Best Glamping near Goose Prairie, WA

This is our second time going to Kanaskat Palmer Park and we decided to enjoy four nights in there yurts between the fall and winter transition season. I must say I was very impressed to see that the bathrooms and showers were still very clean ever since the pandemic and that it was quite a nice place to stay during the weekdays if you wanted a quietly stay in the woods with the sounds of the flowing river. We will definitely be back again next year!

General: 50-site campground (including six yurts) plus a group campground. The campground is in two loops: one with electric hookups and one without. 

Site Quality: All sites are level and are a mix of back-in and pull-through. Site 24 was a pull-thru. Sites in the tent (no hookup) section are gravel while sites with electricity have paved camper pads. ADA-accessible sites (one in each loop) are completely paved. Heavily wooded sites afford good privacy between sites. 

Bath/Shower house: one building between the two loops with six all-in-one (toilet, sink, shower) units. They were clean. At first glance, it appears you need tokens for the shower but upon closer inspection, it did look like they were free. However, you were asked to conserve water and that the hot water was turned off at night due to vandalism.

Activities: Several trails that are open until dusk. Several places to put in and take out boats but you are warned that some sections of the Green River are Class III or IV and where you should take out if you are not a highly experienced boater. We also saw some people fishing.

This was our final stop on our North Cascades loop trip. The campground is located about an hour outside of Seattle yet it was very quiet (except for several trains throughout the day and night). Surprisingly we had zero cell coverage(Verizon).

This place is pretty cool. It’s close to Yakima and great for a place to visit while you’re in “The Palm Springs of Washington”.

If you like hot dry weather, tall pine trees and not much grass this is a great spot.  It is between a river and the freeway, so you get a lot of freeway noise but I thought the spaces were fairly far apart and spacious.  Lots of pull through spots too.  It's a big campground but super quiet.  The store has a lot of camping stuff, but not much food.  Easy to pop into Cle Elem or surrounding area to explore.  I needed an Eastern Washington fix so I really enjoyed it.

Do not believe the cautions about the worst road in Washington; there road is paved and beautiful.

I love this area and would have given 5 stars but for two things. The website says water is available - the water pump worked once in three days. I only saw one set of restrooms (vault) they were... unusable.

Maybe I will try again later in the season, when the summer campers put their tents away.

I visited with friends from Victoria BC. It's our tradition to rent an RV and drive down to Washington at least once every few years. This Spring we did just this, getting to the Yakima Sportsman State Park with little hiccups. The site was average, but not clean and our neighbors looked like the greasy type. We still had a blast because instead if renting an RV we bought a used cheap one and got it cleaned from Auto Detailing Victoria before hitting the road. Most of our camping was done on the road, so this campsite was actually a relief to us even if it wasn't great. Better than camping in a parking lot!

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.

My son and I are from the area and have been Boondocking all around Washington State for over a year now in our old RV's. My son purchased a panel truck to convert, and my shower is on the fritz, so we decided to give Yakima Sportsman Campground a try. We needed the advertised shower facilities as my son had court in Yakima the following day. Not ONE of the FOUR showers worked!! The camp host was a pleasant enough man, but had no idea (apparently) about the shower issues, and the Ranger wasn't due back until Wednesday. This was on Monday...the week before LABOR DAY! The campground loses at LEAST one star for being located in YAKIMA... I've been living in Parker since 2011, but my mother is from Parker, and the house I lived in has belonged to my family since she was a child (she passed last year at 78 years old), so I believe I've earned the right to say Yakima is the LAST place on the planet that I would bring my family for vacation. It's safer in COMPTON, California. I was raised in the East Bay, near Oakland, and used to travel frequently to the LA area for work, so I have a reference point for comparison. In fact, I'm Boondocking in preparation for a move back to California next month. Besides the dangerous location and the non-working showers, this would have been a 4 star visit, the sites had power and water, we're level and adequately spaced apart, and mine was the only "sketchy" looking vehicle around.... Which is appropriate, since I'm a little "sketchy" myself... Lol! (Blame it on the RAP... WEST SIIIIIIDE!!)

