Nice little stop over on the way to Mt Rainier or if you are exploring the area…read more We went on a weekday in the fall so parking was plentiful and it was very quiet. The weather was also clear enough to see the lake, with a dock to walk around and stretch our legs. I didn't see much else to do aside from exploring the lake and whatever other water activities are involved like fishing, kayaking, etc. The restrooms are actual flush toilets with soap and water, and they were pretty clean aside from the hard water stains on the toilet bowl that is inevitable with park bathrooms. Still a better option that pit toilets. Fun Fact: The code name for Intel's 12th gen desktop processors was based on this lake.

There are two elements for me when it came to camping. One is the campground facility itself, the…read moresecond one is the campers demography, or mainly the neighbors. For the campground facility I'd say this park checked all the boxes for me. There's natural water body, clean toilet (even with shower, although I didn't use it), and I got to see deers! There's also a convenient store right outside the campground. What I hate was my neighbor. To be specific, the group of people check in later on the 5th of July at the campsites of 66 and 65. I've never seen campers this obnoxious in my life. Not only they arrived late and make a scene, they also kept their boring unseasoned music all the way til almost 1am! Like what kind of etiquette was that? Who raise those people? And they also had kids too. Yeah so besides these annoying neighbor I actually find this campground quite nice.

We recently visited for one night. We stayed in one of the few open spots, right near the front of…read morethe campground. The only sections open for winter were the small section we stayed in and the open field area. Unfortunately for us, the sections closed for the season were the prettiest...much more treed and private feeling there. We enjoyed one hike, the boardwalk-old growth-orchard sections and back to the campground. Apparently there is some damage to parts of the trail system here, but those we took were in good shape, just a bit muddy. Although we didn't get around to the lake, it looked gorgeous when we passed by driving in. Aside from the site across from ours after the teens left that morning, the grounds were all very clean. Pretty area and park...although I probably would only return if I could stay in the closed sections. :)

I moved up from SoCal where I have access to beaches and pools and easy access to the airport so I…read morecan be somewhere tropical in the winters when I want. Moving to Olympia, I was near none of that. So how cool was it to discover we lived almost around the corner from a nice park that has access to a lake where you can rent kayaks and duck boats or swim in the lake. Yes, after a couple months of summer, the water is a little gross from all the lie bottom being stirred up and mixing with the sunscreen and people soup, but if you want to get a cool dip on a hot day, it's nice (just don't dip your head into the water). Lots of picnic tables, but they do run out on weekends, so when we want to go we bring our own tables and can park it underneath the forest shade). On the first lake side parking lot when you come in, you're close to a place that serves beer and pizza. Halfway down in the next parking lot, you're near the place that sells nachos and ice cream. The parking is limited to the point that on the busiest summer days, they have to refuse entry and tell you to come back in the afternoon. For all the problems, it's a good park and one of our favorite places to hang out with our dogs.

We stayed and camped here for 4 nights total leading up to the 4th of July. The park was mostly…read moreempty when we were there and overall was not too noisy. Most of the noise were children playing around during the day but most got very quiet once dark. The park is nice and well kept, this is a newer section that I stayed at. They do have an older side that is a bit more rugged and off grid. The new side spots have power and water. They do provide a sewer dump station which is out off the street. The power hookups had both 30 and 50 amp and it had 2 normal 120 plugs which is what I used to run things. Most of the sites are decent size, not all of them are leveled though, the one I was in was a bit steep and the one next to me even steeper and they had a trailer they had to fight to level. Some of the sites are easy pull thrus but only a few. I noticed at least one ADA site that also has concrete around the pit for those with disabilities. They also had several first come first serve sites. The new side also has a brand new bathroom which is pretty nice and it has multiple bathrooms multiple showers available all newer and upgraded. I am missing those as I am in the grayland state park now where nothing is very new and there seems to always be a line to use one of 2 toilets in the loop. The park is along the river and you can get to it very easy with a couple of trails they have. There is also a trail you can enjoy that goes along the river between it and the campground that is very green. As for staying connected to the world at this park.... you cant unless you bring Starlink, I was able to get pretty decent speeds with my starlink but it can be a challenge depending which site you get and how many trees are in line of site. I was in 2 different sites during my stay and one was easier than the other. None of the cellular networks were working from what I was able to see, T-Mobile was a dud for sure with SOS the whole time, the park wifi allows you to load a page or two for checkin but nothing other than that if you can even get it to connect. Overall it was a pleasant stay and a campground I would possibly consider again in the future. Its a bit more remote for those who need to be connected.

Clean restrooms and plenty of water faucets with camp ground areas. Park staff was courteous and…read morehelpful. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate but we enjoyed our four day visit. The adjoining stream was refreshing. Would recommend!

Spent a weekend here in January and again in April. Some parts of the park were closed for the…read moreseason. Nevertheless, the spent here was enjoyable. Posatives: Great setting; wooded areas as well as open areas. Two lodges, two large swimming pools, mini golf, kids climer, Bball court, etc... Water and Power at most sites. Several shower/bathroom buildings. Some areas have great views of the valley. Negatives: Limited sites with sewer hook-ups, can't be reserved. (mostly overtaken by full-timers) While you can make reservations you cannot reserve specific sites. Several sites are in disrepair (but it is apparent that they are making renovations and upgrades) Not near any major attractions. Others: No wifi Conclusions: Great place to spend a weekend and pehaps even a week. If you are an outdoors kind of person there are lots of opportunities in the area for fishing and hiking etc...

