Skamokawa Vista Park

General: Vista Park, located directly on the Columbia River between Long Beach or Astoria to the west and Kelso to the east. It offers a variety of sites from walk-in tent sites to partial to full hookups to yurts. 

Site Quality: Site 30 was a sweet little site; since it is a pull-through with trees on one side, it offers some privacy, it is tucked away and more private than many of the other sites. While it appears to be a very large site on the map, in reality, it was perfect for our campervan but would be problematic for larger RVs. In my opinion, Sites 27-29 are the most private with lots of trees separating them. Sites 27-33 have their own garbage receptacle at their site while others have a more centrally located garbage/recycling area. If you prefer to be closer to the water, Sites 19 and 20 and V1-V13 would be a good choice. 19 and 20 are very nice as they have a concrete pad, and sheltered picnic table. V1-13 have NO privacy between sites; the same is true for 34-43, which are tent-only sites. The yurts are located on top of the hill, away from the water. Although all of the walk-in campsites had reserved signs on them, not a single one was occupied when we were there on Labor Day weekend. 

Bathhouse: Basic but reasonable. The showers are $.50 for 4-5 minutes. The shower located in the center of the campground was ok but has seen better days. The shower at the top of the hill is better; it had a sign that said it was only open from 10 am– 8 pm but we were able to use it at 8:30 am. 

Activities: Fishing and boating (there is a boat launch). Two playground areas; one in the day-use area (but close enough to the camping sites) and one in the loop with sites 1-15. There is a short but nice beach to walk on and a hiking/nature trail that leads to the beach(the beach is also accessed directly from the day-use area).

I've camped here a few times each year but I visit the park frequently for day-use throughout the summer. I typically camp here a few days in October or November during the off-season. The rates are a little less expensive then $25/night for a partial hook-up site (water & electric). The peak season rate is $30/night. They have 27 of partial hook-up sites; 15 full-hookup sites $40 peak and $35 off-season; 27 tent sites, $20/night and 5 yurts, $40/night. Extra vehicles are $5/night and extra tents are $10/night.

During the summer reservations are highly recommended because this is a favorite place for many people in the area.  Reservations may be made up to fourteen months in advance.  And they've recently required online reservations but you an make them from the office if necessary. Also the park now has reliable internet.

Check in: 2:00 p.m.  Check out: 12 noon

Yurts*: 3:00 p.m.  Yurts* 11 a.m. * yurt check in and check out times adjusted to allow staff extra cleaning time 6 persons and one vehicle allowed per site

The park is right on the Columbia River not too far from Astoria Oregon which is a gateway for international shipping. On any given day up to 10 ships can be found at anchor in the Columbia River along the Astoria waterfront waiting for berths to open upriver. Skamokawa is upriver and those ships pass right by Vista Park. You'll get some great photographs and the kids will love seeing huge ocean liners and even cruise ships passing by during your visit.

Skamokawa is a friendly quaint little town. If you visit in August be sure to check out the Wakhaikum County Fair. You can walk to the fairgrounds from the park (the town in so small you can walk to anywhere in town from the park.)  Be sure to visit the Friends of Skamokawa/River Life Interpretive Center when you're there.

RANGER REVIEW: GREEN GOO

Campground review: This small campground is located about 45 minutes inland from the Washington coast on the bank of the Columbia river. It was more than adequate for our end of the summer camping trip. The beach access was remarkable. The campground welcomed tents,rvs, and even had yurt village set back in the hillside. They sold their own espresso from a coffee truck (which was quite good by the way) and also sold fire wood on-site. Amenities also included clean restrooms and a free shower house! This is a great place for water sports or fishing on the Columbia. Sandy bottom shores abound!💜🤗

Gear Review:Green Goo

As a Ranger for the Dyrt our family will occasionally get products to review. This round we were testing GREEN GOO products. On this trip we tested the Outdoor Travel Pack. Consisting of smaller versions of GREEN GOO originals. We used the Bugs Be Gone Spray and First Aid Salve. Seperate to this set we also tested the GREEN GOO Skin Repair Salve which we have been using for a while now at home but was nice to have especially after having spent some time in the sun.

Review:Green Goo Bugs Be Gone Spray

We loved this! My son and I used this a few wks ago at scout camp also around horses and it kept the biting flies at bay. This stuff is 100% natural so I'm all about that. We used it again this trip at the river in the evening when the bugs came out and were not bothered. Just wish the bottle were bigger.

Review:Green Goo First Aid Salve

This product was honestly a lifesaver for my 2 yr old this trip. Both of my kids were playing in our campsite and she tripped and fell in thorny ground brush. She had tiny slivers all in her hands and was really hard to calm down. I tried to just pull then out but it just made it worse. After remembering I had the salve packed away we tried this on her hands and they wiped out easily with a towel. I was really quite impressed. So I highly recommend having this on hand if you have little people who are active.

Review:Green Goo Skin Repair

I have been using this at night around my eyes for a few wks now and I love it. It's a multi purpose salve so it's pretty great. However this trip the kids and I used it for minor sunburn relief and I found it worked equally well for that. I would just recommend keeping it in the cooler as it is a salve and will melt if it gets too warm.

Www.greengoohelps.com