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    Big Creek Campground

    3.1 (7 reviews)

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    Campsite #6

    I had reservations at Cougar Rock inside Mount Rainier NP, but unfortunately they were canceled due to COVID-related issues. This campground made a very nice backup plan. Just a few miles from the park entrance, so not much added travel time. Camp sites are very spacious and much more private than Cougar Rock. Site #6 was right on the creek (it looked like 1-6 were). Pit toilets were smelly but very clean for what they are (but bring hand sanitizer!). Fire wood for sale on site. Overall had a great experience here. If you're looking for backup plans for Cougar Rock or elsewhere, I highly recommend this campground.

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    Sahara Creek Trailhead and Camping Area - The quiet and spacious campground area of Sahara Creek

    Sahara Creek Trailhead and Camping Area

    5.0(1 review)
    9.1 km

    I am writing this review for the camping area here at Sahara Creek. Although it's mentioned as…read morebeing a Horse Camp with a trailhead...I didn't see any horses, any stables or any trails. For those interested in camping, this is your place...bar none! Yes...anyone visiting Mount Rainier National Park and looking for affordable accommodations during their trip....look no further than Sahara Creek. I highly recommend it! It was a fantastic spot for me to stay during my time at Mt. Rainier along my cross country road trip. First off, this Sahara Creek Campground was ideally located. I knew that coming to Mt. Rainier and this national park being quite popular especially during the summer months...I gave into the fact that hotels/motels would be limited and expensive. And since I was basically living out of my car for the entire summer...camping for me was just fine. Yes, this Sahara Creek Campground was perfectly situated just outside the main entrance gate to Mt. Rainier....located in the quaint town of Ashford, Washington...simply 7 miles away. How convenient! And...Sahara Creek was easy to find as well, being right off Highway 706. I initially used my favorite app to find campsites...CAMPENDIUM to discover Sahara Creek. I was then immediately drawn to this place with all the good reviews about it. I plugged Sahara Creek's location into Google Maps and boom....I was here in a matter of no time. Although the sign for Sahara Creek was a little hidden off of 706, when using Google Maps I just drove slowly and turned right into it. After I turned, the entrance to the campsite and area was basically right in front of me. I drove just a tad to find my campsite and I was setup for the evening. What pleasure a this was! Also, more good news...it was FREE TO CAMP here as long as you held a Washington State Discovery Pass. And of course I had this pass. The pass was $30 and good for an entire year at all the parks in Washington state. I had bought it early on in my journey because I also had visited North Cascades NP, Olympic NP and plenty of other scenic spots within Washington. Having this Discovery Pass was a no brainer. So, coming back to this Sahara Creek Campground...just perfect...especially with accommodations being so pricey within Mt. Rainier...now I was relaxing and camping for free! And...it's first come first served in regards to grabbing a campsite. There's no reservations needed or a Camp Host on the grounds to check in with. I simply drove right into a campsite and was good for the evening. Best of all...is that it wasn't crowded whatsoever! This aspect was shocking! Because during summer times at national parks and all around the country every night that I camped out...places were packed with campers and RV'ers. But not here, how great...it was very quiet even for being in the month of August. Since I enjoyed camping here at Sahara Creek...I had to spend at least 2 nights. I didn't mind at all driving into Mt. Rainier exploring the primary Paradise Section of the park for the day...and then driving about 20 miles or so and exiting to return here. Another great aspect is that Ashford offered convenience stores so I could grab cheap breakfasts in the mornings along with gas or any needed essentials. Continuing on...another wonderful point is that I had cell phone reception. Yes! Woohoo! This was great. So many times during my road trip and at so many national parks or around the areas, there was nothing. But yes at Sahara Creek, I had reception and was able to fall alseep at night watching some YouTube videos. It did get a little cold during the evenings, but I was prepared for this...no issues because I bundled up. In this entire campground area, there were tables and benches along with fire-pits for barbecuing. This was terrific as I bought hamburgers and hot dogs at the convenience stores in Ashford and then grilled for dinner. Also, when I pitched my camping tent, the ground was nice and soft and not hard at all or with many rocks or pebbles. The ground was virtually ideal for camping. Both nights I had terrific sleeps. Overall, the campground area was picturesque as well. Just for being right off the main 706 road, it felt like I was in the heart of the forest far from reality, yet I was in Ashford with cell phone reception within a quiet ambiance and atmosphere. Sahara Creek was absolutely a hidden gem and AS GOOD AS IT GETS in regards to camping for those visiting Mt. Rainier National Park. I can't say enough good things about staying here. Lol...I hope I haven't let the cat out of the bag with this review. Although this place is under the radar...it so deserves recognition for being so great. Sahara creek was one of the BEST CAMPGROUNDS I uncovered during my 3 month cross country road trip.

