Klipchuck Campground

We headed out to North Cascades National Park for a close to home camping getaway on Labor Day Weekend.  After admiring the Alps of America and the turquoise blue waters we ended up on the east side of Hwy 20.  We drove through Lone Fir Campground first.  Everything was (not surprisingly) full.  Then we drove through Klipchuck and found a great campground!  We got a site that had just been occupied 10 minutes before, everything else was full.  We felt very lucky to have found this site on Labor Day weekend.

It was very hot, mid 90's all weekend.  We were in site 18 that did not offer a lot of shade until late afternoon.  Most sites, including ours, are very large with plenty of parking.  Clean, even sites, well spaced, and quiet. Water spigots were placed all over the grounds. There are several vault toilets that stayed well stocked and clean.  Garbage dumpsters are located throughout the grounds as well.  

There are several trails that lead from this campground.  The "Creekside Loop" is a short but steep trail down to Early Winters Creek.  It was at least 15 degrees cooler down by the water and the water itself was frigid!  Not fun for little kids to play, but great for us adults to cool off.  The "Scenic Trail" is Early Winters Trail.  We did not explore the whole thing, only 30 minutes in and back on the morning we left. 

Nearby Mazama is worth a stop.  The General Store has unique gifts, espresso, and grocery items.  Winthrop is a fun stop as well, a little further down the Hwy 20.  

I was really impressed with this campground it's one of the nicer National Forest Service campgrounds I have ever been to.  It was really clean and well maintained.  Many of the sites are well shaded, big, and private.  The inner loop seemed like the best for shade.

Nestled just short distance off the main highway through this area, the Klipchuck campground is remote feeling and quiet. Sites here are beautiful with tall trees and lush greenery. This campground was so beautiful and as the fog lifted in the early morning following a rain it was something out of a movie with the cascading sites lining the flatter areas and also the gentle climbing slopes. 

Despite the nature of this site being semi-primitive you do not feel as though you are without as there is running water located at centralized spigots throughout camp and vault toilets scattered throughout. No matter the site number you select you will be within close proximity to walk to these features. 

Each site is equipped with a parking space large enough for a mid to large size vehicle, with some large enough for larger RV units as well. I found on a quick drive through camp there were sites to accommodate all camping styles depending on your personal preference of size. 

Standard site amenities include picnic tables and fire rings with clear area perfect for tent camping. Garbage collection areas are placed along each of the 2 loops, a great bonus feature not all forest camps offer. 

Pricing was very friendly and could be deposited into a self pay station at the entrance. This is checked by a campground host daily. Additionally the campground host when I was there was extremely friendly offering great tips for adventures in the area within driving distance. 

3 trails lead out of this campground making it the perfect setting for exploring, though the area does have bear awareness signs located throughout so it would be wise to come prepared for the possibilities of animal encounters. I suggest the scenic trail which has some amazing views of the forest and the many features of the landscaping around. 

Perhaps my favorite feature of this camp is the constant sound of the water around you which makes it extremely peaceful. If you are interested in getting a bit closer to the water make sure to camp along the back side of the campground. 

**TIP: **

• Bring everything you will need to this site, there are no stores on property to purchase anything, including fire wood you will need to come prepared!! 
• Consider one of the hikes from camp for a day trip instead of preparing to only hike at a trail away from camp.

This campground is located about a mile off Highway 20 and it is one of the larger campgrounds I have stayed in. 

Klipchuck campground does not take reservations, which was great for us, though we did see several people come by in the evening when it was full. 

We stayed in the last site, which was great because we didn’t have anyone on one side of us. The site itself was fairly standard. There was a place to park our car, then a few steps up to the picnic and tent area. 

The campground has toilets and dumpsters, but no showers. Given that this is a larger campground, both the toilets and dumpsters got a lot of use. The toilets were standard, but the amount of use meant that there was a significant smell. The dumpsters have are the type that are for the protection of bears. But there was garbage overflowing on one side. I was easily able to open the other side, which was half empty. An encouragement– read the instructions and safely dispose of your garbage. 

We were able to gather lots of firewood in the surrounding woods, so we had a nice fire. 

There is a hike right off the campground, which we did. It was strenuous and a little sketchy(steep hillside slopes with a narrow, slippery path to follow) but the views were pretty amazing. 

This campground is close(driving) to Mazama, and some beautiful hikes– Goat Peak Lookout, hikes in Winthrop, and more.

This is great camping option in the beautiful Methow Valley. Close to the small town of Winthrop and near two cold and refreshing snow fed bodies of water (Early Winters Creek and the Methow River) perfect for cooling off in the hot summer. This valley is breathtaking all times of year!

This is a USFS run campground and is available for $12/night on a first come, first serve basis. This campground is highly popular in the summer months and can experience high volume especially on weekends and holidays. There are vault toilets available that are well maintained but that condition can begin to deteriorate as the summer goes on due to the number of visitors.

Each site offers a nice large gravel area for pitching tents, picnic tables and decent shade. There is potable water available in the summer months and trash receptacles can also be found here.

This area has been prone to large wildfires in recent years so be sure to check for current conditions regarding fire bans, as they are often in effect in the summer. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires!

I have camped here twice with my husband and two boys. This last time was just as enjoyable as the first. It is a first-come first-served campground so if it is a holiday weekend, you want to get there on Friday to get a site. There is usually a camp host and the vault toilets are not too shabby. A quick hike from the camp will take you to a river. A longer hike will take you to Hwy 20. Unfortunately, this hike had a lot of obstacles from fallen trees that we could not make it the whole way. But another hike is Driveway Butte and it is a little more challenging then the other two but well worth it for the views.

Overall, the sites are clean and large. They are spread out and give you a lot of privacy. We always stay at the loop to the right when you pull into the site. There are some sites that are on the river but those go quick and we never get there quick enough to snag one. Mazama is the closest town and how the basics. We did have a deer visit us every night but never actually came up to the site.