Best Glamping near Paradise, WA

I've stayed at this place twice, once as a base camp for a Rainier trip, and another as a weekend getaway. It's about an hours drive from Paradise, which makes it less ideal than Cougar Rock if that's your destination, but the reservations do not fill up nearly as quickly.

The facilities here are great, water taps throughout the grounds, and clean bathrooms with showers nearby. Many campsites are not adjacent to the parking but there are wagons to use to ferry your gear. Make sure you check the reservation website because there are extensive descriptions of every campsite and drone photos. In particular, on my last trip I didn't think much of where it said that the tent pad had an extreme slope, which turned out to be pretty uncomfortable to sleep through...

There are tons of families here, depending on whether you have kids, the family-friendliness may be a feature or a bug. The campsite is pretty loud until around 10 when the kids go to sleep. The campsites are also pretty close together which doesn't help, but this is again something you can look for when choosing a site. We chose a site further from the parking lot, and the nearby sites had less kids than the ones right on it.

If you are in Tacoma and dont have a chance to get to the East side or the coast, head to Dash Point. Just twenty minutes from Tacoma, Dash Point has a great camp ground and yurts a plenty for a quick getaway. Easy water access and lots of trails to explore make it very family friendly.

This is our second time going to Kanaskat Palmer Park and we decided to enjoy four nights in there yurts between the fall and winter transition season. I must say I was very impressed to see that the bathrooms and showers were still very clean ever since the pandemic and that it was quite a nice place to stay during the weekdays if you wanted a quietly stay in the woods with the sounds of the flowing river. We will definitely be back again next year!

General: 50-site campground (including six yurts) plus a group campground. The campground is in two loops: one with electric hookups and one without. 

Site Quality: All sites are level and are a mix of back-in and pull-through. Site 24 was a pull-thru. Sites in the tent (no hookup) section are gravel while sites with electricity have paved camper pads. ADA-accessible sites (one in each loop) are completely paved. Heavily wooded sites afford good privacy between sites. 

Bath/Shower house: one building between the two loops with six all-in-one (toilet, sink, shower) units. They were clean. At first glance, it appears you need tokens for the shower but upon closer inspection, it did look like they were free. However, you were asked to conserve water and that the hot water was turned off at night due to vandalism.

Activities: Several trails that are open until dusk. Several places to put in and take out boats but you are warned that some sections of the Green River are Class III or IV and where you should take out if you are not a highly experienced boater. We also saw some people fishing.

This was our final stop on our North Cascades loop trip. The campground is located about an hour outside of Seattle yet it was very quiet (except for several trains throughout the day and night). Surprisingly we had zero cell coverage(Verizon).

When we visited Mount Rainier in the early season, we quickly discovered that not too many trails and activities throughout the park would be accessible. That included the developed campgrounds.

We found Rocky Point out of necessity, but we stayed because we loved it. The sites were adequate; not too scenic, but we had almost the entire campground to ourselves. There were even cheap coin-operated showers for our use, and after eight months on the road, this was amazing.

Because the Longmire and Paradise areas were the only areas open at that time of the season, Rocky Point gave us great access to what we could explore. Our favorite hikes of our time there included Rampart Ridge Trail and a long hike to a suspension bridge along the Wonderland Trail. We also spent some time playing in the snow and walking up as far as we could at Paradise.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Mount Rainier)

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.

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!

One of my favorite campgrounds in Washington! Lots of camping spots right on Lake Mayfield with tons of trails in and around the campground. Private swimming areas are awesome for paddle boarding and kayaking. Also has its own boat launch which is great during the summer. Really quiet in the spring and fall which is my favorite time to go. Make sure to take one of the hikes north from the campground along the Tilton river, it's beautiful.

This campground is hidden in the middle of a major Western Washington city, Federal Way. Once in the campground, you would have no idea that you are surrounded by a sprawling metropolitan area.

The campsites are small but private. They do allow for campfires but you should bring your own firewood. 

There is a trail that follows a creek down to the shoreline. If you are into geocaching we found a few along the trail. Depending on the season this trail can be quite muddy.

If you like hot dry weather, tall pine trees and not much grass this is a great spot.  It is between a river and the freeway, so you get a lot of freeway noise but I thought the spaces were fairly far apart and spacious.  Lots of pull through spots too.  It's a big campground but super quiet.  The store has a lot of camping stuff, but not much food.  Easy to pop into Cle Elem or surrounding area to explore.  I needed an Eastern Washington fix so I really enjoyed it.

"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. Also, the camp was clean and beautifully laid out. I will definitely be camping here again the next time we go to Washington. I'm definitely impressed with how up to date and organized everything was around here. From the website updates to physical maintenance and upkeep - as close to perfection as we will ever get to as humans. I learned that volunteers are in high demand though so... I know what i want to do next summer!

Dash Point State Park is your average, nice Washington State Park, with trees, grass, pathways etc. When we were there at the end of March, only about half the campground was open, and we were able to get a last-minute spot in the late afternoon on a Thursday. Sites are mid-sized, with some having more privacy than others.

