Best Tent Camping near Selah, WA

Recent Tent Reviews near Selah, Washington

477 Reviews of 45 Selah Campgrounds

• 

  Ashley B.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 30, 2018

  Brooks Memorial State Park Campground

  Small State Park off Hwy 97

  This 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.

• 

  ashley E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2018

  Yakima Sportsman State Park Campground

  RV city

  Not what I was expecting. Not ideal for tent camping, and the river was nowhere to be found.

• B

  Bobby

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Indian Creek (WA)

  Indian Creek US 12 Mt. Rainier

  Beautiful campground USFS several RV Sites, tent sites on the lake water no hookups vaulted toilets very clean. camp host Mike was very helpful with local information

• 

  Eric H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 24, 2020

  Willows Campground

  Right on the river.

  2020 prices in the photo. Clean camp with multiple water points. There's 4 or 5 spots large enough for an RV away from the river. Several flat tent camping spots along the river.

  We found the location a little noisy because HWY12 run along the north side of the park.

• K

  Kelly

  Guide

  

  Dec. 31, 2022

  Ellensburg KOA

  Good facilities

  It’s a nice KOA but my tent site was right next to the playground so I had kids running through my site and touching my truck. But they had a dollar rib night so that was great and the staff was really nice the whole time.

• 

  JEFFREY W.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 23, 2021

  Ellensburg KOA

  Only campground I have ever had food delivered to my tent!

  Great place to camp during Rodeo. Need to book a year in advance. Super nice sites on the Yakima river. My parents rented a cabin and we're wowwed! Nice folks and awesome scenery. Power and water to tent site. Good cell service and wifi. Hope to stay again soon

• J

  J. I.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 26, 2021

  Nunnally Lake

  Pretty okay for an overnight rest

  Short 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.

• 

  Brooke M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 23, 2020

  Knuppenburg Lake Campground

  Nice

  Has tents site to camp at

• 

  Russ H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 23, 2020

  Wine Country RV Park

  Depending on intended use its amazing.

  This is NOT a secluded wilderness campround where you will have a epic back to nature experience.   Having said that, if you want a place to park your rv (they do have tent sites also), with full hook ups while you explore the local wineries,  with a pool and a shuttle van, then this place is amazing.

• 

  Chris C.

  Scout

  

  May. 2, 2021

  Crescent Bar Campground (Grant PUD Crescent Bar Recreation Area)

  Super clean, nice bathrooms with showers

  Stayed here while in the area to do a trail run. The campground is super well maintained, with plenty of parking at every spot. If you are tent camping, they have ~16' gravel pads for a tent at each site. 

  You will likely be surrounded by moderately high-end RVs. We definitely felt like the hillbillies of the park rolling up in Leif the Adventure Van. 

  Not a lot of food choices close by, with a pizza place and the clubhouse up the road being your only choices unless you want to drive into Quincy.

• 

  Niki U.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 19, 2021

  Caliche Lake

  Scenic views off the highway

  Not reaaally a campsite per se, but there are a few spots that can be used for camping. Probably wouldn’t want to tent camp here, not a lot of flat cleared ground, but we found a small clearing that was perfect for a night. No amenities, so bring your own camp stove, tables, chairs, etc. It was very beautiful and private but it’s right off the high way so you can hear traffic all night. Ideal if you’re just looking for somewhere to crash before you get back on the road.

• 

  Danielle T.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 9, 2019

  American Forks Campground

  Very clean & well maintained!

  Runs along a creek that you can here from all sites. Perfect for tent camping. The site offers picnic tables & a triangle shaped fire pit. The fire pits have a grill grate over top of them that we cooked dinner on at night. The facility only offers vault toilets, they were decent. The trash pick up is at the entry which did not smell & was picked up on Friday’s.

  We had a few small visitors including a chipmunk & a field mouse.

  Going up the mountain we found a really cool meadow & lake.

• 

  Shay F.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 28, 2018

  Icewater Creek Campground

  Dusty Last Minute Get Away

  Tent camped here on a last minute whim. When the weather is not the greatest on the west side, we head to Cle Elum! This is all first come, first served camping. Nothing fancy, vault toilets, tables, fire ring. I would imagine if it was busy, it would be pretty loud and dusty. There is a small dirt bike track the starts here, so if you are looking for pristine quiet, this is not your place. If you come out to the woods to ride bikes, it would be awesome!

  The weekend we were there, it was pretty quiet. Played in the creek. I would go back.

