Janet W.
Scout
ScoutPort Ludlow RV Park
Nice place, but closing 10/31/2026
It IS a pretty, private, moderately priced rv park. Too bad -- there is a note announcing their permanent closure 10/31/2026. Enjoy it while you can!
Camping near Auburn, WA
289 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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Camping options around Auburn, Washington range from established state parks to wilderness campgrounds within a short drive of the city. Game Farm Wilderness Campground, located within Auburn city limits, provides 18 campsites with water and electricity hookups for tents and RVs. Dash Point State Park Campground in nearby Federal Way offers year-round camping with both tent and RV sites, while Lake Sawyer Resort in Black Diamond features cabin accommodations. Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, approximately 30 minutes east of Auburn, provides a more natural setting with tent sites, RV hookups, and cabin options along the Green River.
Many campgrounds in the region require reservations, particularly during summer months when sites fill quickly. Discover Passes are needed for day use at Washington State Parks, with annual passes available for $30. A camper noted, "Game Farm Wilderness Campground, open year-round, offers a unique opportunity to experience nature within the Auburn city limits." Most campgrounds provide basic amenities like picnic tables, fire rings, and access to toilets, though amenities vary significantly between primitive and developed sites. Cell phone coverage can be limited at campgrounds farther from urban areas, particularly those in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains east of Auburn.
Public lands surrounding Auburn feature diverse camping experiences from urban-adjacent parks to more remote forest settings. Campers frequently mention the convenience of having natural camping areas so close to city amenities. As described in feedback on The Dyrt, "The campground is in 500+ acre Tolt-McDonald Park, far enough away from any busy road so that there is no traffic noise, just the sound of the Tolt River rapids." While some campgrounds like Dash Point offer wooded sites with privacy between campers, others such as Dean's Campground provide more basic accommodations with fewer amenities. Waterfront camping areas are particularly popular, with several campgrounds offering access to rivers, lakes, or Puget Sound beaches, providing opportunities for swimming, fishing, and paddling during warmer months.
Best Campgrounds near Auburn (289)
1. Dash Point State Park Campground
"Firstly, I just have to say what a positive and amazing experience I had at this campground. The volunteers were friendly, kind and absolutely awesome to interact with."
"The campground itself is tucked into a beautiful, forested area with plenty of trees and privacy between sites. Ours had a tent pad, fire ring, and picnic table."
from $23 - $74 / night
Check Availability2. Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
"There is good system of trails, tons of picnic tables along the river, and good river access to the Green rivers. Campground is well maintained, clean bathrooms and showers available."
"It's close proximity to our house allows us to hook up the trailer after work and include a Friday night in our camping weekend!"
from $23 - $254 / night
Check Availability3. Saltwater State Park Campground
"My family stayed here for a night when we went out to Washington a few months ago. It was a nice little place."
"Pay showers ($1 for 3 minutes) and clean restroom with air dryer, pet friendly, lots of trails to hike and a beautiful beach area with a playground, seasonal/weekend snack shop, outdoor shower by the beach"
from $23 / night
Check Availability4. Netties Mountain View Retreat
"Convenient drive to Mt Rainier and Summit lake trail as well. Definitely worth every penny! "
"Convenient location near Mt. Rainier."
from $40 - $60 / night
Check Availability5. Game Farm Wilderness Campground
from $40 / night
Check Availability6. Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor
"Close by stores, trails, parks, harbor. Tacoma across bridge (10 minutes - $6.25 toll)."
"Costco, Home Depot, Albertsons and other shopping close by."
from $57 - $104 / night
Check Availability7. Enumclaw Expo Center RV Park
"There are several dump stations nearby. Very quiet and low key. It is situated next to a H.S. stadium so the game nights get a little bit loud but really not that bad. Showers are available too."
"Campground has nice paved spots, but they are very close to each other, so don't expect much privacy. It sits behind a smal stadium.
For the restrooms and shower you'll have to walk pretty far."
from $35 - $50 / night
Check Availability8. Lake Sawyer Resort
"If you can look past the rundown bathrooms and strict rules about dogs and everything else you’re doing then you can appreciate the beauty of Lake Sawyer every morning."
9. Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base
"Excellent location for those with military access to the base - active duty, retired or family. 30/50 amp hookups. Beautiful views of American Lake. Pet friendly."
"It is in the wilderness, on the lake, but it is also fairly close to stores and gas stations. Long term max is 28 days per spot."
