Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Lake Tapps, WA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Lake Tapps is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Lake Tapps, WA. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
$20 / night
$20 / night
Tinkham Campground is located along the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It offers some of the most stunning scenery in Washington's North Cascades, as well as easy access to an abundance of recreational activities.
The surrounding area is a prime location for hiking, fishing, picnicking and horseback riding in summer and early fall. In winter, visitors can take advantage of skiing and snowshoeing opportunities. A handful of hiking trails lie within a short driving distance, making Tinkham an ideal setting for both individual and family camping excursions. The 0.5-mile Tinkham Discovery Trail is an easy, family-friendly nature path. It weaves through fallen, moss-covered trees to a small pond. Children love investigating the insects, wildflowers and fungi along the trail.
The campground sits alongside the river, in a towering canopy of Douglas fir, cedar and western hemlock, providing abundant shade. Rugged peaks, scenic rivers and abundant wildlife define the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and surrounding designated wilderness areas. On a clear day visitors can see Mt. Baker, which rises to an elevation of 10,781 feet. The active volcano is perpetually snow-capped. Mt. Baker's summit, Grant Peak, is actually a 1,300-foot-deep mound of ice, which hides a massive volcanic crater. Wildlife in the area ranges from mountain goats in the higher elevations to coyotes and pine martens in the forests. Migratory birds and native fish find ample habitat in the varied ecosystems as well.
Mount Rainier National Park is about an hour away. This beautiful park offers fantastic glimpses of glaciers, subalpine ecology and volcanic landscapes. Hiking and scenic driving are the area's most popular activities.
For facility specific information, please call (530) 932-0242.
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
$30 - $32 / night
Cougar Rock Campground, on the southwest side of Mt. Rainier National Park, is conveniently located near Paradise. Individual campsites are reservable on this page. Group campsite reservations can be made via Cougar Rock Group Campground. Paradise is the most popular destination in the park, with a lodge and visitor center, many miles of hiking trails and a commanding view of the mountain-the highest in the state and Cascade range. The main attraction at Mount Rainier National Park is the mountain itself, a massive glacier-clad volcano, peaking at 14,411 ft. and dominating the skyline for hundreds of miles. Visitors travel through majestic old-growth forests, past tumbling waterfalls and historic buildings to reach sub-alpine meadows, where world-famous wildflower displays bloom through July and August. Popular activities in the park include sight-seeing, hiking, rock climbing and camping.Cougar Rock campground is located at an elevation of 3,180 feet. Summers are dry and cool with daytime temperatures ranging from 60 to 80 degrees. Weather throughout the park can be variable, so visitors should come prepared.
From the facility, experienced hikers and backpackers can access the well-known, strenuous and beautiful Wonderland Trail, which encircles the park for 93 miles. For those who enjoy learning more about the park's natural and cultural history, there is an on-site amphitheater where interpretive programs are held.
Cougar Rock Campground has one lookout point from which campers can view Mt. Rainier. Although it is peaceful now, the still active volcano last erupted in the mid 1800s. The campground is adjacent to the Nisqually River and is surrounded by thick forests. A short drive to Paradise in summer reveals fields of lush wildflowers.
Mount Rainier National Park is about 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.
If a camper does not check-in at the ranger station by 12:00pm check-out time the day after the scheduled arrival date, their reservation will be cancelled, the camper will incur a $10.00 service fee, and forfeit the first night's camping fee.
$20 / night
Elkamp Eastcreek allows visitors a chance to connect with nature and experience the great outdoors. Located near the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, this campground provides easy access to a wide range of outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, river rafting, kayaking and wildlife watching. The campsites are nestled among the trees and offer plenty of privacy, making it a perfect destination for those seeking a peaceful retreat whether that be in a tent or more luxurious cabin. Elkamp Eastcreek also features modern amenities, including clean restrooms, showers and laundry facilities.