Cons: While several other reviews talk of the cleanliness of the campground, we had the opposite experience, with large and small trash everywhere we walked (including a whole foam mattress thrown away). It was also pretty muddy, as well as loud (from the airplanes passing over head until the middle of the night).

Pros: Across the street, the day use area is amazing, with a lovely beach, picnic tables, hikes, etc. Generally a very nice place to spend the day.

Tips: Unless you're there with another group or family, avoid the spots that look like they're parallel on the map (9 & 10; 15 & 16 etc.) since they're basically one big site split up with two driveways right next to one another.

My family stayed here for a night when we went out to Washington a few months ago. It was a nice little place. Mostly we stayed here because of how close it was to seattle, so we were't at the campground very much. It does have a pretty good amount of sites. It's got showers and bathrooms which is always nice at a campground. It does have a lot of activities because of how close it is to the water. We saw people fishing, diving, sailing, etc. The only thing I didn't like about it was that building wood fires isn't allowed in the campground. 

The seattle area has all kinds of things to do. My family went to Pike Place Market which was awesome to see. We saw a Mariners game, the space needle, and went on some awesome hikes around the area. 

Overall the campground was a pretty nice place to stay, especially if you are trying to visit the seattle area for a couple of nights. Great place!

After flying into SeaTac late in the afternoon this campground was a great place to start our Washington trip and only about 30 minutes from the airport. Located within the Dash Point State Park, there are day use facilities in addition to the campground including an ampitheatre, beach access and lots of hiking trails. The campground itself is well appointed with spacious spots, although the sites aren't huge, they are wooded enough to provide decent privacy. Our site (#21) was right across from a trailhead that led down to the beach which made for a great sunset watching location, I would definitely recommend reserving a spot on the lower loop by the beach trail. The site has a paved parking pad, flat spots for a tent, a picnic table and a fire pit with a grill top. The bathrooms are easily accessed by wooded trails and kept quite clean. Even visiting during the middle of the high season the campground didn't feel crowded. Although unfortunately there was a bit of trash by the beach, the campground was quite clean altogether and I would definitely stay here again.

I strongly think that Washington State has the best places to camp and hike. The Pacific Northwest has a large array of amazing camp grounds and hikes, and I love it!! I recently wanted to hike within the Goat Rock area, and decided to stay at the Walupt Lake Campground so I could be closer to the trailhead. I left Friday evening after work and headed to the campground. There wasn't as many people as I expected, but the weather forecast was calling for some rain. I went in the beginning of September, so was bummed that I wasn't going to see the fall colors (usually the end of September-beginning of October is when this happens). The campground was great, and I was glad that I stayed here. Because we got here around 7:00pm, we really only pitched our tent and grabbed a quick bite to eat. I didn't tour the campground because it was already getting dark. We woke up early in the morning and headed to the Goat Rock Wilderness. We spent the entire day hiking (13 miles to be exact!). From the top of the hike we were able to see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier. It doesn't get any better than that!! I would highly recommend this campground if you are just looking to camp, but also if you have a hike you want to do in the area early in the morning. 

PRODUCT REVIEW: Amber 28 Gregory Pack

As a DYRT Ranger, I was able to test the Amber 28 Gregory Pack. I was pretty excited to get to test this pack, because I have a few other Gregory Packs and have been eyeing this pack for awhile. During my 13 mile hike I was able to test this pack. 

3 reasons why I love the Amber 28 Gregory Pack:

1. Comfortable- I love how comfortable and form fitting this pack is. I love packs that don't sit right on my shoulders. This pack gave a little room between by shoulder and the pack which is great! I like being able to carry the weight of the pack by my hips, and this pack allowed that.

2. The space and pockets- I appreciate a pack that allows me to pack multiple items (10 essentials!). The pack had plenty of room, and extra zipper pockets. I was able to utilize all the space in this pack, and it still didn't feel heavy.

3. Breath-ability- The back of this pack has a wire meshing and pads to help with the breath-ability. I do sweat a lot when I hike, so I like this component of the pack.

Overall, I would highly recommend this pack. It comes in a few colors as well which is always nice :) You can find the Amber 28 pack here:

https://www.gregorypacks.com/packs-bags/day-packs/amber-28-77831XXXX.html?dwvar\_77831XXXX\_color=778315590&cgidmaster=packs-day-packs#sz=18&start=37

This campsite is located 4 miles from Sunrise Visitor center. The trail-head starts 1.5 miles from this campsite. The hike in is spectacular. You leave the day-hikers behind when you hit the trail-head. You descend down a beautiful valley to the site.

The site has three spots on one side of the trail and one down the trail a little on the other (near the toilet). The sites are decently away from each other, so it feels private.

The sites (at least the three of them) are on the river, which was so nice to put our feet in.

The toilet is down the trail and up a hill (It's an open air toilet, as most back-country sites that provide them are. Bring your own TP).

There is a bear pole to store food and other smelly items, so be sure to bring an appropriate back, and if you have not used one before, know they are tricky. Due to swinging our stuff around way above our heads to get onto a tiny pole - it is a challenge.

