Best RV Parks & Resorts near Royal City, WA

OK, I need to be clear this is not really “camping” camping but more like glamping. This RV park is the best maintained park I have ever seen. The lots are not real big, but the landscaping is pristine ( think golf course) and overall the park is meticulously maintained. There is a really nice pool and hot tub, laundry room, showers, and a very nicely stocked store that includes hot food available. (Though we did not take advantage of that). Most of the sites here are taken up by permanent/long-term residents but there is no sense that they are junkie or like some parks like this end up looking, and there are plenty of short term/camper spots. We stayed here two nights visiting relatives who live here permanently.

This was our first visit to an RV “resort” and it wasn’t horrible. MarDon has lots of nice amenities but boy is it crowded. If you don’t mind crowds and like the convenience of resort camping MarDon is a good choice.

(Disclaimer: I prefer boondocking and getting as far away from people as possible, so read this review with that in mind.)

MarDon Resort sits on Potholes Reservoir about 16 miles southwest of Moses Lake. The reservoir is massive and offers excellent fishing and water sports. Central Washington gets dry and hot in the summer so come prepared.

The Resort has been around since the 1970s and offers a lot of amenities: full hookup sites, tent sites, monthly rates, marina, restaurant & bar, swimming beach, mini golf, boat & golf cart rentals and more.

We were passing through and Horn Rapids was perfect for our use. It has a nice little mini mart, drive through spots, full hookups, playground for the kids, clean bathrooms/showers, and allows pets. It is also close to Safeway and right outside the gate is a camper trailer friendly gas station with diesel.

We will definitely be adding this spot to our route again when we pass through.

Pros: it was very close to family that moved in nearby. Our site was level and the grass was green. Hookups were good and arranged well. Cons: the park is almost entirely long-term tenants, and many of the rigs were quite old and had lots of “accessories “outside them. Also, there was one functional bathroom and one functional shower for the entire park. Fortunately, our family was close by so we use their bathroom and shower when needed. It seems like the park is trying to improve, but it has a way to go before I would recommend staying there.

This is the most horrible RV site we’ve visited. If it wasn’t so late in the day I would have gladly lost my $50/nite and would rather camp in a mall parking lot. It has mostly long term folks living here, it’s run down, dirty, right off the freeway and rates way too high for this dilapidated site.

I usually HATE RV resorts due to the fact that many people do not honor quiet hours, the sites are too small, and the grounds are unkept. This was not the case for Smokiam. The sites are a great size and COVID precautions were greatly taken (temp checks every day). The employees also walk the sites frequently. Downside - the lake by the resort is very muddy so we had to go elsewhere to swim (but there are plenty of local spots). Also, internet and cell service was poor. However, I absolutely loved staying here and plan to come back next year!

I was skeptical about this place because it is part of an RV storage area and very close to the highway. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It is very well maintained, very neat, irrigated grass for each site. The campground is one loop with back in sites on the perimeter and pull-through sites on the "infield." I had a pull through site that was easy to navigate. Hookups are well maintained. Good Verizon cell service (3 bars). Many long term residents but with well-kept rigs. The town is sleepy at best! Be aware that on Sundays, every restaurant is closed! There is road noise audible inside the rig from accelerating/decelerating trucks but not awful. I did not look at the bathrooms and laundry but they looked very nice.

This campground was clean and neat and organized. We were just here for a one night's stay on our way to Idaho and it was perfect for that. Plugged in, clean indiv showers bathroom. Nice morning birdsong. Easy on off highway. Several long term residents you can tell by the delicious tomatoes growing.

We stayed here 3 times because my father in law lives there. It’s a little run down and there are some older rigs because of long terms..but we had no issues and actually weren’t charged because of dad. I was told today they are now under new ownership and have started cleaning it up. We will se as I am going over there next month.

There’s great fishing if you have a boat, but with no easily accessible shore, it’s not great for shore fishing. The shore is mud so swimming also isn’t ideal either. There is a good playground for kids and a short walking trail. The lower campground was mainly tents and the sites are smaller, but there are lots of trees. Up above are the larger sites, including full hookups for RVs.

Overall it’s a good park and we’ll probably go back.

Freeway noise aside, this is a great park with plenty of amenities. The park is very clean and the staff was helpful. We stayed in the new section with full hook-ups. Plenty of space in the new section between spots. Huge, clean hot shower/bathrooms scattered around. Laundry was coin-op, cheaper than the in-town laundromat, and very efficient. Large park with dog run on far side, with smaller park (no dog run) on new side. Our St. Bernard loved exploring this little area. Would definitely stay again and recommend!

1. http://www/yakimarv.com
2. My wife and I started full timing in our RV three years ago and have stayed at many RV parks during that time. Yakima River RV Park is one that is special to us. It's located on the Yakima River near Ellensburg Washington. It is a small privately owned park in a beautiful valley. The park is great for self-contained RV's and it does offer some dry camping sites. Due to the park being on a flood-plain there are limited FHU sites available for a minimum 2 day stay. WiFi is free and relatively strong. The grounds are carefully maintained with grass and trees between the spacious sites. Sites can accommodate RV's up to 60ft. and are pull through. Overflow parking is available for your toad or cargo trailer. If you are looking for a quiet overnight stay or longer, this is for you. Oh, you may occasionally hear the baying of the rodeo bulls in the pasture next to the park

Great rv Park but children are not allowed.

We stayed for 4 nights while hunting in the area. Place is well maintained and we had more than adequate space but that is due to few campers. Would be a typical rv park spacewise otherwise. Amenities seemed up to snuff and appreciate their dog friendly approach. Local wines at store but no tastings at rv park this time of year. Wineries in walking distance a huge plus. Loved Coyote Canyon!

Quiet and not your normal RV park. We love this place