Best Glamping near Waterville, WA

Normally I don't camp at KOA's but if you are trying to camp and ALSO do some usual Leavenworth things this is the perfect spot.  It is walking and biking distance from town, right behind the Safeway, and has lots of amenities.  Great place for kids especially there's tons of activities, playground and even a pool.  There are 4 or 5 free activities daily and even a couple for 21+ which I appreciated as a visitor without kids.

We stayed in a tent site and it was small and dusty but had a private trail to the river which totally made up for the more cramped quarters.  Quiet hours were observed and the staff was ultra friendly.  Picked up our propane and filled it for us and everything!

I will definitely go back here during shoulder season and rent a cabin.

Very well kept campground. There are bathrooms with showers right in the center of the park. They are sticklers on the parking situation so don’t expect any leeway. I believe it was 2 cars max with one boat and camper. Either way though they will only allow 2 cars. Otherwise quiet hours start at 10:00. you can walk right down to the water. Bars are a 10-20 minutes walk depending on which one you go too. Camp spots have electrical hookups only. It’s a dry campground but as long as you have covers on your beers or are using a cup then they won’t bother you.

Crossing through the dry and rugged terrain of the eastern most portion of Washington, the pleasant surprise of the forest campground of Swauk could not have come at a better time.   Just after the rolling hills met the forested tree line this quaint campground welcomed me to the Washington I had wished to find on my adventures.   It was a first taste of the glory of the Pacific Northwest and a perfect way to find the solitude and beauty of the land during late fall.

Pulling into Swauk you first will find a recreation area where cross country skiing is permitted during the winter months and during summer months families can enjoy horse shoe pits, picnic and barbecue areas.    Parking here is plentiful and invites you to enjoy the land in its entirety.    

I noticed a small trail behind a shelter area and followed it to the gentle moving stream which passed throughout the back of not only the recreation area but also the camp.    Here you could truly get a glimpse of the beauty and wonder of the trees opening up and increasing in size, the ferns growing wild and abundantly and the pine needles lining the forest floor creating a barrier which seems to trap sound and create a hush over the entire area.

The shelter when I had passed housed a large fire place and additional picnic tables making this a perfect location for those chilly nights you find in the forest.

Just beyond the recreation area the campground welcomes campers with large sites and plenty of room to spread out and enjoy a day, a weekend or a week.    A self service pay station is located at the entrance to this portion.    Single sites are $18 while doubles are $36, envelops are available alongside other rules and regulations for the campground.

Once you have secured your campsite at this location you will place your tag on the site itself in a small plastic placard located at the entrance of each site to signify it is taken.   this allows you to navigate away from the campground to explore the forest and the many areas of interest near the Cascade Loop or the Gingko Forest.   

Vault toilets can be found in two locations, one at the mid point of camp and the other at the entrance and provide facilities, however no running water is available at these sites.  Running water can be found in the recreation area however if it is needed.    You will want to make sure you are able to sustain without power however because that is not available at any portion of the campground.

This site overall is a great way to enjoy Washington  and I found that visiting was an unexpected treat.    To visit the facilities make sure you understand that this is not a State facility thus the Discover Pass is not accepted.  Instead you will want to make sure you display a National Park Pass, as this is a site maintained by the Forest Service, though I will say no one was there to check it and there was no clear signage to mark this.

Tips:

* Bring your own firewood.   There are signs posted throughout camp mentioning that you cannot cut trees in the area for any reason.    There is no firewood station at this campground either so if you are planning on having a fire make sure you come prepared.

* Because this site is a part of the Forest Service there are also signs posted about saving the vegetation.   This means you will want to park only in the areas that are marked clearly.   If you have a rig which does not fit within the bounds, consider another site at the campground.

* If you need supplies you will want to find them in the larger cities or towns along the way.   When I was here I noticed there are very few stops which provide basic essentials for many miles.

