La Wis Wis Campground

The facilities, while only vault toilets, were always kept clean. The trees and the river were beautiful. We loved that we were only 5 minutes from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, and about the same distance to Packwood WA for access to amenities if needed. I’d recommend trying to get a site along the river. There was no cell phone signal (T-Mobile) for miles around.

This campground has a spectacular shade canopy, if you’re looking to escape the heat. There are no flush toilets, as stated on this website. A new water system is being installed, along with new vault toilets in A-Loop. Host sites will also have electricity!

This large national forest operated campground wasn't up to full operations from COVID when we visited last summer, so our bathroom was closed and we had to use porta potties, but otherwise it was my favorite campground, I think ever. Privacy, gigantic lichen-draped douglas firs and yellow cedars, tons of thimbleberry to snack on, and adjacent Cowlitz River to play in. With a little hiking, there is a swimming hole and you can jump off rocks into the freezing cold water. According to the kids, this is the coldest water they experienced on our whole PNW/coast trip. 

People were not worried about bears here (or anywhere in WA, really), in case you're traveling from a non-bear area and wondered about bear boxes. We mostly didn't get cell service at our site (Verizon), but my son got a call through to my husband a couple times on his older Samsung while my iPhone never got anything through. Water didn't taste great. Maybe bring a filter or your own water to drink.

Perfect proximity to Mt. Rainier. Really nice vibe in the campground and with the people. Just absolutely gorgeous and perfect.

The camp site are nice and you can plenty along the river. Wood is sold at times but if needed you can drive to pack wood and grab the wood needed.

Super basic as far as bathrooms and water but absolutely gorgeous surroundings. Try and get a spot next to the creek! My husband and are from Florida so we were in awe camping in the redwoods!

I came here in September 2020 when Oregon was on fire. The air was clear and so was the water. No cell service. Lots of beautiful spots to get in the water. Not a lot of people here mid week in September.

We go here once a year… we’ve been early summer and late summer. Recommend late summer if you want to swim as the river is still moving strong and quickly June/July. Lots of great “first come first serve sites” on the water if you can’t find ones on the recreation site.

La wis wis was an amazing campground with lots of awesome spots. We chose one right by a trail that let to a beautiful waterfall and creek. The sites were clean with well maintained bathrooms nearby. Side note: our campground hosts Jack & Jill even helped jumpstart our car!

This campground is nestled in old growth forest alongside a slow moving river.  The campground is very large with many different types of spots to pick from, like along the river, shady, sunny, and group. I had a spot next to the river and there was a ton of rocky/sandy beach area that would be really nice in the summer since the river is slow moving.  There was a day use area that can be reserved and several trails leaving from the campground.  I visited the campground when a fire was near by and had the highway closed and it was pouring rain so it was nice and quiet but looking at the empty reservations it looks like it could get very busy.  I ended up moving from my reserved site to an empty site so I wasn't right next to people.  It would be a great place to bring the bikes.

I camped in one of the sites on the river and it was just lovely 😻 I wish I had planned on staying another night. The campsites are also huge!

Went in late June. Our sight was very big and right next to the river. Camp sites were very spaced out too which was a plus. Close to the town of Packwood as well as the National Park. I highly recommend.

My friend showed me this place when I was in middle school and I haven’t stopped going back to it since. I try to keep it low key when people ask me where I camped but I need to stop being selfish lol

Campground Review

This campground is at the base of Mt Rainier National Park in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  To get to the campsite, you have to drive down into the ravine of where the Cowlitz River cuts through the campsite. There are many sites on the river, with the rest in the trees covering the expanse of the grounds. Large RV/ trailers can only be in the upper Loop H.

The road is a one way and for the most part, campers respect the speed limit, though there are some idiots who drive fast through. 

There are no hookups, so you will be dry camping if you bring an RV. This is very close to Packwood and a great place to stay during Memorial Weekend for their annual Flea Market.  There is no cell service at this site. Site claims to have flushing toilets, but those were removed a few years ago, there are only vault toilets and no showers. Depending on how the snow melt is during the spring, will dictate fishing and camping opening. 

Product Review

I had the opportunity to review a GCI Outdoor Backpack Event Chair.  This product is amazing for lugging around from campground to fishing and back. The chair has four different positions for reclining and hard arm supports for getting up and down. There is a large pocket on the back allowing for easy toting of items from car to wherever. The backpack straps make toting a breeze and the clip to close keeps the chair in place. It is very light and easy to transport and has a weight limit of 250, but my very large cousin (300+) was able to sit with no problem. 

https://www.gcioutdoor.com/camping-chairs/backpack-event-chair/

Super remote site. It’s a long road down to the campground and it is really nice but there’s only one area you can go with an RV that’s over 25 foot. There’s no Cell service so we decided not to stay.

Stayed in a group site in Loop E. Lovely grounds along the river. Clean campsite, clean (though dark) vault toilets, easily accessible water spigots and trash deposits throughout camp. Easy hikes to the Blue Hole swimming area and falls. Flush toilets appeared to be in the process of decommissioning. Primary drawback is parking and the overall narrowness. Roads into and around camp loops are narrow, larger RVs will struggle. Parking spaces at most campsites seemed to be designed for a time when everyone drove sedans and compact cars. The average family SUV will feel a bit cramped. Even the pull through sites were pretty slim. We were able to squish 2 SUVs, a wagon and 2 small trailers in, because parking partly in the brush was not permitted. Luckily the camp hosts were lenient with us. All in all a beautiful campsite. Gotta remember to keep it compact next time.

