Best Tent Camping near Snoqualmie, WA

Wanted to make some headway leaving Mount Rainier towards Seattle and stay somewhere in the middle. Should have camped at Cougar Rock and driven further today. Expensive (30 plus tax) tent camping prices afford you an unlevel pad of weedy haphazardly maintained grass that's actually just the back yard of a house converted into way too many tent sites and two cabins. No fire pit, no picnic bench for my site, not raked after cutting the weeds so grass in EVERYTHING. The best part? The advertised wifi which would add some redeeming quality to the price tag doesn't reach the camping area (even though I could throw a rock to the reception desk from there) AND in the morning you have the blessing of COIN OPERATED showers after already paying for your stay. One single toilet and one single shower at the camp store for all campers.

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. Not worth your money when there are plenty of decently maintained forest service sites around with flat camping pads. I only give it 1 of 5 stars because I found something worth about 30 dollars in the parking lot. Otherwise it's 0/5.

Half way along the mountain loop highway you encounter numerous spacious tent sites with fire rings and gorgeous river & Mountain View camp grounds.

The campsites are nice, large and separated. A tent pad, table, and grill is provided at the tent sites. Our house near sites. Plenty to do at jim creek while you are there!

Decent, but the facilities are a bit rundown and there were three tent sites 5 feet from my door. Staff was friendly enough and 20 mins into Seattle.

This campground was alright to stay in. The highway right next to the KOA was very busy and noisy all night long, bring earplugs. The tent sites were a joke. You get a small square in a grid of 16 or so squares. Our 10x10 tent took up more than half of the tent site. The neighbor’s tent was 4 feet from ours, offering little to no privacy. The WiFi barely worked, but the showers were nice. The back showers are private rooms which are really nice, especially when camping with little ones to keep them contained. There’s no water or electric hookups for tent campers in the little squares, I had to fill my jug up from a hose on the side of the main building. To access the WiFi you have to make an account, which was annoying also.

Stayed in the tent sites ONLY area. Lunch green grass with a fire pit. Shared shelter if needed due to weather with 2 grills for use. Great trees to hang the hammock!

We stayed in the tent camping area. RV section looks very nice too. Had a great time, but next visit will select a site in the lower loop, further away from the interstate noise. Lots of trails for walking/biking and a swim area. Access to the upper stretch of the Yakima River. Clean restrooms and varied site size.

What a beautiful place! The campground is in 500+ acre Tolt-McDonald Park, far enough away from any busy road so that there is no traffic noise, just the sound of the Tolt River rapids. All the RV sites are drive-through, with water and 20, 30, and 50-Amp service. (There is a privately-run RV dump on the way to the park.) The sites are wide because of the driveway. No trees between sites, but some bushes between sites offer some privacy for the back half of the sites. The 17 RV sites are around a huge lawn, with the restroom building at one end, and a path down the middle that is part of a long, level, paved bike/walking trail. There is a shower in each restroom, so the whole building is heated (which was really nice, since the lows were in the 30s in April, 2022) Access to both rivers is at the South end of the RV loop. There are tent-only sites to the North, and also yurts and more tent sites across a picturesque foot bridge over the Snoqualmie River. There are carts available to roll your stuff over the footbridge.

The hike and Bike area is not easily located because it is set apart from the other campsites.  Showers are included in the fee and restrooms are clean. Tent site includes a table and fire pit.  Campground is right on the water with a convenience store about a quarter mile away. Seems to be popular with day visitors.

The tent sites are right off the parking lot; I was a bigger fan of the backcountry camping. But the lake is this amazingly clear, turquoise blue. You can see the fallen dead wood sitting at the bottom of the lake. Hiking into the alpine was too beautiful for words. I loved the area, but I didn't like the parking lot proximity

There are several pullout towards the end of the Middle Fork Road that offer access to the river and dispersed tent campsites. These are in National Forest Land NOT in DNR land where dispersed camping has different regulations.

Great views of the river and the mountains above. No facilities and no cell-reception.

Nice clean, spacious and private sites. Peaceful as well with the only noises being the expected kids playing and normal campground noise. Bathrooms were clean and well maintained. The showers were pay to use, probably our main complaint since for $35 for a tent site usually means it includes free showers at state parks elsewhere. The kids loved the playgrounds and the beach, which had great views of the Hood Canal and the Olympics. AT&T service was good.

Overall we had a good time here, river is close by for water playing, and there is a playground for kids in the park. Grocery store is only two minutes away which makes it super convenient. However, the tent campsites have no shades, so on a sunny day it can get really hot. It's not a place where you can spend much time at the campsite during the day in my opinion.

This campground is beautiful! We had a site on the Mountain Loop Hwy side, so the road noise was kind of bothersome. If you’re lucky enough to get a site along the river, I don’t think the road noise would be a problem. The campground has beach access, fishing access, running water, and indoor plumbing (no showers, but sinks and toilets). It was a little stressful watching people trying to get their RV’s through the tight loop of the roadway lined with trees. We were tent camping though, so we didn’t have that issue personally. Would definitely return to this campground.

Our family of four tent camped for three nights in this happy go lucky campground. This campground seems to be popular for group camping and is a great place for socializing. Although the grounds were busy, the densely tree-lined sites provided privacy. Campsites are just a short walk from a calm cove of Puget Sound and our family had a great time playing in the water each day. The grounds, including bathrooms, were well maintained and the kids enjoyed taking part in the junior ranger program. Our family camps often, and Penrose stands out as one of our top experiences.

Utility site #1 flanks the beach and is probably best in the place. #2, #3, #4 are IMO best after that as they move away from the beach and then curve around in ascending order.

Some neighbor noise, sites are close, but was not busy. Plenty of first come first serve spots available in off-season. Tent sites are up on the hill shrowded in trees, so more shelter but fewer views. Depends on what you're after.

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Listen for owls, watch for fishermen crawlers in the AM.