Best Cabin Camping near Index, WA

We stayed with several families at the group site with a mixture of trailers, tents, and tents on cars. The trailers ranged in size from 22’ to 36’ and we found ample space for each.

This site has close access to the bathrooms shared with those staying in the cabins. Peekaboo views of the water between the trees.

The site has several campsites that branch off of the road through the site which is also a trail. It has a central gravel area for a large group or trailers next to a large field area. There is no kitchen shelter, just picnic tables, fire pits, and a grill.

The site feels very private but you have people passing on the trail/road, which runs through the middle of camp, at regular intervals.

The park is full of steep hills which can make those with mobility challenges or kids wanting to ride bikes tough. The road to the beach is very steep.

Bring bug spray as mosquitoes were vicious as well as the yellow jackets.

This was a lovely campsite. It was smaller, yet felt large enough so you had your own privacy and space. There were clean facilities available, as well as drinking water and trash bins. Our lot was spacious with a nice picnic table, fire pit, and area for our two person tent. Everyone around us was respectful of one another and wasn't too loud late at night. There are trails behind the campsite that lead down to the river, or just a short drive away is the 'beach' and bridge overlooking the lake. It is peaceful and although the highway is close by, seeing the beauty of the area makes you think and feel you are deeper in nature. I would definitely stay here again for a longer period of time!

Quite liked this campground, a few things to note first about the site then the park.

Site: 31 Great distance between tent pad and picnic table with a few well placed trees for hammock/ clothing line Fire ring was great distance from picnic table. Great privacy (granted the people in the site next to us weren’t there) Close walk to bathroom/showers & Trash Short 5 minute walk to the lake.

Park: Showers were actually free Normally it is pretty windy, but there was no wind both days we were present Mosquitos were worse than usual, but a constant cost of DEET and a anti mosquito candle kept them at bay, still got bit up a bit There is a pretty legit store with camping stuff, espresso, and ice cream Playground near beach area By the beach there was a dude selling kayak/ paddle board rentals, he does not come on especially windy days Kind Staff, met camp hosts dog

I’ve also attached some photos of the RV sites from the north campground

Definitely will come back

I recently rented the cabin for the weekend in February. I've already made a reservation for a summer weekend, but this review is based on winter use.

The cabin comes with a stove & a battery lantern, with the expectation that you'll provide the fuel & the batteries. A previous user had left a propane canister and left the batteries in the lantern. It's a nice gesture, but come prepared with your own. I'd also brought along a propane lantern, and I'm glad I did. (Although this did violate the "no open flames in the cabin" rule - more on that later.) The interior of the cabin is very dark, and while the battery lantern provides light, it's only bright up close. Plan to bring your own lanterns, especially in the winter when the night's dark comes early. There are some board games and books in the cupboard, as well.

The bunkbeds are covered in plastic, but it's a thin cellophane so it wasn't noisy. There are provided pillows; I didn't use them. The bunks' mattresses are comfortable. Because of the way the Forest Service installed the bunkbed & the cupboards, the bunkbeds don't fully benefit from the heat of the woodstove. In the winter, you'll want a warm sleeping bag.

I broke the "no open flames in the cabin" rule because it was 16°F outside, and my meals needed to simmer. I imagine this rule is designed to protect the cabin as well as to protect visitors from CO poisoning. I placed the stove near a window and opened the window a crack, and I never turned my back on the stove. There's a CO monitor in the cabin, and truth be told, the cabin's drafty. But if you're going to break the rule, understand the risk you're taking, and for the love of all that is holy do not burn down this cabin.

The lock on the woodshed is the kind that the tumblers need to be lined up before you take the key out, but it's also a little worn so it's possible to take the key out without it being lined up. If that happens - as it did with me - it's really difficult to get the key back into the lock far enough to unlock it. (I had to heat up the lock & the key with a candle to get the tumblers "unstuck.") Be very careful with the lock, or you may find yourself having a chilly night. (Wood is only provided during winter rentals, so this doesn't apply for the summer folks.)

The toilet paper in the vault toilet is kept in a heavy plastic tote. My guess is this is to protect it from rodents. Please keep the lid on tight.