10. Dean's Campground
from $24 - $46 / night
Check Availability
Drive Time
- 27 min from Seattle, WA
- 38 min from Olympia, WA
- 39 min from Bremerton, WA
- 1 hr 18 min from Mount Vernon, WA
Recent Camping Photos near Auburn, WA
505 Photos of 289 Auburn Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Recent Reviews near Auburn, WA
1544 Reviews of 289 Auburn Campgrounds
- S
Steve M.
TravelerSmall Site but Million $ View!
Slow Climb
Bumpy road all the way to the top but worth every minute of the climb. Nice and peaceful and hardly saw any traffic up there. Sadly I didn’t get to see Rainer until the morning for like 15 minutes until clouds rolled in lol
Ryan M.ScoutDash Point State Park Campground
Pretty but deceiving
I wanted to like this campground, but I wouldn’t stay here again for more than maybe one night.
There are signs EVERYWHERE warning about theft, which immediately tells you something about the area. I didn’t have anything stolen, but I was extremely careful about what I left out.
The biggest problem is that you’re basically on your own after hours. There is no campground host, no posted after-hours ranger number, and no non-emergency number at the campground or through the park’s phone system. The staff hours also seem very limited and inconsistent. I arrived around 6:30 PM and nobody was there, and staff didn’t seem to return until around 9–10 AM.
The bathrooms were dirty, out of toilet paper, and the showers were cold. One morning there was a large unleashed dog in the women’s bathroom that growled at me while its owner was showering. I believe she may have been homeless and using the facilities. Again, there was nobody around to contact about it.
Another night, people were extremely loud until almost midnight. Same problem: no host, no ranger and no non-emergency number. Unless something is serious enough for 911, you’re left to deal with it yourself.
There are also a lot of homeless people and visible drug addicts/drug activity around Federal Way. I had been warned about the area before coming here, and I understand why.
The park itself is pretty and might be fine for a quick overnight stay, but for multiple nights, I wouldn’t recommend it. Between the theft warnings, lack of after-hours staff, weird staffing hours, and no way to report non-emergency problems, I never really felt comfortable settling into my campsite.
- MMike E.Scout
Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park
Excellent Place Near Mt Rainier
My wife and I came to this campground recently (9/26 - 9/29) and overall it was a great trip. The staff (Rangers) were so friendly and helpful. The site we had for our 20 ft trailer was a pull-through site which was quite level. It was pretty shady and use of our solar panel was minimal. The proximity to Paradise was great. It was incredibly crowded at Paradise despite being so late in September. The campground filled up to full within a couple of hours of our arrival around 2:30 pm. Bathrooms are very basic (flush toilets and only cold water sinks). There was a water bottle filler right outside the bathroom and tasted great. There is no option to fill trailer tanks with water. Their water filler and dump station has been out of order for a couple of years per the ranger, so I don't expect it to be fixed anytime soon. We were told that there was a water filling station in Alder Lake Park but it is a ways from this campground. We brought our own water so didn't need it. Our site itself was great but there is a reasonable amount of debris around other sites. Overall, we would come again.
- Betsy W.
RangerSahara Creek DNR Horse Camp
Very nice!! All you need for great campiing
Very nice! Horse camp but sites 21-30 are for non equestrian campers. Sites are wooded between and large with table, firepits/grill combo, and level wooded spaces. 2 clean, well stocked pit toilets are available. Water faucets available at several locations. WA discover pass but free otherwise. It is patrolled regularly.
Matt G.
GuideNF-2419 Dispersed Site
Little pulloff good for a night
The roads were fair to get to it, little bumpy. Right off road but not alot of traffic. You do have cell coverage here so thats nice. Bring anything you want of need, nothings but trees and the sky are close.
- ttraveller 1.
LegendCabin Creek Dispersed Camping
If you’re up in the parking lot your fine
The reviews here seem to be from two different places
Parking lot up by the logging operation is fine
Down the road by the creek is a bunch of permanent trailers
Be nice if people reviewed the proper spots
- ttraveller 1.Legend
Cabin Creek Dispersed Site
People are living here permanently
There’s one site on the hill that’s not occupied permanently and I was there for may 20 mins before they started slowly riding atv by and staring. Wasn’t even planning on staying, just wanted to let the dogs have a swim
Super uncomfortable
Water was nice
- ttraveller 1.Legend
Kachess Lake Logging Road Campsites
Beautiful
Amazing but a bit dirty and lots of other campers. We stopped for a river visit but didn’t stay the night
Guide to Auburn
Camping opportunities near Auburn, Washington range from state park campgrounds to military facilities within a 30-minute drive. The region sits at the edge of the Cascade foothills with elevations from 80 feet in the Green River Valley to over 1,500 feet in the eastern areas. Most campgrounds remain accessible year-round, though winter camping requires preparation for average temperatures that can drop to 35°F with frequent rainfall between November and March.
