8 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Near University Place, several state parks provide premium glamping accommodations with comfortable amenities. Dash Point State Park Campground in Federal Way offers glamping options in a wooded setting with water access, featuring electric hookups, showers, and picnic areas. Camp Lakeview in Graham houses safari-style glamping tents and yurts with all modern conveniences including water and electric hookups, sanitary facilities, and market access. Millersylvania State Park in Olympia includes luxury yurts with real beds, electricity, and heating for year-round comfort. These sites provide glamping tents with more upscale amenities than traditional camping, including comfortable sleeping arrangements and access to modern bathrooms with hot showers. "This campground was beautiful! There's a day use lake and we had a wonderful time camping here!" noted one visitor about their glamping experience.
Belfair State Park Campground provides a waterfront glamping experience with safari-style canvas accommodations available year-round. Visitors appreciate the proximity to Puget Sound beaches and hiking trails that wind through forest settings. Dosewallips State Park features premium glamping cabins with modern amenities while maintaining a natural setting where wildlife viewing is common. Elkamp Eastcreek in Mineral earned nearly perfect ratings for its luxury safari tents and cabin-style glamping options that blend comfort with wilderness access. Activities near these glamping sites include beachcombing, hiking forest trails, wildlife viewing, and water sports. According to a recent guest, "Full hookups available, showers are older but clean. Lots of trails and beach access make it very family friendly." Most glamping accommodations require advance reservations, especially during peak summer season from May through September.
"After flying into SeaTac late in the afternoon this campground was a great place to start our Washington trip and only about 30 minutes from the airport."
"This campsite was awesome, we far enough away from other campers so it was still peaceful, you did not feel like you were on top of other campers. The fire pit was nice and had a grill."
Available this weekend
from $23 - $74 / night
"Super peaceful, great fire pit location, water at the site entrance, portable restrooms away (but close), and best of all right at the river’s edge."
"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. "
"Pay showers ($1 for 3 minutes) and clean restroom with air dryer, pet friendly, lots of trails to hike and a beautiful beach area with a playground, seasonal/weekend snack shop, outdoor shower by the beach"
"My family stayed here for a night when we went out to Washington a few months ago. It was a nice little place."
from $23 / night
"It rained a couple of nights but being surrounded by huge trees made it really cozy. Nice walking trails that follow creeks and go right along the sound."
"Friendly staff, clean sites and facilities, coin operated showers. This campground is located right on the hood canal which is filled with oysters beds. Many people were harvesting the delicacy."
Available this weekend
from $12 - $61 / night
"This is a very nice, typical Washington state park with plenty of trees, greenery, hiking, pathways and even a lake."
"It was rainy and the fire pit area had plenty of puddles. Lots of folks came in later in the evening with multiple cars and sat out talking; plenty of them packed up and left before 8 am."
Available this weekend
from $12 - $140 / night
"O Site is adjacent to a river access, which I did not get a chance to check out myself, but being near water is always a plus to me."
"It's close proximity to our house allows us to hook up the trailer after work and include a Friday night in our camping weekend!"
Available this weekend
from $23 - $254 / night
"Walking distance to a gas station for supplies. Clean bathrooms with running water."
"The cabins are great for families and have a bunk bed and futon set up with a table set and even heaters. Bathrooms and showers on site, though showers will cost you."
Available this weekend
from $12 - $61 / night
"This campground has super friendly staff, decent bathrooms and showers, laundry facility, access to a lake, fishing is welcome, swimming allowed, great playground for kids, allows pets, has a small store"
"Limited fire pits and spots are first come first serve and field is not regularly monitored. Bathrooms are portapotties and no shower facilities. Also it is across the road from main campground."
"Sites fairly large & private with tons of old trees and right next to a creek. Bathrooms clean. Fire pits and firewood available from hosts. Easy access to Rainier NP. Hosts super nice."