The site we had was nice and flat. A decent amount of open space, with a log that we used to hold our coffee-making stuff. All-around, a great spot.

This site is by far the best site in the national park. I love the trail here. It's very secluded, and not many people come by. On top of that, it's marmot heaven. Be aware and prepared as bears do roam around here quite often. Bring a bear cannister for sure.

When I was younger I used to come up to Bumping Lake with my grandparents. This lake had always held a special place in my grandpa's heart. Though it has changed much since my childhood camping trips with my grandparents this place still has that special something. This time around my cousin invited me and my brother along for a Memorial weekend camp out and I just had to accept. I am embarrassed to admit how long it'd been since I've been camping last so this trip was a must for mind, body and soul. We came up on a Saturday and totally lucked out cause we got the one space that wasn't reserved which had to be a blessing from our late grandpa smiling down on us. Being it was Memorial weekend I thought the campground as well as the lake were going to be crazy both in people everywhere and it being loud at night. Thankfully this was not the case. Sure all the campsites around us were filled but everyone was super quiet and respectful. There is a really nice day use area by the boat launch that is $8 for day use or free if you got a campsite. There are picnic tables as well as fire pits with grills to cook food. There can be a pretty good breeze on the water so make sure to bring a jacket or a hoodie cause it can get a bit chilly even on a nice day. We also got to see jets make a few passes while there on the lake which was pretty darn awesome as well. I was told they use the area as a training grounds and can usually be seen once or twice a day. The water was a bit to cold for myself but my younger brother and cousin jumped in numerous times and would usually both start and end the day with a dip. 2 of the 3 nights I slept out under the stars on a cot and it was amazing the sleeping bag along with my Eddie Bauer throw blanket were sufficient enough to keep me cozy all night which surprised me since it was in the mid 30's. Between the fishing, relaxing and exploring I had an amazing weekend and cannot wait to get out camping again. Thinking Bumping lake needs to become a yearly trip at minimum just wish my grandpa was still around to enjoy it with. Do yourself a favor and get out to Bumping lake you will not regret it.

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.

Campground Review:

Bumping Lake is a beautiful area of the Cascade Mountains and the campground itself is pretty large.  There are two sections, Upper and Lower.  When I was looking online researching which part of the campground I wanted to reserve, I could not figure out what was on the water or what was closest.  I got so lucky with site 43!!!  Site 43, 44, and 45 are in a separate little loop in the Upper Campground right on the lake.  From the number of reserved signs after ours, I would say the secret is out.  3,5,7,8,9, and 10 are also technically on the lake, but they are quite a bit above the shore.  You can get a peek of the lake, but you have a little walk through the woods to get down to the water.   The Upper Campground has no hook ups, vault toilets, water spigots throughout.  The sites were nicely spaced and wooded.  The Lower Campground is not on Bumping Lake and seems to be set a bit more for RV camping with pull through sites, mostly paved pads, and a bit closer together than the Upper.  Same as Upper, no hook ups and vault toilets.

The campground is clean and well maintained by the folks at Hoodoo Recreation.  They checked the vault toilets several times per day and also have fire wood for sale at their host site.  The campground also has a really nice Day Use / Picnic area and Boat Launch. It was still chilly in mid June and there were plenty of open sites.  I would imagine this is a very popular campground in the summer.  We reserved through recreation.gov but hoodoorecreation.com will do the job as well.

Bumping Lake Marina is not part of the campground but is on the other side of the lake just down the road.  There is a little store with firewood, snacks, non alcoholic drinks, and fishing tackle.  You can also rent a little boat from them if you would like fish the lake.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, occasionally I get to test products.  This trip I got to play with The Master Kit from Grubstick: https://grubstick.com/products/master-kit .  It arrived in a nice nylon storage bag.  My immediate thought was this would be a really nice gift!  Maybe a wedding present for a couple who loves to camp!  I took everything out, washed it, and planned my meals.  We made bacon cups with cheesy scrambled eggs and pico, burgers and veggies in the cages, hotdogs (of course!) and crescent roll tubes as buns.  We did not make s'mores even though we brought the ingredients.  However, we did make the S'Maffle that I found on their website under recipes.  Oh man!  What a treat!  For the most part, everything worked really well, cleaned nicely, and was well built.

I had an issue with one of my Gubsticks.  As soon as we telescoped it, right out of the package, it fell apart.  After we got home from camping I sent Grubstick and email.  I let them know what happened and I also gave them suggestion for the Master Kit.  A huge reason I bought the big kit was so my husband and I could make meals at the same time and eat together.  This kit only came with one bacon clip.  As we made breakfast, it took forever with one clip to make four cups.  As a suggestion, I felt like the big kit should come with 2 clips.  Randy emailed me back right away.  He not only sent me a replacement stick, but 2 more clips and another Grubpocket!  Now we can have bacon together for breakfast and beyond!  

This is such a fun product.  I am looking forward to trying the other recipes they have on their blog and thinking of creative new things to make.  I am hoping this lasts years to come.  Their customer service is top notch, beyond expectations.  My outdoorsy friends will most likely be getting Grubstick kits in the future!