Kachess Campground

Been coming here for 4yrs, the lake has always been the highlight of our trip but this year the water was VERY low, from the small launch the water was litteral steps from the parking lot now its about 300 yards away if not more. Not the campgrounds fault just sad to see it that way. Hope you're ok with vault toilets and flies all over. Host are always nice and helpful.

We used to camp here way backs when the kids where much younger. We last went in August with our kids and grand kid. We had found 2 sites(64& 65) that end-up being perfect for us. There is not much separating those 2 sites so would have not been has nice if we had not known our neighbors. Also, by pure lock, those 2 sites end up very close to what maybe the only flush toilets on the campground; most are vault toilets. We loved our short stay here and will come back for sure.

After reading some tips on where to stay in the campground, I reserved #123 in the Thetis Loop. I highly recommend it! It's literally steps away from the lake which is awesome because it feels like private beach access (vs sharing the main beach with day use folks). The campground is pretty large so I can only vouch for where I stayed but there was lots of restrooms (vault toilets only) and water spouts nearby. And a ranger came by to refill the toilet paper which was a nice touch!

The site I stayed in was surprisingly private, other campers barely in view. Lots of foot traffic going past the site as folks made their way to the lake though. My site was particularly dusty and in full sun. The weather for the area can be really hit or miss. When I arrived, the sun was beating in at 85 degrees so I went on the lake with my paddleboard. Wind gusts were heavy and clouds started rolling in, and a few raindrops during the night. The next morning was cloudy to start but quickly gave way to full sun and calm waters (took the board out again with some coffee).

The only downside is they are strict about the check-in time at 2pm. I arrived an hour early and was told to either come back at 2pm or pay the day use fee and hang out until 2pm. I wished they wouldve let me in the day use area anyway since I paid for camping but sadly no.

I went here mid summer 2021, we actually left just a day in because the mosquitos were so bad. We went up the hill to the free walk in sites because the designated campsite was all full. It was pretty and secluded, but there was no table and no water. I think I'd like to come back in the fall to avoid the mosquitos. The lake was very nice, clear blue, as we drove out, the water was chilly but not too bad, and the weather was nice and sunny. I am hoping to try out the real campsite, maybe there will be fewer bugs!

Huge campground, plenty of space, most fit multiple vehicles or vehicles and campers easily. Busy in the summer months but have never not been able to get a spot. Thetis section of the campground seems to be most disarable (surrounded by shore) Fires were not permitted during this time. Lots of hikes near by, close and easy straight shot from Seattle.

We had a great time here. Had no idea this Lake was there after years of driving to Idaho on I-90. Gorgeous. Campground busy but well maintained. There was an altercation one morning between two camp groups but the camp hosts addressed it immediately and professionally. Lots of activities to do there and nearby, driving fire service roads, hiking, swimming, boating, and floating. Would definitely come back.

We had arguably the best site in the campground. It was spacious and right next to the lake. There are other sites on the water, but I’m not sure they backed up to a small beach area. We could launch our paddle board from right there. We also had a lot of fun riding our bikes throughout the campground. The views from out site were awesome. However, the campsite was louder and not as private as some of the others we’ve visited recently. A large group of campers played loud music well past 10 PM the first night. I think the host addressed it our second night there. We definitely want to go back to spend time on the lake again.

This campground was great. We stayed on the Mineral Creek Loop. Our campsite backed up to a campground road but it was still very quiet. The only complaint was there was only one restroom per loop, which made for a long walk. Bathrooms were clean and cared for. We had great views of the mountains from the sites 105-115. And also a great view of the Growlers flying over the lake on VR-1355. So cool. The lake was clean and beautiful. Great spot for canoes/kayaks/SUP or just floating around.

The campground sits on a lovely lake. Water temperature was perfect in mid-July. That being said, the camp itself was filled with screaming children, adults speaking loud enough to fill a stadium, and frisbees dropping on concrete well into the night. If it’s peace and relaxation you’re after, you might do well to camp elsewhere. Bathrooms were sporadically out of order. Not so much a place to camp, rather to congregate and scream your frustrations out before heading back to the city.

