Best Cabin Camping near Winthrop, WA

The Winthrop KOA is similar and on par with most other KOA campgrounds, as far amenities go. The campground is right on the Methow River which is great, however, early in the camping season the current is so swift, you would not be able to swim in it. The campground itself has a western vibe, with old wagons that you can actually rent to sleep in, log cabins, and western-style artifacts throughout. The campground is right off of the highway, so there is a little car noise during the day. At night, we didn't really notice it. With the location of the campground in Methow Valley, it can get really windy. One of the nights we were there, we had to douse our campfire because embers were flying everywhere. We had site 18 which was at the end of one of the rows and it was very spacious with a big grass area and a few trees.

We liked the location because it was close to Winthrop and many of the outdoor activities available in the area such as hiking trails, off-road tracks, fishing, kayaking, etc. The area is beautiful and has much to offer in the scenery department, even for folks that are car-bound.

Campgrounds are full. Camping is one of the safest ways to get out and about yet still practice social distancing. Luckily we planned our trip before COVID-19 appeared and we were able to go on our trip in spite of COVID. And luckily we had reservations. Colonial Creek South Campground on Diablo Lake was a wonderful place to camp. Our site was big enough for our A Frame Pop Up camper and it had a nice private picnic table and tent area we could have used if we’d had extra people camping with us. We were right across from the camp sites that backed up to Diablo Lake and have already scoped a camp site on that side we’d love to check out next summer. There’s lots of lovely hikes in the area. The campground was kept very clean. Kayaking, boating, swimming (although the water is cold) - the lake is a beautiful turquoise jewel in the heart of the North Cascades. We can’t wait to go back.

So many people have dusted off their camping gear or bought new gear and are out and about. Colonial Creek North Campground, which is not reservable, was full mid week. Usually we’ve been able to get non-reserved camp sites mid week easily. So just a word to the wise if you are going camping, arrive early or get reservations where possible.

Winthrop/ N Cascades NP KOA

Nice KOA! The sites are HUGE for a KOA and very well maintained. Sorta a western vibe which goes along with Winthrop City. Nice little town but somewhat tourist trappy. Not horribly so and a cool boardwalk to walk along. If you take away all the traffic and replace it with horses, etc you would almost be in an old west town. The river that meanders along the back of the campground is the stopping point for tube rentals. The river is very rocky so not enjoyable to walk along but apparently good for fishing. There are two very cool wagons that are rentable to stay in, as well as cabins. The campground was very quiet (except for the playground straight across from my site) and not busy on the weekdays we visited. On the side of the playground was a nice camp kitchen with tables and large sinks. The laundry room and shower house are in the same building. The one strange thing is the dump sites location. You have to go to the far right side near the back of the park and then drive all the way back to the front. A lot to do and it would be easy to occupy your vacation time.