Sasha W.

Yakima, WA

Joined June 2016

JThe Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go!

Gorgeous!

The Olympic National Park is one of my favorite places in Washington. There are so many great hikes nearby you don’t want to miss out! I think the best time to do is during the summer because the weather is the best this time of year. If you go in the spring there is still snow at some campgrounds and hiking areas. The fall is gorgeous here because of all the changing colors! Lillian Ridge Trail is amazing and a must do!! The views at the top are incredible. You’ll also see some wildlife- mountain goats and Pikas. We saw a cute little Pika family, with the little Pikas crying on a rock to their mother. We got the best weather in July, although it was VERY busy!! We did a few hikes nearby, all of which were full of people. Please look ahead if dogs are allowed or not. Highly recommend!

Great Hiking!

One thing I always look for when camping is great hikes nearby! The Chetwoot Campground has some great hiking nearby. There are some great campgrounds near Chetwoot, WA also. The campgrounds are clean and pretty good size. The campground is within the Olympic National Forest, so again there are great hikes! Most of them are not dog friendly, so make sure to look ahead and check before you go! Such a beautiful area, you don’t want to miss out. On one of the hikes we saw some mountain goats and lots of chipmunks. Highly recommend!!

Small Campground, good hiking

I honestly wasn't really sure what to expect when coming to this campground. It is pretty small, only has about 7 campsites. It also is a first come first serve campground. We didn't have any troubles getting a site, though, and there weren't very many people when we stayed the 2 nights there. We went because we wanted to do a few hikes around the area, which I definitely recommend. Make sure to bring everything you possibly need because the nearest town is Pomeroy, WA and they didn't really have many grocery shopping options. So get all your necessities beforehand! Pomeroy is about an hour away from the Teal Spring Campground. The area was really pretty- you get views of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wildernes and Tucannon drainage. It was quiet, and the weather was perfect. I would recommend this place, even though I felt like it took forever to get too! The hiking was fun!!

Ranger Review: Gregory Pack Amber 28 at Walupt Lake Campground

I strongly think that Washington State has the best places to camp and hike. The Pacific Northwest has a large array of amazing camp grounds and hikes, and I love it!! I recently wanted to hike within the Goat Rock area, and decided to stay at the Walupt Lake Campground so I could be closer to the trailhead. I left Friday evening after work and headed to the campground. There wasn't as many people as I expected, but the weather forecast was calling for some rain. I went in the beginning of September, so was bummed that I wasn't going to see the fall colors (usually the end of September-beginning of October is when this happens). The campground was great, and I was glad that I stayed here. Because we got here around 7:00pm, we really only pitched our tent and grabbed a quick bite to eat. I didn't tour the campground because it was already getting dark. We woke up early in the morning and headed to the Goat Rock Wilderness. We spent the entire day hiking (13 miles to be exact!). From the top of the hike we were able to see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier. It doesn't get any better than that!! I would highly recommend this campground if you are just looking to camp, but also if you have a hike you want to do in the area early in the morning. 

PRODUCT REVIEW: Amber 28 Gregory Pack

As a DYRT Ranger, I was able to test the Amber 28 Gregory Pack. I was pretty excited to get to test this pack, because I have a few other Gregory Packs and have been eyeing this pack for awhile. During my 13 mile hike I was able to test this pack. 

3 reasons why I love the Amber 28 Gregory Pack:

1. Comfortable- I love how comfortable and form fitting this pack is. I love packs that don't sit right on my shoulders. This pack gave a little room between by shoulder and the pack which is great! I like being able to carry the weight of the pack by my hips, and this pack allowed that.

2. The space and pockets- I appreciate a pack that allows me to pack multiple items (10 essentials!). The pack had plenty of room, and extra zipper pockets. I was able to utilize all the space in this pack, and it still didn't feel heavy.

3. Breath-ability- The back of this pack has a wire meshing and pads to help with the breath-ability. I do sweat a lot when I hike, so I like this component of the pack.