$25 - $40 / night
Open year round, this campground gives campers access to a wilderness area within the Auburn City limits. Bordered on one side by the Stuck River, the park has a wooded, meadow and riverside area. The camping area is designed to accommodate recreation vehicles, trailers and tents. With 18 individual campsites (PDF), there are also water and electricity hookups (30 amps), picnic tables, and a fire pit. There is a shared picnic shelter and an RV dump site for park users. The day camp area is ideal for scouting, church or other group activities.
Reservations start the first working day in January and can be made by calling 253-931-3043 or can be made in person by visiting the Auburn Community & Event Center, 910 9th Street SE during regular office hours. Reservations are accepted in person, mail, fax or phone and must be accompanied with full payment. Cash, Check, Visa or MasterCard are accepted forms of payment.
water not available December 1-February 28
$40 / night
$60 / night
$32 / night
$20 / night
$20 / night
Tinkham Campground is located along the South Fork Snoqualmie River in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It offers some of the most stunning scenery in Washington's North Cascades, as well as easy access to an abundance of recreational activities.
The surrounding area is a prime location for hiking, fishing, picnicking and horseback riding in summer and early fall. In winter, visitors can take advantage of skiing and snowshoeing opportunities. A handful of hiking trails lie within a short driving distance, making Tinkham an ideal setting for both individual and family camping excursions. The 0.5-mile Tinkham Discovery Trail is an easy, family-friendly nature path. It weaves through fallen, moss-covered trees to a small pond. Children love investigating the insects, wildflowers and fungi along the trail.
The campground sits alongside the river, in a towering canopy of Douglas fir, cedar and western hemlock, providing abundant shade. Rugged peaks, scenic rivers and abundant wildlife define the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and surrounding designated wilderness areas. On a clear day visitors can see Mt. Baker, which rises to an elevation of 10,781 feet. The active volcano is perpetually snow-capped. Mt. Baker's summit, Grant Peak, is actually a 1,300-foot-deep mound of ice, which hides a massive volcanic crater. Wildlife in the area ranges from mountain goats in the higher elevations to coyotes and pine martens in the forests. Migratory birds and native fish find ample habitat in the varied ecosystems as well.
Mount Rainier National Park is about an hour away. This beautiful park offers fantastic glimpses of glaciers, subalpine ecology and volcanic landscapes. Hiking and scenic driving are the area's most popular activities.
For facility specific information, please call (530) 932-0242.
Once your reservation start date has begun, neither the Recreation.gov Contact Center nor the campground manager will be able to modify your reservation.
$30 - $32 / night
Elkamp Eastcreek allows visitors a chance to connect with nature and experience the great outdoors. Located near the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, this campground provides easy access to a wide range of outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, river rafting, kayaking and wildlife watching. The campsites are nestled among the trees and offer plenty of privacy, making it a perfect destination for those seeking a peaceful retreat whether that be in a tent or more luxurious cabin. Elkamp Eastcreek also features modern amenities, including clean restrooms, showers and laundry facilities.
$25 - $40 / night
Open year round, this campground gives campers access to a wilderness area within the Auburn City limits. Bordered on one side by the Stuck River, the park has a wooded, meadow and riverside area. The camping area is designed to accommodate recreation vehicles, trailers and tents. With 18 individual campsites (PDF), there are also water and electricity hookups (30 amps), picnic tables, and a fire pit. There is a shared picnic shelter and an RV dump site for park users. The day camp area is ideal for scouting, church or other group activities.
Reservations start the first working day in January and can be made by calling 253-931-3043 or can be made in person by visiting the Auburn Community & Event Center, 910 9th Street SE during regular office hours. Reservations are accepted in person, mail, fax or phone and must be accompanied with full payment. Cash, Check, Visa or MasterCard are accepted forms of payment.
water not available December 1-February 28
$40 / night
Guide
After months of trying to get reservations for this popular campground, we finally got one for Thanksgiving weekend! The park is on their winter schedule so only sites 1-7 and 226-248 were open. It made for a nice, quiet weekend even though the open sites were 80% full. We had a pull-through site right across from the dumpster, bathrooms, and camp host. We had decent service for Verizon. There are ample trails throughout the park including a lovely trail along the lake, which is not far from the campground. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because our site had a huge mud puddle from the road going to the power and water hook-up. The thin layer of mud on the pavement made things quite slick as I was trying to get leveling blocks down.