We have stayed here a couple times. It's been awhile. We have reservations this week. We drove up…read moreto get a look at things again and pick out some fav sites to see if we can get them on check in later this week. Grounds were clean. Grounds up keep was neat. Both lodges were clean and nicely stocked. Most importantly, when we checked in, we had the most friendly Ranger : Jan. She was fantastic. Making sure we had what we needed, knew our way around, supplied us with an updated map and such friendly and welcoming conversation. She was a true example of what all staff should be like. Thank you Jan for being so welcoming !!!

Beautiful park with so much potential, like other reviews have said the noise levels is quite high…read moredue to constant traffic over a nearby bridge,when we arrived it was like a ghost town something may have been going on with whoever was running the place, we didn't really see but the one person who came over to check us in the entire stay which was a couple of days. We couldn't find where to take the trash unless it was supposed to be left in a pile with the overloaded can we did see so we took our trash with us when we left which wasn't convenient to say the least.

Nice staff, great location, and good price! You get what you pay for! Narrow sites, permanent…read moreresidents, overflowing trash, more grass and dirt than gravel.

Merrill Lake Campground is a pretty awesome spot. Awesome enough that I honestly hemmed and hawed…read moreover whether to even add it to Yelp. Although my better Yelp humanitarian judgment has won out here, I still hope you read this, enjoy it, and camp somewhere else. Why? This little campground only has about 9 sites. It's free but you need a discovery pass. There is a camp host and there are surprisingly clean pit toilets on-site, but no potable water. The sites fill up fast in the summer time, but have a 3-day limit that's enforced by the friendly but vigilant camp host. I don't want it to fill up even faster now that I'm sharing this, since I do plan to hit this spot at least one more time before summer is over. There are no reservations (first-come, first-served) and the campsites are designed to work for larger groups - some of them could easily fit 7-10 tents. Each site is spaced decently well away from the others, and offers a picnic table, fire ring and places to pitch. The sites don't really offer views of the lake, they're set back in the trees, but there's plenty of shade Not too dusty, but some sites are heavy with gravel. While it's car camping, you don't drive right in to your site but park in a common lot, then walk in (the farthest you'll have to walk is about 50 yards). So no car noise up close to your site. This little campground sits just by Merrill Lake, a nice smaller lake that does not (thankfully) allow motorized boats and fishing is restricted to fly only, catch + release. For these reasons the water is calmer, cleaner, and dotted with fly fishermen and specific times of the day. At the mid-July mark the lake was warm and clear... perfect for swimming and canoeing. There are some excellent trout holes around the edges of the lake, however I'm not a fly fisherman and don't believe in torturing anything I'm not able to then eat (so catch + release is not for me). However I can see how this would be an attractive spot for a fly fisherman. This campsite is a great place to get away from PDX. Only about 1h 35m in no traffic, and the drive (especially if you come up the 503) is a nice one. Very pastoral, windy road. Get out of your house this summer and sleep under the stars. Just do it at some other campsite since this one is mine.

We stayed for two nights-three days last weekend for my niece's birthday. We usually stay at a…read morecampsite at Lake Berryessa in California, but most of my family now lives in Vancouver so we opted for somewhere near there. Plus, the lakes in California don't even amount to the lakes in Washington/Oregon. My parents went to Merrill Lake Campground on Thursday to secure us a spot which was first come first serve. They managed to get a campsite (#4) that had a direct path to the lake (not the day use where most of the guests would walk to)! It was really big, the only downside was the hill which isn't ideal with little kiddos. Also, that we couldn't have a campfire due to Washington's high alert for fires. It just wasn't the same. You do need a discovery pass which we got at a store that was twelve minutes from the campsite- Lakeside Deli. It was $11 for a day use. The scenery was amazing. It wasn't hot at all where the campsite was. It was surrounded by trees. The water was so clear and clean. The weather was perfect once we made it out of the campsite, through the trail, and to shore. Oh god, and the drive. The drive up the mountain was the scariest I've ever seen. It was beautiful, but so scary. It was a great stay (for free at that!). I recommend this lake!

August 19-22, 2025 - Toledo, WA…read more We really enjoyed our stay at Lewis and Clark State Park. We camped on the forest side (east side), not the equestrian side. The park is divided into two sections: The forest side is where you'll find most of the standard tent/RV sites (no hookups), the group camp, kitchen shelters, and a large day-use meadow, and the equestrian side (west side), across the road, is set up for horse campers. It has full hookup sites, corrals, and direct access to horse trails, but it's more of a parking-lot style layout. Although the website notes "25 tent spaces" as first-come, first-served, we were able to make reservations months in advance for our 27' Class A motorhome. Arrival & Campsite Check-in is at 2:30 p.m. A ranger welcomed us as we unhooked our tow vehicle, and later stopped by our site with a park map and helpful information. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring. Our site was spacious, fairly level, and accommodated our rig easily. Trails & Atmosphere The park features several beautiful trails, including one that winds through an old-growth forest. Interpretive kiosks and signs throughout the park make for an interesting walk. While you'll hear some road noise from Jackson Highway, the tall trees and forest setting still create a peaceful atmosphere. Overall, this is a lovely campground if you're looking for a forest stay with trails to explore, just keep in mind it's not a silent wilderness escape due to nearby traffic.

August 21, 2025…read more Great Washington State Campground. Very lush and green with lots of Doulas Fir, western hemlock trees, and ferns. There are full hook up and dry camping sites. The full hook up sites are pretty sparse near the main road and there's not a whole lot of greenery. The non-hook up sites are spacious and have picnic tables and fire rings. You can reserve your site online ahead of time.

What a treat Hot mineral water soak them a beautiful omelet…read more Love Sol Duc Resort ! Beautiful roadway to natural heaven .

Beautiful rain forest. Fresh air. Very relaxing. Easy hikes. Could stay here all day long!!!read more