Merrill Lake Campground

This is a great little campground, on the lake shore amidst a grove of Old Growth Cedar. Only 8 spaces for tents (9 if you count the camp-host site which was unoccupied when I was there).I camped here for 3 nights midweek in early May and had the place to myself. Fisherman come and go during the day, but I never saw more than 3 vehicles at the boat launch. Short and beautiful nature trail through the Cedars. I would have given this campsite 5 stars if it weren't for the noise of the logging going on during the day on the other side of the lake. Also no uninterrupted lake view from the campsites as there are trees and tall shrubs all along the shoreline.

Tent camping only, no running water, no power boats, fly-fishing only

another site where you park and walk in! 8 sites, some are more private than others. 2 vault toilets, fire rings and picnic tables! great lake to kayak on. 

discover pass only

Discover pass required

  

 Merrill Lake, just outside of Cougar, WA feels very remote, despite its relatively close proximity to the Portland/Vancouver area. This campground is best suited for tent camping, as there is only one RV site and sometimes it’s occupied by a camp host.

  

I met up with some folks who were in tents and occupied the tent spots and spent the night in the parking lot in my van. Several other folks did this as well. You're just a little ways from the campsites that have picnic tables and fire pits. 

  

The lake is the real attraction here. Great for paddle boarding or kayaking. There's a boat launch. Best of all, it's free!

Merrill Lake

There are 8 walk in sites and one drive up site, all first come first serve discovery pass required. Some sites are larger than others, but in ours we were able to fit two 6ptents and one 2p tent. All campsites have a fire ring and picnic table. You’ll still see and hear your fellow campers, but it does seem semi private. Make sure to bring toilet paper, the bathroom seems to never be stocked. Make sure to haul out all trash.

You can’t use motorized boats and can only fly fish in the lake, but a very nice 1 mile hike is adjacent to the day use area. Also very close to Cougar for gas and supplies for emergencies. Driving distance to popular day hikes. No cell service.