Olympia Campground, near Tumwater, Washington, is a straightforward place for those looking to set up camp without the frills. It’s got a decent mix of trees providing some shade, and the sites are generally quiet, thanks to the long-term residents who keep to themselves.

This campground offers essential amenities like electric hookups and drinking water, making it a practical choice for RV travelers. While the pool has been out of commission for a while, visitors have found the surrounding area peaceful enough for a weekend stay. One camper mentioned, “The park geography is beautiful, trees and cool shade,” which captures the essence of the setting.

If you’re planning to explore, you’ll find that the campground is conveniently located for easy access to local attractions. Just keep in mind that some campers have noted issues with drainage during heavy rains, so bringing your boots might be a good idea. Overall, Olympia Campground provides a no-frills camping experience that can serve as a decent pit stop for those passing through the area.

Olympia Campground is open all year to travelers. Full hookup rv sites have 30 amp service, water, and sewer. Partial hookup sites have 20 amp power and water. The majority of our RV sites are pull-thru, please call for availability. Tent sites are available seasonally, and weather permitting. Two camping cabins are available for rent; each one has a double bed and a bunk bed, and sleeps up to 4 people comfortably. Cabin campers must bring their own bedding and cooking supplies.

Olympia Campground

Tumwater is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Tumwater is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Find the best campgrounds near Tumwater, WA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Tumwater

The Best Camping Near Tumwater, Washington

In general, I tend to avoid campgrounds where the majority of spots are taken by full-timers, preferring state parks and such. But this is nice and friendly enough, despite having many RVs and such that look like they've been there for years, that I wouldn't mind staying at while "passing through."

Nice, clean store at the front of the property including the cheapest gas in the area. The woman and her young daughter working at the front desk were super-nice and helpful. Camping and RV prices were very fair for the area ($20-$30).

Tent sites, as well as the swimming pool, are only open during the summer.

Friendly, family-run wooded campground with pool. Many full-timers.

We stayed here when we first bought our RV. The staff was so friendly and the surroundings fairly peaceful and wooded. This isn’t fancy, and there are quite a few long-timers, but it was as expected. 

Affordable and Quiet

Nothing too fancy and quite a few long-timers. Nice trees and decent spots. Very mellow and quiet.  

  

When we were there the pool was closed and not much else to do (it was too cold to swim anyway). Pool was nothing fancy but would have been fun for the kids to swim in.  

  

Good location and good price that felt safe. Okay spot to stop for RVs passing through. Also has a store, laundry, and the bathrooms were clean.

Quiet. Friendly

Unsafe … bathrooms used for drug hangouts. Sign on door asked for your safety to be kept shut but wasn’t so drugies could go in and out. We were exhausted from a long drive and pouring rain. We should have just pulled over to the side but exhaustion clouded judgment 

Horrible tweekerville

Stayed here on and off for a summer, and spent a couple of winters here as full-timers. Nice enough setting for a weekend. The pool has been out of commission for years.

1\. Due to poor drainage, most sites flood during heavy rains. Rain boots are a must.

2\. The sewer/septic backs up on occassion, sometimes spewing from another sites pipes. The owners will clear it out eventually.

3\. The combination of flooding and sewer issues mean you should keep your boots on. No walking barefoot.

4\. They advertise 30A service, but the grid cannot handle it. Breakers flip often, especially in the colder months when campers are trying to stay warm. They urge campers to use their propane heaters and not use electricity. We were berated for using "close to 30A", because if too many neighbors are using electricity, youll have a blackout. Bigger rigs should be forewarned.

5\. Laundry services are fair, but get an early start. Some of the tenants will bring wagons of laundry and take up all the washers and dryers.

6\. The bathrooms and showers are okay. Plenty of hot water. Again, keep your shoes on. In the cold months smokers will smoke cigarettes in there, but I never saw anybody tweaking.

7\. Several sites are taken by tenants who are on a monthly agreement, as we were for the winters. Most people are decent, but my recommendation would be to keep to yourselves. There's your standard mix of felons, gossipers, judgers, potheads, and a tweaker or two. There's even a "high-school" clique you don't want to get mixed up with. Another reason to have some boots due to the amount of b.s.

8\. If you have a nice rig, people will assume you are rich. Keep your doors and basement locked when you are not around or sleeping. Things get stolen, including fuel.

9\. Don't bother making any complaints to management. Whether about peeping Toms, black water spills, loose dogs, domestic violence, careless drivers, or the welfare of children, there are only a few responses. Laughter, denial, or accusations of being dramatic. Also, if they approach you about your complaint, their security staff will record you with a cell phone.

10\. Most of the employees are tenants, and the rest are relatives. If there is an issue with an employee, such as rude treatment, they will side with the employee every time. The employee tenants seem to have a different set of rules at the campground. It's all good if you can accept that.

11\. Security patrols at night and will deal with immediate concerns such as power outages. One of them arms himself with a handgun. If this bothers you, dont camp here. This never bothered us, but I doubt that this is a job requirement or accompanied with training and certification.

Bring your boots

Drive through first. I counted over 45+ full time residents in February 2022 when I was staying there. Stayed in couple different sites on and off since June 2020. All sites flooded and twice(different sites) my electrical hook-up box caught fire. Dogs leash rules were not enforced and neither is cleaning up after them so watch your step in grassy areas.

Olympia campground and fuel

The park geography is beautiful, trees and cool shade. If you are ok with spending a night or so with long term residents, then enjoy the geography. The long term residents were the predominant occupants and seemed quite, keeping to themselves predominantly. The restroom and showers in the back of the park could use some upgrades. The door to the building was worn and broken in the bottom which was big enough to potentially let a raccoon or similar in. The facility was clean but had the feel of a state run park rather than private. We would stay again if circumstances dictated, as they did this time, but wouldn’t go out of our way to do so.

Photos of Olympia Campground

Real photos from real campers