Angel K.
Scout
ScoutDash Point State Park Campground
Workation
Loved this place, clean showers
Camping near Puyallup, WA
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SUMMARY PRESENTED BY
Camping options around Puyallup, Washington range from military facilities to state parks and private retreats. The area features established campgrounds like Game Farm Wilderness Campground in Auburn, which offers 18 campsites with water and electricity hookups, as well as Holiday Park Military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for those with military access. Dash Point State Park Campground in Federal Way and Kanaskat-Palmer State Park in Ravensdale provide year-round camping opportunities within 30 miles of Puyallup, accommodating tents, RVs, and in some locations, cabins and yurts.
Most campgrounds in the region require reservations, especially during the peak summer season from May through September. Game Farm Wilderness Campground and other public sites can fill quickly, particularly on weekends. Several locations offer full hookups for RVs, including electric, water, and sewer connections. Winter camping is available at multiple sites, though with reduced services. Road access varies by location, with most campgrounds accessible by standard vehicles. As noted in feedback on The Dyrt, "Arrived just a few min too late... This looked like a pretty good campground. I could see open tenting spots from the road, even! But I was unable to get in early in the evening with nowhere else to go. Too strict!"
Campers report mixed experiences with amenities and service at campgrounds in the area. Netties Mountain View Retreat receives consistently high ratings for its hospitality and views of Mount Rainier. A visitor noted, "The view of the mountain is breath taking and the host has done an amazing job at creating a beautiful camp ground space to camp in or hook up an RV." Military facilities like Holiday Park on Lewis-McChord Base provide clean facilities with full hookups, though cell signal may be weak in some areas. The proximity to Seattle and Mount Rainier National Park makes this region popular for both quick weekend getaways and longer stays. Campgrounds offering fire pits, picnic tables, and shower facilities tend to receive higher ratings, with waterfront locations particularly sought after during summer months.
Best Campgrounds near Puyallup (293)
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 $31 - $91 / 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 $31 - $254 / night
Check Availability3. 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."
4. 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 $31 - $43 / night
Check Availability5. 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 Availability6. Penrose Point State Park Campground
"Pros: group camp is very close to beach front area, GREAT CLAMMING AND OYSTERING!"
"Penrose Point State Park is a great place close to Seattle to go camping in a small or large group. It's tent or camper friendly with plenty of spots for busier seasons."
from $12 - $72 / night
Check Availability7. Lewis North Travel Camp - Joint Base Lewis McChord
"Very friendly next to the lake plenty of things to do walking, biking, hiking, fishing, Military museums, not to far off of I-5. Full hookups laundry shower facilities. Cabins too."
"Unfortunately the restrooms right next to our site were closed so it was a slight walk to the nearest restroom. Restrooms were heated and well taken care of."
from $12 - $35 / night
Check Availability8. 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 Availability9. Alder Lake Campground
"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."
"Walking distance to the day use beach area. Very clean showers. Well maintained sites and fire wood for sale with the camp host. A great spot for exploring near Mt. Rainer."
from $35 - $265 / night
Check Availability10. Camp Lakeview
"This campground has super friendly staff, decent bathrooms and showers, laundry facility, access to a lake, fishing is welcome, swimming allowed, great playground for kids, allows pets, has a small store"
"It was a larger site that sits next to the small creek. It was very pleasant and quiet. The bath house isn’t too far and was usually well stocked and clean."
Drive Time
- 30 min from Olympia, WA
- 33 min from Seattle, WA
- 39 min from Bremerton, WA
- 1 hr 32 min from Longview, WA
Recent Camping Photos near Puyallup, WA
455 Photos of 293 Puyallup Campgrounds
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Recent Reviews near Puyallup, WA
1540 Reviews of 293 Puyallup Campgrounds
Elise A.
GuideOllalie Creek Camp
A Hidden Gem Worth Every Mile
Olallie Creek Campground was one of the absolute highlights of our trip through Mount Rainier. We came in via the Cowlitz Trail on the very first weekend the park opened to backpackers. It was a tough route, spotty markings, no cell service, and a pretty long dry stretch. Definitely bring enough water, a reliable map, and a satellite communicator. Bear spray is a must too. Once you're there though, it's magic. Crystal clear, ice cold creeks that converge around what feels like a little island. The group site is roomy. We set up 2 tents comfortably, and the bucket toilet is tucked away for privacy. Thunderstorms rolled through but only added to the atmosphere. We didn’t see another soul. Just pure quiet. We filtered water, soaked our feet in the creek, and played cards before bed. It’s not luxury, but if you want real backcountry solitude in a beautiful setting, it's hard to beat. It stuck with me, and I can't wait to go back.
