Best RV Parks & Resorts near University Place, WA

This is very much an RV park and not really a campground. Seems like a clean little park, but right in the middle of Lynnwood, so if you are looking for a rural setting this isn't for you. 

They offer weekly and monthly rentals, so this is more of a long-term sort of place. 

Website: Northsound RV Park

​Requirements from their site: 

• Your travel trailer must be year 2005 or newer 
• Pet friendly(limit 2) not to exceed 25 lbs. Aggressive breed restrictions apply. 
• No conversion vehicles - sorry van and bus life people 
• No trailers larger than 35' long, ideally.

This campground is on Mayfield Lake where the Cowlitz River flows into the lake. We were in loop D, which was the only open loop along with the cabins (cabins are loop C and attached to loop D). This is a partial hook-up loop. Full hook-ups are in loop A. The campground is heavily wooded which is really nice for shade, though it can make it tricky to get into a spot if you have slide outs. As we were on the outer part of the loop in a pull-through site, we had a view of the woods and quite a bit of space between neighboring sites. We could not see either of the neighboring sites while sitting by our campfire. There was a trail to the trash compactor next to our site, but it did not seem to be heavily used. The trash compactor is probably a good 1/4 mile down this trail by the dump station. It was very quiet at night, which was fantastic! Very good Verizon cell service. The day use area is out of the campground and across the main road. There is a playground and beach area. It would have been nice if there was a playground on the campground side of the park.

Nice 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.

There are several long term campers here. The grounds are kept immaculate and they regularly update the sites.  They hang wreaths for the winter holidays. Lawns mowed weekly. 

All are level gravel. All have grass area, some with patio pad. There is a dog walk area and they are currently creating a dog fenced area at the end orf the two rows. 

A caretaker is on site and will often help guide rigs into the sites (all are back-in). 

Close to Poulsbo (a cute, Norwegian heritage town), Seattle ferry via Bainbridge Island and just over an hour to the Olympic National Park via the Hood Canal Bridge.

Interesting the other review was for a first time out with their travel trailer!  Same for us!

We got site 106 which was the furthest one out, it was right along the river.  The site has a concrete slab and fit our Jayco 174BH perfectly.  

This site does is a back in, but the slab is at a 90 degree angle from the drive.  So you will have to back your trailer around a corner if you plan to park it on the slab.  Didn't see other sites like this.  

The campground did have a very small selection of items to buy, but mainly snacks.  They do fill propane tanks, but only during week days.

The site had water and electrical, but no sewer connections.  they do have a nice dump station.

The camp ground itself did have at least 2 pet areas neither are fenced so a leash is required, along with a playground for the kids.

We have Verizon and had no issues with cell signal at this campground.

Also, this is a private campground, so they have a guy that stands at the gate to open it when guests come arrive.

This is the cleanest, most cared for camping site I have ever been to. The owners Tom and Brian, make your stay very enjoyable. They care about you having a great experience, whether you’re a first time camper or a seasoned camper. They have a great store with snacks, wine, beer, and local sourced goods. They have games you can use while you are there, like corn hole and board and card games, free of charge. Sites are large for travel trailers and motor homes, they also have tent and group sites. Trailer and motor home sites have power and water, there is a dump station you can use on your way home free of charge. The bathrooms are large and very clean, the shower is 4 quarters for 6 minutes, those of us who try to take a 3 minute shower in our rigs so we don’t run through all the hot water so our partner can have a shower without waiting for the water to get hot again it’s a blessing. In the evening Tom or Brian drive through the park seeing if anyone needs ice or firewood, if there’s not a burn ban, bring a propane fire pit for your camping experience. They also sell propane so no fears on running out. The best thing is you are under a large canopy of trees which helps to keep you cool even on the hottest days. There is a small creek to put your chair in and put your feet in the water. Our first year there we brought 4 other people, this year it was 28. We make Elkcamp our yearly get together. Family friendly and a great place to unwind. You’re only a few miles from mineral lake, bring your trunks, inner tube, or your paddle boards. I’d give it a solid 10 out of 10.

We 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!