Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, South Cle Elum, WA is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Get the dirt on all the best camping near South Cle Elum. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
The Cottonwood Retreat
28 min away
North Fork Teanaway River - Dispersed
1 hr 19 min away
$38 - $270 / night
"Lots of pull through spots too. It's a big campground but super quiet. The store has a lot of camping stuff, but not much food. Easy to pop into Cle Elem or surrounding area to explore. "
"We had a pull through, gravel site. Utilities were well placed. There was a note not to flush your tank due to there sensitive septic system. There is a nice lake in front of our site."
$45 - $150 / night
"I wanted to fish for a few days without having to drive to somewhere else to fish. We chose Squaw Rock for its amenities and its river access. Our rating is based on how well it met our desires."
"Well-Maintained campground with nice river sites, pool, restaurant, and store. Close to area fishing and hiking."
"Blu Shastin was a pretty nice find just a few minutes from popular Leavenworth and Cashmere WA. We got a decent full hookup site (67) that was backed up to the Peshastin river."
"No cell service with T-Mobile. WiFi at the clubhouse. Stay here. Best price only 45 a night full hookups. Will stay her many more times!!"
"Loved how close to the river it was was nice white noise throughout the night. Close to town and lake colchuck"
"The campground is fairly quiet. We parked in space 81 so we could hear the raid noise from Icicle Road. Up in this area, the road is paved but lots 76-87 are gravel."
"We camped off Mather memorial parkway for just a few hours during a Questival and found it to be quiet, easy to access and plenty of firewood. Loved sleeping by the creek!"
"Not too crowded in the area yet and very close to home. Would like that they didn’t give the premier sites to tent only, but oh well !"
"Full hookups at all sites. Staff very friendly and helpful. Columbia river right there."
"This campground was mainly for large luxury RV’s - all pushed together on huge concrete pads. There are about 10 spots on the river that are somewhat rustic- private and have full hookups."
"So quiet, leaves changing, crisp weather. Just make sure you have heated water hose"
$25 - $40 / night
"I understand this opened last winter. Talking to the host, I found out it is far more popular in winter when ski season is open."
LegendStayed here for the first time in July 2021. I understand this opened last winter. Talking to the host, I found out it is far more popular in winter when ski season is open. It was quiet and sparsely filled in July on a Friday and Saturday night.
3 different areas respectively for large RV and 50 amps power, small RVs and 30 amp and tent only area. A fee picnic tables (no benches) available toward the tent only area. Bathroom are just two sani-cans. Relatively clean. There is trash and recycling behind the office which is adjacent to the host RV.
Free WI-Fi (the host will give you code) and good LTE connection on AT&T.
Silver Creek runs behind the lot and gives a bit more of a natural feel. Otherwise you are in a giant parking lot (Lot B).
Can't beat the location for skiing and hiking or biking at Crystal Mountain!
GuideI wanted to fish for a few days without having to drive to somewhere else to fish. We chose Squaw Rock for its amenities and its river access. Our rating is based on how well it met our desires. We felt Squaw Rocks location was good for making day trips. We'd stay here again. This is a mixture of cabins and RV sites. The cabins are nice and nicely laid out on the property. The RV sites back in onto the Naches River, unless you decide to drive into the site and face the river like we did. We ran our water and electricity under the coach to the service point. Our site was very close to level. The sites are very close together and you share the site utilities. It can get tight. Not all sites have sewer hookups. The common grounds are well-kept. The pool was clean and checked/serviced each day. The staff were very friendly and helpful during our stay. We found others staying here easy to meet and/or chat with. Know what you are getting! Single utility service serves two sites. The water spigot has a Y splitter to share a single water connection.- Power has one 30 Amp and one 50 Amp socket. The first rig arriving gets to choose which one they want to use.- There is NO Park RV Dump station. You're in a valley with NO cell service. Wi-Fi in the park is non-existent. There's a weak signal near the office. We camped at Squaw Rock Resort in a Motorhome.
TravelerWe stayed in Site 11 for 2 nights at the end of June 2025.
The campground is located on the side of HWY 12 on a small rocky peninsula, this surprising spot on Rimrock Lake (reservoir created by the dams built about 100 years ago) is run by a retired couple for the last 5 years (as of summer 2025).
It offers a boat launch, 25 or so sites of mixed services (ranging from full hookup [elect/water/sewer] to basic site with picnic table and firepit), and a couple of cabins, and a bath-house on the east side (2 separate restrooms with shower stalls).
The sites are mostly back in, with a few (like site 11) that are pull-through.
The western side sites (1 - 17?) have beautiful views, but the typical afternoon/evening wind can be quite, well, windy, while the eastern side is sheltered from the wind. We hiked around the small peninsula and the wind disappeared.
The small office has a few snacks and camping items but isn't open all the time - only when the owner couple is around.
If you are going to go hiking, you only need to drive a few miles west on Hwy 12 to find several other public campgrounds and some nice scenery, while continuing west up towards the pass and ski resort area on Hwy 12 has several scenic viewpoints that you should plan to stop at for a few minutes each (Lava Falls, etc).