Overall, I would highly recommend this pack. It comes in a few colors as well which is always nice :) You can find the Amber 28 pack here:

https://www.gregorypacks.com/packs-bags/day-packs/amber-28-77831XXXX.html?dwvar_77831XXXX_color=778315590&cgidmaster=packs-day-packs#sz=18&start=37

Great place!!!

Really loved this campground! Had a blast with my family here on a family reunion trip. Here are a few things I loved about this place:

1. Hiking- some gorgeous hikes nearby!! The views are amazing, and the trails are in great condition. My pup loved these hikes, too!

2. Campsite is clean! Nothing makes me happier than a clean campsite. There are dumpsters where you can dump your trash which I think helps a ton! There is also a picnic table and fire ring. We enjoyed making s’mores at night and sitting around the campsite! Also the campsite spots are well separated. We didn’t feel like we were right on top of each other.

3. Biking trail- we brought our mountain bikes and enjoyed some great biking with the family and dog!

4. Road was great to the campsite. We have been to a few campgrounds where the road leading to the place is horrible and needs high clearance. This wasn’t the case.

If you go during the summer, definitely bring bug spray. We had some and used the whole bottle because the mosquitos were so bad!!

Water Nearby

I wouldn't give this campsite a super high review by any means. The campsite itself is pretty run down, and small. The great thing about this place was that the Evitts Creek was nearby, which was great for cooling off. My family and I visited Maryland one summer because we have family that lives in the area, and decided to do some camping the last part of the trip. This was one of 2 places we stayed. We did some hiking around the area- Evitts Mountain is close by and provides some really great views. They do have quiet hour in the park, I believe it starts at 10pm. You can not bring firewood in the campground. You basically have to use collected items from the ground to start your fire. Also, I brought a hammock, but was told we couldn't tie anything sort of rope to the trees, just FYI. There is a table and grill on each site as well, which is always nice. You can reserve your spot online, or pay at the station there. We only stayed 1 night here, and I think it was $20 for 8 max in a campsite. We split the cost between 2 families.

So beautiful!!

Loved being able to camp here, at Tumalo State Park. There were a couple of great hikes nearby that I wanted to do, so brought my husband and dog and we camped here and did some hiking. Here are a few things I really liked about this campsite:

  1. Close to Bend. We wanted to stay somewhere that we were also able to tour and site see. We were able to spend some time wandering around Bend, eating at some great local places.
  2. Hiking Trails- Tumalo Falls and Tumalo Mountain
  3. Biking Trails
  4. Great tent sites, but they also have RV sites and some yurts that you can rent

Vaulted toilets on site, water source, and the camp spaces are decent size. Highly recommend this place because again, it is close to the city but also isolated for true camping!

So many hikes!

Located within the Willamette National Forest, and is near a river- Breitenbush River. The campground is located on the northern side of the river bed. You can walk to the river, which was one of my personal favorites. We spent a fare amount of time swimming and hanging out in the water, and definitely saw people fishing- although not sure what they were fishing for. The campground was great, and had all the basic necessities that most campgrounds have. Fire ring, table, have an area where you can dump your trash. DEFINITELY DO THIS!! this campground was pretty clean, which was nice. There is water you can fill your water bottle up in, as well as bathrooms to use (vaulted toilets). Hiking was my number one reason I wanted to come here. There is the South Breitenbush Gorge Trail which is about 3 miles round-trip, beautiful hike! Definitely recommend coming here, especially since it wasnt too busy when we went which was nice. Also found a nice trail to do some trail running with my pup which was awesome!!

Close to hiking

One thing I love about Washington is that there are so many different places to hike. My husband and I stayed here, which is close to White Pass where there are tons of great hikes. This area is known for rattlesnakes, though so definitely be alert. There is also a really great place to go rock climbing nearby. We dont rock climb, but know that a lot of people love this place. We decided to get up early and do some hiking. We hiked Round Mountain one day and Bear Mountain the next. Round Mountain is about 4 miles roundtrip with lots of switch backs. Bear Mountain is 8 miles round trip, and is pretty flat until the last 1 mile. We liked the campground, and loved that it wasnt busy when we went which was surprising. I think we caught it at a good weekend. There were some RVs, and other tents while we were there. The weather was really warm. Bring sunscreen and lots of bug spray. There are areas with shade which is nice too.

