Join the fun near Ritzville. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Ritzville campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Ritzville, WA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"There is lake access with a small dock and boat launch, a common area consisting of covered picnic area with picnic tables, and a public vault toilet."
"extremely, extremely active wildlife. dozens of kinds of birds and bats. neat big bugs. we woke up to a flock of pelicans. at night, coyotes howling in ALL directions and raccoons rustling all around by"
"Well maintained with lots of trees which is not typical for the surrounding area. Had full services which was nice because it was warm and the air conditioning was appreciated."
"Campground Review:
Potholes State Park is located in Central Washington, a bit south of Moses Lake. The climate is arid desert so expect hot days, cool nights, and occasional gusty winds. "
$23 / night
"Easy access to the water. The waterfall really flows in the spring, but slows as summer sets in. Fishing was decent. The boat launch is only available during high water."
"Rangers were there at least 3 times a day to clean bathrooms. Very pretty with a lot of wildlife."
"Boat, kayak and other equipment rentals, restaurant, bathrooms, changing rooms, showers, fishing dock, swimming area, shaded lawns and picnic tables."
"Clear Lake Recreation Area is amazing! The scenery is beautiful, and there are plenty of activities for everyone."
"Tucked in right on Moses Lake. Good fishing & a beach with sand. Fully stocked store and friendly staff."
"Fully stocked store, a great restaurant and matina with gas. The best part os the fishing!"
"The sites are perfect for a mid size RV (or tent) but it’s small enough and away from the hustle of life - love it. Peaceful and isolated just enough."
LegendWell maintained with lots of trees which is not typical for the surrounding area. Had full services which was nice because it was warm and the air conditioning was appreciated.
LegendCampground Review:
Potholes State Park is located in Central Washington, a bit south of Moses Lake. The climate is arid desert so expect hot days, cool nights, and occasional gusty winds. The park itself has some fun features and if you are into fishing or wildlife watching, I found it to be a great spot for both. The campground is divided into RV or hookup sites, a separate area for tent sites with some cabins mixed in, and a large day use section with a boat launch, restrooms with showers, a huge tree filled lawn with picnic tables, and a pretty fun little play ground. You can reserve ahead on the Washington State Parks reservation website. We did not make a reservation and there were a lot of open sites when we arrived on Saturday, even with the beautiful weather. I strongly doubt that will be the case as the summer continues. I would check ahead to see what you can get before heading out.
The RV sites have power, water, and sewer. They are arranged like a wheel, you drive around the small center and the other trailers are the spokes in the wheel. There is no barrier between you and your neighbor, but all the sites are grassy and the loops are surrounded by a ring of poplar trees. There is a bathroom with flush toilets and token operated showers centrally for all to share. There are 6 wheels like this, a total of 60 RV sites just opposite of the boat launch and day use area.
We stayed in the primitive or tent sites in the lower area of the campground. The sites along the water are in full sun most of the day, so be aware if that's not your thing. The sites along the inner part of the loop have a mix of poplars and other trees. That provides some shade and tress for a hammock. No designated tent pad, but plenty of flat spots. All have a picnic table and fire ring. Not a ton of privacy, but it's much more secluded than the RV sites. Also, the bathrooms down here are vaults. No hand washing or showers for us, at least without a walk. There is a loop towards the group tent site and another towards the boat launch, for a total of 61 sites. Mixed into the primitive sites are cute cabins with air conditioning, if you really want to get away from the heat!
When we arrived, the Ranger at the park office offered to let us drive down and choose what site we wanted. I was sure from looking online, that I wanted one by the water. Once we got to the site I chose, we realized that we would be baking in the hot sun all day with no relief. It was at the beginning of the loop so we got the traffic and dust from everyone driving by and we were right on top of neighbors on either side. My husband went up to see if we could move and the Ranger was so nice! It was no problem to move across the road to a shaded site with trees so we could hang out and put up our hammocks. We had no neighbors the entire time. It got a little noisy on Saturday night with the sounds of other campers having fun, but by Sunday night we were alone and when we left on Monday, there was one other camper in our end of the tent loop with us.
