Spanaway, Washington provides access to a range of camping areas within a short drive of the city. Nearby options include Dash Point State Park Campground in Federal Way, which accommodates tent camping, RVs, and glamping, and Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base in Tacoma, which offers RV sites and cabins. The region includes several state parks with developed campgrounds as well as military-affiliated camping areas that serve as convenient bases for exploring Mount Rainier National Park and the surrounding Cascade Mountains.
Many campgrounds in the area require advance reservations, particularly during summer months when visitation peaks. Most state parks require a Washington Discover Pass for day use, while overnight camping fees vary by location and amenity level. Weather conditions remain mild year-round, though winter brings increased rainfall and cooler temperatures. Campgrounds like Millersylvania State Park and Penrose Point State Park operate throughout the year, providing access to both forest and water recreation. Cell service varies significantly by location and carrier, with some areas offering reliable coverage while others have limited connectivity. As one camper noted about Dash Point State Park, "This campground is hidden in the middle of a major Western Washington city. Once in the campground, you would have no idea that you are surrounded by a sprawling metropolitan area."
Campers report high satisfaction with waterfront sites at several locations near Spanaway. Penrose Point State Park Campground on the Key Peninsula provides beach access and boat-in camping options, while Dash Point offers forest trails leading to shoreline areas. Mixed-use campgrounds like Lewis North Travel Camp feature amenities including electric hookups, showers, and picnic tables, making them suitable for various camping styles. Several visitors mentioned appreciating the balance of natural settings with proximity to urban conveniences. The campgrounds closest to Spanaway tend to be more developed with full amenities, while those farther out provide more secluded experiences. Noise levels vary by location, with some campgrounds experiencing highway sounds while others offer more peaceful settings among tall evergreens.
$20 / night
"Firstly, I just have to say what a positive and amazing experience I had at this campground. The volunteers were friendly, kind and absolutely awesome to interact with."
"The campground itself is tucked into a beautiful, forested area with plenty of trees and privacy between sites. Ours had a tent pad, fire ring, and picnic table."
"Excellent location for those with military access to the base - active duty, retired or family. 30/50 amp hookups. Beautiful views of American Lake. Pet friendly."
"It is in the wilderness, on the lake, but it is also fairly close to stores and gas stations. Long term max is 28 days per spot."
$25 - $42 / night
"It's about an hours drive from Paradise, which makes it less ideal than Cougar Rock if that's your destination, but the reservations do not fill up nearly as quickly."
"Walking distance to the day use beach area. Very clean showers. Well maintained sites and fire wood for sale with the camp host. A great spot for exploring near Mt. Rainer."
$12 - $35 / night
"Very friendly next to the lake plenty of things to do walking, biking, hiking, fishing, Military museums, not to far off of I-5. Full hookups laundry shower facilities. Cabins too."
"Unfortunately the restrooms right next to our site were closed so it was a slight walk to the nearest restroom. Restrooms were heated and well taken care of."
$35 - $58 / night
"Pros: group camp is very close to beach front area, GREAT CLAMMING AND OYSTERING!"
"Penrose Point State Park is a great place close to Seattle to go camping in a small or large group. It's tent or camper friendly with plenty of spots for busier seasons."
$8 - $32 / night
"Need to reserve your site online with the JBLM MWR or go to the adventure center building nearby on base. Nice access to American Lake and fishing nearby as well."
"This is a great spot on American Lake to camp with many sites on the waterfront. I would highly recommend this location to eligible military ID Card holders."
"Super peaceful, great fire pit location, water at the site entrance, portable restrooms away (but close), and best of all right at the river’s edge."
"We needed something close to the city, but didn’t want to feel like we were in the city, this fit the bill. People are very friendly and accommodating. The park is really clean."
"This campground has super friendly staff, decent bathrooms and showers, laundry facility, access to a lake, fishing is welcome, swimming allowed, great playground for kids, allows pets, has a small store"
"It was a larger site that sits next to the small creek. It was very pleasant and quiet. The bath house isn’t too far and was usually well stocked and clean."
$25 - $40 / night
"Rainier as it is within minutes of the Nisquilly entrance. The majority of the campsites were amid tall trees. "
"The sites are situated amongst beautiful tall trees, spacious and private. A beautiful creek runs through with a foot bridge with access to a beautiful meadow."
$12 - $45 / night
"This is a very nice, typical Washington state park with plenty of trees, greenery, hiking, pathways and even a lake."