Traveler
We were warmly greeted by Fank and Amy. They took us around the farm and showed us the animals. We have a 38-foot trailer and had plenty of room to back in. At the end of the day, soaking in the hot tub was the best! Thank you, Frank and Amy, for being excellent hosts! We will be back!
Scout
This is a newer campground with spacious and private sites away from the river. Sites at riverside are narrow, long, flat, but not so private. While the outhouses in general are pristine, by late summer those in the lower loop are usually over full, you would be better of with a bucket. That said, we need an ADA site and the ADA and a few of the other accessible sites here are very good. This is always on our short notice list of great places to relax.
Ranger
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.
Traveler
Glad they reopened this campground - it’s a nice quick escape from the city with plenty of accessible / semi accessible trails nearby. Sites are pretty basic, but have a bear locker.
Scout
Game Farm Wilderness Campground is like a real-life Minecraft experience. Just like building and exploring in Minecraft for PC, you can craft your perfect outdoor adventure here, surrounded by nature, and enjoy endless fun and exploration. For More Info: https://www.minecraftapks.com/minecraft-for-pc/
Traveler
Close to lots of hikes and views. A little bit of road noise but not much. Very busy but that’s to be expected at mt rainier. Clean bathrooms and easy check in.
Scout
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Guide
This is my favorite dispersed site so far. Plenty of room for larger rigs, very close to a river and lots of woods to explore nearby. Close enough to Mt. Rainier NP and nearby towns for supplies. Vault toilets if needed, and the airstrip was only used twice in the 4 nights we stayed, i think (heard one mid-day, and saw another late morning).
There is a single-lane bridge when turning in that could be tricky for a motorhome that is towing, but not enough traffic to cause us any issues getting in. For larger rigs - take the second left (at a Y-intersection, and then keep to the left and you won't have any trouble getting in. Going to the right at the Y takes you to an area that big rigs might have trouble finding spots or turning around, but still doable.
Traveler
Nice area by a creek, very peaceful and quiet during the day, a ton of people around and lots of passerby’s. As soon as it got dark, someone decided to sneak around my campsite with a flashlight and stand outside my tent for some time. Packed up quick and zoomed out of there, very uncomfortable and would not recommend for solo campers.
Traveler
I just can’t say enough about this campsite. I wound up staying here 4 to 5 days at a time over the course of two months because I loved it so much. It’s private. The spaces allow you to have a certain level of intimacy. They have bathrooms, water, and gray water dump, the host Marissa is just a complete awesome doll. It’s convenient to drive into because it’s right off the highway and about five minutes or so is the town of Skykomish with an incredible deli library a laundromat and a coffee shop I hope to visit here many more times, but I absolutely love it. Oh and cell reception is pretty good. Best we stayed at. For both Google Fi and, Verizon.
Guide
You are supposed to have a Washington State Discovery pass to stay here, also they want you to fill out self registration once you arrive, fyi there are no pens onsite to do so.
This was a nice spot to stay the night, clean, nice picnic tables and fire pits, one pit toilet.
Legend
Large gravel parking area just outside the border of Mt Ranier NP that’s right off the highway, easy to access in our RV, just have to go slow over the potholes. Zero cell reception for ATT and the Verizon phone was very weak/ practically unusable.
There was an abandoned (ticketed) falling apart trailer, and another trailer camping there. The stay limit here is 14 days, though to me this is more a place if you need a place for the night, rather than a destination.
It’s on the way to Crystal Springs Resort area, which we did not check out.
Guide
Good place for families that looks to be kept really clean. The spaces are packed in fairly tight with no dividing barriers of trees. Campsite 10 looks to be the best as it has a little canopy tree and is in the corner without obstruction for a view of the Puget Sound. Water and electric hookup, picnic table, fire pit at each site with additional bathroom with a shower for the grounds. There is a ship playground for the kids and beach volleyball court. It is nestled back through an area of homes that back up to sites 1-8.
