Best Campgrounds near Mattawa, WA

Limited amount of RV parking for dry camping. Nice little lake to fish rainbow trout.

Spent overnight here. Many cars in the pkg lot—hikers & fishermen. By early evening, everyone was gone except for 3 of us campers. There is road noise which is close, but that quiets at night as well. The train is also close, but I don’t mind hearing trains. Overall, a lovely place to hang for the night and take in a hike right there at the site. Good pit toilets too!

Nice spacious sites. Lots of privacy between sites. No dog park. Great view of the lake from your door. We took a 4 mile, one-way, bike ride to the town of Vantage and then to the Ginkgo Petrified Forest. The town of vantage is very small with a lot of closed shops. Has a gas station and convenience store. That’s about it. Very scenic area and quiet and relaxing.

We stayed here a few days in July and loved it! The river is so beautiful with the waterfall cascading down into the river directly across from the campsite. There is a shallow part near the shoreline where the kids had a great time playing in the river. The river itself is wide and very fast moving. The campsite we stayed in was fairly close to the next one, but we were camping with friends in the next one so it was fine. But be aware, some campsites are very close together. There is some road noise, but mostly you just hear the river.

Arrived on a Sunday without reservations and had several spots to choose from for our 3 night stay. Easy Lake access. The grounds are immaculately kept up - sites are very spacious - bathrooms and showers super clean. Road our e-bikes into Vantage - only a gas station/convenience store - very expensive - but it is the only game in town as everything else is closed. Continued our e-bike ride to Ginkgo Petrified forest - nice little 3 mile hike. The town is 2.5 miles from camp and another 2 to get to the petrified forest. Would stop here again. Had a relaxing time.

Overall a nice experience. $7.50/night with Access Pass. Dry camping only but close to Yakima. A fly fishing paradise.

There are train tracks close by which can be a bit noisy. However, trains don’t blow horn when passing by.

The site offer approximately 10 sites that can be used for tent or RV camping. Moderately spaced from the other sites. Parallels the river. The tent areas are all level, ground mainly dirt/gravel. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. We did not hear the road noise. Can’t speak to the condition of the toilets as we didn’t use them. This is a favorite of the locals for fall fishing so you need a reservation…

T mobile 5G. Dead fish and algae in the lake- green speckles. The water is green. The picnic tables are partially buried in the sand. The discovery pass including the processing fee was $13. The sites are big and well spaced along the reservoir shoreline. Saw about 3 Pit toilets equally spaced along the shore line. Nice old trees providing shade. Nice breeze to close the day. Can't see any flies.

I travel for work and I stay here almost every week to save money on hotels. I’ve also taken my family here over the summer for camping and hiking. We all love it. Very quiet. Weekends can get kinda busy due to hikers and rock climbing enthusiasts. I suggest coming up early if you plan to stay the weekend. Many beautiful views. There is even a waterfall I sleep across from. On clear nights you can see all the stars. Which is my favorite! There are lots of sites to camp. In car/tent/RV it’s pretty accessible. There are some rougher spots where you probably should have four-wheel-drive or at least a higher stance vehicle.

Great location so close to 90 but tucked away - will be staying here often

The sign says you need to register, couldn't find anywhere to register. Sign on board says closed for camping, it was a Covid-era sign. Requires a discover pass, but otherwise, free. Didn't see any park employees. I camped on a Friday evening and was the only one there camping except for an RV boondocking in a different section. Has a boat ramp and a spot you can fish from. No campfires.

The views are amazing, plenty of open campsites and nobody was around us when we camped. A perfect quiet getaway.

We visited in late June of 2024. Crescent Bar is a nice little community and the PUD park is beautiful. T.T. RV park was not in great shape. Sprinklers were busted in most of the park which created unpleasant dust storms. There are porta potties for the pool area and down the hill at the bathroom/shower you will find rotting interior walls and valves held together with copious layers of silicone. Fortunately for us this was just a stop over location while crossing Washington.

Popular rock climbing area that gets many people through the day. Dispearsed camping in 2 areas. The first spot as you come from the road is much smaller and doesn't have any pit toilets. I prefer to park here when its not busy as the "Feathers" basalt columns are really pretty to camp up next to. The second open site down the road has pit toilets and is a much larger area. Both are nice but also there are many cars, campers, tents and becomes a much more lively area in the evening depending on the crowds.

I think this is a great spot but I move on during the day when the rock climbing crowds start to swarm and park near you. There are some nice trails that take you up above the climbing area and you can get to the backside to get some nice views and away from the crowds. Can get pretty hot here in the warmer months but a beautiful spot to camp if you can avoid the busy/peak times.

This, like the other spots in Frenchman Coulee, is seldom empty, but it's much less packed than the areas closer to the climbing. This spot offers the best views, sunrises, and sunsets, at the cost of no shade and a healthy dose of wind. If you're going for the rugged feel, this'll do it. OF NOTE: The vault toilets are about a mile away from here.

Overall it's not great nor is it terrible. It's always busy and often a bit crowded in the main portion but the people are usually not too rowdy. The scenic views are killer, the wildlife is active, and the mini trails around the place feel adventurous. The climbing is bang on but it's bouldering or lead climbing only. BE WARNED, THE BATHROOMS ARE STANKY (hot tip: bring a citronella candle and your own TP)

The older reviews are all accurate and still apply. I really don't have to much to add. Campground makes for a great base for all your canyon adventures.

There are multiple pull outs and established dispersed camping opportunities all along the entire road through the Ancient Lakes area. The specific spot marked on the dyrt map is just one spot. But consider this a review for the whole area.

The whole area is very unique, and the highlight is definitely hiking down into the canyon and Dusty Lake area. Spider web of trails down there open for hikers, mountain bikers, and horses. Overnight backpacking is allowed down there as well.

The upper lakes offer fishing and boating, paddle boarding as well if you are confident in your skill to stay on the board. I would not recommend swimming, or getting in the water at all, as it's all agricultural runoff.

The spot I stayed is south of the marker on the map, right on the north west bank of the Evergreen Reservoir. This was early April, on a Saturday, very late afternoon after hiking all day. Most spots were already taken, and I snagged one of the last established spots I could find. More of a pull off, pretty close to the road, and on the smaller side. But there are other, larger, spots if you can grab one.

Essentially no shade, very exposed, spring and fall would be the best time here.