Swift Forest Camp

The campground would be much better if they didn't have so many rules! We printed out 4 pages of rules!! The worst was that they close the entry gate at 8 PM, not 9 PM as in the old photo on their website!! The rules said that they would cancel our ENTIRE RESERVATION if if we did not check in before 8 PM. And it emphasized that with the phrase NO EXCEPTIONS! Well, we tried to get there on time, but coming down from Mt. Rainier we encountered road closures and lots of road construction with one lane traffic & flaggers. So, we were late our first night!! Thankfully, we found another place to camp that night, but were very worried since we had reserved 2 campsites for 3 nights!! Fortunately, the camp staff let us in the next morning and did not cancel our reservations!! The other rules which are very unusual and unnecessary are the rules against using alcohol and marijuana at our campsite! Geez! We were on vacation!! Alcohol and pot are both legal in Washington! It shouldn't matter as long as we don't bother other people!... Also, access points to the lake are minimal because of a cliff alongside the campground, and the lake is divided by long barriers which are very limiting to kayakers!... We would never stay at this campground again!!!

We had the WHOLE campground to ourselves. Last weekend available for camping here for the year. First come and free! Were right on the lake. Big campground nestled in the trees. Certainly quiet.

Great campground.  The individual campsites are well laid out and provide some privacy from your neighboring campsites.  Bathroom facilities are very good for camping.  The reservoir is very low.  We visited in August 2021 and it seems like the water level is down a good 25-30 feet.  Consequently, the designated swimming area is non-existent.  The debris booms are laying on the ground instead of floating in the water.  Fewer boats on the water and many campsites were not being used (although when we booked it showed they were sold out).  

AT&T cell coverage was great when you were in the open and by the reservoir, but poor when you were in your campsite and protected by trees.

Sign when we drove in said the park gates close at 9pm and alcohol was prohibited.

Nearest store was about 45 minutes away in Cougar.

Downers:  It was hot!  We visited during a heat wave and it got very hot, especially in the direct sunlight.  Made the tent a little unbearable.  Obviously not the campground's fault, but we were hoping to escape the heat and it provided less relief than we were hoping.  It was also a bit smokey from forest fires.  Not bad, but noticeable.  Bugs were bad.  Not so much mosquitos, but there were other smaller bugs that looked like gnats that ended up biting a bunch.  Bug spray is a must and worked well.  Last bit of  a downer was that the campsites are for RVs and tents and several campers would run their generators all day.  Given the heat and an RV's ability to generate AC, I don't blame them, but it's kind of a bummer to go "into nature" and have to listen to a gas generator run the entire day.

Overall, the campground is great. Well run and excellent location.  Just a bummer that the reservoir is so low.

Awesome little spot up the street from Beaver Bay. The campground itself is clean and the hosts are really nice. Campsites are on the smaller side and there is a weird mix of cabins and campground.

Water was really low when we visited in late august so not too many boats on the water which made it very peaceful.

The campground is awesome. It's my go to camping spot when I need to get out of town. It has everything I need. It gets busy during or around holidays, but mid week or off season is perfect. The hosts are always friendly and it's always been clean.

Swift Forest is a huge 92 site campground at the Junction of Mt St Helens and Gifford Pinchot Forest. We thought we might have luck here as a Father's Day weekend walk in since the campground is so huge, but it was completely booked on Saturday. Went back on Sunday and the campground was nearly empty by afternoon. 

Sites here are $21 with an extra $5 fee per night for booking online (ouch).

The gated campground is very clean and the hosts are very attentive. No alcohol.

There is a large covered picnic area near the lake, a marked swimming area (f you like freezing cold water) and a boat ramp. Life jackets are available.

I don't typically camp in pay camp sites, as I prefer to be secluded and away from civilization, but I decided to reserve a site for the family for fathers day weekend. The spot I reserved had some ant issues, so my camp site was changed to a different one (from c01 to b32) before my arrival. I ended up being very thankful for this change, as I appreciated the closeness of the bathrooms as well as it seemed to be an overall better and more secluded area. I ran into some issues before arrival and was running late for check-in, I called and thankfully the host was accommodating.

Camp sites are very close together. Bathrooms were clean. Hosts were very kind. There is a swimming area, but it was very windy and a bit cold so we didn't do much of that. There is a covered area with severa picnic tables near the swimming area. Paved roads through the camp and kids riding bikes, scooters, etc. Wood was available for purchase for $6 a bundle or 4 for $20. I, surprisingly, was able to send and receive text messages with my Boost Mobile phone. I would recommend this spot for anyone that wants to go out on the lake or just needs a spot to camp in the area.

This campground is an amazing dry campground, extremely clean, great clean bathrooms, easy access to the reservoir to swim. With an RV dump and potable water.

Gates close at 9:00. No alcohol. Friendly camp host. Check out is earl (11am). Plentiful scavenge driftwood by boat ramp. Nice swimming area. Often early morning noise from wood reclamation work at boat ramp. Mostly non motorized boats on reservoir - great for kayaking. Showers available about 5 Miles up road at Northwoods.

Swift forest campground is a beautifully laid out camp. Sites along the river offer not only views but some larger areas for families or groups to have multiple tents. Bathrooms are clean and the drinking water available is very fresh. I camped at a site in the lower loop(lake loop I'll say) site nicely fit our 3 tents, next site over was a little close but worked out well. Only downside to this campground is the timber operation going on down by the water. Very loud if camping during the week.

Overall a great campground. The hosts were great, no electricity, bathrooms always clean!

Swift Forest is a campground made for families and anglers. It has access to Swift Reservoir and has a boat ramp as well as a swimming area. The roads are paved and perfect for the kids to ride bikes and scooters around camp. The campground however, are not the most private. But, there are areas that are better then others. We were at site B-8. It was pretty large with 2 possible tent pads. We have a pop-up and it was pretty level for that. In Loop A, there are a row of sites that have water views. I am not sure if they have access directly to the water, I did not get that close when we were walking around. Lots of dumpsters for trash and the bathrooms are cleaned throughout the day by the camp hosts. They sell firewood there as well. If you really need a shower, there is one at a camp a few miles down the road. Overall, it was great and if we do go back to Mt. St. Helens, we will probably stay there again.