In mid-June 2021, we packed our camping gear and our German Shepherd and rumbled into Kachess Campground for a one-night stand.  Our tent was staked into site 86 and we took the dog for a walk around the grounds.  I had been here in 2006, but did not realize just how big it was.  The good thing is you really can't sense its size due to trees and growth between the sites. There are campsites here for whatever your needs are:  We saw some pretty big rigs here, some secluded sites, spaces near either of the two creeks, and plenty of opportunity to camp very close to the lake.

We cooked a pretty traditional camper supper, hotdogs over a fire, potato salad, cut apples. Smores!  In the middle of the night, we woke to animal(s) walking outside our tent. I suspect it was a deer or two, with carefully placed footing, occasional crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs. Our dog made sure they knew he was there with a few low-key but throaty "woofs".  You know what I mean.  :)

There are trout at Kachess, kokanee too, but you might be more skilled at fishing than I am and actually be able to catch something here.  I skunked again.  As I always say, though, being here is the biggest catch, and a fish is a bonus.  Some say "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work".  Whatever you want to say, you'll enjoy yourself here.

We think we want to try the south end of the campground next time, along Gale Creek.  There's a pretty nice beach along that end. Dogs aren't allowed on that beach, though, nor are jetskis, canoes, kayaks, kites, frisbees or just about anything at all except swimming (look it up, I guess).  We pulled into that area just to have a look at it on our way out.  A seemingly harried groundskeeper told us all about what we couldn't do there (we hadn't even asked).  Maybe she was just having a bad day, but I don't know how anybody could have a bad day here.

It's gorgeous at Kachess, and smells like heaven.  Check it out sometime.

Nice campground on the lake with several loops, and most sites having some privacy. The rangers were super nice. This campground is reservable and VERY busy. The vault toilets were clean(seemed new!), and the potable water was very good. All of the sites had picnic tables and fire pits. There are a couple little creeks that cut through some of the loops. Lots of boaters camping here as well as lots of families. There is a nice trail here as well. If you cannot get a site here, there is dispersed camping up the road near Rachel Lake. No highway noise in the campground.

Always have had a great time here. I've been here many times and never disappointed.. unless there is a burn ban.

Lake Kachess Campground is a great modern family campground. The Lake Kachess campsites are semi-private and attractive if you’re interested in amenities and socializing with other campers. Behind this campground up the forest service road is Box Canyon where dispersed camping took place for many years and has been shut down from time to time. Excellent fishing and places to explore in the woods.

This is an nice easy get away from Seattle.  Easy drive and a nice mountain lake awaits you.  For this reason make sure you get reservations.

Just returned from Kachess, loved every minute of it. The sites were big and cut off from other campers. Camp sites were well maintained and clean. Easy to back into, trailers and vehicles. Beautiful lake, great shore fishing, when you find the right spots. Plenty areas to swim and chill and the shoreline. Firewood on site through the host. Awesome place. Very quiet at night.

Great campground just past snoqualmie pass. Large campground broken up in to 5-6 loops, offering good privacy and some large sites. Two swimming beaches and a gorgeous river run along the campground. There was wood for sale for $7 a bundle from the camp host.

We absolutely loved Kachess campground! We stayed fathers day weekend 2020 in Box canyon. Most sites in this area are doubles, which we needed.

Pros: larger than average sites, friendly neighbors, close(about a block) to beach area, very swimable, great swim area for the very littles, big picnic tables, large fire pits, not much of a mosquito problem.

Cons: fills up fast, single sites claim rv capability but really aren't, bathrooms were NOT checked or maintained(:( ), no showers, no soap or hand sanitizer in bathrooms....ever. lots of pinecone(bring a rake or you will be sleeping on them!)

