Best Glamping near Goose Prairie, WA

Came last minute during father's day weekend looking for a tent site. The booth host was very helpful letting us know that there was only two spots left and answering many more questions. We were able to find a perfect site for my family of 4. Clean raised tent bed with pea-gravel raked evenly good for 6-7 person tent . Fire pit is decently sized approximately 3x2 with a flip top grill that covers half of it. Paved road gravel parking space big enough for a trailer/camper . Dumpster and water spicket as well as a bathroom with pay to use shower's . ¢50-1 token = 3 minute shower. Small playground with a basketball court by the bathrooms. Lovely river walk trail follows the Yakima River . Activities for children such as the Jr. Ranger program. Gas station is close just cross the highway sells firewood as well . Overall great first time at the campground friendly staff will be coming back.

The group site set apart from the rest of the camping, so you can really enjoy the space without feeling like you are bothering the other campers. There's lots of space for tents plus some wooden bunks in a wooden shelter, a nice option for people new to camping who don't have a tent, but I'd be afraid of spiders! :O Site is adjacent to a river access, which I did not get a chance to check out myself, but being near water is always a plus to me.

The campgrounds are about an our of of Seattle, so it's a really nice low-commitment option for those residing in the greater Seattle area. Despite being so close, it doesnt feel very populated or anything like that, nice and woodsy still! :)

The only drawback to the group site is occasionally you'll get a random person wandering through to access the water.

I wouldn't suggest going so late in the year unless you are prepared for rain, it poured on us most of the stay, but we still managed to have fun. Luckily there is a large covered dining area so it's survivable in rain

We love coming here. It's close proximity to our house allows us to hook up the trailer after work and include a Friday night in our camping weekend! The availability seems pretty good too, especially in Spring when some campgrounds are not quite open yet.

This campground has great clean and heated bathrooms. Sites and roads are paved. Hook ups are electric only, bring your water. The first time we went we did not know and our Basecamp's heat runs via the hot water heater. It was cold! The sites are large and pretty private. We have stayed in site 42 which is a back in spot with fire pit and table above the back of the pad. Also, we have enjoyed site 38, a pull through that gave us nice wooded views and privacy.

The campground loop is a nice walk or cruise on a bike. There is easy access to a beautiful stretch of the Green River, with picnicking areas and walking trails. You might catch a kayaker in the river, I hear this stretch take a lot of skill!

Crossing through the dry and rugged terrain of the eastern most portion of Washington, the pleasant surprise of the forest campground of Swauk could not have come at a better time.   Just after the rolling hills met the forested tree line this quaint campground welcomed me to the Washington I had wished to find on my adventures.   It was a first taste of the glory of the Pacific Northwest and a perfect way to find the solitude and beauty of the land during late fall.

Pulling into Swauk you first will find a recreation area where cross country skiing is permitted during the winter months and during summer months families can enjoy horse shoe pits, picnic and barbecue areas.    Parking here is plentiful and invites you to enjoy the land in its entirety.    

I noticed a small trail behind a shelter area and followed it to the gentle moving stream which passed throughout the back of not only the recreation area but also the camp.    Here you could truly get a glimpse of the beauty and wonder of the trees opening up and increasing in size, the ferns growing wild and abundantly and the pine needles lining the forest floor creating a barrier which seems to trap sound and create a hush over the entire area.

The shelter when I had passed housed a large fire place and additional picnic tables making this a perfect location for those chilly nights you find in the forest.

Just beyond the recreation area the campground welcomes campers with large sites and plenty of room to spread out and enjoy a day, a weekend or a week.    A self service pay station is located at the entrance to this portion.    Single sites are $18 while doubles are $36, envelops are available alongside other rules and regulations for the campground.

Once you have secured your campsite at this location you will place your tag on the site itself in a small plastic placard located at the entrance of each site to signify it is taken.   this allows you to navigate away from the campground to explore the forest and the many areas of interest near the Cascade Loop or the Gingko Forest.   

Vault toilets can be found in two locations, one at the mid point of camp and the other at the entrance and provide facilities, however no running water is available at these sites.  Running water can be found in the recreation area however if it is needed.    You will want to make sure you are able to sustain without power however because that is not available at any portion of the campground.

This site overall is a great way to enjoy Washington  and I found that visiting was an unexpected treat.    To visit the facilities make sure you understand that this is not a State facility thus the Discover Pass is not accepted.  Instead you will want to make sure you display a National Park Pass, as this is a site maintained by the Forest Service, though I will say no one was there to check it and there was no clear signage to mark this.

Tips:

* Bring your own firewood.   There are signs posted throughout camp mentioning that you cannot cut trees in the area for any reason.    There is no firewood station at this campground either so if you are planning on having a fire make sure you come prepared.

* Because this site is a part of the Forest Service there are also signs posted about saving the vegetation.   This means you will want to park only in the areas that are marked clearly.   If you have a rig which does not fit within the bounds, consider another site at the campground.

* If you need supplies you will want to find them in the larger cities or towns along the way.   When I was here I noticed there are very few stops which provide basic essentials for many miles.

We picked up a last-minute reservation here for Labor Day weekend. The campground sits right on a lake northwest of Mt. Adams.

Our site was set up with a single tent pad up a little hill from the driveway and fire pit. It might not have worked for multiple tents.

We did some hiking on the trails right around the campground. There’s a nice loop trail around the lake through huckleberry-rich woods. From that trail, there’s access to the Takhlakh Meadows trail that climbs along a lava flow to a plateau with views of many surrounding mountains.

There is no drinking water or electricity available.

There is no mistaking why the village perched on the slopes of Mt Rainier is called Paradise. Rainier is spectacular! And Mounthaven is so close to the Rainier gate that visitors could stroll over to show their passes or pay those entry fees. Note that the gates are still a distance from Longmire or Paradise. The resort is so close in fact, that upon arriving around 4pm on a Sunday, we waited in a long line of traffic backed up 2 miles past the gate and 1 1/2 past the resort. We were told this only happens on busier weekends, and it certainly held true for our weekdays camping here. Just be aware if time is an issue so plans can be made accordingly.

We are traveling the Northwest this summer with camp packed in the back of our car, and as such we occupied their only primitive, tent site. The site itself was the most out of the way, quiet, and secluded that we have camped in all summer. It has a water pump onsite, which is quite handy. There is a dumpster close enough to not be a chore. The bathrooms/shower/laundry and pretty close too.  

The resort has several hook up sites for RV’s or tents—I don’t believe any were pull-through, but call to confirm. The amenity sites weren’t as private, but they seemed reasonable. The resort prides itself in cabins, and from all accounts they appear to be stocked with all necessities like linens, very nice, well maintained and downright cute.  

Firewood is sold onsite, but no other provisions are available at the resort. There is a super extra pricey Grocery-Mart closer to Rainier, and two fairly pricey, better stocked options 5 miles in the other direction. They sell gas there too. Visitors would be wise to come to the area with groceries in their trunk regardless.

The resort has one toilet and one shower. They are quite nice, actually—the cleanest we’ve come upon so far. We were concerned about the number, but overall we didn’t spend a lot of time waiting, if we waited at all.

There is also one coin operated washer and dryer. WiFi is usually good, but no so much at peak times.

The owners James and Zandy were really friendly, and seemed to deeply care about their property as well as their clients.