We have been to the Blue Lake Resort during June 2021. The location is awesome, quiet and peaceful for a relaxing vacation. The breeze is welcoming& gentle enough to get fresh air. Very friendly staff, good walking, can get out onto calm rides on water, get some fresh water swimming, catch good fish. Newly added Domes and Glamping sites are nice and they are more attrea We stayed in newly renovated cabin. Very clean with new management upgraded everything they can think of. Cabin has all the amenities including full kitchen. The location is awesome, quiet and peaceful for a relaxing vacation. New Management renovated the entire reort including RV, Camping spots, Cabins and especaially bathrooms. All the amenties water/electric, showers, kayak and motor boats rental are included in rental price. So no surprises at the end. It's a must visit stay place for camping/glamping and dome experience

Arrived around 2pm to the Douglas Creek Trailhead. The 8 miles of road H to get to Douglas Creek Rec area is gravel, primitive -no signs. Hiked the canyon for ~3miles. Lots of groundhogs and birds. Campsites are roughly half mile from the parking lot for hiking. The gravel road here is much narrower, and has more aggressive rocks/stones. Between the parking lot and campsites several large puddles/ponds took over the road. Campsites have pull throughs for RV’s. I chose the third site I saw, steep downhill to the fire pit, but close walk to the creek. The grounds are minimal, no services (no toilets, picnic tables, hookups, trash bins etc). Had no cell service. Weather was in the upper 60’s, no clouds. Perfect getaway.

I went to Leavenworth for the Oktoberfest event with friends. We stayed there for two nights. We checked in and out very easily and it was very perfect. There are something that I like about KOA. It is perfect for large group to stay there for a weekend for an event in Leavenworth because it has excellent shuttle transportation to Leavenworth. Not only that the campground gives many options that they have such as hot tub, breakfast, coffee, fire pit, games and etc. And it has awesome the views of mountains and even better the view of river which it is right next to the campground! And we had a great weekend there during the weekend of October!

Wenatchee River County Park Really nice basic park that feels like a campground but it’s RVs only, no tents allowed. We stopped here for 2 nights with the Passport America discount to do a reset from boondocking- showers, laundry, cleaning, etc. We stayed in a back-in, PHU site by the volleyball court. Full price for this site is $40, no additional taxes or fees. The 50% Passport America discount is weeknights only, April and October only, for up to 5 nights. Campground is only open April through October. 

The showers here were hot and clean and $0.25 for 4 min, payable with quarters. Laundry room was nice but very small with only 2 washers and 2 dryers, $2.50 each, pay via credit card or download an app. There’s a book exchange in the laundry room as well. There’s a “dog run” which is just an open strip of land along the side of the park, fenced on one side and tree-lined on the other. Dogs are allowed off leash in this area. The campground also runs along the Wenatchee River, but it’s surprising they haven’t developed this area with a nice walkway along the river and benches and things. The area around the river is kind of rugged and overgrown, hard to really get to the water. They will fill propane here as well, $5/gal (yikes!), and not on Sundays. There’s a dump station here as well, and I didn’t see a clean water fill but I’d imagine they’d let you fill at an empty site. Staff here is really friendly, the campground has an entry gate with is nice for security.


The road noise was loud and a little obnoxious. There’s also a train that goes through here but the train noise doesn’t bother me like freeway noise does. There are signs everywhere that no tobacco is allowed- they seem to be very strict about this! They also asked what breeds our dogs are, which a county park has never done before, but I told her “mixed” and that was acceptable. Good cell reception and their free wifi also worked well.

Spartan accommodation? Check. You're camping in a field, with thousands of other "campers." Be ready for wookies (depending on the show you're going to), dust, heat, wind. Several different levels here from Standard (zero frills with gen pop) to Glamping ($$$$).

Come prepared, chill out, and enjoy the show - a lot of the show will be your fellow campers. Can't recommend some sort of canopy enough - shade is a cheap luxury at the end of the day, especially if you're there for a three night engagement.

We typically pay up for Gold level RV camping even though we roll in with a tent, canopy, and SUV. Less riff-raff, closer to venue entry, calme vibe all the way around (quieter). Reasonable shower and decently serviced potties.

You can go find the party - if you camp in the party you can't leave it.

Cheers! See you at DMB this weekend!