. Kokanee fishing is great from March to about late July. The spawn begins in August, so the fish move up the reservoir as the season progresses. Smallmouth bass fishing is great! The Idaho state Smallmouth record was caught in this lake. Day use parking is available for a small fee. For Idaho residents with the State Parks pass reduces the fee. A lot of wildlife viewing too! If you are lucky you may see a black bear feeding on blackberries, deer are numerous, elk frequent the lake, and one of my favorites is to watch Osprey dive in the lake for fish.

I have been at this park in every month of the calendar, but only camped from April thru October.

To start, what a gorgeous area! Quiet, calm, nice. 

At first when we rolled into our spot I thought I was going to be in huge trouble- drive through spot with a wicked drop off on the right side (camper door side) with the fire pit and picnic table at the bottom. I pictured kids falling, food mishaps, general non fun trudging up and down. Well, it actually turned out ok: we moved our 5th wheel as far from the edge as possible which allowed for a decent platform and we ended up having a birds eye view of what all the kids were doing. If that's still a problem, be mindful of what site you are signing up for, meadow ones are available. 

• Bathrooms and showers were ok, though the standard, push the button every 30 seconds to have water flow in your shower is a little annoying (maybe i'm just a princess). 
• Sweet little nature trails were pretty and easy for smaller children to walk through. 
• Easy lake access is only in the park/play area. The rest of the lake access is a pretty blunt drop off from forest to water (read: no wadding in the sand). But the play area was pleasant. I heard that this year (2021) is was a bit more run down than usual so maybe next year it'll improve??? We still enjoyed the water and had a ton of fun finding tadpoles. 
• You can rent SUPs and canoes and have a little explore around the lake. Very enjoyable.
• NO CELL SERVICE. You just have to be present with one another. 
• Important for our family- when we went in June, there were next to no mosquitos! My poor teenager usually gets eaten alive anywhere we go and he left unscathed! 
• THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP::::: Even though we loved the location, we won't be returning simply because of the road to get there. Google maps wrecked us- I selected "quickest route" and had NO warnings that we would be driving up the narrowest gravel road with a 11% incline!!!! We have a diesel F350 but towing a big 5th wheel made it horrifying. Please be smarter than me and do your research. Once we started the decline it was mercifully paved but signage posted stated "2 road lane can be used as single lane" as it becomes the Lombard St for recreational vehicles! I saw some class A's that had boats towed behind them and I'm not entirely sure they didn't use witchcraft to make it work.

Upon arrival, we immediately felt the peacefulness. Our site was tucked into the pines creating a canopy of coolness in the midst of the oppressing heat of this record breaking year.

The sites are somewhat level. Easily adjusted to make them work. The space between sites are not as generously spaced as with othe Idaho SP we have stayed in. There are vault toilets throughout the campground with one building that houses flush toilets and 2 shower stalls. They are older but squeaky clean.

There's a great day use area that has a large covered pavilion, playground and boat launch/ pier. I don't fish, but loaner poles are available at the visitor center. The boat launch is further around the lake and provides ample parking and a vault toilet. No motorized watercraft are allowed on the lake which makes it a wonderful place to kayak and SUP.

There are a few trails around the lake. Nothing hard. There are tons of thimbleberries bushes along the road yo the boat launch and were just about ripe. They are so delicious!

Enjoying the peace and quiet of the SP should be your expectation as there is not a lot of other options nearby.

2 bars AT&T LTE

Pro note: Wolf Track micro brewery is about 30 min. away in Cottonwood. Good beer. Also, stop at the Bark Park just as you enter the town of Cottonwood. You'll understand once you visit.