"This is a beautiful park located on Deep Lake just outside of Olympia. The park itself is huge offering lots of options for campers. "
ScoutThe first time going was amazing! It was fall, and with the crowds gone, it was heaven on earth. The next time was the weekend and a summer getaway, with EVERYONE else, so it was noisy, crazy noisy. Now we only go during the week to avoid all the noise! Great, clean restrooms, and friendly staff. The lake and river offer plenty to do and see. We visit every year or two for the peace and quiet.
ScoutThe lake is lovely! Portos and fire rings. Medium-full on a June weeknight. Minor road noise. A little trash, a little local-party-spot vibe at times, but not bad. Would stay again as a solo female.
GuideGorgeous location. We saw one staff person working SO hard cleaning the campground of weekend trash. The bathroom was ghastly! Big door doesn’t close, the one shower stall so old I don’t think cleaning could help. Totally unsafe with just a couple curtains - no lock. Don’t go in there alone. If you play Pickle Ball you’re in luck - the Founders Course s are wonderful and the Club Members very welcoming!
ScoutVFW 969 Rec Park is clean and quiet. It's run by the VFW and has until recently been just for veterans and active military. They have now opened it to civilians for RV camping at just $50/day, tent camping at $20/day and up to 7 days. It is located right on the Carbon River with a couple awesome swimming holes. Nested between South Prarie and Orting. There is a biking/walking/running path that goes all the way between both towns and then some. There is onsite showers/toilets and coin operated laundry. Full court basketball, softball/kickball field, children's playground/swingset. There is guest parking first come first serve. Guests are allowed to use the clubhouse as long as they clean up after themselves. There is a big screen TV and comfy couch for movie nights and there are also board games and books. The clubhouse can also be rented out for events. (Speak to management for pricing) This place is a little slice of heaven tucked back out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the metro areas surrounding it. There is so much to do around the PNW and this is the perfect base camp.
ScoutBeautiful and clean campgrounds! Everyone was very respectful and the nights are very nice and quiet. No loud music was heard during our stay! Just real traditional camping. Very clean bathrooms that were cleaned twice a day! There are three facilities to buy firewood if needed around the campgrounds, and lake access was very close by!
GuideIt is first come first serve in may and it was not even half full. Gorgeous trees and secluded drive up rv spots. Big metal fire pits and picnic tables. Bear boxes if you can’t leave food in your vehicle. So cool to wake in the morning and just hike from where you are!
GuideWe could not find an rv park willing to rent to us for 1 day before returning our van the next morning to roadsurfer and flying out of SeaTac. This one did and they were so nice. Last minute on our way from mt ranier called and got a 1 night full hookup for the van. We could fill up water and dump before our return. Also took showers in their shower house and bathrooms. They have laundry as well. Everything is clean and everyone was super nice. Lots of nice campers stored and people who have made this their temporary home away from home. It’s old and right next to the highway. No fire pits and just a little grass but we couldn’t be happier!
GuideWe stayed at one of these dispersed camping spots memorial weekend. Wonderful spot. Plenty of room for our 3 dogs to play around in. Only one issue. Whoever was there before is pretty much emptied all their trash out there. We had extra trash bags so we bagged it all but we didn’t have a truck to load it and take it out. It was like 4 or 5 bags full and some random shelving. So weird. Why are some people like this.
Other than that it was a perfect spot for us.
TravelerThe free dispersed camping at Riffe Lake was wonderful. The views were amazing. It was quite accepting for the few RV’ers who ran their generators all night. But it didn’t bother us since we were in an RV ourselves (we just didn’t run our generator after 8pm). It was clean accept for a pile of trash bags left by one rude family. The lake is gorgeous, the rocks and driftwood were fun to sift through and the sunset was breathtaking. I highly recommend and we will stay again!
Camping spots near Spanaway, Washington lie within an hour of Mount Rainier National Park, with most campgrounds situated between 300-800 feet elevation. The region features second-growth evergreen forests that provide natural shade at most campsites, with summer daytime temperatures typically ranging from 70-85°F. Campgrounds in this area often experience rainfall even during summer months, so tarps and rain gear are recommended additions to camping equipment.
Fishing opportunities: American Lake at Lewis North Travel Camp - Joint Base Lewis McChord offers both shoreline and boat fishing access. "Full hookup was about $28/night. While located in Joint Base Lewis McChord the camp is close enough to I-5 so we had great cell reception," notes Michael C.
Beachcombing and tidal exploration: Dash Point State Park Campground provides access to Puget Sound beaches. "The beach is a short walk from camp, just long enough to make you feel like you earned your sunset view, but not so long that you regret your life choices. It's more of a rocky, muddy beach than a sandy one, but it's still great for exploring, skipping rocks," shares Saraj B.