I strongly think that Washington State has the best places to camp and hike. The Pacific Northwest has a large array of amazing camp grounds and hikes, and I love it!! I recently wanted to hike within the Goat Rock area, and decided to stay at the Walupt Lake Campground so I could be closer to the trailhead. I left Friday evening after work and headed to the campground. There wasn't as many people as I expected, but the weather forecast was calling for some rain. I went in the beginning of September, so was bummed that I wasn't going to see the fall colors (usually the end of September-beginning of October is when this happens). The campground was great, and I was glad that I stayed here. Because we got here around 7:00pm, we really only pitched our tent and grabbed a quick bite to eat. I didn't tour the campground because it was already getting dark. We woke up early in the morning and headed to the Goat Rock Wilderness. We spent the entire day hiking (13 miles to be exact!). From the top of the hike we were able to see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier. It doesn't get any better than that!! I would highly recommend this campground if you are just looking to camp, but also if you have a hike you want to do in the area early in the morning. 

PRODUCT REVIEW: Amber 28 Gregory Pack

As a DYRT Ranger, I was able to test the Amber 28 Gregory Pack. I was pretty excited to get to test this pack, because I have a few other Gregory Packs and have been eyeing this pack for awhile. During my 13 mile hike I was able to test this pack. 

3 reasons why I love the Amber 28 Gregory Pack:

1. Comfortable- I love how comfortable and form fitting this pack is. I love packs that don't sit right on my shoulders. This pack gave a little room between by shoulder and the pack which is great! I like being able to carry the weight of the pack by my hips, and this pack allowed that.

2. The space and pockets- I appreciate a pack that allows me to pack multiple items (10 essentials!). The pack had plenty of room, and extra zipper pockets. I was able to utilize all the space in this pack, and it still didn't feel heavy.

3. Breath-ability- The back of this pack has a wire meshing and pads to help with the breath-ability. I do sweat a lot when I hike, so I like this component of the pack.

Overall, I would highly recommend this pack. It comes in a few colors as well which is always nice :) You can find the Amber 28 pack here:

https://www.gregorypacks.com/packs-bags/day-packs/amber-28-77831XXXX.html?dwvar\_77831XXXX\_color=778315590&cgidmaster=packs-day-packs#sz=18&start=37

When I was younger I used to come up to Bumping Lake with my grandparents. This lake had always held a special place in my grandpa's heart. Though it has changed much since my childhood camping trips with my grandparents this place still has that special something. This time around my cousin invited me and my brother along for a Memorial weekend camp out and I just had to accept. I am embarrassed to admit how long it'd been since I've been camping last so this trip was a must for mind, body and soul. We came up on a Saturday and totally lucked out cause we got the one space that wasn't reserved which had to be a blessing from our late grandpa smiling down on us. Being it was Memorial weekend I thought the campground as well as the lake were going to be crazy both in people everywhere and it being loud at night. Thankfully this was not the case. Sure all the campsites around us were filled but everyone was super quiet and respectful. There is a really nice day use area by the boat launch that is $8 for day use or free if you got a campsite. There are picnic tables as well as fire pits with grills to cook food. There can be a pretty good breeze on the water so make sure to bring a jacket or a hoodie cause it can get a bit chilly even on a nice day. We also got to see jets make a few passes while there on the lake which was pretty darn awesome as well. I was told they use the area as a training grounds and can usually be seen once or twice a day. The water was a bit to cold for myself but my younger brother and cousin jumped in numerous times and would usually both start and end the day with a dip. 2 of the 3 nights I slept out under the stars on a cot and it was amazing the sleeping bag along with my Eddie Bauer throw blanket were sufficient enough to keep me cozy all night which surprised me since it was in the mid 30's. Between the fishing, relaxing and exploring I had an amazing weekend and cannot wait to get out camping again. Thinking Bumping lake needs to become a yearly trip at minimum just wish my grandpa was still around to enjoy it with. Do yourself a favor and get out to Bumping lake you will not regret it.

Stayed here a few days a couple years ago and it was a great place. The campsites are nice and spacious with good privacy from other campers. The lake level was pretty low when we were there so you had to walk out a bit of distance to get to the water. But it's a nice sandy shore so great for the kids swimming and the water is so shallow for a long way out so you don't have to worry about the kids. It's a beautiful lake and nice area.

Campground Review:

Bumping Lake is a beautiful area of the Cascade Mountains and the campground itself is pretty large.  There are two sections, Upper and Lower.  When I was looking online researching which part of the campground I wanted to reserve, I could not figure out what was on the water or what was closest.  I got so lucky with site 43!!!  Site 43, 44, and 45 are in a separate little loop in the Upper Campground right on the lake.  From the number of reserved signs after ours, I would say the secret is out.  3,5,7,8,9, and 10 are also technically on the lake, but they are quite a bit above the shore.  You can get a peek of the lake, but you have a little walk through the woods to get down to the water.   The Upper Campground has no hook ups, vault toilets, water spigots throughout.  The sites were nicely spaced and wooded.  The Lower Campground is not on Bumping Lake and seems to be set a bit more for RV camping with pull through sites, mostly paved pads, and a bit closer together than the Upper.  Same as Upper, no hook ups and vault toilets.

