Looking for the best campgrounds near Prosser, WA? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Washington camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near Prosser, WA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
Frenchman Coulee Dispersed Camping
1 hr 18 min away
Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead
2 hrs 6 min away
$70 / night
"The proximity to Lake Erie is nice. It’s also close to Geneva On The Lake, a kitschy lake resort town that has been around for over 100 years."
"Desert camping off the beaten path! Lots of fun! Good trails, tons of dirt biking."
LegendThis review is for the main campground, there is another group/horse campground across the highway that I did not stay in. The small campground is right off Highway 97. The first part of the campground is where the hook ups, large RV's, small trailers and tent campers are located. The spaces are very close together with very few trees separating spaces. Some spots looked barely big enough for a 2 person tent. In this same area is the only flush toilets/showers (Coin operated). Continuing past this main area and over a small hill is where the tent camping/sheep herders tents are located. Since it was located away from the main camping area it was quiet with regards to hearing fellow campers, the downside is the spaces are closer to the Highway. Day and night, semis speed past the state park on either a downhill straight away or an uphill straight away, regardless it sounds like a freight train or military landing pad all night/day long. It was so loud you had to stop talking until the semi passed. The space I was in was so small my 3 person tent only fit if one side was touching the fire ring. Luckily there was a fire ban so no fire to melt my tent. The space also had full view of the pit toilet, since it was the only toilet on that side, I saw everyone come and go. It was also super close to one of the sheep herders tent site. There were 2 sheep herder tents sites. The spots looked large and the tents looked like they would sleep at least 4-5 people. The other tent sites where much larger, but still all the sites could hear the highway. Note, be careful about leaving food out, zipping your tent up, leaving car doors open. The mice were pretty bad and came out at night driving my dog crazy. There were a bunch of trails that ran through out the park that provided a nice alternative to get to the other side of the park or climb to the top of the hill near the power lines. The camp host was also a very nice gentleman who suggested activities in the near by area. I was exploring the area cause it's new to me, but I wont return cause it's not my type of camping.
LegendI typically rate campgrounds as they fit into 1 of 5 categories. This campground will be rated as an “along the way” stay — grounds that you seek out for a night or two as a place to simply stay the night along your journey to regroup and get some sleep. Ratings for this category are based on: Cost: 4 Overall grounds: 4 Utility of sites (hookups, level ground, accessibility): 4 Noise: 5 Reservation Process/Ease of Getting a Site: 5 Layout: 4 Customer Service: 5
We only stayed at Wine Country RV Park as an overnight along our way, however, this could be a nice basecamp spot for people who love exploring wineries. The small town of Prosser has almost 30 wineries and tasting rooms in the immediate area and this park is in the midst of them all.
The staff is quite friendly and they offer tastings from local wineries in their community room frequently. It’s worth mentioning that mask-wearing seems to be finished here. To each their own, but I know it’s still very important to some.
The grounds are mostly well-kept though we did see some dog poop as we were walking around and some long term residents that took up more than their own space. The grounds are big-rig friendly and there is some grass between spaces. Premium sites have concrete pads while the lower cost sites are just gravel. The pads are mostly level, but slope upwards in some spots so unhitching can be just a little tricky. There is no privacy between sites, but the sites are wide enough for slide outs and chairs. Hookups were good, wifi was good enough for streaming (the park was only about 1/4 full while we were there). There is a pool and hot tub, both of which were closed for winter, and a small playground and basketball hoop for kids.
Price is reasonable, if a little high, for being in the middle of a bunch of wineries, and they take Good Sam and other membership discounts. The area is quaint with lots of farms (and some of the smells that go along with it). There is a cute bakery just over the bridge in the historic area of town called Jade’s. Give them a visit! Also, for runners/walkers/bikers... there is a very long path system that goes from Prosser and along the highway for miles into Sunnyside! It’s accessible about 1/2 mile from the park. Also walking distance is Vintner’s Village with a series of tasting rooms to visit.
A nice find for both passing through or staying a while longer if you’re into wines!
GuideShort jaunt to the lake which is a popular fishing spot for those willing to carry a boat. Ample room for RVs; no tent camping unless you like sleeping on gravel. Toilet is clean and maintained. Some noise from the off-road vehicle recreation area across the road, but quieter at night. No tree cover for shade but I visited in the springtime and the weather was pleasantly cool.