Beautiful, plus great scuba diving

My husband and I really liked Manuka State Wayside. One thing we really loved about this place was that there was an awesome place to scuba dive close by. It was a company that took us out pretty far, and we were able to scuba dive with some turtles, and even saw some shark. I can't remember the name of the business, but it was right next to Manuka. The scuba diving took about 4hrs total, because of the boat ride plus dive. When we came back we played on the beach and did some people watching. We went to an ice cream shop up the road, and came back to the beach and watched the sunset. This area was pretty busy, but I think thats because it was during the summer. There is a walking/running path that goes along the beach that was nice as well. We walked along here in the evenings after dinner.

Love this place

We love camping around White Pass WA because it is so close to great hikes and White Pass Ski Resort. We have actually camped here in our RV and then went up skiing in the morning. Mt. Rainier hikes are also about an hour away from here which is really nice as well. You can’t beat hiking in that area. One hike I love is Round Mountain. That is only about a 10min drive from this campground. The road is gravel and pretty bumpy and long up to this hike. The views are gorgeous, though. There is also bear creek mountain hike which again, the road is pretty long and bumpy. Would recommend a higher clearance car. My husband has also stayed here in the fall and hunts in the mornings and evenings. He says this is a great location to stay. The campground is good, small spots and VERY busy in the summer! Reserve your spot ahead of time would be my recommendation. Rimrock Lake is very close, so if you have a boat I would recommend bringing that. We love bringing our kayaks and heading out on the lake.

Mt. Rainier Views!!

My husband and I just spent a weekend at Mowiche Campground located in Ashford, Washington. We chose this campground because we wanted to be close hikes near Mt. Rainier. Hiking here is incredible, and it was so nice to go out hiking in the morning and having a campsite so come back to. The campsites were a little small so I felt like we were close to our neighbors, but we honestly weren’t at the campground a whole lot other than in the evening and sleeping. It was super busy, but we went in August so we expected it to be busy. We made reservations online which helped because we were guaranteed a spot. Every campsite was filled. I did see some RVs in an area as well. If you are a hiking lover, I would recommend doing Tolmie Peak! This was hands down my favorite. It was about an hour drive from the campsite, but we got up pretty early and we’re back by 1pm. Such amazing views of Mt. Rainier. ALSO, there is an area where you can see Mt. Rainier from the campground.

Loved it

Packwood which is a small little town next to White Pass is a great place to visit if you want to get away in Washington and be outdoors. The campground was great, although we didn’t spend too much time here. We rode our mountain bikes up to Packwood lake one morning, which is 10 miles round trip. It’s a great biking trail, but can also be used as a hiking trail if you are looking for a longer day hike. The lake is gorgeous but the bugs were definitely out in full effect. Bring bug spray or you will get eaten alive. You can camp here at the lake, but make sure to comply with all LNT rules and read the signs on where you can camp. The RV campground was good, but busy. We only stayed a few nights, and then made our way down the road to White Pass. The views of Mt. Rainier are gorgeous. Bring your own water because there wasn’t any water hookups that we saw. We also did some hiking in the Packwood/white pass area.

Gorgeous!

The Polipoli State Park is one of my favorites. There is great swimming holes you can swim in that arent too aggressive. There is also a great place to do some cliff jumping, and all the locals hang out here jumping. One thing I like about this park is that it is close by the town where you can walk to and get lunch. There are some really great restaurants with yummy local food. They have a smoothie shop that is incredible with so many different flavors. Highly recommend. They have some great places where you can rent body boards. We rented some for the morning and had an absolute blast. Seems like this park was pretty busy when we were there. The paths are filled with people walking, running, roller blading and skateboarding. Lots of dogs too. There are picnic tables and those seemed to be all taken with people eating lunch and hanging out. I would recommend getting there early in the day if you want a good spot.