I wish I'd brought along a pair of camp shoes to keep my bed socks clean. There's a warning that you should expect every surface in the cabin has been contaminated by mouse urine & droppings. Consider that during food preparation. (I used some plastic wrap to cover the countertop to give me some clean space to work.) I didn't see any rodents while I was there, but there were droppings in a few places. There's no running water, so I'd recommend bringing hand sanitizer as well.

I was carrying more than my usual backpacking load, and I'd planned to haul things in on a sled. Unfortunately, I failed to test out my sled setup & practice pulling a sled, and on the trail it turned out to be a dismal failure. I got very lucky in that a nearby cabin owner saw me, took pity on me, and hauled my gear in & back out for me. However, his was the only one of the cabins along the road in use that weekend. If you're going to do something similar, be smarter than I was and test out your gear & your technique ahead of time.

Although the river is nearby, it has a steep bank and I wouldn't risk trying to get water out of it during the winter. I utilized the woodstove's cooktop & melted snow. It's not the tastiest, but it's fine for cooking with.

I will definitely come back, and next time I will be better prepared. I enjoyed the brief glimpse of life in a remote cabin: splitting wood & kindling, needing to keep the woodstove going through the night, et cetera. But I'm grateful someone else cut the wood and stocked the shed, and that I had access to modern winter clothing & recreation devices like lightweight snowshoes & waxless skis.

What a lovely campground! There’s a day use area with a bathroom and picnic tables right before entering into the campground. This place allows you to pay to park in the lots for $15/night if you are occupying it which is nice when the campground is full. There’s trash bins located throughout the campground as well as restrooms and shower houses (quarters needed). Dump station is $5. Several free options to pick from based on your setup. If you are paying to overnight park in the parking lot, you technically are not supposed to be using any of the amenities within the campground itself including the shower. If you speak with the Office and allow to pay them directly. They are very accommodating to allow you the bathroom code for the showers. They ask you only stay one night in the parking lot but you can ask for an extra night but get approval.

There’s a bar and grill across the road with pizza and dog friendly. There’s trails around the campground to walk. Very pretty views of the water at half the sites. Camp hosts were very kind and came around at night to check to make sure everyone paid to stay so make sure you do if you are in the parking lot! Had fantastic ATT service and was able to work well. Varied from 3-4 bars of 5G. Only 30 minutes from NC NP entrance. Definitely would stay here again!

We are here in November for a week. We really love it here. The staff are friendly and helpful. Lots of trees in our section separating us but in other sections your really close to each other. It is first come first serve and lucky us we got 50 amp. I would scout the map and be first for checkin just in case someone left that day because their are only a few 50 amp. Hopefully you aren’t spending too much inside to matter but we have a washer dryer and a residential fridge and a small fridge. Looks like newer picnic tables and they also provide fire rings. You are about 20 minutes from downtown Redmond. We will definitely stay here again. I bet summer is really busy because it’s a great area. Also not far from Snoqualmie falls and lots of hiking available. Really nice laundry room and play area for kids. I wish they had a fenced off leash area for dogs but they do have 3 different potty areas for them.

We stayed 1 night here for the maiden voyage of our recently purchased travel trailer, which was nice since it's only about an hour away from our place near Seattle. Arrived Friday early evening and it wasn't busy at all.

The check-in process was easy, even though their reservation system was down at the time. Filled up w/ some fresh water at the dump station, which was clean and well maintained.

Campsites in the RV loop were spaced out enough with vegetation between them so as to provide some privacy. Our site had a pull-through driveway, 30amp hookup, a fire ring and picnic table. Bathrooms in that loop were pretty nice... heated and very clean.

Took a walk down to the day use area by the river, which was easy for us, but some portions of the trails closer to the river were slightly overgrown w/ a few obstacles, which could be problematic for some. Didn't see any kids play structures down there, which would be nice to have for families.

We heard a couple trains while there, but the noise wasn't too loud. Never heard the fire siren that they warned us about. Overall, it was a good camping experience for a quick trip and would return!