Campsites were big and clean with lots of privacy. Mostly new vault toilets as well. Only downside is parking is a bit of a challenge. Most of the sites look like they will barely fit one car. We got a multi site (e1) and it had space for 3 vehicles with no overflow parking. We were there in beginning of June 2019, the campground already changed all toilets to vault toilets, they are kept clean. We took a short walk to Blue hole trail, the river is freezing cold but still beautiful. This is one the best campground around. It became our favorite.

We actually love this campground so much we went here for not just one but two senior trips. The big trees, fresh mountain air and awesome river make this one of the best campgrounds we have ever stayed at. We will be back, again and again. Plenty of sites for tents or RV’s. Rope swings and places to jump off just down the road. White pass hiking and sledding if there’s still snow. Always a great time.

This is a great little campground to head To when Ohanepecosh in Mt Rainier NP is full and you still want to be in the area for local hikes. There is a great watering hole to swim in in the frigid but refreshing river that runs alongside most campsites, accessible from the upper (closed) loop. Some brave souls jump from the rock outcropping though we were not so intrepid. Friendly camp hosts, mostly families in camp made for a nice atmosphere in a lovely setting. Good access to Mt. Rainier hiking trails.

I camped here twice this summer, once in late June and again in late July. Both times for hiking in Mt Rainier Nat Park. Great alternative to the parking lot conditions at Ohanakaposh just inside the park. Most of the sites are reservable, but a fair number are first come, first serve. The campsites along the river are the best, but fill up quickly near the weekend. Best to go early in the week if you don't have reservations. On my first trip I managed to get a riverside spot, not so lucky second time around. However, all the campsites are nice, large and well equipped. Camp hosts were very friendly and helpful.

We went camping here in early August. We did not make reservations but with the camp hosts assistance we were able to get a great spot. It was surrounded by enough trees to make it feel secluded, but they vault toilet was not far and the water spicket was easily located. My family of 4 had a great time. The camp hosts were friendly and very helpful. I do suggest if you are coming for the west side to stop and get firewood in Packwood as it is easily $3 cheaper in town than at the campground.

There isn’t much here, but there is running water and vault toilets. When we went you could make reservations, but there were plenty of walk-up sites available. The hosts were nice, but the night we got there we were reading the board at the entrance when a man popped out of the trees and started asking us questions. He was nice and we got straightened out and found out where we were going but it was a little strange. It was a nice campground though, very quiet and very close to the entrance of Mt Rainier National Park. My husband said it was one of his favorite places on our trip.

Sites are green and shaded. Most are pretty close to one another, but several have river access. Toilets are nonflushing, pit-style, but are kept pretty clean. There was no shower available. Many sites are reservable while many are first come, first served. If you do not reserve ahead of time, be sure to come on a Thursday before the weekend crowd comes. We went early Thursday afternoon and had several to choose from. (Open sites are clearly labeled "Open" in green while reserved sites are clearly labeled in red.) By Friday afternoon, the campground was full. Single sites are labeled with an "S" while multi-sites are labeled with an "M." Our single site in C Loop had plenty of room for 2 tents, but there were some sites that were much smaller. Firewood is sold in small bundles for $6. Be sure to check out Blue Hole, a beautiful swimming hole with a very rocky beach.

This camp ground is always a blast for the family, however it can be crowded. We try and plan our trips so we arrive on Thursday and have a day of relaxing before a lot of people show up. Our Kids love site C-12 because of the hill behind the site it great for climbing, playing and exploring. Just a short drive into the national park with lots of trails!

This is one of my favorite campgrounds in Washington State. The area is very large, offering campers the choice of woodsy sites or water front. There are port o hole bathrooms spaced out amongst the sites, though no showers. Depending on snow melt, the river can be bare or flowing freely. Water is very cold but there are lots of swimming holes and even a rope swing.

There is a group site, but when we have gone we just get a few spaces clustered together on the river. Works well and gives the little ones nice space to play in between camp sites.

Our space was large, and was right on the river, we enjoyed our campfire, and quiet time. Some campsites are pretty tight and the road in the campground is very narrow. I might go back, it wasn’t hot enough to swim yet and the river was beautiful to watch.

This is an older campground with smaller roads and bigger campsites. This makes it great for tent campers and those with smaller RV's or tent trailers. The larger loud RV's would not fit in the spots or on the roads. Quiet for the most part with sounds of the river being heard and only the occasional sound of road noise. The bathrooms were not well kept up and lots of broken toilets and sinks when I went so that was a downfall. The river spots are prime real estate and I would recommend those if you can due to the cool breeze that comes off them. Overall a good campground that I would go to again. Oakwood is close by and has a small grocery store and the entrance to Mt. Rainier was only a 10 min drive away.

Nice restrooms. The scenery is gorgeous and is conviently located by Packwood. Massive trees and campground is pet friendly. Also reservations are welcome. The spots are kind of close together so you will be able to see & hear your neighbors. But there is a lot to do.

I've been coming here since I was a little kid and it's still one of my favorite campgrounds (with leashed pets allowed). It's cute, wooded, with a moss covered old growth forest, fairly private camps, with one large group site available. Obviously the river spots are the prime locations but we recently had to branch out and stayed in the more wooded Loop B at site B4. We found we had plenty of space and privacy for a party of 5. At this location we had piped water between us and site B5, and we were conveniently located a short walk from restrooms and Purcell Falls. There are plenty of options to keep you busy inside the campground such as visit to one of the many rivers or creeks, the blue hole or a hike to Purcell falls.
If you choose to use the campground as a base camp your close to many other options as well; Ohanapecosh campground and amphitheater, hike naches peak loop, visit the town of Packwood or Mount Rainier National Park (no pets allowed).