Best Campgrounds near Ione, WA

Luby Bay Campground offers a beautiful lakeside experience, with many sites featuring direct lakefront access. The campground is surrounded by trees and foliage, providing a sense of privacy, and the sites are nicely spaced apart. 

In the back corner of the lower loop, there is designated parking for boat trailers and extra vehicles. I launched my boat at the Priest Lake Marina just a mile down the road for a small fee, but I appreciated the free trailer parking at the campground. 

The flushing toilets were impressively clean—better than many I've encountered at other campgrounds. 

The road through the campground is paved but narrow, roughly 1.5 vehicles wide, so backing in a trailer requires some finesse. 

Each site comes with a bear-proof locker, which is essential for safety. The only downside was that our locker had trash bags left by the previous occupants, which hadn't been cleaned out before our arrival. This seems to be a minor oversight by the host. 

Overall, I had a great stay and would recommend Luby Bay Campground.

I wouldn’t recommend this campground, especially if you’re hoping for a lakeside experience. The campground is actually a decent distance away, and it’s not easy to access. The road getting in is rough and bumpy, which made for an unpleasant drive. Once we arrived, the campsites were disappointingly small and cramped, making it difficult to set up comfortably. The lake itself wasn’t much better. It’s small, and the water is ice cold, so swimming wasn’t really an option. To top it off, there were no fish to be found, so fishing was a bust. Overall, between the rough road, tiny campsites, and lackluster lake, this campground just wasn’t worth the effort. There are much better options out there.

This hike-in lake campground is a true alpine treasure, but be prepared to work for it! The hike to get there is pretty strenuous, with some tough climbs along the way. The trail itself isn’t well marked, so you’ll want to pay close attention or bring a good map to avoid getting off course. That said, the payoff is absolutely worth it. The alpine lake at the end of the trail is stunning—clear, pristine water surrounded by rugged mountain scenery. It’s the kind of place that feels untouched and pure. If you visit during the right season, you’ll find huckleberries everywhere, which is a sweet bonus after the tough hike in. The campground is simple but perfectly positioned to enjoy the beauty of the lake. The water is incredibly clear, perfect for a cold dip if you're brave enough! If you're up for a challenging hike and want to escape to a peaceful alpine setting, this spot is well worth the effort. Just be ready for a bit of route-finding on the trail and take advantage of the huckleberries along the way!

This campsite was overall a really good time! There's a trail that leads to the water for any of the campers or visitors to go swim at, site 13 had its own trail down to the water which was so fun to have easy access too! If you want a site with a beautiful view and flat tent spots site 9 and 10 also looked beautiful!

If you plan to stay at the walk in sites I recommend bringing a wagon! The walk from car to campground is not far but there is a decent hill you have to walk down to the campsite.

Pit toilet was nice and well taken care of! The hand sanitizer was out, but otherwise very clean. The only toilet is at the parking lot, so it's a short walk from the campsites.

The other downside was bugs! SO many bee's! Especially when we ate we had to walk with our food to keep the bee's away we never got stung though!. And mosquitos at night were bad but all of it was manageable with big spray!

Overall a great campsite, if you go during the week you might have the walk in sites all to yourself, not crowded and lots of fun!