• 

  Ryan L.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 19, 2016

  Big Pines Campground - Yakima River Canyon

  Desert winds, trout bites

  This is the largest site in the lower Yakima Canyon and has mostly campsites for RVs, etc, but a couple of walk in tent sites. BLMused to let camping be free during the off season but now charges $15 per night, no matter the site type. And if your a tent camper like me, then you also get the short end of the stick because the walk in sites do not have any shade while most of the RV sites do. Additionally, 90+% are reservable from ~Memorial Day to Labor Day, so don't plan on trying to get lucky unless on a first come first serve sure unless you can get there before 5 pm on a Friday. There is no water here.

• 

  Eric H.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 23, 2020

  Peninsula Campground

  Waterfront property

  See my related reviews for Peninsula Camp ground for more information leading up the final camp site.

  Really crowded area with limited parking. However, if you arrive early enough you could occupy one of the few tent sites on the narrow peninsula portions of this area. The facilities here needed some real attention.

  Bring your kayak, boat, or fishing rod and enjoy your day. I took a couple of photos looking back at it as that was the best way view the area without walking through camp sites.

  The air field had a large dumpster and was home to several RVs. There is access to a few more camping spots along the lake shore.

• R

  Randy G.

  Traveler

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Yakima Sportsman State Park Campground

  4 Days in YakaVegas

  So my partner and I had chosen to stay here for a few nights, we didn't reserve online, when we got there the ranger allowed us to go see which spot we liked, because there was a lot open. We chose spot 64 the one way in the back for tent campsites. When we got there, there was 3 others tents up in the area, spread apart of course a good length too. I read that there was a "Homeless" problem, but I didn't see one homeless our whole stay...besides myself lol I bought a power station and had to charge it at a RV spot #15. There I charged my phone and laptop. I did leave my shampoo and conditioner in the showers and those were taken, who can blame em, they were good ones. Lol my own fault. Anywho...bring some shower sandals because the showers are dirty...but they are FREE. Bathrooms are nice and clean. We didn't get bothered once, we got left alone, and even though we looked like the crazy tweaker tent there, cuz we had tarps over our tent....but it was raining. Lol A skunk did cross our path and ran behind our tent...but that's all the action. During this time it was $25 a night for tents. It was close to town but not TOO close....BIG park. For dogs and kids...good park

• 

  Susan L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 2, 2019

  Brooks Memorial State Park Campground

  Highway noise but a good overnighter

  Stayed here a couple of nights. Our site was a tenting site, but we were in our mini Meerkat camper and we fit (our choice). Almost abandoned, probably because of huge hail storm. Friendly host “Dutch” and a few walk about simple hiking paths. Bathrooms and showers very nice (coin op on the showers). Road noise was pretty loud, especially for the campsites further into the campground. But, tall pines all around us, and very uncrowded. Wouldn’t want to come here if it were full, the sites are very close together. We were at the end of a very long trip, and we were happy to find any easy place to stay just inside WA. There are no stores nearby, so get your groceries in Goldendale!

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 2, 2023

  Elk Ridge Campground

  Kitschy campground

  General: 20 RV sites, nine cabins, and open space for tent sites. 

  Site Quality: Sites 1-13 are located closer to the road while 14-20 are tucked further back closer to the river and we did not hear any road noise in Site 15. All are level. Minimal separation/privacy. Campsites are dirt. RV sites have water and electric. 

  Bath/Shower house: One single bathroom each for men and women as well as one shower each for men and women. The shower was warm but as a short person, I was not able to adjust the handheld shower nozzle, making my shower just a bit challenging. Showers and bathrooms were clean although the fan in the women’s room had accumulated quite a bit of dirt/dust so I turned it off. 

  Activities/Amenities: Many games (giant chess, corn hole, etc.) sprinkled throughout the property but otherwise there was not much in the campground itself. Nearby there are hiking/mountain biking trails. Fly-fishing on the river. Recreational water activities on nearby Bumping Lake. A kids' playground within walking distance from the campground is located at Jim Sprick Community Park. There was a full kitchen with a sink, dishwashing soap, stove, fridge, and microwave. I only took advantage of the dishwashing sink. 

  Be aware there are several cats roaming the property; they were not a nuisance as we like cats (they only came within view and no closer). This is also a wedding venue and a wedding was held the weekend before we arrived. We were the ONLY ones in the entire campground; the store/office was closed when arrived shortly before 6 p.m. on a Sunday after Labor Day (since our site was not assigned when we reserved, a note was left on the door) and we left before it opened the next morning. 

