Millersylvania State Park Campground

Just 20 minutes south of Olympia, WA you can pull off I-5 and pitch a tent beneath towering old growth Douglas Fir and Hemlock trees. This stunning state park reminds us both of the kinds of campgrounds we frequented as kids. 

Most of the campsites in the forest loops are small with limited parking and the narrow roads would not serve larger camper rigs. Our little 15 foot travel trailer made it in without any problem. The feeling of camping under the old-growth canopy is so classic Washington, but the solar gain is pretty minimal. Ironically, the electrical hookup sites, which more easily accommodate the big rigs, are out in a more cleared area where there would be solar gain for days. 

We camped on the closest loop to the full-hook up RV area and were able to get our solar suitcase out into the sunshine on its extension cord for a few hours. The bathrooms in the forest loops are pretty simple ranging from pit toilets to flush varieties with showers. There is a more modern bathroom facility with nicely clean and refreshing showers near the larger RV field. Things to do in this park are abundant. The water is super chill, shallow and warm. 

Only “cartop boats” are allowed in the lake, making it ideal for stand up paddle boards, small kayaking boats, inflatables, canoes, fishing dinghies and just swimming around.  Lightening storms in this part of the world are pretty rare, so very fun to see one over the lake while we were here.  The lake shore has some classic picnic shelters, built by the CCC, that are reservable, offer wood burning stoves, and lots of places to cook for a family get together. 

Hiking and trailing running in the park is wonderful, and with all the loops your efforts can range from 30 min strolls to half-day hikes. The trails are well mapped, and signed making it nearly impossible to get lost. 

Tumwater is about 10 miles away on country roads to the north, and Grand Mound is 10 or so miles to the south. Either of these communities provide the usual suburban supplies for groceries and restaurants. There are also some nearby convenience and general stores where you could pick up some ice and such. During the summer months the park has a small cafe and ice cream shop.

Stayed in site 202 in the RV section of the park. We had tents but enjoyed access to water and electricity. 202 is separate from the other camp sites which was great but can be downwind of the dump station and dumpsters. When the wind shifted it was bad. 202 also opens up to the main road entering the park. If you have small children or animals, I would not recommend this site for fear of them running into the street. This also resulted in a lot of campers thinking our site was a cut through and attempting to walk through our site at all hours. Upside was it was a short walk from our site to the lake, you don't have to walk through the rest of the campground but you do have to walk on the main road with no sidewalk. State park was clean and well maintained. Couldn't go 30 mins without seeing a park ranger or employee out and about. Lake was crowded from 11-5/6 but early mornings or late afternoon it really quieted down. Bathrooms by the RVs have the showers and a nice volleyball net set up. Would not recommend it if you are not kid friendly. This is a very kid friendly camp ground. Has a beer garden and snack shack but limited hours on those and rentals for the lake which was nice.

Clean facilities, some nice perks like a beer garden and ice cream and the lake is great. You’re packed in pretty close to each other, but the trees provide pretty good insulation. We enjoyed our stay.

This place had it all; open RV camping, secluded van camping, tree canopy car/tent camping, walk-in camping, and themed safari tent camping, and one cute mini airstream. 

Lake down the road. Water and electrical hookups, dump station with dump water and fresh water. 

Restrooms and showers are scattered around. Showers are coin based and there is a machine to turn your dollars into coins.

The lake and forest environments are incredible here.  Really nice hiking and swimming. The Campground is not very well marked and it took us quite some time to find our site in the dark when we arrived.  Also please be aware that some sites can pool water in the rainy season.

We decided to stay a night here on a whim. It’s a short trip from our home in Olympia. So glad we did the leaves are changing and the Corliss on the trails were remarkable.

RV sites were functional. We got lucky and found one in the trees. Some of the sites stay open year round

This is a beautiful spot! I was recently needing a place to camp outside of Olympia on a roadtrip. It’s about 10 minutes from I-5 so perfect for a one night stop, not sure if I’d want to stay there for more than that. The campsite had very little privacy and unfortunately everyone was woken up by a screaming match at 2AM.

campsite pros: Beautiful forest and lake Well maintained facilities Right off I-5 - so perfect for breaking up long trips Has cell service

cons: No privacy Loud - cars, planes, trains, people playing music, and a couple screaming at 2AM when I was there Pricey - I paid $37 for one night at a campsite Has cell service

Sites are roomy. Lots of walking and biking trails. Fishing and swimming areas. Concessions and rentals at the beach. Great staff too.

