Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ellensburg, WA

We’ve camped here a number of times and love it. 4 kids and a dog. We’ve tent camped, stayed in the cabins and our class C RV. We’ve been in a variety of spots around the campground. Our favorite were tent camping over the river and being close to the playground & dog park on the RV. The store is the best I’ve come across at a campsite. Great kid craft activities, nice playground, yummy pancake breakfast, great access for swimming in the river. We walk to town. It’s awesome.

So I tried booking a spot through this app, and then cashapp was pending the purchase. I ended up calling the campground and they never received my booking. So I waited about 10 min and then I seen that my money was refunded. I ended up calling the camp back and booking it through over the phone. Same price....so I don't see what discount might have done. And also this campground or the lady who answered the phone had never heard of this APP...and named a few partners they work with....this app not being one of them...so...I don't know... ANYWHO.....

Stayed one night, the site 204 was a little difficult to find. The on-site store was pretty good size, from what I saw they had camping gear and regular convenience store stuff. When we got there there was only 1 other tent/ family set up a space away. The site was In a good place, just a walk away from the river. We did have like 2 hornets make their way into our tent. I used the showers behind the dog park, which had 2 shower stalls. And was empty. Hot water instantly, cute lil set up. The campground it self was pretty big...like it was a little town...big play area for kids, lake looked big, same with dog park. Then I took a walk around on the path, and followed the river (as in picture). Quiet time at 10....woke up early and packed up...felt safe, didn't get bothered..no trouble checking In...loved it...

This is my new favorite spot to camp in Washington. The spaces are well distributed, the location right next to the river is beautiful and the site staff were extremely gracious. I’d strongly recommend picking a number between 2 and 10 as those are the closest sights to the river if you’re looking to enjoy the sounds of the water. There is also a full bathroom at around the mid 20s if you’d prefer a functional toilet system.

Great little campground. Along a little river but not right at campsites. Crawdad along banks at night. Lots of bats at night. Right off of highway. Restroom with fresh water access. No electricity, no on site manager/ranger. No cell reception for t-mobile customers. Burn bans in effect typically in the late spring to early fall dependant of course on the amount of annual moisture in the region. Sold out prebooked for most major holidays. Good idea to book ahead of time by calling the local ranger station. High cougar population so keeping an eye on pet's and smaller children a must especially around dusk and after dark. Also bear area. But our family has never had any problems nor seen any large predators when we do our annual family camping trip there. Also be sure to do any last min. Shopping in cle elum because there is nothing as far as retail grocery stores past this point and it's about a 45 min drive each ways to cle elum. There is a final gas station about 10 mins drive from the campground that has basic camp supplies and ice. High prices for the convenience. And they close at 9pm if my memory serves me correctly. Beautiful area. Very peaceful.

Nice "fee" campground on the Yakima River.  This is and ending point for summer rafting trips that start near Ellensburg, WA and a great place for calm water fun.  Setup camp in a paved area with overnight fees around $15 per car/site.  There are established bbq/fire pits (its VERY dry in the surrounding country) and picnic benches.

General: 20 RV sites, nine cabins, and open space for tent sites. 

Site Quality: Sites 1-13 are located closer to the road while 14-20 are tucked further back closer to the river and we did not hear any road noise in Site 15. All are level. Minimal separation/privacy. Campsites are dirt. RV sites have water and electric. 

Bath/Shower house: One single bathroom each for men and women as well as one shower each for men and women. The shower was warm but as a short person, I was not able to adjust the handheld shower nozzle, making my shower just a bit challenging. Showers and bathrooms were clean although the fan in the women’s room had accumulated quite a bit of dirt/dust so I turned it off. 

Activities/Amenities: Many games (giant chess, corn hole, etc.) sprinkled throughout the property but otherwise there was not much in the campground itself. Nearby there are hiking/mountain biking trails. Fly-fishing on the river. Recreational water activities on nearby Bumping Lake. A kids' playground within walking distance from the campground is located at Jim Sprick Community Park. There was a full kitchen with a sink, dishwashing soap, stove, fridge, and microwave. I only took advantage of the dishwashing sink. 

Be aware there are several cats roaming the property; they were not a nuisance as we like cats (they only came within view and no closer). This is also a wedding venue and a wedding was held the weekend before we arrived. We were the ONLY ones in the entire campground; the store/office was closed when arrived shortly before 6 p.m. on a Sunday after Labor Day (since our site was not assigned when we reserved, a note was left on the door) and we left before it opened the next morning. 

