Best Tent Camping near Longmire, WA

Wanted to make some headway leaving Mount Rainier towards Seattle and stay somewhere in the middle. Should have camped at Cougar Rock and driven further today. Expensive (30 plus tax) tent camping prices afford you an unlevel pad of weedy haphazardly maintained grass that's actually just the back yard of a house converted into way too many tent sites and two cabins. No fire pit, no picnic bench for my site, not raked after cutting the weeds so grass in EVERYTHING. The best part? The advertised wifi which would add some redeeming quality to the price tag doesn't reach the camping area (even though I could throw a rock to the reception desk from there) AND in the morning you have the blessing of COIN OPERATED showers after already paying for your stay. One single toilet and one single shower at the camp store for all campers.

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. Not worth your money when there are plenty of decently maintained forest service sites around with flat camping pads. I only give it 1 of 5 stars because I found something worth about 30 dollars in the parking lot. Otherwise it's 0/5.

There is no mistaking why the village perched on the slopes of Mt Rainier is called Paradise. Rainier is spectacular! And Mounthaven is so close to the Rainier gate that visitors could stroll over to show their passes or pay those entry fees. Note that the gates are still a distance from Longmire or Paradise. The resort is so close in fact, that upon arriving around 4pm on a Sunday, we waited in a long line of traffic backed up 2 miles past the gate and 1 1/2 past the resort. We were told this only happens on busier weekends, and it certainly held true for our weekdays camping here. Just be aware if time is an issue so plans can be made accordingly.

We are traveling the Northwest this summer with camp packed in the back of our car, and as such we occupied their only primitive, tent site. The site itself was the most out of the way, quiet, and secluded that we have camped in all summer. It has a water pump onsite, which is quite handy. There is a dumpster close enough to not be a chore. The bathrooms/shower/laundry and pretty close too.  

The resort has several hook up sites for RV’s or tents—I don’t believe any were pull-through, but call to confirm. The amenity sites weren’t as private, but they seemed reasonable. The resort prides itself in cabins, and from all accounts they appear to be stocked with all necessities like linens, very nice, well maintained and downright cute.  

Firewood is sold onsite, but no other provisions are available at the resort. There is a super extra pricey Grocery-Mart closer to Rainier, and two fairly pricey, better stocked options 5 miles in the other direction. They sell gas there too. Visitors would be wise to come to the area with groceries in their trunk regardless.

The resort has one toilet and one shower. They are quite nice, actually—the cleanest we’ve come upon so far. We were concerned about the number, but overall we didn’t spend a lot of time waiting, if we waited at all.

There is also one coin operated washer and dryer. WiFi is usually good, but no so much at peak times.

The owners James and Zandy were really friendly, and seemed to deeply care about their property as well as their clients.

Very nicely maintained campground. Get your reservations in the winter before your trip. Spots fill up fast. Bathrooms are clean. Tent sites are nice and provide plenty of room. Tent sites aren’t to close to each other but typical for national parks. Highly recommend this camp ground.

Beautiful campground USFS several RV Sites, tent sites on the lake water no hookups vaulted toilets very clean. camp host Mike was very helpful with local information

Let me start off by saying - if there are so many campsites in Washington, why would you want to stay at the same place multiple times???

Ike Kinswa is the place I would stay at repeatedly. Between the incredibly helpful and friendly staff, to the private tent sites, to the water access, we’ve already stayed twice this summer!! So incredibly impressed with this gem!

Was able to get a tent site first come first serve for what wasn't reserved. Very cold and rainy in comparison to campsites outside of the park. Site were private but the bathrooms were a walk.

Only con is road noise from Hwy7. Main through fare to Mt Rainier south entrance and services. Sites may be too close together if park was full. We were one a few campers! We tent camped and had view of Lake Alder. Nice campground host. We'll cared for, clean, organized sites. No sewer or showers, pit toilets.

