Best Equestrian Camping near Tacoma, WA

This is a pretty nice campground! There are 3 loops, one is dedicated to horses M-F. Both visits I arrived Sunday afternoon and found a few spots to pick from. There’s a vault toilet per loop. No trash, no water, no hook ups so come prepared. There’s a host onsite and they are very kind. You do need a discovery pass in order to stay and just register up front. Was able to get decent sun for my solar so was able to stay for a couple of days with no issues. There’s hiking trails all around you!

Campground

Fairly large campground, free as long as you have a discover pass! Close to town yet still secluded in the woods. Tons of trails for hiking, horses and dirt bikes! Plenty of sites for trailers and tents. Vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and water hook ups. The camp host even had free bottled water for guest if needed. There was a creek near by with people panning for gold which was interesting!

Product Review

Being a ranger I get to test some products from time to time! Today's product is the LEDlenser MH2 Headlamp!

This headlamp is very impressive! Certainly the brightest light I have ever explored with. It comes in a very nice package with a charging cord, two different colored lens attachments, a carrying pouch and a battery. My only complaint is that the headlamp itself doesn't fit very well in the carrying pouch but I made it work! It was also a little heavy and I had to adjust the strap to fit my head more often then I would have preferred. The brightness of the light made up for the flaws completely!

Spent 7 days (max) here. Camp hosts went out of their way to make it comfortable, clean and quiet. Completely dispersed tent or rv camping with a Washington Discovery Pass ($35 year) otherwise FREE for up too 7 days. Just register campsite upon arrival at front billboard or call ahead with questions or availability. First come first serve. Entire campground has decent roads but go extra extra slow in areas. Their are also couple nice campground public toilets but NO water or power. Bring sewer if able. Pet friendly but rules strictly enforced. I gave it 5 stars due to MY stay was amazing and my dog had a good time too. Thanks Margaret McKenny Camp hosts Ginny and Steve.

This is a very nice, typical Washington state park with plenty of trees, greenery, hiking, pathways and even a lake. There's a camp store along with several large outdoor kitchens that would be good to use for groups. Many of the structures like the kitchens and even bathrooms were built back in the 1930s by the CCC, which is pretty cool. It's just far enough off I-5 to not have the freeway noise, but close enough to be convenient. It's also nearby to Great Wolf Lodge if you're looking for a place to stay near there.

On the other hand, the RV sites especially are basically in a big field with a cement road going around it. The sites have tables and fire pits, but no privacy what-so-ever. The tent sites are slightly better, with more trees, but still very close to one another.

The campground also has glamping available (canvas permanent tents) that looked cool.

Located on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, Collins campground is a bit off the beaten path, which was what I was looking for during peak season in August.

The Duckabash river runs along most of the sites. There is a good amount of space between most campsites. Each one has a fire ring and picnic table. I was there the fire season, and while it was hard to escape the smoke pretty much anywhere in Washington, it was as bad at Collins.

I didnt see a campground host while I was there, Im not sure if they usually have one. Most campgrounds in the area were very full and quite busy, so I was very grateful to have found Collins . It Wass quiet and the few campers there were kind, quiet, and kept to themselves.

When driving to the campground on Duckabash road you will pass a cabin on your left side right before the paved road turns to gravel. Apparently that is the oldest structure built on on the peninsula. I thought that was pretty cool!

There are some great trails in the area as well. The Duckabash trailhead is a short drive from the campground and took two great hikes there during my stay. I hiked up river and found a lovely swimming hole, frigid, but beautiful.

I also found a great blackberry patch off the 101 which was so great having while I camped, hiked and in my morning yogurt :)

Cant wait to go back and explore more in the area!

Just 20 minutes south of Olympia, WA you can pull off I-5 and pitch a tent beneath towering old growth Douglas Fir and Hemlock trees. This stunning state park reminds us both of the kinds of campgrounds we frequented as kids. 

Most of the campsites in the forest loops are small with limited parking and the narrow roads would not serve larger camper rigs. Our little 15 foot travel trailer made it in without any problem. The feeling of camping under the old-growth canopy is so classic Washington, but the solar gain is pretty minimal. Ironically, the electrical hookup sites, which more easily accommodate the big rigs, are out in a more cleared area where there would be solar gain for days. 

We camped on the closest loop to the full-hook up RV area and were able to get our solar suitcase out into the sunshine on its extension cord for a few hours. The bathrooms in the forest loops are pretty simple ranging from pit toilets to flush varieties with showers. There is a more modern bathroom facility with nicely clean and refreshing showers near the larger RV field. Things to do in this park are abundant. The water is super chill, shallow and warm. 

Only “cartop boats” are allowed in the lake, making it ideal for stand up paddle boards, small kayaking boats, inflatables, canoes, fishing dinghies and just swimming around.  Lightening storms in this part of the world are pretty rare, so very fun to see one over the lake while we were here.  The lake shore has some classic picnic shelters, built by the CCC, that are reservable, offer wood burning stoves, and lots of places to cook for a family get together. 

Hiking and trailing running in the park is wonderful, and with all the loops your efforts can range from 30 min strolls to half-day hikes. The trails are well mapped, and signed making it nearly impossible to get lost. 

Tumwater is about 10 miles away on country roads to the north, and Grand Mound is 10 or so miles to the south. Either of these communities provide the usual suburban supplies for groceries and restaurants. There are also some nearby convenience and general stores where you could pick up some ice and such. During the summer months the park has a small cafe and ice cream shop.

