Best Tent Camping near Toppenish, WA

We stayed here 2 nights and will definitely be coming back. Tons of open sites to choose from right along the river. Designated fire rings but currently there's a burn ban. No vault toilets or picnic tables. Pack it in, pack it out! When we first arrived we spent about 20 minutes cleaning the site we chose after the people whom were here before us. Not such a big deal just a little saddening. #1 rule is to leave no trace. Extremely grateful we get to explore and camp on land that is free. We should all do our part and take care of it. 

A little surprising that we had cell phone reception with sprint! 

Near this area there are a lot or activities. Biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, kayaking.. to name a few!

This campground seems almost brand new. There are no hookups and no water on site, though there are several vault toilets.

Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, tent pad, and path down to a rocky beach on the Columbia. The sites are definitely not large enough for most RVs, so I'd consider this tent or van camping only.

There's not much shade at the sites, but you can get out of the sun near the river.

The biggest drawback to this spot is that it's just of the highway. You can and will hear air brakes all night. For me, staying on the Columbia was worth it.

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.

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.

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. ;-)

This is one of the larger KOAs I have been to.  Plenty of room for RVs, trailers, and tents.  They also have a few cabins to stay in.  Our site was near the playground which was central to the camp ground. There is a TV/ play room that my littlesloved but not as much as the heated pool, yes, they have a heated pool! 

This site lies on the banks of the Yakima River.  My dad was able to go fly fishing and my littles were able to search for rocks and fish in the shallow areas. 

The general store has all your basic needs, but a difference from other KOAs was that they sell bee and wine! 

The hosts are great but are pretty strict with quiet hours (which I prefer with littles).

Just off the banks of the Columbia River, Ginkgo Petrified Forest is a fascinating testament to the wild geology of the Gorge. An easy 1.5 mile hike will take you past several nicely preserved examples of different types of petrified wood, including some whole logs where you can clearly still see the shape of the bark, rings, etc. There are restrooms and water spigots at both the Ginkgo Petrified Forest check in station/interpretive center, where you can see a saber tooth tiger skull, more samples of petrified wood, and explanations of how this area was formed by lava and other forces millions of years ago.

Just down from the interpretive center, on the river banks, is a nice little campground. It's not very remote or wild, but it is a good place to pop open your tent if you're hoping to do some kayaking. You'll also be close to handicapped parking spaces and have sidewalk access to your campsite, making this a great choice for campers with disabilities or mobility limitations. The restrooms are nice, too. They're pit toilets, but well-maintained and plenty of room to maneuver a walker or wheelchair in side. The landscaping is lovely, and the beach where you can put in your boat is level with the water, no boat launch required.

A few miles down the road from the interpretive center and campground are the hiking trails where you can see the petrified wood and experience the rolling hills and grassland that typify central Washington. You can also admire a CCC constructed ranger residence— a gorgeous example of classic "parkitecture" that is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Stream2Sea Sunscreen Review

As a Dyrt Ranger, I had a chance to test drive Stream2Sea's sunscreen. This reef safe & biodegradable sunscreen is made without oxybenzone. Even though I wasn't camping near a reef or doing any snorkeling, I opted to use this product on my hike since ultimately all oceans are downstream of lakes and rivers somewhere. Not only is the sunscreen itself environmentally safe, even the tube it comes in is made with Leave No Trace principles in mind, so it won't clutter up a landfill one day.

I'm stoked that this product was as good for my skin as it is for the environment. I have had a hard time finding a sunscreen I like in the past, one that doesn't irritate my sensitive skin or cause breakouts, that doesn't have an overly strong scent, that is a physical rather than chemical sunscreen, and blends well with my pale, freckled complexion.

Stream2Sea hit it out of the park. A little goes a long way, so I know I'm getting good value from a tube. The tinted version didn't make me look orange or like I slathered on faux tanner, nor did it look strange over my freckles. Instead, it blended in quite naturally, almost like a BB cream or light foundation. The scent was refreshing but not cloying.

Even though it's shoulder season after a long, cloudy winter in the Pacific Northwest and I haven't seen the sun in months, I didn't get burned despite spending all weekend mountain biking and hiking. Instead, I washed my face at the end of the day and my skin felt moisturized and refreshed, not tight, dried out, or irritated. I would feel comfortable using Stream2Sea sunscreen and lip balm every day as part of my pretty minimalist skincare routine.