The lake itself is rather sparsely used (one or two boats or a jet ski way off in the distance). We had three very friendly chipmunks who visited our site often and were happy to sit on the old stump and join our camp.
LegendNice campground on the SW corner of Mt Rainier NP. We were here in the off season, meaning that reservations are not taken and everything is FCFS. You stop at the ranger office at the campground entrance and you’re given a campsite. $20/night. Zero cell service in this whole area (but there was good cell reception and wifi at Paradise, and free wifi at the museum 2 miles down at Longmire).
There are water spigots at this campground, flush toilets, no showers, trash dumpsters, and glass, plastic, and aluminum recycling. Each site has a picnic table, bear box, and fire pit. The dump station has been non operational for several years and the ranger said she doesn’t think it’ll ever be fixed.
The length limit here is 35 ft for a motorhome, and us at 28 ft head to toe felt very big here. The Wonderland Trail hike can be accessed from this campground, just across the road. Lots of trees in this campground, and we struggled to keep our batteries charged via solar, though there looked to be enough open sky for starlink (we don’t have starlink so I can’t say). All the loops here in this campground are pretty similar in layout and landscape.
LegendCamp here for free for 7 days with a discover pass! 2 pit toilets, fire ring and picnic table at each site. Big areas for RVs, horse trailers and group sites. No water hook ups or dump stations. River access and lots of trails for nature walks. Very beautiful area! I had phone service and I use Sprint.
TravelerWe stayed 1 night here for the maiden voyage of our recently purchased travel trailer, which was nice since it's only about an hour away from our place near Seattle. Arrived Friday early evening and it wasn't busy at all.
The check-in process was easy, even though their reservation system was down at the time. Filled up w/ some fresh water at the dump station, which was clean and well maintained.
Campsites in the RV loop were spaced out enough with vegetation between them so as to provide some privacy. Our site had a pull-through driveway, 30amp hookup, a fire ring and picnic table. Bathrooms in that loop were pretty nice... heated and very clean.
Took a walk down to the day use area by the river, which was easy for us, but some portions of the trails closer to the river were slightly overgrown w/ a few obstacles, which could be problematic for some. Didn't see any kids play structures down there, which would be nice to have for families.
We heard a couple trains while there, but the noise wasn't too loud. Never heard the fire siren that they warned us about. Overall, it was a good camping experience for a quick trip and would return!
TravelerBest stars you'll see all year if you go on a clear day (go in the summer)! You can see Mount Rainer during the day, and take day trips to hiking trails with mountains and waterfalls and even a gondola near the ski resort. RV friendly and dogs welcome at campsite (just not on trails). Running water, flush toilets, and fire pit available. Not many bugs, might might get cold at night. Ranger apprently does an info talk around 8pm. Book site in advance (fills up quickly). Will have to pay a national park fee to get in.
TravelerMoon travel guide said this was scenic rating of 8 out of 10. Yeah right!! This is mostly full time RVers. It’s right by a highway so there’s highway noise all night. The other side stares into an RV sales lot - ugly. Site 32’s hookups we’re broken - electricity wired wrong on both 30 & 50 amp(glad we caught it before plugging in!), water hookup wouldn’t flow. Will never stay here again, definitely not worth $57/night.
GuideSalmon La Sac campground feels remote but is within two hours of Seattle. You will not hear the hum of freeway noise or cars swooshing by at high speed, as this camper’s haven is at the end of a paved road and sits smack in the middle of the Cle Elum and Cooper rivers. The growl of water flowing quickly downstream over huge granite boulders can be heard from most sites, with some sites nicely placed adjacent to river’s edge. The sites are decent in size, some with adequate tree coverage and others with plenty of sun. There are restrooms dotted throughout but some were lacking hand sanitizer which in the midst of a pandemic was baffling. There also didn’t seem to be enough trash bins for the number of sites, but there weren’t any overflowing with refuse. Just plan to walk a decent clip to dispose of your spent items. With that said, the bathrooms were clean and the camp host greeted new arrivals with a smile and useful information. The weather and time of year was not ideal for playing in the water without a wet suit but is a great spot for whitewater kayakers to put in. There are many off-road adventure opportunities in the area for ATV, UTV, and other 4x4 enthusiasts. Fly fishing from the shore is also popular and if you have a boat, Cle Elum Lake is not far from the campground but be warned later in the summer the water level gets extremely low. Lastly, there are so many hiking trailheads in the area, no one could be disappointed. Salmon La Sac campground has no electric or water hookups but does have potable water available from hand-cranked pumps (well water). Sadly, the spigot on the pump doesn’t fit a standard hose, so we weren’t able to get much water into our travel trailer this made for a less than ideal experience but we managed for our short stay. Many RV and trailer campers love this place. We sure do!
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near South Cle Elum, WA is Whispering Pines RV Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 10 reviews.
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