Great place lots of fun but it is not a campground... It's a summer camp for teenagers. I myself went there as a teenager.

This is a very beautiful state park. We stayed here over Easter weekend. It was pretty busy and there isn’t much privacy but everyone was very respectful. Love that there are large kitchen areas for groups and the hiking trails were nice. I would try to get a map if you really want to explore all of them- but you’re not really going to get lost. There is an amphitheater that all the kids put on a bike show while we were there. That was super cute to hear them organize it, spread the word and then have fun. Great family place! There were some groups that partied right up until quiet time. The “store” at the groups wasn’t open but it is close enough to civilization you can easily get anything you forgot. It was too cold to really do much at the lake, but definitely worth coming back when it’s warmer. Would definitely recommend!

It was raining for nearly our entire time here, but we still enjoyed the close/easy access to bathrooms, showers, potable water, and hiking trails, not to mention the numerous activities available near the lake. We did some paddle boating, dipped our toes into the water, and purchased snacks at the small store. This was a perfect halfway point to meet family when half of us were coming from Portland and the other half from Seattle. We’ll definitely be back.

Great PNW experience minutes from Olympia!

Campground review: First off this is not a primitive experience by any means. However this is a really interesting state park that has something for EVERYONE. The campground itself is separated into 3 separate sections. There is a larger trailer loop down by the main entrance, standard tent camping and lastly "glamping" and yes you heard me right. This campground also boasts a beer garden AND a boat house with kayak and canoe rentals. If this is all sounding a little much I understand. Surprisely though the campground was almost completely filled when we were there and do to it being densely vegetated and how it's laid out. Our campsite was very private and spacious. The campground itself was very clean and well kept and rangers were on regular patrol. It was a great fun local escape for us and our kids loved it!! They also have a few trails but we did not check them out this visit. My only complaint would be the restrooms are few and far between for how large the campground is just know this before your visit. Happy Adventuring!

Gear Review:

HellaGood Belmont Blanket

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally get products to test- today I am testing the HellaGood Belmont Blanket. Right away I was surprised by how light weight and extra durable this blanket was. Easy to pack in a backpack and bring to the water front with us and made a great blanket to cozy up under after a few hours of paddling. It was also a great additional play space for our kids at our camp site. The bottom is waterproof and the top is a soft fleece like material so I didn't have to worry about washing it when we got home. In the past we have just brought a beach blanket camping but this is for sure our new go to! www.belmontblanket.com

We come here often as we live in Olympia.

Pros: close to the city in case you forget something or a little one has a meltdown, lots of varied activities: biking, light mtb, trail running, hiking, paddling & fishing ( there's a small lake).

Cons: can get crowded and the campsites are pushed up pretty close together so you'll likely get to know your neighbor.

I have camped here a number of times over the years. This is a nice woodsy campground just south of Olympia, WA located on Deep lake. It has a very old growth forest feel to it. This campground offers many activities: hiking trails, fitness trails,fishing, boat rental, and even a concession stand. The fishing is good for trout,bass, and sun fish. This park offers both hookup and non utility tent sites as well as glamping tents.

Cons: most of the hookup sites are in a field with zero privacy but there are a few that are much better like the last spot I stayed at.

The primitive sites are better but the roads are quite narrow with limited access for RV's.

The "Glamping tents"are very nice but crazy expensive at over $300 a night. Like most of the State Parks reservations book up quickly so it pays to plan ahead

Pros: fishing is pretty good even from shore. The day use area is great but pretty rustic. Lots of trails to hike but not as well marked as I would expect. Really close to Seattle so it is ideal for a weekend getaway Friday after work.

This place had it all; open RV camping, secluded van camping, tree canopy car/tent camping, walk-in camping, and themed safari tent camping, and one cute mini airstream. 

Lake down the road. Water and electrical hookups, dump station with dump water and fresh water. 

Restrooms and showers are scattered around. Showers are coin based and there is a machine to turn your dollars into coins.

Tons of frees. Plenty of walking spaces, hiking trails and a large lake and dock. There's an "environmental learning center" and plenty to keep kids busy.

Tent sites in the trees are some of the best for privacy. Trailer sites are more in the open but have plenty of space for backing in as well as electric hook-ups, fire pits, and a dump site.

Close enough to Seattle or Great Wolf lodge to be in a good location, and far enough away to feel like you're away from the cities.

Clean facilities, some nice perks like a beer garden and ice cream and the lake is great. You’re packed in pretty close to each other, but the trees provide pretty good insulation. We enjoyed our stay.

Stayed in site 202 in the RV section of the park. We had tents but enjoyed access to water and electricity. 202 is separate from the other camp sites which was great but can be downwind of the dump station and dumpsters. When the wind shifted it was bad. 202 also opens up to the main road entering the park. If you have small children or animals, I would not recommend this site for fear of them running into the street. This also resulted in a lot of campers thinking our site was a cut through and attempting to walk through our site at all hours. Upside was it was a short walk from our site to the lake, you don't have to walk through the rest of the campground but you do have to walk on the main road with no sidewalk. State park was clean and well maintained. Couldn't go 30 mins without seeing a park ranger or employee out and about. Lake was crowded from 11-5/6 but early mornings or late afternoon it really quieted down. Bathrooms by the RVs have the showers and a nice volleyball net set up. Would not recommend it if you are not kid friendly. This is a very kid friendly camp ground. Has a beer garden and snack shack but limited hours on those and rentals for the lake which was nice.