- Elise A.Guide
Paradise River Camp
Creek side solace
Paradise River Camp was one of the most memorable campsites from our time on the Wonderland Trail. The camp was set beside a creek that provided convenient and reliable water access, making it easy to refill and filter water without having to travel far from the site. The sound of the creek also added to the peaceful atmosphere without being overwhelming. The campsite felt scenic, quiet, and immersed in the landscape. Its location along the Wonderland Trail made it a rewarding place to stop after a day of hiking, and the site layout offered a welcome sense of privacy and separation from other campers. We did not encounter any major drawbacks during our stay. Overall, Paradise River Camp was an excellent and memorable campsite, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. We would gladly stay there again.
Lee D.
LegendSun Outdoors Gig Harbor
An OK Sun Outddoors
General: 132-site RV park in beautiful Gig Harbor. The site layout is a bit wonky. Some are pull-through, some are back-in, some on concrete pads, and others (small tent sites) are just in a grassy area. Some have trees or foliage separating them while others have zero separation.
Site Quality: Varies. We had an electric and water site, located in a cul-de-sac near the tent sites. Our pad was shared by two sites. Fortunately, the site next to us was vacant. Completing the site is a picnic table. IMO the two best sites are 65 and 51.
Bath/Shower: Three stalls and three showers, and although they were clean, it was obvious they were not attended to during our two-night stay (I'm assuming there is a cleaning schedule, but it was not posted). Showers were a bit tight, but the water was warm.
Activities/Amenities: IMO, the nicest amenity this park offers is a small but nicely equipped exercise room. Other amenities include: a pet area (and dog wash), a well-equipped laundry room with an ironing board (but you do need to buy a special card), and a dump station (for an extra fee).
We appreciated a courtesy call the day of our arrival to let us know what to do if we arrived after the office was closed.
While not the fault of the RV park, it was located near the Gig Harbor Sportsman Club, and shots echoed throughout the park from the time we arrived at 5 pm until 8 pm, but fortunately only the first night. This was both annoying and disconcerting.
We opted not to pay the $35 “site-lock” fee. To me, this is a very annoying fee (and the reason for deducting a star), but fortunately we got the site we reserved. RV parks like this are expensive, and while they offer various amenities, they are not our favorite type of place to stay. Given the nature of our travels this summer, we will be staying in quite a few of them.
Darron S.GuideRock Candy Mountain Trailhead
Great spot, Rock Candy trailhead
Bathroom, Internet, no water. Quiet. Legal. Safe. Beautiful.
- Darron S.Guide
Rock Candy Mountain Trailhead
Rock Candy dispersed 🏕️near Olympia NP
Anytime a notes dispersed Camp spot is for real, and has Internet I give an inmediate great review. There are several pull-out spots to park a car, van, or Camp. An RV could park here, as well. It is beautiful here, a raíz Forest. 1.5 miles to a gas station. 8.6 miles to a Safeway grocery store. No water.
Kimberlee H.ScoutRainbow RV Resort
What?
First they said they had available spaces then they said they didn't.We drove 50 miles to come out here and they didn't have a space all of a sudden!
- Christina F.Guide
Taidnapam Park
Sassy gnomes
However you camp, tent or RV, there is a site for you here. Taidnapam is the second Tacoma Power park where I have camped. There are two sides to this campground--the older side which are sites 1-52 are a mix of full hook-ups and partial hook-ups. The newer, larger loop is almost all full hook-ups with a few exceptions that are partial. There are tent spots in-between the two sides. They also have 2 group sites--one with 22 spots of full and partial hook-ups and one primitive group site. We stayed in site 9 with full hook-ups on the older loop. This loop is one big circle with a dividing road so it's kind of like two loops. The rest rooms and playground was in the middle of the first loop. My site had a short trail right to the restrooms/playground area. The playground was pretty awesome! On the far end of the second loop, there is a trail that takes you to the day-use area where there is a second fantastic playground. There was also a sprinkler system there, but we didn't know how to make it work. This area is right next to the river/east end of Riffe Lake. There are no swimming areas however because the lake has lowered over the years. We did ask if there were any swimming areas nearby or a way to get down to the water and they did have a list in the office. We checked out a few of the closer places, but since I have a 4 years old, I did not feel that any of the places were safe enough for her to get down to the water and I did not want to drive miles to get to the next park. One of the fun things about this park are the gnomes up in the trees! I didn't find out until the night before we left, but I guess you can do like a scavenger hunt type of thing to find all the gnomes.
- jjeanne A.Guide
Glen Ayr Resort
Nice resort with lots of amenities
This is a nice campground, but I just needed a place to sleep so $60 was a little steep for me. There is also a motel here.