  This kitschy old western-themed campground would be fun for a wedding or family gathering/reunion, but for us, it was a one-night stop along our route. There was zero cell coverage (Verizon) if that is important to you.

• S

  Stephanie S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 7, 2020

  Hause Creek Campground

  It's ok

  Sites 9-12 are reservable, walk in and right against the river. The river was running high while we were there, so it drowned out most of the road noise. All four of these sites has room for 2 cars in the parking area. The hosts were super friendly and helpful and did a nice job keeping the grounds and bathrooms clean. It's windy and cooler along the river. Had we known about the wind, we'd have brought a different tent! Fishing seems like it must be decent given the number of people with poles and the number of flies we found. The sites each have a firepit and a picnic table.

  Site 9 is huge with room for several tents and hammocks. There's little to no vegetation between it and site 10, but the river drowns out conversation and music noise, so it feels more private and the space between the sites allows you to create a natural open barrier between groups.

  We were in site 10, which was also large. The best tree for tethering hammocks (or the dog) from had, unfortunately, been used as a toilet recently with lots of TP at its base. This also affected our tent placement... Nobody wants to sleep with their head in someone else's poop or pee. Beach access can be found down a steep-ish hill, but with the river running high, only allowed for a few rocks to sit on. When the river is running lower it looks like it would have a nice beach area. The top of the dirt is pretty soft, but a few inches down it becomes quite rocky. MSR Hedgehog stakes did OK given the sail that was our tent.

  Site 11 is smaller with more foliage, so it seems somewhat more private, but lacks direct beach access. It sits highers than site 12 with trees and a downward sloap between the two.

  Site 12 has the best privacy and easy, level beach access, with a large hill on one side and smaller one on the other. It sits lower than site 11 with the upward slope and foliage to create a screen. It also has a nice, flat walk in from the parking area.

  Bathrooms are Porta-Potties. They were kept fairly clean while we were there. The outside two "filled" the fastest, the inner two have sinks with soap dispenser, running water activated with a foot pump. The hosts kept the soap, water and TP full the whole weekend. From sites 9 - 12, the walk to them was very short and easy so I'm not sure why someone felt like the tree was the better, easier option. People are disappointing that way.

  There's no running water at this time so bring your own.

  Dogs need to be leashed or tethered and cannot be barky. If your dog barks a lot and disturbs other people, you may be asked to leave. Ours is pretty quiet, so we did OK and our neighbors on either side didn't seem bothered by her friendly antics the few times she tried to say hi to them. Site 10 had a good place for a Knot-a-Hitch, if you have one. See pictures.

  All and all, we'd stay here again as a basecamp for exploring the area, but only if we could be against the river and we'd definitely bring a better tent for the breezy conditions. Our preferred sites would be 9 or 12. Pro tip: hand sanitizer will remove pitch/sap from the pine trees. ;-)

• 

  Shay F.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 10, 2019

  Umtanum Campground - Yakima River Canyon

  Epicenter for Summer River Floaters

  Eastern Washington near the water is my favorite type of landscape.  It's a hot, windy, and a true desert climate.  When you get near a body of water like you do along the Yakima River, the diversity of life expands and makes for great wildlife watching.

  Umtanum Recreation Site is part of several BLM campgrounds lumped together along the Yakima River known as the Yakima River Canyon Campgrounds.  All can be reserved ahead of time via the reservation.gov website:  https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250985.  Standard for most BLM camping in Washington, sites are very basic.  Gravel parking, pit toilets, and a picnic table.  This place does have a dumpster for trash, not all do.  There are no hook ups, no drinking water, and in our case, very little shade.  Neighbors are close and there is not a lot of privacy.  The day use area is right there too, close to camping and can be loud.  It is heavily patrolled by the wonderful BLM folks to keep everything clean and the people orderly.  They also give out tickets if you don't mind the warnings for correct passes or day use fees.

  The campground itself is one little loop with six sites.  The loop is an offshoot of a very large gravel parking area for day use.  Mostly boat launching and hiking access to Umtanum Creek and Umtaum Ridge trails.   You can check the Information Board for rules on day use and camping fees, passes, and how to check to see if a site is reserved. 

  We arrived on July 3rd in the afternoon.  The campground was very quiet and all the sites were reserved.  The morning of July 4th, the recreation site turned into a total madhouse.  BLM Rangers, Law Enforcement, making constant rounds to patrol the never ending hoards of people coming to park and float the river. There was a lot of noise, dust, drunk and rowdy folks.  Friday was calm again until afternoon, Saturday was not as bad as the 4th but still pretty crazy.  It was also hot!  No shade to be had in our site.  After hiking in the morning, we spent a lot of time across the bridge, in it's shadow, in the river.  