RangerJust off the banks of the Columbia River, Ginkgo Petrified Forest is a fascinating testament to the wild geology of the Gorge. An easy 1.5 mile hike will take you past several nicely preserved examples of different types of petrified wood, including some whole logs where you can clearly still see the shape of the bark, rings, etc. There are restrooms and water spigots at both the Ginkgo Petrified Forest check in station/interpretive center, where you can see a saber tooth tiger skull, more samples of petrified wood, and explanations of how this area was formed by lava and other forces millions of years ago.
Just down from the interpretive center, on the river banks, is a nice little campground. It's not very remote or wild, but it is a good place to pop open your tent if you're hoping to do some kayaking. You'll also be close to handicapped parking spaces and have sidewalk access to your campsite, making this a great choice for campers with disabilities or mobility limitations. The restrooms are nice, too. They're pit toilets, but well-maintained and plenty of room to maneuver a walker or wheelchair in side. The landscaping is lovely, and the beach where you can put in your boat is level with the water, no boat launch required.
A few miles down the road from the interpretive center and campground are the hiking trails where you can see the petrified wood and experience the rolling hills and grassland that typify central Washington. You can also admire a CCC constructed ranger residence— a gorgeous example of classic "parkitecture" that is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Stream2Sea Sunscreen Review
As a Dyrt Ranger, I had a chance to test drive Stream2Sea's sunscreen. This reef safe & biodegradable sunscreen is made without oxybenzone. Even though I wasn't camping near a reef or doing any snorkeling, I opted to use this product on my hike since ultimately all oceans are downstream of lakes and rivers somewhere. Not only is the sunscreen itself environmentally safe, even the tube it comes in is made with Leave No Trace principles in mind, so it won't clutter up a landfill one day.
I'm stoked that this product was as good for my skin as it is for the environment. I have had a hard time finding a sunscreen I like in the past, one that doesn't irritate my sensitive skin or cause breakouts, that doesn't have an overly strong scent, that is a physical rather than chemical sunscreen, and blends well with my pale, freckled complexion.
Stream2Sea hit it out of the park. A little goes a long way, so I know I'm getting good value from a tube. The tinted version didn't make me look orange or like I slathered on faux tanner, nor did it look strange over my freckles. Instead, it blended in quite naturally, almost like a BB cream or light foundation. The scent was refreshing but not cloying.
Even though it's shoulder season after a long, cloudy winter in the Pacific Northwest and I haven't seen the sun in months, I didn't get burned despite spending all weekend mountain biking and hiking. Instead, I washed my face at the end of the day and my skin felt moisturized and refreshed, not tight, dried out, or irritated. I would feel comfortable using Stream2Sea sunscreen and lip balm every day as part of my pretty minimalist skincare routine.
GuideDo not try to check in before 2 pm!!!! No alcohol allowed in park!
Typical Park campground outside of urban area. Decent swim beach area a lot of algae outside of swim area. Town is close by so you can do other things ( Groceries, laundromat etc…..) while waiting for check in. Spider issue others write about appears to be controlled. However every picnic table has lots of spider webs underneath!!!!
Scout$12 a night for water and electricity. Clean area with grass and playground. Some areas appear to be under construction or upgrade. Dumpster and restroom available. Showers closed because of covid-19. Sights are on paved roadway with firepits and picnic tables. Easy in and out for our 32' Class A. Hermiston Oregon is 6 miles away.
LegendCampground Review: 5/5 Stars. Perfect Spot on Cliff Overlooking River.
This was our favorite spot on our recent central-Washington camping trip. We pulled up about 7pm and grabbed a huge spot with a peekaboo view of the river. When we were there, all spots were $30 and included water and electricity. While there's not a ton of coverage between sites (trees, etc.) the sound didn't seem to travel, so the folks happily playing board games and playing Prince didn't keep us up and in fact contributed to the overall happiness of the spots.
Clean bathrooms, soft grass, beautiful views of the river. There's a boat launch and I'm sure this is a very popular spot in the summer. As it was, it was perfect for a Spring get-away.
Tip: Visit the nearby Ginko Petrified Forest state park. Free, nice exhibits, and even some petroglyphs, which my older son especially loved.
Escape Campervan Review: 5/5 Stars. Lots of Fun!
Last summer my family won a vacation rental with Escape Campervans, so we decided to use part of our credit for a three-night trip over Spring Break. We drove up from Portland to Seattle, and while most people head west toward the lush Olympic National Forest, we wanted to try something different, and instead headed east for a loop through central Washington with stops in Snowqualmie Falls (famous for its part in Twin Peaks), Roslyn (home of Northern Exposure) and the oldest saloon in Washington with a 23-foot water spittoon, Ellensburg and the Tomahawk and Rock Ranch, Vantage and the Ginko Petrified Forest, the German-themed town of Leavenworth, and a grand finale in a 90-degree indoor swimming pool in Bothell, Washington. All-in-all, a great trip, and we'd definitely rent from Escape Campervans again. Here's some of what we learned.