We liked our spot but it was a haul to lake. We SUP so had to drive each time. Beach is SMALL but lake is awesome. Most picnic spots are in trees.

The showers/ bathrooms are clean and nice. You need tokens to take showers which you have to buy from the office. The campsites lack the privacy I look for when camping. I felt on top of my neighbors and everyone faces one another. It could be because it was Friday, it was very busy with tons of screaming kids, music playing, and activity very late. This is a family place so expect that, the lake is close by with a couple nice hiking trails to explore.

Had a good time and nice camp hosts and good access to whatever ya need trails water and comfortable sites all around good trip

We hadn’t been out in awhile, so we stayed here just one night to test out some new equipment. Sadly, the current restrictions wouldn’t allow a fire, but we understood. The only thing I would change is the neighbors with their 5 kids, 3 puppies, and no discipline... Several nice geocaches on the trails here, too!

Beautiful spot, though tightly packed and crowded/noisy. We stayed in spot 59 on a Saturday night. It was rainy and the fire pit area had plenty of puddles. Lots of folks came in later in the evening with multiple cars and sat out talking; plenty of them packed up and left before 8 am. We walked the fen trail, which was spooky and different from our home of Colorado! Reservations needed. There are also glamping cabins. Nice clean bathrooms with flush toilets, water available at multiple locations, showers available with tokens.

Tons of frees. Plenty of walking spaces, hiking trails and a large lake and dock. There's an "environmental learning center" and plenty to keep kids busy.

Tent sites in the trees are some of the best for privacy. Trailer sites are more in the open but have plenty of space for backing in as well as electric hook-ups, fire pits, and a dump site.

Close enough to Seattle or Great Wolf lodge to be in a good location, and far enough away to feel like you're away from the cities.

Started our camping adventures close to home. We have 2 small children and my wife was reluctant to go camping before kids so this was really a test run to see how they liked it. I’m happy to say they loved it we had the normal issues with a toddler but the park was awesome great places to swim fish and hike. Vary private sites for tents and trailers under 16’ we rented a 26’ travel trailer so our site was not very secluded at all but our neighbors were very nice.

It was raining for nearly our entire time here, but we still enjoyed the close/easy access to bathrooms, showers, potable water, and hiking trails, not to mention the numerous activities available near the lake. We did some paddle boating, dipped our toes into the water, and purchased snacks at the small store. This was a perfect halfway point to meet family when half of us were coming from Portland and the other half from Seattle. We’ll definitely be back.

Nice family park for camping, swimming, fishing, hiking, and limited hiking in old growth and 2nd generation forest.

Love this place and love camping in the woods and right on the lake it’s a great place for kids

Separated tent and RV sites, sites are spacious, a very pretty and clean lake, Beer Garden at the lake, clean bathrooms, shower requires tokens but shortens the shower time if you have to wait. 

We had a large group of four families and it accommodated us very well.

This was our second time staying there and was not disappointed.

Easy access, not far from I-5

This campground was amazing it was so well taken care of and the sites were spread out giving you enough room to not be on top of the next person. Wasn’t too far from the lake was easily walkable and taken care of swimming area was not covered in seaweed. Would totally recommend to anyone that asked me where to camp in Olympia and will definitely plan a trip there again.

Millersylvania is located South of Olympia on Deep Lake. The campsites are nice, they have both RV, Yurts, and Tent sites. The RV loop does pack you in their like sardines. Deep Lake is a murky lake but is stocked with fish and has designated swim area.

This is a very beautiful state park. We stayed here over Easter weekend. It was pretty busy and there isn’t much privacy but everyone was very respectful. Love that there are large kitchen areas for groups and the hiking trails were nice. I would try to get a map if you really want to explore all of them- but you’re not really going to get lost. There is an amphitheater that all the kids put on a bike show while we were there. That was super cute to hear them organize it, spread the word and then have fun. Great family place! There were some groups that partied right up until quiet time. The “store” at the groups wasn’t open but it is close enough to civilization you can easily get anything you forgot. It was too cold to really do much at the lake, but definitely worth coming back when it’s warmer. Would definitely recommend!

This is a very nice, typical Washington state park with plenty of trees, greenery, hiking, pathways and even a lake. There's a camp store along with several large outdoor kitchens that would be good to use for groups. Many of the structures like the kitchens and even bathrooms were built back in the 1930s by the CCC, which is pretty cool. It's just far enough off I-5 to not have the freeway noise, but close enough to be convenient. It's also nearby to Great Wolf Lodge if you're looking for a place to stay near there.

