Best Tent Camping near Bow, WA

Tent campers visiting Bow, Washington can find several primitive camping options within a short drive of town. Pine and Cedar Lakes Primitive Camping offers hike-in tent sites with fire rings and free camping, while Lily and Lizard Lakes provides walk-in tent access with designated camping areas that require permits. Cedar Groves Rural Campground, located near Bow, features four walk-in tent sites with picnic tables and toilet facilities.

Most primitive tent sites in the area lack basic amenities, requiring campers to pack in their own water and supplies. Pine and Cedar Lakes has no drinking water, toilets, or trash facilities, making it essential to prepare for self-sufficient camping. Walk-in tent sites at Lily and Lizard Lakes feature fire rings, benches, and flat areas for tent setup, but limited water sources mean bringing a good filter for lake water. Cedar Groves offers more developed tent camping with toilets and picnic tables, though still maintaining a rustic experience. Fires are permitted at most locations, but seasonal fire bans may apply during dry summer months.

The tent camping experience near Bow provides opportunities for solitude and immersion in natural settings. At Pine and Cedar Lakes, campers can enjoy two distinct lakes with Cedar Lake offering better campsites that are "bigger and flatter," according to visitor reports. The short but steep hiking trails to these primitive tent sites keep crowds minimal. Lily and Lizard Lakes features only four campsites, all positioned close together, offering good views but limited privacy between tent sites. A visitor noted that "all the sites had a fire ring, bench and a flat area to set up your tent," making these primitive locations suitable for basic tent camping despite their remote nature.

Best Tent Sites Near Bow, Washington (61)

    1. Pine and Cedar Lakes Primitive Camping

    3 Reviews
    Bellingham, WA
    9 miles
    Website

    "Steep but short hike, but hey, it's close to town! A 15 minute drive from downtown Bellingham and you get yourself a secluded, quiet lake."

    "Close to Bellingham, no bay views but nice scenery, little lake, and dense forest nonetheless. Good steep trails nearby and charming boardwalks."

    2. Lily and Lizard Lakes

    2 Reviews
    Bow, WA
    4 miles

    "Spent one night at Lizard Lake. Only 4 campsites there and all really close to each other. All the sites had a fire ring, bench and a flat area to set up your tent."

    "A good one or two night backpacking experience. There is no overnight parking at the top lot that is half way up the trail, so you have to park on Chuckanut drive."

    3. Cedar Groves Rural Campground

    1 Review
    Sedro-Woolley, WA
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 420-3999

    $20 - $80 / night

    "Cedar Groves has some great tent sites surrounded by tall dense trees, with tons of wildlife all around you!  Check them out and share some pics from your stay on the Dyrt!"

    4. Cypress Island Natural Resources Conservation Area

    3 Reviews
    Anacortes, WA
    12 miles
    Website

    "It's nicely wooded and has awesome areas (with picnic tables) to call home. The scenery is breathtaking and if you're lucky you might even see some orcas swimming by."

    "There are also ponds and wetlands scattered around the island and chances to view wildlife in quiet."

    5. Mountain Lake Campground — Moran State Park

    12 Reviews
    Olga, WA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 376-2326

    "The way the campsites are tiered allows for a sense of seclusion even with neighbors on all sides. "

    "We were in site 22, right on the water (but also right next to the access road.) There is a lovely 3 mile hike around the lake with a fun bridge to jump off of to swim."

    6. Cedar Lake Campsite

    1 Review
    Bellingham, WA
    8 miles

    "One north and one south of the lake. A few good level sites and some built in benches. No fires permitted and a few fishing spots if you are daring."

    7. Obstruction Pass State Park Campground

    6 Reviews
    Olga, WA
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 902-8844

    "My twelve year old wanted to try backpacking, but not hike too far. My wife didn't want us to get eaten by bears. The solution? Obstruction Pass!"

    "I kayaked in to this campground and though it's an awesome location it was a bit disappointing."

