Best Tent Camping near Kelso, WA

This is a cute little resort that is great for RV's and Fishing.  I would not recommend this campground for tent camping.  The Tent sites are open, sloped grass with no seperation between sights and no privacy(think grass parking lot).  They are also located RIGHT next to the highway.  The lake is beautiful and the staff are very friendly so I'm sure with the proper site and inside and RV to shield you from the road noise you could have a pleasant stay here.

We stayed here as part of a camping trip for my son's cubscout troop. It seemed like a moderately used small campground at the time. My visit was a year ago. They have a large shelter used for weddings. Adirondacks that didn't seem used much, a tent camping area and cabins. We tent camped. They also have restrooms that have since been updated since my initial visit. It's a decent basic campground with a small stream running through it.

Nice little campground. Sites are a little uneven for tent camping. Clean beach but very cold water.

Friendly enough owner. Showers and bathroom needs updated. Have to pay for showers. Nice field for tent camping and creek in the back.

We’ve stayed here many times and if you’re planning to fish, crab, or dig clams at the coast this is the best place! They have a wonderful cleaning station, clean hot showers and RV and tent sites as well as a few small cabins. The tent sites are all on grass and back up to a stream. They even have a little camp store where we bought flour and seasonings to fry our clams at camp!

Beautiful access to the beach. Large tent sites. Area is very clean. Reservations are easy and the host asks what form of payment we would prefer. Very professional.

Incredible, free, private. Tent sites only, short hike in from parking lot, bring your own everything. Pit toilets, lake access, close to Mt. St. Helens activities. Four miles from Cougar.

Tent sites are on top of each other and no privacy my site did not have any shade. They are all right next to the road. The docks were nice to fish off of.

Decent coin op showers. Nice walk in tent sites. Nice RV sites. Decent playground. Fishing bridge just a short walk. There's no store or anything. Can buy firewood nearby. Flush toilets. Cleaned regularly.

When I think of camping, I think of wilderness, semi-privacyand a campfire. 

Pros:

-Right on the Columbia River

-Very small site and Inexpensive

-you can fish from your campsite

Cons:

-Right on a busy Highway

-Very crowded spaces and no privacy

-No fires

-No more tent camping

This was a decent campground if you are interested in staying still and not bothered by a cramped no privacy site

This campground is a strange hidden gem - stick with me through the downsides. Taidnapam is on Riffe Lake, which is created by a dam and as of about 2013 the water levels have been permanently lowered by 30-ish feet. This is bad news for people who only went there for boating and fishing and swimming in the swim area but for some of us it's actually good news.

The campground is slower than it used to be during the summer months due to the lowered water levels - but that means you can often still get a reservation at the last minute, especially for the walk-in tent sites (which is what we use). We have camped for three years now at the walk-in tent sites and it's a bit tougher to access the water but you definitely can still find plenty of places to get in or take a kayak down to the water. There's also lots of fun areas around the edge of the lake to explore that used to be under water - making for interested hiking.

We love this campground to go to with kids - the walk-in tent sites are great and the water is so shallow now for quite a ways out so the kids can play in the water and the sand/mud along the edge of the lake. There are so many nooks and crannies around the edge of the lake to explore with the kids - and we used an inflatable kayak while there to go across the lake. They also have a scavenger hunt of items hidden around the campground that you can do with your kids (or if they are a bit older they can do on their own) and a playground.

This camping is great if you do not mind having others near you or if you are fearful of venturing out alone. If you are looking for a secluded location, this is NOT the spot. This location had many amenities. My husband and I tent camped and it included ample space to pitch our tent, a small in-the-ground pit, and a table. We noticed many RVs and many sites had available hookups. There is a nice lake in walking distance for boating, swimming, and fishing.

We had a birthday camping weekend here and it was wonderful!! Its about 30 minutes from any bigger towns and very relaxing. There are tent sites rv sites and even a horse camp area! Hiking and horse trails meander through the forest along a creek or two as well!! There is a lodge and old schoolhouse available for renti g for big parties or events as well.

This campground is constantly crowded. I've been through here while hiking the Gales Creek trail on occasion. I camped there after a 11.5 mile hike from Timber. There was only 1 walk in tent site available. (Others who had driven in were taking up the other walk-in sites) There is a water pump, but I highly recommend filtering/boiling the water. It smells bad. The camp site was clean at least.