On the other hand, the RV sites especially are basically in a big field with a cement road going around it. The sites have tables and fire pits, but no privacy what-so-ever. The tent sites are slightly better, with more trees, but still very close to one another.

The campground also has glamping available (canvas permanent tents) that looked cool.

We stayed in the group camp and I can highly recommend it. It had it's own (slightly frightening- not well cleaned, run down) bathrooms. It was set back in the woods with tons of places for tents. The shelter was large and had water and power.

The rest of the campground (the individual sites) were pretty packed in and very full. But the bathrooms over there were much cleaner and nicer.

The beach is the main attraction and it is hopping. We went early in the morning and staked a claim and were happy all day. There is a nice shallow area and two large swimming areas as well as a fishing dock. The lake is small and great for letting kids go out in kayaks or other boats.

They have glamping! Or as the campground calls it: pampered camping. This is a beautiful park located on Deep Lake just outside of Olympia.  The park itself is huge offering lots of options for campers.  Super easy to get our trailer in and out of the spaces and there was lots of extra parking for our larger group.  A quick walk around the grounds offered a nice hike and showed us some pretty awesome sites Id like to stay at in the future.  They are on a progressive price, meaning depending on the site is what your price will be.

The canvas tent option was one I didn’t know about until I got there.  The tents are cabin shaped and have a few chairs and BBQ grill outside it.  Great option for families.

The park also offers a cottage right next to the lake.  This is a nice alternative to traditional camping.  One thing that was great about the park was the various kitchens around the grounds.  This offers a great way for larger groups to have a set space for meals.

Went in the middle of the week and wasn't busy at all. Can tell this place is packed on weekends, being so close to Olympia. Nice swimming area with snack bar. Many of the tent camp sites are not private and right next to their neighbor. Overall a nice place to go during the week.

There’s camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, and lots more. Mostly I just take my family there to hike the trails. Its beautiful.

I have camped here a number of times over the years. This is a nice woodsy campground just south of Olympia, WA located on Deep lake. It has a very old growth forest feel to it. This campground offers many activities: hiking trails, fitness trails,fishing, boat rental, and even a concession stand. The fishing is good for trout,bass, and sun fish. This park offers both hookup and non utility tent sites as well as glamping tents.

Cons: most of the hookup sites are in a field with zero privacy but there are a few that are much better like the last spot I stayed at.

The primitive sites are better but the roads are quite narrow with limited access for RV's.

The "Glamping tents"are very nice but crazy expensive at over $300 a night. Like most of the State Parks reservations book up quickly so it pays to plan ahead

Pros: fishing is pretty good even from shore. The day use area is great but pretty rustic. Lots of trails to hike but not as well marked as I would expect. Really close to Seattle so it is ideal for a weekend getaway Friday after work.

We come here often as we live in Olympia.

Pros: close to the city in case you forget something or a little one has a meltdown, lots of varied activities: biking, light mtb, trail running, hiking, paddling & fishing ( there's a small lake).

Cons: can get crowded and the campsites are pushed up pretty close together so you'll likely get to know your neighbor.

Great PNW experience minutes from Olympia!

Campground review: First off this is not a primitive experience by any means. However this is a really interesting state park that has something for EVERYONE. The campground itself is separated into 3 separate sections. There is a larger trailer loop down by the main entrance, standard tent camping and lastly "glamping" and yes you heard me right. This campground also boasts a beer garden AND a boat house with kayak and canoe rentals. If this is all sounding a little much I understand. Surprisely though the campground was almost completely filled when we were there and do to it being densely vegetated and how it's laid out. Our campsite was very private and spacious. The campground itself was very clean and well kept and rangers were on regular patrol. It was a great fun local escape for us and our kids loved it!! They also have a few trails but we did not check them out this visit. My only complaint would be the restrooms are few and far between for how large the campground is just know this before your visit. Happy Adventuring!

Gear Review:

HellaGood Belmont Blanket

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally get products to test- today I am testing the HellaGood Belmont Blanket. Right away I was surprised by how light weight and extra durable this blanket was. Easy to pack in a backpack and bring to the water front with us and made a great blanket to cozy up under after a few hours of paddling. It was also a great additional play space for our kids at our camp site. The bottom is waterproof and the top is a soft fleece like material so I didn't have to worry about washing it when we got home. In the past we have just brought a beach blanket camping but this is for sure our new go to! www.belmontblanket.com