    8. James Island Marine State Park Campground

    2 Reviews
    Blakely Island, WA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 902-8844

    "There are hiking trails, beautiful bluffs to view sunrise and sunset. The area isn’t super level, perfect spot to hammock camp. Only accessible by water. There are picnic tables."

    9. Odlin County Park Camping - Lopez Island

    6 Reviews
    Lopez Island, WA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 378-8420

    "There are plenty of beach sites, a few are “walk-in” – which just means that you can’t park your car there. There are lots of forested sites which offer more privacy than the beach."

    "It has waterfront with beach, campsites are neat and restroom is better other campsites! This place is perfect for who goes on bikepacking or using car to camping there."

    10. Clark Island Marine State Park — Clark Island Marine State Park

    3 Reviews
    Lummi Island, WA
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 376-2073

    "This is yet another Washington Sate Park in their Marine Island system. Clark Island offers a nice, large rocky beach that makes it easy to beach your boats to set up camp."

    "I recently did a solo kayak trip around Orcas Island, WA and Clark was my first stop. I've camped on this island before so was looking forward to visiting again."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Bow, WA

980 Reviews of 61 Bow Campgrounds


  • Douglas S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Red Bridge Campground

    Awesome campground in the beautiful Mount Baker National Forest

    The Red Bridge campground is on the very scenic Mountain loop Rd in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It's a very beautiful drive. Nestled in some great trees, there are 13 sites with shade, right along the river. The camp host was very nice and sold firewood on site. There are no hook ups, and no water spigots so be sure to plan accordingly. There are bear proof trash cans and vault toilets available. Each site has a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring. This campground provides ample hiking, fishing and I saw people kayaking plus its not far to a hike to some glacier caves! Also check out the old red trestle bridge just outside of the campground. At $15 a night you have to see this place. 
    I highly recommend Red Bridge campground.

  • HThe Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 13, 2024

    Lower Sandy Dispersed Camp

    Quiet camp with great views

    Arrived around 4pm on a Friday and there were a few spots left. Pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables available. No water. Got a spot with lake and Mountain View’s. Very small, quiet, stunning campground. Felt safe. We have a rooftop tent, not many sites with large enough spots to park trailers or vans. Mostly tent sites that are walk in. Mostly open, some sites in the forest. Had one bar of Verizon service. Would stay again!

  • Elise M.
    Aug. 11, 2020

    Harry Osborne State Forest - TEMPORARILY CLOSED 2023

    Quiet and Lots of Space

    Great place to bring your LQ (any size rig) and camp with your horses. There are a few non-equestrians, but we need to keep this a place for equestrians because we are losing more and more campsites.  Trails are well maintained and extensive.

    No water or electric at the camp, but you can drive down to a creek and pump or collect water for your horses. You will be boondocking.

    High-line poles are available to high-tie your horses. We set up a portable corral and were fine. Picnic tables and fire rings are also available.

    No manure pile or wheel barrow. There is a vault toilet and I got cell service on my phone.

  • Karen L.
    Jul. 9, 2018

    Maple Grove Campsites

    Peaceful, lakefront campgrounds with views of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan

    These campgrounds are about a 4 mile hike in from the trailhead. Plenty of wild berries, flowers, and ferns along the way. We had fun just relaxing under the Big Leaf Maple trees. Each campground has a flat tent site. Some also have fire pits with grills and picnic tables, but not all. There is a pit toilet and urine diverter on site. There are also a couple bear boxes to share, as bear (and deer!) roam this area. The lake is lovely, though it was a bit too cold in June to swim. There is a small floating dock on the lake. Spectacular views of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan - be sure to watch the sunset. Boaters frequent this lake so there is a bit of motor noise, but this doesn't bother me. Dog-friendly campsite. This made for a very relaxing overnight backpacking trip!

  • Eric O.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Baker Lake Road Dispersed Campsite

    All things considered, good spot

    Many pull offs along the gravel road. Stayed at one that was overlooking the lake. Lots of spots with easy lake access.