This kitschy old western-themed campground would be fun for a wedding or family gathering/reunion, but for us, it was a one-night stop along our route. There was zero cell coverage (Verizon) if that is important to you.

1. http://www/yakimarv.com
2. My wife and I started full timing in our RV three years ago and have stayed at many RV parks during that time. Yakima River RV Park is one that is special to us. It's located on the Yakima River near Ellensburg Washington. It is a small privately owned park in a beautiful valley. The park is great for self-contained RV's and it does offer some dry camping sites. Due to the park being on a flood-plain there are limited FHU sites available for a minimum 2 day stay. WiFi is free and relatively strong. The grounds are carefully maintained with grass and trees between the spacious sites. Sites can accommodate RV's up to 60ft. and are pull through. Overflow parking is available for your toad or cargo trailer. If you are looking for a quiet overnight stay or longer, this is for you. Oh, you may occasionally hear the baying of the rodeo bulls in the pasture next to the park

It’s ellensburg - that’s not so surprising. But we were there for a baseball tournament just over & across the highway at a great baseball complex. The site was nice, the staff great. We filled up on propane as we were getting good use out of the furnace on the trip! We woke up to a dusting of snow that quickly turned to inches of snow. We were headed to the Oregon coast from there. The parks, teepee and amenities seem nice. Right on the river was beautiful. The sunrise… incredible!

This place is where I go when I want to disconnect and get away from the stress of school in Ellensburg. I've been here a handful of times and there's never been more than a dozen people spread out over the entire coulee valley. The previous directions are good and the one on WTA will take you right to the parking lot where it's an easy 1.5 mile hike down into the coulee. I've heard other people say they walked in from ancient lakes road and it took three times as long to make it to the camping spots.

The lakes are safe for swimming in my opinion (there's even a rock to jump off on the closest lake!) But do carry your own water in, it is irrigation runoff and has plenty of yummy pesticides that you cannot filter out. Other than that enjoy the lakes, waterfalls and killer sunsets that happen on a nightly basis out here!

Close to Moses Lake and Wenatchee - perfect getaway for the weekend. Beautiful sites near the river and the area is rapidly growing with activity. Seems like everyone has a dog. 😆

Two kids and a dog in tow, we all loved it. Kind of expensive but I think that’s typical for a KOA. Kids loved the activities and amenities and we had amazing bbq and hard cider provided by host.

This is a small campground on the south side of dog lake. The sites are tightly packed but level. A large Rv would have a hard time turning around. There is a pit toilet but no running water. The lake is the highlight at this campground for fishing and a small boat ramp.

This campground is located on the south side of Dog Lake. The campground is extremely small with about 10 sites.  The area is large enough for Rv's and campers but only has dry camping available.  There are no showers and there is one bathroom with vault toilets. The campsites are on a first come first serve basis and are relatively cheap, and Golden Age passes are accepted.  There are a few extra spots for additional cars if you want to pay an extra fee for them. Beware: you are right on the highway so will constantly hear vehicles and semis heading through the pass.

Dog lake is pretty awesome for fishing out of. There are a few banks that are easy to access and you can walk around the lake to find better spots.

The campground is very near Clear Creek Falls which offers a nice area to walk along and view the many falls and the creek winding through the mountains.  

There is no phone reception up here.

Our go to spot, love walking the dogs around the lake and along the gravel road. It’s very quiet and peaceful. The part is clean and the camp hosts are very friendly and helpful. They have vaulted toilets, they are clean but towards the end of the season they can sometimes get stinky so we always bring air fresheners to leave in the bathrooms..

This campground is so beautiful. Big, grassy spots with level concrete pads. Excellent water pressure. Great location on the river. Lots of places to walk the dogs. Sandy areas on the river to hang out. About 20 mins to Leavenworth and 15 mins to Wenatchee. Friendly staff. PPA discount allowed Monday-Thursday making this place a GREAT deal. Will stay again, and actually would plan a trip around this park.

Mountain River Trails is a private members owned campground.  Located ont he river in South Cle Elum it is on leased Native land.  You must purchase a membership to camp here and with that you have your own private site.  

Most of the sites are passed down for generations or purchased after being invited by other friends.  This is a camping community as well as the perfect getaway for kids, adults, dogs and everything in between.

If you were looking for a quiet experience, this place is not for you. It’s a KOA, so they cram in as many people as possible. However it’s a great family friendly experience with a store, ice cream/coffee shop, daily activities, and green space to play games.

We spent most of our time at the river. There was a great shallow area for the kids and Dog to swim around.