Guide to Puyallup
Campgrounds near Puyallup, Washington range from spacious sites with river access to lakefront options with swimming docks. Most sites are accessible year-round with varying levels of privacy and amenities. Winter camping is available throughout the region, though campers should expect reduced services and cooler temperatures averaging 35-45°F from November through February.
What to do
Hike to river spots: At Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, visitors can access the Green River via short trails for fishing or wading. "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," notes Ashlie M.
Explore marine areas: The Puget Sound shoreline at Dash Point State Park Campground offers beach walking and tide pool exploration. "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," writes Saraj B.
Enjoy water recreation: Many campgrounds feature lakefront access for swimming and boating. At Camp Lakeview, "People were fishing, paddle boarding and swimming. They have a little store in case you forget something and firewood that's way cheaper than buying elsewhere," according to Kira M.
What campers like
Privacy between sites: Dash Point State Park Campground receives praise for its site separation. "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.
Clean facilities: Most campgrounds maintain well-kept bathrooms and shower facilities. At Penrose Point State Park Campground, "Sites and restrooms were clean. We had a great time exploring the beaches. Sites were reasonably private and quiet at night (except for a brief invasion of 6 raccoons at our site one night!)" shares Rachel.
Close-to-city convenience: Many campsites offer nature experiences without long drives. "This is a cute campground, especially if you don't want to be too far from the city. I was impressed by how spread apart the sites were, I think they could have fit another in between each of them!" says Katie S. about Dash Point.
What you should know
Reservation timing: Campgrounds fill quickly, especially during summer. At Game Farm Wilderness Campground, reservations open January 1st for the year. One camper noted arrival difficulties: "This looked like a pretty good campground. I could see open tenting spots from the road, even! But I was unable to get in early in the evening with nowhere else to go. Too strict!"
Park ranger presence: Some campgrounds have active staff enforcement. At Kanaskat-Palmer, "This campground is heavily patrolled by the park rangers. I usually have contact with them in my campsite at least twice a day. I have been asked by the park rangers at 10:01 p.m. to be quiet as myself and three 9-year-old girls were talking (no music etc) too loud," reports Kelly P.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the best campgrounds near Puyallup, WA?
Where are the best campgrounds near Puyallup, WA?
Puyallup offers excellent access to diverse camping experiences. Dash Point State Park Campground stands out for its clean, beautifully laid-out sites and friendly staff, making it a top choice for families. Only 20 minutes from Puyallup, it offers a forested retreat near Tacoma. For those willing to drive a bit farther, Kanaskat-Palmer State Park near Ravensdale provides river access and well-maintained facilities about 30 minutes east. Both parks require reservations during peak season. If you're looking for something more rustic, there are several options within Mount Rainier National Park about an hour's drive southeast, offering spectacular mountain views and hiking opportunities.
What campgrounds near Puyallup offer water access or riverside camping?
What campgrounds near Puyallup offer water access or riverside camping?
Silver Springs Campground offers exceptional riverside camping with well-distributed sites right next to the water. Sites numbered 2-10 are particularly desirable as they're closest to the river. For those seeking a more rugged experience, White River Dispersed Camping provides beautiful riverside spots about 10-15 minutes from Mount Rainier National Park's Sunrise entrance. These free sites are perfect for those who want to fall asleep to the sound of flowing water. Both locations offer different experiences—Silver Springs provides more amenities and designated sites, while White River offers a more primitive camping experience with fewer facilities but greater solitude. Visit during weekdays if possible, as riverside sites tend to fill quickly on summer weekends.
Are there campgrounds with restroom facilities near Puyallup?
Are there campgrounds with restroom facilities near Puyallup?
Many campgrounds near Puyallup feature quality restroom facilities. Game Farm Wilderness Campground offers clean restrooms and water facilities within a convenient distance from Puyallup. For a more premium experience, Penrose Point State Park Campground has well-maintained restroom facilities with flush toilets and hot showers, making it perfect for families or those who prefer additional comfort while camping. Most Washington State Parks in the region maintain year-round restroom facilities, though some may reduce services during winter months. If heading to Mount Rainier area, even Camp Muir at high elevation offers solar toilets. Always check the specific campground's amenities before your trip, as service levels can vary seasonally.
What RV parks are available in Puyallup, Washington?
What RV parks are available in Puyallup, Washington?
Puyallup and its surrounding areas offer several options for RV campers. Lake Pleasant RV Park is one of the nicest parks with competitive rates near the Seattle area, featuring a charming man-made duck pond and easy access to major highways. Eagle Tree RV Park is another option, though be aware that some sites are close to the highway with associated noise. For those with military connections, Holiday Park Military - Lewis McChord Base near Tacoma offers big-rig friendly sites. Most RV parks in the region provide full hookups, but availability can be limited during summer months and especially during the Puyallup Fair in September, so advance reservations are strongly recommended.
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