Driving
Even though I'm used to driving a large-ish SUV, I was still worried that the large campervan would be a steep learning curve. It was actually quite easy right away. I fit in every parking spot on the trip that I tried, backed up easily with the help of the back-up assist (basically a beeping noise if I came too close to anything), and went through drive-throughs and moved in and out of traffic with ease. Having previously driven both a large RV and a car towing a trailer, I definitely prefer the stress-free ease of the van.
Gas
We ended up driving 500 miles total in four days, and spent almost exactly $100 on gas. Looking at our receipts, we averaged 14.5 miles per gallon driving mostly through mountains on a combination of highway and small-town roads.
Extras
When booking your Escape Campervan, you start with a base daily price that's not much more than an average car rental, but then you can add on all kinds of extras if you want, some of which can add up fast. If you're flying in from another country, this is super-convenient to be able to rent things like bedding and pillows rather than having to bring it. But since we were driving from only a few hours away, I wasn't sure which of the add-ons would be worth it. In the end, I was surprised to see what I used and what I didn't. Part of the Spring Break deal that we booked included the following:
*** Camp chairs:** Not something we used. We either stayed at campgrounds that already had picnic tables (state parks), or stayed places we didn't really want to hang out (a casino parking lot), so the chairs did not get used.
*** Bedding:** I LOVED this option. We brought along our own pillows and sleeping bags as well, but this bedding was huge, warm, soft and smelled great. I almost always am sensitive to sheets in hotels and such, and wasn't expecting much, but this was a great add-on that I'd definitely do again.
*** Extra Propane:** We only ended up cooking once the whole time, so getting a total of two propane tanks was overkill for us.
*** 100 miles per day:** This was definitely worth pre-paying for the 100/miles per day (we even went over that).
*** Heater and electrica**l: This heater and electrical is a maybe. Yes, you can have the space heater inside your van running at night safely, as long as you have an electrical hookup, and we actually even put it up in the tent for 20 minutes one night to warm it up. But you can also just run the van's heater with the engine running for 10-20 minutes before bed as well, and be just as warm, especially if you get the bedding from them.
*** Dishes:** More of a personal choice. I think next time I'd just get paper plates and such, rather than wash the dishes, but that's obviously up to each individual.
Pros: My boys had a blast riding around in a van with a couch and table, and the roof-top tent was equally fun. Being self-contained was lovely, as was the surprising ease of driving the van. We were also much warmer and more comfortable than we would have been sleeping in our tent.
Cons: The main difficulty we had was converting the van from daytime to nighttime. We brought way too much stuff, and the grounds where we were camping were often wet or snowy, so it was a bit of a logic puzzle to move everything around, convert the chairs into a bed, add all the bedding, and get even more bedding up into the rooftop tent. We got much faster the more times we did it, but it still took between a 1/2 hour and an hour each night to fully set up. I think this would be much easier in the summer (with less bedding needed), or with the slightly larger van where the bed can stay together while driving (though then you lose the cool table and couch).
Conclusion: All-in-all, definitely a fun addition to our road trip and one we'd do again in a heartbeat.
ScoutGreat site off the freeway- but because it’s close, you’ll hear cars all night. We were the only tent campers so we had a bunch of space. Fire rings and picnic tables at every site as well as a bunch of firewood. There are 2 bathrooms and showers that look pretty new. WiFi works closer to the RVs.
TravelerLots of options in this campground from drive through big trailer spots to back in spots to tent only areas.
Tons of wide green lawns with lots of space, camp sites end up pretty well spaced apart so you might only have 2 or 3 neighbors then a ton of lawn before another neighbor.
It's right on the snake river, so you can practically fish from your camp site if you want. There is a connected wildlife preserve that you can walk around in and also fish in that is a sperate area. Lots of birds to watch.
There is also a connected park that is only open during the day with a beach.
Fully facilities including water and power hookups, a central dumping station. Flush toilets and showers included. A playground for the kids.
River barges keep things along the river interesting. Maybe road noise from the nearby highway was a bit louder than we'd like.
Tent camping near Prosser, Washington, offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from serene lakes to sandy dunes, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Prosser, WA is West Park (OR) with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
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