Forest hiking: Multiple trail systems through second-growth forests are available at most area campgrounds. At Elkamp Eastcreek, "The meadow over the bridge is a hidden delight. Constant attention to the grounds regularly," mentions Amanda M., highlighting less-known natural features beyond the campgrounds.
Private, wooded sites: Campers consistently praise the feeling of seclusion despite proximity to urban areas. At Penrose Point State Park Campground, "Sites were reasonably private and quiet at night (except for a brief invasion of 6 raccoons at our site one night!)," reports Rachel, highlighting the wildlife encounters possible even at developed campgrounds.
Clean facilities: Multiple campgrounds maintain well-kept bathrooms and shower facilities. At Elkamp Eastcreek, visitors appreciate "The bathrooms were always clean. There's designated dish washing station (though there's no spout right now) and potable water station," according to Sarah Claire B.
Water access: Waterfront sites and swimming opportunities rank highly. At Alder Lake Park, "Alder lake is a great spot for both swim play and boating. The lake has a blocked off no wake area for those that wish to have swim fun and the rest of the lake is for small motorized water craft," mentions Mary C.
Military installation access: Several campgrounds near Spanaway require military ID. At Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base, "To a military ID card holder, you won't find a better deal. Full hookups, sites are a bit close, but the campground loop makes it feel spacious," notes Paul B.
Reservation windows: Many campgrounds fill quickly during summer months. For Game Farm Wilderness Campground, "Book early—reservations open January 1st!" advises Dale B.
Noise considerations: Highway and aircraft sounds affect some sites. At Lewis North Travel Camp, "You can hear the highway and occasional aircraft (mostly ch-47s) during the day but nights are quite convenient to I5 and PX," mentions William B.
Weather variability: Despite summer camping season, prepare for rain. At Dash Point, "Beautiful weather and close escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Clean facilities as well!" reports Braden T., noting good weather isn't guaranteed but appreciated when it happens.
Playground access: Camp Lakeview offers multiple recreation options. "This campground has super friendly staff, decent bathrooms and showers, laundry facility, access to a lake, fishing is welcome, swimming allowed, great playground for kids, allows pets," reports molly N.
Educational opportunities: Nature programs available at several state parks. At Penrose Point, "Our kids enjoyed taking part in the junior ranger program," shares Sarah H.
Swimming beaches: Look for designated swimming areas with gradual entry points. "We stayed at site C10 A in our tent with our children. It was a larger site that sits next to the small creek. The weekends get very busy but during the weeks it is a cozy little community," notes Julia B. about Camp Lakeview.
Site angles: Some campgrounds have unusual parking configurations. At Riverbend Campground, "This site does is a back in, but the slab is at a 90 degree angle from the drive. So you will have to back your trailer around a corner if you plan to park it on the slab. Didn't see other sites like this," warns Doug.
Hookup availability: Many campgrounds offer partial hookups only. "The site had water and electrical, but no sewer connections. They do have a nice dump station," notes Doug about Riverbend Campground.
Cell service considerations: Coverage varies significantly by location and provider. "Cell signal is very weak for t-mobile and trees prevent starlink from working well," reports Terry W. about Holiday Park Famcamp, while Dash Point offers better connectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the best campgrounds in Spanaway, WA?
The Spanaway area offers excellent camping options within a short drive. Dash Point State Park Campground stands out for its clean, beautifully laid out facilities and friendly volunteers. For military families, Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base provides convenient access near Tacoma with big-rig-friendly sites. Other top options nearby include Silver Springs Campground along the river and Game Farm Wilderness Campground. Most locations require reservations, especially during peak summer months, so booking in advance is recommended.
What amenities do Spanaway camping sites offer?
Camping sites around Spanaway typically provide a range of amenities to enhance your outdoor experience. Silver Springs Campground offers well-distributed spaces with beautiful riverside locations and helpful site staff. Lewis North Travel Camp provides water hookups, toilets, and reservable sites. Many campgrounds in the area feature fire rings, picnic tables, and potable water. Some locations offer shower facilities, dump stations for RVs, and electricity hookups. The more developed sites may include playgrounds, hiking trails, and boat launches, while more remote options focus on basic necessities for a rustic experience.
Are there tent-specific camping areas in Spanaway?
Yes, the Spanaway region has several excellent tent-specific camping areas. Penrose Point State Park Campground near Lakebay offers walk-in and hike-in tent sites in a peaceful setting. For those seeking a more rugged experience, White River Dispersed Camping provides beautiful tent camping spots right beside the river. Many tent campers also enjoy Alder Lake Park and Camp Lakeview, which offer designated tent areas separate from RV sections. When tent camping in this region, be prepared for typical Pacific Northwest weather conditions with proper rain gear, especially outside of summer months.
Keep Exploring