  If you are using this spot as a base to do some hiking, fishing, or floating it's very convenient.  I am sure in Spring and Fall when river floating is not at it's peak, it's gorgeous and peaceful.  The raptors and songbirds are splendid.  We saw Bighorn sheep on the hill, big rock squirrels, wild turkeys with babies, and fish.  No rattlesnakes or ticks, but this is prime territory.  Hiking down the Umtanum Creek trail, over the suspension bridge, is one of my favorite hikes ever.

• 

  Kurtis K.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 6, 2023

  Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park Campground

  Amazing as Always

  This place is close to home for anyone in central Washington, the sites are giant and the views are amazing. Site 49 in particular has enough room for our RV, a giant tent in the grass, a picnic table and separate section to grill at. And the layout is such that it’s still pretty secluded from other campers. We absolutely love this place.

• 

  Sasha W.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2018

  Big Pines Campground - Yakima River Canyon

  Close to hiking

  One thing I love about Washington is that there are so many different places to hike. My husband and I stayed here, which is close to White Pass where there are tons of great hikes. This area is known for rattlesnakes, though so definitely be alert. There is also a really great place to go rock climbing nearby. We dont rock climb, but know that a lot of people love this place. We decided to get up early and do some hiking. We hiked Round Mountain one day and Bear Mountain the next. Round Mountain is about 4 miles roundtrip with lots of switch backs. Bear Mountain is 8 miles round trip, and is pretty flat until the last 1 mile. We liked the campground, and loved that it wasnt busy when we went which was surprising. I think we caught it at a good weekend. There were some RVs, and other tents while we were there. The weather was really warm. Bring sunscreen and lots of bug spray. There are areas with shade which is nice too.

• 

  Corinna B.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 4, 2019

  Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park Campground

  Ranger Review: Escape Campervans at Wanapum State Park

  Campground 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.

• h

  huckleberry

  Scout

  

  Sep. 30, 2024

  Umtanum Campground - Yakima River Canyon

  Off-road Tent camping

  The site offer approximately 10 sites that can be used for tent or RV camping. Moderately spaced from the other sites. Parallels the river. The tent areas are all level, ground mainly dirt/gravel. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. We did not hear the road noise. Can’t speak to the condition of the toilets as we didn’t use them. This is a favorite of the locals for fall fishing so you need a reservation…

• H

  Harry H.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 30, 2016

  Ohanapecosh Campground — Mount Rainier National Park

  In Rainier National Park

  Lots of sites along the little tributary streams. Dense beautiful forests. Lots of trails in this part of the park for all skill levels. Pretty busy during the summer, make reservations. Unfortunately there are no tent-only loops, but there are a few little tent-only clusters. Fairly basic amenities.

• 

  Corinna B.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 4, 2019

  Ellensburg KOA

  Friendly. Nice Bathroom. Loud location.

  This KOA has some very strong positives, and almost equally strong negatives.

  Positives: Super-friendly manager/owner. We were about 1/2 an hour after closing, and she was still there and helped us get set up. Everything (including bathrooms) was very clean. Nice playgrounds, and we were right on the river, which was nice. Probably a nice spot in the summer (we were there when there was still a little snow on the ground). Oh, and the price was great: about $22 for three of us in a tent (non-electric) spot right on the river.

  Negatives: The location, while convenient to the freeway, was super-loud. It's at the confluence of two freeways, and a frisbee throw away from either. Semi-trucks shined lights into our tent all night long, and the noise was pretty bad, even with earphones. The boys slept inside the campervan, and it didn't bother them at all, so probably much better if you're inside an RV. The tent side of everything also was a little sketchy in March (to be understood I suppose…the RV side was packed), with two other folks who seemed to be sleeping in cars or under tarps.

• 

  Teresa H.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 6, 2018

  Walupt Lake Campground

  So beautiful!

  Clear and cold water, good crawdad catching/eating.

  However when making reservations I told the host that we had small kids, 1 large tent plus 1 small tent and we could not be in a walk in site. Mind you I called to speak to them personally before making the reservation on line to ensure my 4 hour drive would not be in vain. When we got there they had tried to have us in a small site barely big enough for a 2 person tent that you had to walk into. When I reminded them of our needs they had a very difficult time getting us a site. If I hadn't printed out a copy of our reservation with the details of needs then they would not have cooperated.

  Once we were in a site the rest of our week was amazing! We went hiking, swimming, we played in the woods did normal camping stuff.