We encountered lots of animals in the park. The bird sounds are incredible. I wish I would have made a recording. Mourning doves, quail, robins, and red wing blackbirds among the many. Deer walked through the campground and beavers and otters were swimming in the reservoir while we did some fishing from the group camping area. We did not encounter too many bugs, but the season is still early. We did see two snakes. One swimming towards us while we were fishing on the boat, the other in our camp site. This was a baby rattlesnake, not a gopher snake. My husband noticed it as he walked by our picnic table because it hissed at him. It was curled up underneath. Very angry with us and ready for a fight when we got a stick to move him. It put up a good fight. I am just glad we noticed it before we stepped too close in shorts and sandals! I want to be clear, this is not anything against the park. You are in snake country and this is that animals home. Just be aware especially if you have little kids running around.
We went to Potholes to go fishing with some friends on the reservoir for Walleye and Bass. If fishing is your thing, this park is great. You don't need a boat either. There are plenty of shore fishing spots and hiking trails to pass the time. The businesses right beyond the park have good food, a bar, gas, a golf course, and really good ice cream! I love this area of Washington and I can't wait to go back.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for the Dyrt, from time to time I get awesome products to put to the test while camping. On this trip, I got to test the RovR RollR 60 Cooler. Check out the product website here: https://rovrproducts.com/product/505229344820/6841244385332
First, the basic stats on this RovR RollR 60. This is a 60 quart capacity, rotomolded body cooler. It has foam insulation and an airtight gasket. It has a fast flow drain plug and is certified bear resistant. It sports all terrain, puncture resistant tires and has an aluminum dual sided padded handle so you can pull it from either side and not clip your heels. The color offering is green, orange, white, or pink at least for this size. The fun features that really set it apart are the inside dry bin, the top mount soft wagon bin for extra gear hauling , and all the extra attachments you can purchase to make your RovR perfect for you. You can add on, for an extra cost, a fishing rod/umbrella holder, dual cup holder, cutting board, stash bag, or bike hitch. Yes, you can attach it to your bike and tow it around! You can also get the wagon bin in other colors /designs. This cooler according to the website promises to compare to the other “high end” pricey coolers out there, if not outperform. RovR even promises to keep ice for 11 days under proper use and conditions!
I was excited to take it to sunny, warm Eastern Washington and test it on a fishing trip with friends. I knew it would spend a full day out in the direct sun, be opened and closed countless times, get banged around at speed, and have to be drug to the boat and back by hand. Also, my friend is a fishing guide and a Yeti fan, so I was looking forward to his opinion.
RovR’s instructions are to pre-chill the cooler 24 hours prior to loading with a sacrifice bag of ice and only add cold items to the cooler when ready. When it was time to load, none of my “sacrifice” ice had melted at all from the prior day. We were able to fit most everything we needed for food into the cooler for the whole long weekend. It is large but fit in the back of the SUV without an issue. When we arrived at Potholes, we set it out in out campsite and got to work with dinner and beverages. Everything was icy cold with no melt. Our fishing guide friend came over and fully checked out the RovR. He was pretty impressed! He thought it was cool looking and loved the wheels and handle, a feature his large Yeti does not have. That and his Yeti is poo brown not beautiful green like my RovR. The next day, we drug the RovR across two campground loops over to the boat launch. The mini monster truck tires handled all the dirt and gravel with ease. It was easy to pull and maneuver. We loaded it on the boat and had a full 9 hour day of fishing for Walleye and Bass in full sun. Even at speed, the RovR did not bounce or wander around on the bow. Overall, it did a great job and I am very happy with its performance!
My favorite feature has to be the dry bin inside. It keeps items cold but dry. I can’t tell you how many wet egg cartons and soggy zip lock bags I’ve dealt with over the years. If you camp for any length of time, at some point you inevitably have a chilly swimming pool of food. Not with the dry bin! I was able to load my salsa, meat and cheese, eggs, but it will also hold liquor or wine upright and cold. The bin is held down with a screw in disk so it’s removable if you have a need for more room. While my ice was fairly melted by Monday, everything was still icy cold. I am also sure that if it was not left out in the 80 plus degree sun ALL day, it would have performed admirably. But again, all my food and drinks were still as cold as before the day of sun, so that’s really saying something about performance potential. Also, when we arrived home, the wagon bin was great for throwing the headlamps, shoes, hammocks, and all the other loose items into it and hauling them down to be put away in one trip. It never leaked or showed condensation. It was also easy to open and close, unlike some of the other fancy coolers, even though it has similar rubber gasket type latches.