"The owners are very friendly and helpful, it’s in a beautiful area (with a meadow to walk around/chill out in), the bathrooms are very clean and they have showers (coin operated, bring quarters, but only"
from $25 - $40 / night
TravelerNice campground, well maintained and rangers often patrol the campsite loops. Bathrooms are nice but dated, but quite expensive campground. Paying in-person was $49 for an RV spot with utilities, but booking online was $69 for the same site. Can be busy on the weekend.
TravelerSpacious spots by a scenic lake. Can accommodate just about any size rig, plenty of sites for both tents and rvs.
TravelerBeautiful spot, lots of great spots for tents, rvs and travel trailers. Loved that there was plenty of space between campsites. Would spend multiple nights here!
ScoutFirst off you get what you pay for it's cheap but you're packed like sardines in a gravel lot that looks trashy as hell I didn't go in the restrooms because they don't have stuff there till after 6:00 p.m. so I was terrified by how disgusting they might be on top of it the owner is quite possibly the rudest most inconsiderate and unempathetic human I've ever encountered he gaslit the hell out of me he insulted my intelligence he lied about our conversations that place is so shady there's no checking or check out time written on their forms they will just make up a time that seems appropriate and then if you don't respond and how they like they'll tell you that you have to leave I thought it was just me but after moving to a beautiful Campground I talked to two out of their individuals that told me that they basically told him to F off and they would find somewhere else really horrible business practices and his sister is just as rude as he is trashy place with Shady practices and Shady people running it. Also if you're one that noise bothers you you will hate this because it's right on the highway and you can hear everything from every spot in the park. Especially if you're looking for nightly you can go down the street to the one they recommended and pay $18 less a night for way more beautiful place
ScoutI wanted to like this campground, but I wouldn’t stay here again for more than maybe one night.
There are signs EVERYWHERE warning about theft, which immediately tells you something about the area. I didn’t have anything stolen, but I was extremely careful about what I left out.
The biggest problem is that you’re basically on your own after hours. There is no campground host, no posted after-hours ranger number, and no non-emergency number at the campground or through the park’s phone system. The staff hours also seem very limited and inconsistent. I arrived around 6:30 PM and nobody was there, and staff didn’t seem to return until around 9–10 AM.
The bathrooms were dirty, out of toilet paper, and the showers were cold. One morning there was a large unleashed dog in the women’s bathroom that growled at me while its owner was showering. I believe she may have been homeless and using the facilities. Again, there was nobody around to contact about it.
Another night, people were extremely loud until almost midnight. Same problem: no host, no ranger and no non-emergency number. Unless something is serious enough for 911, you’re left to deal with it yourself.
There are also a lot of homeless people and visible drug addicts/drug activity around Federal Way. I had been warned about the area before coming here, and I understand why.
The park itself is pretty and might be fine for a quick overnight stay, but for multiple nights, I wouldn’t recommend it. Between the theft warnings, lack of after-hours staff, weird staffing hours, and no way to report non-emergency problems, I never really felt comfortable settling into my campsite.
GuideWe spent one night here. Short walk to the riverside.
GuideThis park has so much potential. Sites are a decent size with OK spacing, no site has sewer and the line at the dump site gets pretty long on the weekends so plan accordingly. There’s is no true access point to the lake but many walking trails from other campers. No, designated swim area if you are into that sort of stuff. A place where this park shines is the park for kids, it’s well kept (as long as campers pick up after their kids). Bathrooms were a little messy but again, this is mostly due to campers….
This park is pretty big but easy to get around. We stayed at main campground B and it has a lot of sites that are mostly in shade. They have a lot of trees but none messed with backing up or trailer height issues. Overall I don’t think I would book here again unless I needed a last minute spot.
TravelerI stayed there for one night on my way back to Seattle, and it was perfect for what I needed. Very quiet back there. The people were all super nice and accommodating. They had a dump site, restrooms outside and heated restrooms attached to the office area. I really loved that two of the permanent residents would do security at night as well. Being a woman and traveling alone, that made me feel very safe. Highly recommend this place!
GuideThe FHUs are super close together. I moved from there to site 230 with partial hookups. Loved it. I had no neighbors. In that area there is a lot of natural growth barriers that adds to the privacy. On the other side only two tall trees separating the sites. Everything is clean and well kept.