The campground is clean and well maintained by the folks at Hoodoo Recreation.  They checked the vault toilets several times per day and also have fire wood for sale at their host site.  The campground also has a really nice Day Use / Picnic area and Boat Launch. It was still chilly in mid June and there were plenty of open sites.  I would imagine this is a very popular campground in the summer.  We reserved through recreation.gov but hoodoorecreation.com will do the job as well.

Bumping Lake Marina is not part of the campground but is on the other side of the lake just down the road.  There is a little store with firewood, snacks, non alcoholic drinks, and fishing tackle.  You can also rent a little boat from them if you would like fish the lake.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, occasionally I get to test products.  This trip I got to play with The Master Kit from Grubstick: https://grubstick.com/products/master-kit .  It arrived in a nice nylon storage bag.  My immediate thought was this would be a really nice gift!  Maybe a wedding present for a couple who loves to camp!  I took everything out, washed it, and planned my meals.  We made bacon cups with cheesy scrambled eggs and pico, burgers and veggies in the cages, hotdogs (of course!) and crescent roll tubes as buns.  We did not make s'mores even though we brought the ingredients.  However, we did make the S'Maffle that I found on their website under recipes.  Oh man!  What a treat!  For the most part, everything worked really well, cleaned nicely, and was well built.

I had an issue with one of my Gubsticks.  As soon as we telescoped it, right out of the package, it fell apart.  After we got home from camping I sent Grubstick and email.  I let them know what happened and I also gave them suggestion for the Master Kit.  A huge reason I bought the big kit was so my husband and I could make meals at the same time and eat together.  This kit only came with one bacon clip.  As we made breakfast, it took forever with one clip to make four cups.  As a suggestion, I felt like the big kit should come with 2 clips.  Randy emailed me back right away.  He not only sent me a replacement stick, but 2 more clips and another Grubpocket!  Now we can have bacon together for breakfast and beyond!  

This is such a fun product.  I am looking forward to trying the other recipes they have on their blog and thinking of creative new things to make.  I am hoping this lasts years to come.  Their customer service is top notch, beyond expectations.  My outdoorsy friends will most likely be getting Grubstick kits in the future!

campground: my family and i have been enjoying this area since i was a kid. this spot will always hold a very special place in my heart. camping along bumping river seriously has it all, wide open sites that allow shooting, biking, fishing, fires, you name it. a very short drive to the lake. please keep this area clean! this is a dispersed camping area, no toilets, no tables, no potable water. be prepared and do your part to keep our forest clean. 

Product: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Bumping River CG, I tested two Icemule Jaunt 9-liter capacity cooler backpacks! Im giving this product a 4 star rating! These backpacks are very small and compact which I love. Its rated to hold a 6 pack but I would say you can comfortably fit 7! Its comfortable, light and stylish to wear. They kept our drinks cold, my only complaint was that I noticed on day 3 it was starting to sweat. We were camping in very warm weather so I think that played a part. I would not recommend using this bag as your main source of cooler. Certainly perfect for a day out on the boat, kayak, bike ride or even a short day hike.

Campground review: Perfect place to go with the family! Bathrooms, fire rings, lots of space! I love boating to the little islands around the lake! Beautiful!

Product review: http://www.belmontblanket.com/sdasd/ this product is currently sold out so I have linked the other items they have for sale. As a ranger for the Dryt I have gotten the chance to test out this awesome Adventure blanket! This blanket is the true definition of an adventure blanket! With its water proof material and warm fabric I will certainly be taking this blanket on all my up coming travels! Our first night at camp I decided to use my Adventure blanket over my down sleeping bag that is rated to 20 degrees. My partner insisted I would get cold so I kept my bag near by. I woke up comfortably wrapped in the Adventure blanket! This thin blanket kept me warm all throughout the first night I was very pleased. Our second night I wanted to lay under the stars in my hammock with my Adventure blanket. This blanket is seriously so cozy that I actually fell asleep! Again I woke up comfortable and warm. I am beyond impressed with this Belmont product! It also arrived in one of my favorite colors so thats a huge plus! Five Stars!