    Pros: free, good views, easy to get to, plenty of spots (even on Labor Day), fire rings.

    Cons: some spots have lots of trash (please remember leave no trace), most spots are along the gravel road so there are cars passing by every once in a while and sometimes they go by quite quickly kicking up lots of dust.

    All things considered, pretty good spot and would stay again.

  • Sarah C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 30, 2017

    Silver Fir Campground

    Beautiful Views

    This spot is perfectly situated for exploring the surrounding area, including Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. Operated by the USFS, this facility offers typical amenities like vault toilets and potable water during the summer months. The nice thing about this popular spot is that you CAN actually reserve a site through https://www.recreation.gov

    Just be sure to make your reservation sooner than later, because this place fills up quickly. Sites can accommodate RVs (no hookups) and tents and offer picnic tables, fire rings with grills and plenty of shade thanks to the massive Hemlocks and Red Cedar trees. The North Fork of the Nooksack River is also a short walk from the campground and can be perfect on a hot summer's day!

    This is one of the nicer USFS run campgrounds I've stayed at! Maybe that's because this concessionaire runs the place http://hoodoorecreation.com

    Check it out!

  • Doug C.
    Sep. 6, 2022

    Horseshoe Cove Campground

    Great spot with variable site quality

    We had sites 28 and 30 for Labor Day weekend. Site 30 had a nice flat tent pad but was overall smaller. Site 28 took a little more effort to set up our family’s tent on level ground, but was overall more spacious and so our group also used that site as our kitchen/campfire area. Both sites have a view of the lake down the campground loop and are relatively close to the vault toilets, which was fine except for the morning we left when wind off of the lake carried unpleasant smells our way. Overall the lake is beautiful, and there’s great access at this campground. Would absolutely recommend and/or go back, just be careful with site selection!

  • H
    Sep. 22, 2022

    Deception Pass State Park Campground

    Cozy campsites !

    There were SO MANY available campsites when we got there. About mid afternoon. The ranger was super friendly and welcoming! The bathrooms were nice and had showers that require tokens that you can buy with your site at check in. The sites vary in size and shape but most of them are decently private/ spaced apart. The site next to us never got booked, probably because it was small, but it was nice for us because it was only a few bushes away. Sites include a picnic table and fire ring with grill grate . There was a trail to the beach not far from us and it was super nice. Although there are plenty of signs that require dogs to be on leashes most people did not adhere to those rules, so keep an eye out if you're bringing the doggos. Very family friendly, very cozy, very nice stay!

  • Douglas S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 1, 2019

    Clear Creek Campground

    Gorgeous camping in the Mt Baker National Forest

    The Clear Creek campground is off the Mountain loop Rd in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Clear Creek is only ten minutes or so from Darrington WA. Only 13 campsites with tent pads, picnic tables, and fire rings. Vault toilets were also available. Firewood is not available on site, but local residents have firewood for sale at the roadside. The creek and the Sauk river are absolutely beautiful. There is so much wildlife in the area, keep an eye out, I think I saw a wolverine by the creek, couldn't get my camera ready in time,


Guide to Bow

If you're looking for tent camping near Bow, Washington, there are some fantastic options that offer beautiful scenery and a variety of amenities.

Tent campers should check out Mountain Lake Campground

  • Enjoy a serene experience at Mountain Lake Campground — Moran State Park, where you can relax by the lake and take advantage of the nearby hiking trails.
  • This campground allows pets and features amenities like drinking water, picnic tables, and showers, making it a comfortable choice for families.
  • With access to both boat-in and drive-in options, you can easily reach this well-reviewed spot for a weekend getaway.

Some prices for tent camping range from $20 to $30

Explore local attractions like Mt. Constitution

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bow, WA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bow, WA is Pine and Cedar Lakes Primitive Camping with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Bow, WA?

TheDyrt.com has all 61 tent camping locations near Bow, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.