michaelsirott

This is a nice primitive campground situated on the banks of Leader Lake. It requires a WA State Discovery Pass ($35/year) and there's no additional nightly fees. Discovery passes are the sole funding source for WA State parks. Although this isn't a state park, I guess there's some kind of agreement with the Dept of Natural Resources and the parks . It's one of 4-5 such campgrounds in the Okanogan/Omak area.

This is for smaller trailers and RV's only. Most of the campground is inaccessible to any vehicle longer than about 25 feet.

During the winter months the area around the lake is very quiet. During the fishing season there's more activity.

The basic no-hookup sites were in good condition and spread out enough to not feel cramped. All sites have good level areas for tents. The parking pads are relatively level for RVs. 26 feet is probably the max comfortable length. Most sites aren't actually on the water and don't have much of a view. But there's good water access via several docks and a large boat ramp.

The town of Hunters is quite remote. There's a decent convenience store in town as well as a local bar and grill.

Verizon service was spotty. ATT service was good enough to stream video.

If you're traveling through the Chicago area this park is a nice option to spend a night or two. This was an interesting park because of it's location. It is situated in the middle of industrial northern Indiana; there appears to be a steel mill to the west and a power plant to the east. Both facilities are visible from the beach. Never the less the dunes along the lakeshore make a nice little hike. While not very scenic itself, the campground is clean and surprisingly quiet.

Being on Hwy 2 this rest area is relatively quiet compared to the Interstate rest areas. There's some traffic at night but it's intermittent, not constant. It seems relatively safe except for being remote and not heavily used.

During the night I stayed several years ago I was woken up by state patrol and told to move to a space on the side of the lot. Turns out they needed to use the parking area for a helicopter evacuation. This must have been common because since that time the state constructed a separate helicopter pad adjacent to the parking lot.

Riverside State Park is a gem of Spokane. There are actually two campgrounds; the larger campground is located on the north bank of the Spokane River, at "Bowl and Pitcher". There is another campground located at the northwest end of the park, situated on Long Lake (aka Lake Spokane). This review is for the larger campground located at Bowl and Pitcher.

The campground is beautifully situated on the north bank of the Spokane River. There are a several ways you can access the campground which should be obvious with a GPS or map; all involve taking Aubrey White Parkway either from the north or the south. The northern approach is probably easier for bigger motorhomes and trailers. Use caution because it's a park road with lots of bicycle and foot traffic. The speed limit is 25 MPH.

There are many site options including tent sites, paved RV pads, and group camping. Many of the sites are right above the river bank. You and your pets can't swim here though. The current is very fast and there are rapids just downstream from the campground! If you're looking for swimming acces, visit the park's other campground on Long Lake.

Positives:
-very well maintained
-choice of sites
-on the river
-just a few miles from downtown Spokane
-access to over 80 miles of hiking/biking trails

Negatives:
-can fill up in the summer.
-can be noisy in the summer

This is a basic National Forest Service campground on the roadside of Highway 20 (North Cascade Highway). The main appeal to this campground is it's proximity to the Cascade range. When I visited, the campground was very clean and seemed well maintained. Perhaps because it had just been opened for the season. The literature says the campground opens in July. This year, it was open in early June. The sites are generously sized, with fire pits and picnic tables in most sites. Some sites are pull through, but most are back in.

There are no hook-ups (unless you're the camp host), but there are numerous water spigots and vault toilets around the site. There's no sewage dump. There was some noise from highway 20 but it wasn't unbearable. The most noise came from the creek which runs adjacent to the camp ground. Also note that there is no cell service anywhere along the North Cascade Highway.

*****campground is "CLOSED for construction" as of May 2023****************

Not bad for a quick getaway or fishing trip. There's not a lot to do here except relax.

Browns Lake is a small mountain lake about 12 miles outside Usk WA, surrounded by clearcut and forest. The campground is on the south side of the lake within a ceder grove. The lake is motorless and fly fishing only. There's a hiking trail that goes into the ceder grove. The lake is great for fishing, wading, kayaking, SUPs and canoeing.

All the sites are first-come-first-serve and are equally available to tent campers and RVs. Most, but not all sites have somewhat level parking for RVs. RV length is limited to about 24 feet. All sites are back in only. No hookups. No dump station. No water. There are several vault toilets. There are bear proof trash bins throughout the campground. Maintainance and condition was good, typical of Forest Service campgrounds in the northwest.

We did a spur-of-the moment overnight trip on a Saturday and didn't expect to find a great site. The campground was at about 75% capacity when we arrived. We got lucky and found spot 7 adjacent to the lakefront. Our friends got spot 9 which had a better lake view.

There's no cell service, although our friends were able to get a text out on the south side of the campground.

This is an expansive state park campground on the shores of Banks Lake. We stayed here on what had to have been one of the hottest days of the summer in 2012. And not being boaters or into water sports, we found ourselves without much to do. It was too hot to hike in the desert. Too hot to fish. All we could do was take occasional dips in the lake.

If you're in to water sports, this is the park for you. There's a marina for launching bigger boats and numerous beaches and access points where you can swim and launch smaller personal watercraft (like rafts and canoes).

Banks Lake is surrounded by scablands, basalt cliffs, and sagebrush. There's Steamboat Rock, which is the most prominent basalt feature in the park. It's an uphill hike to the top through the scablands. Watch out for rattlers.

The campground offers something for everyone; full hookup sites to tent sites and everything in between. It can get noisy in the summer with families and loud boats.

We stayed one night at Colonial Creek Campground while on our way through the North Cascades to Bellingham. The campground is located at the base of a hill on the shore of Diablo Lake. It's moderately hilly and densely wooded throughout the campground. Even with the campground almost full, we found our site to be quiet and somewhat private. There are very few if any waterfront sites, but there's a boat launch for small boats. And there are abundant hiking trails throughout the area. We did a 5 mile hike from the campground to Thunder Knob. A lookout point on top overlooks Diablo Lake.

The sites are usually small and aren't all perfectly level. Larger RV's will be challenged to find a good spot. It worked great for our 16 foot trailer. The campground is first come, first served. So it could be iffy if you arrive on a busy weekend. No hook-ups. No cell service (like anywhere in the North Cascades Park).

This lake has several primitive camp site options and is available year round. We visit Omak for business on a weekly basis, year round. We have frequented all of the local RV parks, as well as the primitive camp sites in the surrounding forests. We enjoy staying at Fish Lake during the winter months because we usually have the place to ourselves.

The lake is about 10 miles off of US Route 97, and about 18 miles from Omak. The road is paved all the way to the lake. Once at the lake the access road is a gravel "primitive" road. This particular part of the lake, "#1", is best for smaller RV's because there's a sharp, hairpin turn, onto the primitive lake road.

In the winter months this site is serene. We normally don't see anyone else there. During the fishing and recreation season things pick up significantly.

There's a vault toilet. No other services are available. There is NO cell service of any kind here.