Glamping options near University Place provide year-round access to Puget Sound and mountain views. Most sites are within a 45-minute drive radius, with peak season running May through September when temperatures typically range from 70-85°F. Winter camping requires preparation for persistent rain and temperatures that rarely drop below freezing.
Beachcombing on Hood Canal: At Belfair State Park Campground, visitors can wade in shallow, warmer waters along the Hood Canal shoreline. "The beach was great, water is rather warm for in the sound, it's also pretty shallow which is great for the kids to play in," notes Leah H., highlighting the family-friendly water access.
Wildlife viewing: Dosewallips State Park Campground offers regular elk sightings within the campground itself. According to James and Susan K., "Hiking trails and river access are accessible through the campground and Day Use area," making wildlife observation convenient for all ages.
Mountain access: While staying in the University Place area, campers can reach Mount Rainier National Park within 90 minutes. A camper at Elkamp Eastcreek mentions, "It would be a great base for exploring the south side of Mt. Rainier as it is within minutes of the Nisquilly entrance."
Clean facilities: Reviewers frequently mention bathroom quality at glamping sites. Shannon H. says about Elkamp Eastcreek, "Elkamp was very clean with the nicest campground bathrooms we have ever experienced," though notes that "the shower is coin-operated so bring quarters."
Riverside sites: Riverbend Campground offers premium waterfront locations. J explains, "We stayed there on a Thursday right on the river. Super peaceful, great fire pit location, water at the site entrance, portable restrooms away (but close), and best of all right at the river's edge."
Forest settings: Many campgrounds feature old-growth forest surroundings. A camper at Millersylvania State Park Campground described it as a "Nice state forest with old growth. Lots of walking trails and a lake. Many families and kids running free."
Seasonal considerations: Winter camping options remain available but with limited services. Christina F. noted at Millersylvania State Park: "The park is on their winter schedule so only sites 1-7 and 226-248 were open. It made for a nice, quiet weekend even though the open sites were 80% full."
Water levels fluctuate: Lake levels can change dramatically based on dam operations. At Alder Lake Park, one camper observed "the dam in Tacoma was partially drained causing a 'low tide' which exposed the dirt and poor beach area... usually when water is at normal level the beach is all sand and water is clean and clear."
Reservation requirements: Most glamping sites near University Place require advance booking, particularly waterfront locations. Scott S. advises about Belfair State Park, "The beach loop fills up quickly - get your reservations in as early as possible if you want to camp there."
Playground access: Multiple glamping facilities offer dedicated children's play areas. At Camp Lakeview, Julia B. reports, "There is a playground next to a volleyball court and basketball court. A small beach with a large dock was available for use during the day as well as a boat launch and fishing dock."
Swimming options: Lakes provide safer swimming than Puget Sound beaches for young children. A visitor to Millersylvania State Park mentioned, "The beach is the main attraction and it is hopping. We went early in the morning and staked a claim and were happy all day. There is a nice shallow area and two large swimming areas."
Site selection matters: Choose campsites strategically based on privacy and bathroom proximity. At Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, Julie M. shares, "Each site seems to have a trail connecting to the outer trail that runs along the river. Big entertainment for three boys who explored the woods and played on the rocks and in the eddy pools."
Limited hookup information: Several glamping spots offer partial hookups only. Curtis B. observed at Camp Lakeview, "Quiet and beautiful, the dump site is out of commission but was told I could empty tanks at one of the full hookup sites, roads coming in are narrow."
Pull-through site availability: Some parks feature easier access sites. Doug mentioned about Riverbend Campground, "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."
Water access varies: Not all sites provide direct water hookups. Jay F. noted about Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, "Filled up w/ some fresh water at the dump station, which was clean and well maintained... Our site had a pull-through driveway, 30amp hookup, a fire ring and picnic table."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near University Place, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near University Place, WA is Dash Point State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 79 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near University Place, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 48 glamping camping locations near University Place, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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