Traveler
Really liked the park. Everything was good about it. The only thing for me was that we have a rv, and there is electrical hookups but no water hookups.
Ranger
Our daughter told us about this place. You have to climb up a narrow gravel road to get here. A drive leads out to a flat area with a fire pit It was raining when we pulled in, so views were limited. In the clear morning, we got a beautiful view of Mount Rainier. We got decent Starlink signal with a bar of Verizon. Spot would be perfect except prior campers left toilet paper around a bush.
Traveler
Discover pass required. Host on site. Paved pads. Some pull thru.
Guide
We stayed at this park on a trip to Seattle. It was only about 30 minutes to downtown, but almost felt like you were out in the country.
We did not use the bathrooms, but enjoyed the walking trails, playground for the kids, and watching the resident ducks in the pond.
GuideVery cool spot with new generation trees growing out of old generation stumps, close to river for water, very popular spot so found a lot of trash but loved the sites and hiking trails nearby
Guide
Went here for a social event and had a blast. Big sites with lovely paths between, wonderful shop with firewood available at any hour (just square up when the place is actually open), clean plumbed bathrooms and a coin operated shower at $0.50/minute. There’s a beautiful meadow, a creek, huge trees. The owners are incredibly friendly and the place is very dog friendly.
Traveler
We intended to stay a week, left after 4 days. Could be a beautiful place if not for people.
Pros:
Open space, plenty of room
Beautiful View
Near the park
Cons:
Crowded, even mid week we had close neighbors
Party spot, loud people with loud music
Dirty, we picked up an entire garbage bag of trash just in the spot we were at. Much more in the rest of the area.
Road noise, you're literally right off the road
River is nice, but it's a glacial run off so it's definitely not a swimming area (dirty)
Road in is super rough
Again, overall it could be a nice place. We stayed Wednesday through Saturday after labor day. So not "peak" season and the place was absolutely trashed. Feces, TP, beer cans and bottles, food trash, even car parts litter the area. We did a clean up but barely made a dent.
The first night was quiet and then some locals came and you could tell it was a party area. Loud music, dogs off leash, close neighbors.
We ended up leaving Saturday because it just wasn't enjoyable.
TravelerRight off the main road, but several sweet camping spots more tucked away and along the river. I’d definitely recommend a higher clearance vehicle if you want to camp deeper near the river due to rocks and tree roots. People need to clean up after themselves though. We pulled up to a spot that was thrashed. That is how free things get shut down.
ScoutThis looked like a pretty good campground. I could see open tenting spots from the road, even! But I was unable to get in early in the evening with nowhere else to go. Too strict!
Scout
Unfortunately this campground is permanently closed.
Traveler
Could not find the spot in the previous review. They must have parked off the highway. Multiple spots to camp. We went a little further in for a more secluded area and barely had any traffic. Would stay here again.
TravelerThis place was gorgeous. Right off a busy road but with being right by the water it tunes out the noise of the traffic. Plenty of spots and can drive in further to be more secluded if needed.
Traveler
Got here around sunset. Looks like some good camping spots to walk into. Beautiful view of Rainier. There was a little bit of traffic but nothing crazy. Would stay here again.
Camping near Lake Tapps, Washington, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Lake Tapps, Washington, has something for everyone, from families to RV enthusiasts. Just remember to check the specific amenities and conditions of each campground to ensure a great experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Lake Tapps, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, Lake Tapps, WA offers a wide range of camping options, with 260 campgrounds and RV parks near Lake Tapps, WA and 33 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Lake Tapps, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Lake Tapps, WA is Dash Point State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 64 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Lake Tapps, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 33 free dispersed camping spots near Lake Tapps, WA.
What parks are near Lake Tapps, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 14 parks near Lake Tapps, WA that allow camping, notably Mount Rainier National Park and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
