Best RV Parks & Resorts near Gold Bar, WA

My wife and I have been living in our camper for a few years staying at upwards of around 20 different RV parks from coast to coast. Lake Sawyer RV resort has placed #1 on the worst parks we’ve encountered list. There’s actually no other parks in it’s class!

The manager is running the place in such a shady manner that one of the front desk ladies told me even she doesn’t agree with their business practices. It was a nightmare right out of the gate but luckily I have a backbone and don’t let people dig into my wallet or jerk me around so they figured out the hard way you can’t steal from everybody.

Watch for them to drag their feet on your long stay application so they can charge you a ridiculous nightly rate for their “deluxe site” which had broken electrical receptacles and cracked water pipes.

As soon as they do approve you, they’ll ask you to move to a different site. If you confront them about why they would put you in a daily site when they knew your intentions were to stay long term their excuse will be, “there was a mix up between different departments”. Departments 😂 it’s just 3 ladies working there!

They also tried to start my time the day before I got there and will write down your CC info without your consent.

They are one of the only rv parks in the greater Seattle area with vacancy and now you know why.

This is very much an RV park and not really a campground. Seems like a clean little park, but right in the middle of Lynnwood, so if you are looking for a rural setting this isn't for you. 

They offer weekly and monthly rentals, so this is more of a long-term sort of place. 

Website: Northsound RV Park

​Requirements from their site: 

• Your travel trailer must be year 2005 or newer 
• Pet friendly(limit 2) not to exceed 25 lbs. Aggressive breed restrictions apply. 
• No conversion vehicles - sorry van and bus life people 
• No trailers larger than 35' long, ideally.

It is an open fairground with rv hookups.

If you just need a place to sleep, then it will do. Set up, do your thing, and move on. They will squeeze you into any corner left - literally.

But to stay, no way. The place is too muddy, the laundry room and showers are little better than free public sites. If you have to be in Seattle there are not many options. That's how they get away with such dingy offerings. They just want your money: charge a lot for sites, hope you will buy something in the boutique, and they do not spend any of it on basic structure (like fixing broken roads)

The bird sanctuary adjacent is also a bug factory. One person claimed 'this is not camping'. That's right. It's a cheap way to travel. And for some migrant workers, a cheaper way to live. The park is full of old RV's, permanently parked.

The staff is annoyed to deal with customers.

If anyone should be able to set up a new RV park, customers would flock to it! They'd leave this dump in a heart beat!!

As my grandma used to say, 'all dressed up with a dirty neck'. In other words, first clean yourself up. The dress nicely. This place dresses up with cute signs - but underneath its falling apart.

Fix the roads and learn that your customers are your best asset. Be happy to greet them and care for them. That is the secret to a long term business.

Called and talked to the team at midway today inquiring about guests coming into town. They’re a long term only location with 6 months or more as the minimum stay. They recommend angle lake RV down the street which I’ll add to the app next. Nice staff at Midway if you need long term!

Cute little place. Laundry, fishing pond and restrooms. Looks like mostly long term

Great WA State Park located on Marrowstone Island in Port Hadlock WA.
47 dry camping and smaller trailer camp sites in Upper Camp area with 68 FHU sites in Lower Camp area on Port Townsend Bay.
With pre-Covid recreation sites for Kayaking, boating, scuba diving, paragliding and fishing - this was quite a unique Historical State Park. Reservations are handled through the WA State Parks reservation system. Day use Discovery Pass is required for access ($10 or $30 annually). Located adjacent to the US Naval Magazine on Indian Island.

There are several long term campers here. The grounds are kept immaculate and they regularly update the sites.  They hang wreaths for the winter holidays. Lawns mowed weekly. 

All are level gravel. All have grass area, some with patio pad. There is a dog walk area and they are currently creating a dog fenced area at the end orf the two rows. 

A caretaker is on site and will often help guide rigs into the sites (all are back-in). 

Close to Poulsbo (a cute, Norwegian heritage town), Seattle ferry via Bainbridge Island and just over an hour to the Olympic National Park via the Hood Canal Bridge.

Beautiful state park with the lower campsite open year round, with full hook up sites. Offered on a first come first serve basis over the winter months. During the summer months reservations are required.

My wife and I stayed in a full hook-up spot (#12) with our travel trailer. The site was clean, close to the lake, and had an additional spot to put a tent if needed. It’s pretty close to the freeway (there was a lot of car noise), but I would definitely return again! Cellphone signal (with Verizon) worked well, but there was no tv antenna reception if that’s something you need!

RV sites 1, 2, 4, 9, and 11 will be easier to back in to. The other full hook up sites are 90° approaches. Very nice park for playground and a very nice venue building. A lot of picnic tables in the open and in the shade of trees.
Small rocky beach only accessable when the is not to high.

Amazing view from the beach of the Olympic Mountains.

Water pressure is low, averaging just over 20psi.

I travel in my rv to get away from the city life. Most KOAs are pretty cool. This one has to be the worst KOA I’ve ever stayed in. Packed in trailers like sardines. Your view is your neighbors sewer line. Run down spots, dead grass, mole hills, bathrooms are unclean. Right on a busy highway and you can hear it. I bought the “deluxe site” for 65$ a night!! No WiFi, no cable, nothing worked!! It is a nightmare of an RV park. I had originally booked for 6 nights and stayed for 1 and left because it was depressing.

I live 5 miles from this park and am here all the time, just not for camping. I came for one night to do a shakeout in my new to me trailer. My husband came to be my second set of eyes as I set up camp and to entertain our kiddo while I made dinner. Then we drove him home since he had to work in the morning. Several reviews complain about the airplane noise overhead, but I live in Federal Way and cargo planes from JBLM often fly over my house so some commercial airlines don't bother me one bit. I was in a pull-through full hook-up site. I did not hook up the sewer hose however because the lid was broken and I would have had to find a large rock to hold my elbow in place. All in all, it's a nice campground and was quiet. I didn't even hear the cars on road.