Gorgeous

White Pass is one of my favorite places to ski in the winter. My husband and I have a ski pass for the whole season here. This area is really pretty in the summer months, too with a lot of hiking. This spot is great to camp, and located near activities. It’s not far from Rimrock Lake, or you can do some hiking within the ski resort. We like to hike in the ski resort to see what it looks like without snow. If you drive a little further you can find Packwood- there is a great biking trail (Packwood Lake). You can also get to some Mt. Rainier hiking, but it’s about an hour drive away. The campground is great, clean and the spaces are a good size. Doesn’t seem to be very busy, at least the past few times we have been there. Love this place mainly because there is so much outdoor activities to do. On a clear day you can see Mt. Rainier.

Close to great hikes

Hiking in the Leavenworth area is amazing! Colchuck Lake is incredible, and I would highly recommend doing this one. This RV Park was great. My family brought our RV and we stayed here for 3 nights. We decided to stay here instead of a tent site because we wanted more room for everyone, a place to cook and fridge…so we brought our RV. We hiked Colchuck in the morning, and had lunch at the lake. It was perfect. The RV Park was good, but super busy. We went during the summer so we expected it to be busy. We went online and reserved a spot so I’d recommend them too. We stopped by the grocery store in Leavenworth to get some food and snacks for the weekend. There is also a great hamburger place in Leavenworth that we love to go too!!

So amazing

Leavenworth in washington is one of my favorite places to visit. One of the reasons I love coming here is because the hiking is incredible. Colchuck Lake is a must if you are in the Leavenworth area! The Enchantments are beautiful. This hike is 8 miles round trip and I would say it was a moderate hike. The campsite was great. We stayed here for 2 nights because we wanted to explore the Enchantments and we did a thru hike which was about 20 miles in one day. This campground is close, so it was nice to have a place close by to sleep after that long day. Spaces in campsite are awesome and big which we loved. Bathroom onsite and close to the little town of Leavenworth where there are some restaurants and grocery stores! Highly recommend.

Great snorkeling

My family and I loved this part of Hawai’i and coming to this beach. We had some of the best snorkeling we have ever had, here. We saw turtles, tons of fish, and 1 shark!! The water was super clear and pretty warm. There was also a really cool cliff to jump off of. This beach Park is close to the town, which makes it nice for food. There was a really great fish and chips place down the road. Reminded me of “Ivars” in Washington that we love! We also stopped by a snow cone place that served some of the biggest cones we’ve ever had. They also put ice cream in there’s which was awesome!!! In the morning before we did some hiking nearby, we stopped by a juice place. Wasn’t Sam good as the Kauai Juice Co. but it was still really good! The hiking was great! Great views of the beach and ocean. Super hot though, so I’m glad we started early in the morning. Loved this place and will definitely be back next year!!

Beautiful all around!

This campground is probably one of my favorite places to visit in Montana. My family makes the trip from washington to Montana once every summer, since I was little. We have stayed here a few times because it is so pretty and great hiking!! The campground is pretty basic, but the views make it great! Each campsite has its own table and fire ring and is separated by trees from the next campsites. Sites are a little on the small side, but we don’t spend much time in the campsite because we are out exploring. Bring bug spray because the mosquitos are out of control! Highly recommend doing some hiking nearby! Great trails with beautiful views!!!

First to Review
Gorgeous

Love love love staying here. Montana is so gorgeous, and the camping here is the best. Mountains surrounded us everywhere we looked. The hiking around this area is spectacular, and I would highly recommend checking out the hiking areas around. The campground was great. It was actually a lot bigger then I thought it would be. There is quite a bit of room between each campsite, which we like. The campsites are typical- picnic table and fire ring. But again, they are pretty big and they are separated by trees and shrubs. Great trees for hammocks. The only downside is that there were tons of bugs. The mosquitos were something else. Not sure if it is because it is close to the water, or standing water, but holy smokes they were bad. Highly recommend bringing lots and lots of bug spray. The weather was pretty hot too! The campsite was pretty busy when we went, but that was because it was during the summer months. Recommend reserving your spot ahead of time. They have some really good biking trails- recommend brining a bike if you love to do that!!