Best Campgrounds near Ephrata, WA

Enjoyed our time here. The entrance is not marked that I can see. Follow the directions to a Bob wire fence where you turn in. There is a turn off not too far in on the right. I assume there are more campsites. Unfortunately, when we went, there was a sizable mud puddle that I didn't feel like driving through. I'll explore that next time. But further ahead it opens up to the beautiful lake. The campsite(s) are surrounded by the lake. Kinda like a peninsula. It's a large area with room for a good size group or maybe up to 5 individual sites. There were remnants of a few fire rings. Only one other small family camping when we were there. The water is nice and cool. Good for cooling down on a hot day. Saw a few people fishing from small boats. There are no trees for shade. But there are lots of very friendly bugs that want to say hi. When we first arrived, it was pretty breezy. As soon as it died down the welcoming community came out in full effect. Which just happened to correspond with when we were making dinner for the night. They, of course, invited themselves. It got so bad that as soon as we were done cooking, we each took our plates, and scurried away to our tents to eat and turn in for the night. There was a good variety of bugs. Mosquitoes, small flies, no see'ems. They probably wouldn't bother you too much if you had a fire going and maybe some bug repellent. But bugs are to be expected when you're next to water. And since there were lots of bugs there were also lots of birds to watch. As far as the actual camping, it's kind of a chore to set up tents just because the ground is so rocky. But if you have a good mallet and sharp tent steaks as well as some patients you'll be fine. It got pretty cool during the evening, even chilly overnight. So it was pretty comfortable overall. There is a noise factor to deal with though there are some roads nearby so you do hear cars throughout the night. But overall, it's a pretty nice place with a beautiful lake. The cell reception for T-Mobile was great. It seems to be a first come camp. I believe it is free. We have a Discovery Pass. But we saw zero signs to say either way and there was no pay station. We would definitely come back. Just with better bug protection and floaties for the lake😁

It's a beautiful place and we have stayed there several times, but hold on to your wallet!  If for some reason you have to cancel your reservation they will RIP YOU OFF with their unfair and completely exploitative cancellation policy.  In our case, we wanted to cancel and then planned to re-book later in the fall, which is also a great time to visit Eastern WA.  We called 7 weeks ahead to let them know we could not come when we had planned to.  They kept HALF of our fee ($237.50) even though there is ample time for them to re-book the site.  Yes, their paperwork does state their policy, but that doesn't make it FAIR.  Most other campgrounds charge a nominal fee and are OK with cancelling up to 48 hours ahead.  But 7 weeks ahead?  Give me a break.  This campground was funded with tax $$ too-Grant County PUD and now has contracted out the management to the Central Washington Management Group in Quincy.

This campground is well manicured, with nice restrooms and campsite improvements. Our 50A full-service site was secured as a late-Sunday stop without reservations. Instructions at the [closed] entry booth directed us to pick any empty site without orange cones at their entry point. 

In our situation, the phone number listed in the attached image was called to reserve and pay for the site, after we physically occupied it. 

Special Note: A WA State Discover Pass is NOT required for camping here. That Pass is only required for day-users.