What to do
Beachcombing and swimming: At Dash Point State Park Campground, campers can access both Puget Sound beaches and freshwater areas. "The beach is a short walk from camp, just long enough to make you feel like you earned your sunset view, but not so long that you regret your life choices. It's more of a rocky, muddy beach than a sandy one, but it's still great for exploring, skipping rocks," notes Saraj B.
Trail exploration: Forested paths provide hiking opportunities throughout the region. "The facilities were good and trails around are fun and easy enough for me and 2 kids. The beach and its tides are why we came," writes Ingrid M. about Dash Point State Park's trail system.
Mountain views: Camping locations east of Auburn offer mountain vistas. At Netties Mountain View Retreat, "We drive up nearly dark. The lights were magical. It wasn't until morning that our surprise was revealed by the mountain range and Mt. Rainier. The grounds were quite, the town quaint, and the host hospitable & kind," shares Marci W.
What campers like
Privacy between sites: Many campers value separation between camping spaces. "This campground is remarkable in the privacy between each of the camping spots, the bird life, the wild and deep forest vibes, and the walking trails," reports Brittany D. about Dash Point.
Access to water features: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park offers river access for various activities. "Short hike to river spots that are perfect for wading or fishing. 10 minute drive from Deep Lake which is beautiful and great for swimming and paddle boarding," writes Ashlie M.
Clean facilities: Well-maintained bathrooms and shower facilities receive consistent praise. "The washroom and shower is kept clean, as is the rest of the campground," notes Brittany D. about Dash Point State Park, while Kelly P. mentions Kanaskat-Palmer has "6 very clean individual (one person) bathrooms with a shower in each."
What you should know
Reservation requirements: Most campgrounds in the Auburn area require advance booking. At Game Farm Wilderness Campground, a reviewer advises: "Book early—reservations open January 1st!"
Security considerations: Park rangers actively patrol some campgrounds. "This campground is heavily patrolled by the park rangers. I usually have contact with them in my campsite at least twice a day... if you are a large group, like to stay up late and listen to music and/or party it might not be the campground for you," explains Kelly P. about Kanaskat-Palmer State Park.
Noise factors: Some camping areas experience regular noise disruptions. Jonathan H. notes about Saltwater State Park: "No joke- ALL day and night the planes felt like they were in our tent/heads. Every 3-30 seconds it was LOUD."
Tips for camping with families
Bathroom accessibility: Enumclaw Expo Center RV Park provides facilities for families needing reliable restrooms. "Clean and quiet" with "basic amenities," according to Mary F., making it suitable for families who need consistent access to restrooms.
Alternative swimming options: When river access seems unsafe, nearby lakes offer family-friendly alternatives. Kelly P. notes about Kanaskat-Palmer: "The riverfront accessed from the campground tends to be a bit too raging for my taste with children. We usually take the kids to the lake at Nolte state park (approx. 3 miles away) for water play."
Community kitchen access: Some campgrounds provide shared cooking spaces. Karen V. highlights a unique feature at Netties Mountain View Retreat: "The coolest thing is the host has a barn with a kitchen area for your to use at your convenience! It has a refrigerator, a table, and lots of cooking utensils and stoves etc."
Tips from RVers
Site selection matters: At Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base, RVers note the importance of campsite location. "Full hookups, sites are a bit close, but the campground loop makes it feel spacious," explains Paul B.
Cell service limitations: Mobile connectivity varies significantly across Auburn-area campgrounds. Terry W. reports at Holiday Park Military campground: "Cell signal is very weak for t-mobile and trees prevent starlink from working well."
Leveling challenges: Some campgrounds require additional equipment for comfortable RV parking. Cody F. shares about Kanaskat-Palmer: "I only took away a star because it was advertised as ok for a Motorhome but the gravel pull through was so not level the jacks pushed the front tires 6 inches off the ground."
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Auburn, WA?
What camping is available near Auburn, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, Auburn, WA offers a wide range of camping options, with 289 campgrounds and RV parks near Auburn, WA and 44 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Auburn, WA?
Which is the most popular campground near Auburn, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Auburn, WA is Dash Point State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 78 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Auburn, WA?
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Auburn, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 44 free dispersed camping spots near Auburn, WA.
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