I really like camping here, but it's a specific kind of camping.  I give it 4 stars since it has a lot of fond memories and we come here often.  We have a ton of fun on the water and with our friends.  If you don't like zero amenities, heavy day use, or the possibility of folks having a noisy party, it's probably not for you.   It's free, you can camp in the woods right on the water.  Do not expect privacy or peace and quiet.  There are also no facilities of any kind so come prepared and use leave no trace principals please!  

We have camped with groups of friends here for many summers.  The day use is very heavy.  People even launch their gas powered boats from shore.  We like to bring our kayaks and do some early morning or late night paddling and fishing.  We also bring our river inner-tubes and a little boat anchor to do some beat the heat floating.  

Access can be tough as the water level of the lake can vary.  From the Lake Easton/Sparks exit, head down Sparks Road and turn on NF 4818 which is a dusty, narrow, gravel road.  If the water is high most of the sites you will have to park on the side of the road and walk down to.  If the water is low, keep an eye out for a lake access pull off on the left.  It's rough but all sorts of cars and boats on trailers can be found making there way down.  You can drive along the lake in both directions until you find your perfect spot.  

Get there early if you want to camp. Lots of families but lots of loud parties too.   Great fishing for white fish and Kokanee.

Beautiful spot, blackberries and blueberries were in season and just outside the tent. Nice trails leading to the lake, but noticed in a few spots you were walking through what felt like someone else’s campsite. Flush toilets and running water in a centrally located bathroom. It’s a large campground.

It's been our favorite campground for years, but recently last year, the park removed all the flushing toilets, and replaced with vaulted toilets! 

Pros

- Close to Seattle about 1.5 hr - 2 hrs away depending on traffic.

- It has numbers of walk-in sites with great access to the lake.

- Lots of loop for kids to ride bike and explore.

- Great access to many hiking trail near by like Pacific Crest Trail(PCT) can be accessed near the campground and Racheal Lake trail head is only 15 mins drive away. 

- Great for kayak, canoe, paddle board, or just chill and swim in the lake. 

- Friendly rangers and comp hosts. 

- Campground is always clean. 

- Most campsites have great privacy, you are not right on top of your neighbor. 

- Most loops within a walking distance to lake access except Beargrass loop.

- Hardly cell phone service is a plus for us, unless you are at the beach or boat launches. 

Cons

- Vaulted toilets ... (we don't mind vaulted toilets, but it used to have flushing toilets until 2017). 

- Very busy, hard to make get a reservation. Most walk-in campsites will be filled up by Friday morning. 

- In 2018, camp hosts no longer sell firewood (not sure if this still the case). We used to be able to get firewoods on the way in, but the last 2 times we went there this year, no one is selling firewood outside of the campground either. We had to drive to Easton to get firewood.

- Dogs are not allow at the main beach (most campgrounds now have this rules but there aren't many off to the side area where dogs can hang out and you can watch your kids at the same time). Although some camp hosts do not enforce this rule, until the beach gets really busy.

This campground is located on the small side of the lake where there is a lot of nice views and places to swim. I loved all the trails and walking paths to travel down. My only complaints would be that there is limited sandy parts to swim and that we could hear people speeding around and yelling out on their motor boats up until 2am.

You can enter into the park through the gate and camp right on the lake or turn just before the gate and hit some free spots! Best of both worlds! The lake is the perfect swimming temperature during the summer!

This camp ground was well laid out and very easy to find my camping site. The Camp sides had good space separating them. oh and the bathrooms didn’t smell. I loved staying here.

I won't expound on all the reviews. This campground is magnificent and a jewel for our state but there are a couple flies in the ointment (or citronella candle, if you will).

First is the walk-up or "first come-first served" service advertised by the forest service for this site. One loop (of about four total, I think) is devoted to walk-up campers, no advanced registration. This is a valuable service as many of our lives don't fit with weekend get-aways planned nine months in advance. Week-long vacations, yes! But, this wonderful spot is less than an hour from a major metropolitan area. It's packed every weekend during the short summer months of our state. It's really great that Cle Elum ranger district understands this and TRIES to accommodate it's visitor's needs. People willing to take a Friday off from work and drive up in the morning should be able to do so with a reasonable chance of getting a spot for the weekend.