We stayed in the tent camping area. RV section looks very nice too. Had a great time, but next visit will select a site in the lower loop, further away from the interstate noise. Lots of trails for walking/biking and a swim area. Access to the upper stretch of the Yakima River. Clean restrooms and varied site size.

The tent sites are right off the parking lot; I was a bigger fan of the backcountry camping. But the lake is this amazingly clear, turquoise blue. You can see the fallen dead wood sitting at the bottom of the lake. Hiking into the alpine was too beautiful for words. I loved the area, but I didn't like the parking lot proximity

This site is amazing people have already set things up for tent camping. There is space for RV but I recommend your really good with it. Has a fire pit with rocks. Plenty of firewood in woods. If you look hard enough you can find a PRIMITIVE toilet (plywood stand with toilet seat). The area has enough space for group campers. We did also see elk in area coming from south on NF 9038 from Cougar there were other sites we picked this one. Have fun please keep it clean and leave it the way you left it or better for others!

Came last minute during father's day weekend looking for a tent site. The booth host was very helpful letting us know that there was only two spots left and answering many more questions. We were able to find a perfect site for my family of 4. Clean raised tent bed with pea-gravel raked evenly good for 6-7 person tent . Fire pit is decently sized approximately 3x2 with a flip top grill that covers half of it. Paved road gravel parking space big enough for a trailer/camper . Dumpster and water spicket as well as a bathroom with pay to use shower's . ¢50-1 token = 3 minute shower. Small playground with a basketball court by the bathrooms. Lovely river walk trail follows the Yakima River . Activities for children such as the Jr. Ranger program. Gas station is close just cross the highway sells firewood as well . Overall great first time at the campground friendly staff will be coming back.

The young woman who checked us in was super helpful, offering maps of the area and suggestions. We scored a walk-in tent site ($22.) on Monday in the middle of August without a reservation. We actually camped on the parking lot in our rooftop tent, which was just fine and avoided the additional hookup fees of the alternative RV sites. The walk in sites are situated in a phenomenal little grove and felt partially private. RV sites are generously sized and full of trees. There are a considerable number of both pull in and pull through options. Bathrooms were clean, but there were quite a few spiders. Note that there is no swimming or boating in the lake, due to water levels dropping over 30 ft. Lots of kids enjoyed riding bikes around the campground loops. There are fish cleaning stations and firewood for sale ($5.) Pay showers. Recycling station.

Walk the surrounding trails. The lake, wetlands, and forest are lovely.

This was a convenient stop on the journey between Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens.

I showed up without reservations and the host directed me to a perfect spot. There was a bridge leading to a private tent site. The campground was wonderful with restrooms and water nearby. The neighbor campers were all very friendly. The campground is in the Southwest of the national park. This puts it close to some wonderful hiking at Comet Falls, Paradise and so many others. The park officials were happy to help me find great things to do in the time I was there. If you have a chance to get this particular campsite, go for it! I would definitely go back here again and plan to spend at least a week exploring the national park. Tip: fill up with gas before entering the park (there is one right before you enter if you are coming from the west) because it's really big and there are no gas stations inside the park.

Beautiful campsite. We tent camped at site 36 - and it was great! We were able to reserve the spot online months in advance which was nice. It was a spacious site and we only had one other camp site next to us and there was lots of space and privacy between us and the other sides were forest and river. The nearest restroom to site 36 is a vault toilet (which was very clean and filled with air fresheners!) but the nicer restrooms with flush toilets and warm running water is just a short walk away. I was surprised we could hear some traffic from our site with being so close to the river but it wasn’t that bad. The park hosts were very friendly and helpful - always driving around with firewood for sale and keeping the bathrooms clean and stocked. As we drove through the campground I did feel that the other sites that weren’t on the river were very small and close together with little privacy - the ones along the river are definitely the ones to try and grab! The river was beautiful and the feeling of being nestled in the mountains and trees was very relaxing. We would definitely recommend this campground.