The only issue I have with my RovR RollR 60 is that it’s heavy! Fully loaded, my husband and I had to team lift it into the back of the SUV. My kitchen is also downstairs so to load it and get it to the garage I have to maneuver it up and down our stairs. It’s not an easy task. The other super minor, picky complaints are the handle, which is really comfortable to pull and hold in your hand, hangs centimeters from the ground. In our dusty campsite, the handle got really dirty which makes your hands really dirty. If you are trying to prep food out of your cooler that might be an issue. Finally, the wagon bin that the RovR comes with is white in color, initially. I don’t know about you, but I get pretty dirty while camping. White is an unfortunate color choice for the outdoors. We left it behind completely for fishing even though when flat it makes a nice cushion to sit on. You can get other super cool prints, but you have to buy them separately. Once my white bin becomes super gross I will definitely upgrade.
It doesn’t matter if you have an RV or prefer the tent, a good cooler is an absolute must. And, if you are going to invest the money in a cooler, why not buy one that not only performs at an outstanding level but has some neat features and a little spunk as well?
LegendWe spent an overnight here, but it was sadly not a great stay. I can’t recommend this spot for the following reasons:
The site was backed led up against the highway and was not only was it so loud we couldn’t sleep—it literally shook the rig despite stabilizers. If we’d been further into the park, it still would have been uncomfortably loud.
There is a highway bridge that leads directly in the park—almost directly into the site we were given. People were constantly walking into the site from the bridge day and night. This felt less safe than much of the isolated boondocking we’ve done—or honestly any of our camping.
Our site was covered in trash. It could be in part due to the highway, but I’ve never had site with more trash left behind ever.
No access to WiFi, this could be because we never spoke to staff. The restroom closest to our site was unexpectedly locked—had to use the other that had only one shower stall and two toilets. Shower was fine and had hot water, but that bathroom couldn’t support the volume of campers.
The staff left midday and were completely unreachable. We needed to find out spot, purchase quarters for laundry, and had questions about amenities/ the campground and we’re unable to talk to anyone.
Amenities were ultimately fine and if none of those other elements bothered you ^ you’ll be fine.
GuidePros: river runs behind the group Camp - fun to ride rafts (if it’s not too high/fast) all the way to the lake outlet, big group camp site, many good fishing areas around, group camp feels secluded from the rest of the campground, private bathroom, cabins very close that have air conditioners for those who don’t like tent camping, beautiful lightning lights uo the sky when bad weather comes, good easy hIkes Cons: Weather is very unpredictable - in a week, had sand storm, rain storm, and hot muggy heat
RangerCamp on the water on the beach or up higher. Tucked in right on Moses Lake. Good fishing & a beach with sand. Fully stocked store and friendly staff. I love it here because it’s quiet, fishing dock, and... you can rent golf carts for driving on the beach & campground.
ScoutWe were looking at houses nearby and wanted a spot to use as home base in our RV. The office was friendly enough. The stars I knocked off were due to super loud road noise all night/day and the upkeep of the buildings/sites were lackluster. Overall like I said, the spot was just okay and served our purpose. Be ready for road noise if you are in or out of your rv.
RangerPerfect in every way. Close to a major town, store and restaurant across the road, giant sites with a good layout to still feel somewhat secluded and if you’re an angler, you’re 100 yards away from the boat launch.
LegendWe were driving around aimlessly and stumbled upon this place. Its basically a giant offroad recreation area. We travel in a mini van and it was really difficult to find level ground because we do not have 4 wheel drive.
It was better than paying to camp. There are NO amenities where we were and the place seemed HUGE. Just sand dunes and wind..sand dunes and wind. We saw other people camping with legit off road set ups and easy ups and they seemed to be doing pretty good. Not so much for us in our mini van. haha
GuideThis place had everything i could possibly want for an affordable price. Boat, kayak and other equipment rentals, restaurant, bathrooms, changing rooms, showers, fishing dock, swimming area, shaded lawns and picnic tables. Only $15 for a dry tent space with shade and view of the lake! Why not give it 5 stars? The visitors are primarily young, drinking, playing loud music, driving fast and kicking up dust. It was annoying but tolerable. Staff was kind, knowledgeable, location is close to I90 and easy to find. Easily a few hundred people here on a summer weekend, so be prepared. Be sure to check out the turtles swimming around the dock. Lots of wildlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ritzville, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ritzville, WA is Coffeepot Lake with a 4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Ritzville, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 glamping camping locations near Ritzville, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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