Now for the issue… Many campers have figured out a little hack into the system. I drove up to the site early on a Friday to find about half of the walk-up spots paid for and reserved but completely UNOCCUPIED. No gear, no vehicle, nothing. I looked at the reservation slips on the posts to see the spots had been reserved in some case two or three days previously for nearly a week stretch. Several other sites it was the same story but a car was parked in the spot, an empty car. No gear, no tent, nothing. This was at 8 AM, mind you! The campground has rules about occupancy after paying for a walk-up site to try and counter people usurping their reservation system. I complained to the person stationed at the campground entry post. She said that despite the posted rules, they had been directed to honor reservations paid for walk-up spots, no matter if they are occupied or not. It's sad but unless you are willing to take a little drive from your place in the Seattle-Tacoma area on a Wednesday night and pay for a "first come-first served" spot for four nights turn around and drive back and then in again on Friday night with your party, you are out of luck in July and August at this lovely resort.

A second issue is the Bureau of Reclamation is planning a huge project for Kachess reservoir. Climate change has lead to annual drought and extreme fire hazard in the Yakima River and Kittitas Valleys. The project will result in the reservoir being lowered by up to 80 feet in the summer! This would render the boat launch at this resort useless and seriously impact the enjoyment of site. Stay tuned for more developments.

This is a big campground with lots of access to trails and water. We were there on a Sunday and Monday nights in July and pretty much had the place to ourselves, which surprised me. I imagine that on weekend nights it could get full. But it's nicely laid out, and lots of the sites have easy access to the lake, which is fun.

We love this site. We go there every year. There really is a lot to do. My sister in law takes her Jeeps and we go off roading there are so many trails to explore. The kids love the lake. Just an FYI... There are flush toilets in one of the campgrounds, but many have pit toilets. It can be really hard to find a site here. They book up quickly. We went last year to find a place in the campground and it was full. There is quite a bit of dispersed camping near the park if you are good with primitive. There was a really cool site up the dirt road to the left of the park with a pretty well developed site by a little stream. You have to take a narley little road to the left. But my minivan made it to the first part.

Because this site is so close to the Seattle-Metro area, it can get a little over-crowded at times. Reserve in advance for best campsites and guarantee of availability! We always stayed at the large group sites (here I am complaining about the crowds yet being the source of it! YEESH!) Plenty of space, a quick car ride to a sweet swimmin' hole with ability to jump off of rocks, but the best part is Lake Kachess. You are never a far walk from the beach and it is perfection!

Incredible spot with memorable views. This park is amazing to explore and the campground lets you stay close to the beauty. There are a few loops within walking distance of the beach that are best, otherwise you may have to take a longer walk to get to the water. It was mostly full in April a few years ago, but didn’t feel crowded, and it was extremely well maintained. Hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. nearby. Close to long trails if you’re doing day hikes or backpacking.

We stayed here because it's the perfect base camp for our mtn bike ride. This spot was super clean and had everything we needed to be comfortable including nice bathrooms! I would encourage anyone to stay here!

My boyfriend, dog and I stayed at this campsite for the first time and we were impressed! The camp host and all the other rangers we met were helpful when we had questions, our neighbors were pleasant and generally quiet, and the location was the best part. We were just steps from lake access through a short trail that led from our campsite to the shore, and then a short walk to the flush toilets and the creek. The flush toilets BTW were very clean - I was impressed by this. Not smelly at all, and in the morning there was an employee already there stocking up the TP and hand soap! No lights in the facilities though so be sure to bring a headlamp with you. The only downside that one might have is that there is not much forested coverage as there was some logging that had taken place prior to our stay. This didn't affect our specific campsite much, but at other larger group sites you could tell there was less privacy as a result.

Overall - great stay, definitely plan on returning again!