    Photos
    Sahara Creek Trailhead and Camping Area - Enjoying the picturesque setting at Sahara Creek. It felt like I was in the heart of the forest.

    Enjoying the picturesque setting at Sahara Creek. It felt like I was in the heart of the forest.

    Sahara Creek Trailhead and Camping Area - After I set up my tent, I had the rest of the evening to rest and relax.

    After I set up my tent, I had the rest of the evening to rest and relax.

    Sahara Creek Trailhead and Camping Area - Here the entrance sign to Sahara Creek Campground right off road 706 in Ashford.

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    Here the entrance sign to Sahara Creek Campground right off road 706 in Ashford.

    Elkamp - Their beautiful meadow

    Elkamp

    4.6(67 reviews)
    18.9 km

    We spent two weeks here. The camping was fantastic, all the sites are really nice. The owners were…read morealways available if we had any issues. The restrooms were always kept clean and look as though they have been recently renovated. We were able to ride our bikes from the campground to a forest road giving us access to some very pristine forested land with both paved and gravel roads. We live in Michigan but if we were closer, we'd go back. Highly recommend!

    First off this property is gorgeous and just absolutely a visual gem…read more It wasnt however all that peaceful, relaxing or worth the cost in my opinion. #1 -- The campsites are your typical campsite - parking spot, pad for a tent, spot for a fire, picnic table, some trees for shade, access to a bathroom - BUT COSTS $70 a night!!! Very pricey. #2 -- Its loud. The property hugs the main highway, and it echoes, and its loud -- ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT. Not the most peaceful. #3 -- The Bathrooms - ugchh -- 2 toilets and 1 coin operated shower for the entire campground. They were very nice, but for $70 a night I expected more than 1 shower. Our first night there I had to wait close to an hour to use it. Also - coin operated?? COME ON!! I just paid $70 for a dirt patch, and I need to pay $2 more dollars for a 4 minute shower? Also just a note for those who dont mind paying for a shower.....once your time expires, shower is over, water is off. No warm water and not even any cold water. Water done. So this means that when you time your shower wrong, and forgot to bring extra quarters with you into the shower, and are covered in soap when the water completely shuts off...that now means you are finishing your shower in the sink. Numbers 1 & 2 made this place kind of a 4 star for me, but the bathrooms is the reason I would never return. Sorry

    Photos
    Elkamp - Full hookups, picnic tables, fire pits

    Full hookups, picnic tables, fire pits

    Elkamp - Perfect bikes too!

    Perfect bikes too!

    Elkamp - Oven, stove. microwave, and even a crock pot!

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    Oven, stove. microwave, and even a crock pot!

    Merrill Lake Campground - Merrill Lake from canoe

    Merrill Lake Campground

    3.8(5 reviews)
    76.1 km

    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!

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    Merrill Lake Campground - Merrill Lake taken from island

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    Merrill Lake taken from island

    Cougar Rock Campground - Our tent

    Cougar Rock Campground

    4.1(14 reviews)
    13.9 km

    Nice campgrounds with views of Mount rainier from every angle! Camp hosts are fantastic and gave us…read moregreat recommendations for dog friendly hikes outside of the park. It was a clean spacious campsite with basic amenities and no shower. There's same day reservations (if there's cancellations).

    I stayed in the Cougar Rock campground for two nights in June, and I absolutely loved it. It's in…read morethe Paradise area of Mount Rainier, so it's super close to a lot of the best hiking trails in the park. My absolute favorite one (Wonderland Trail) is actually within walking distance. If you need anything from civilization (s'mores supplies, caffeine, gas, etc), it's only like a 30 minute drive into town as well. The site came with a metal bear box to put food and scented items in, as well as a fire ring. I would highly recommend bringing your own firewood, because the ranger station runs out quickly. I stayed in loop B, site 8. It was honestly perfect because it was a short walk to both the bathroom and the ranger station, but not so close that we dealt with heavy foot traffic, noise, or smells. It was also one of the few sites with a looped "driveway," which was great because backing in and out on a narrow slope would be difficult. The campsites are close enough together so that you don't feel like you're out in the middle of nowhere, but there are enough trees and space between them that you have privacy. I definitely plan on staying here again on future trips to Mount Rainier.

    Photos
    Cougar Rock Campground - Dog friendly campgrounds

    Dog friendly campgrounds

    Cougar Rock Campground - The view from Wonderland Trail

    The view from Wonderland Trail

    Cougar Rock Campground

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    Elk Ridge Campground - The Gathering Place

    Elk Ridge Campground

    5.0(27 reviews)
    77.5 km

    Admittedly, we have not done a lot of camping at campgrounds like this one, in fact we haven't done…read morea lot of camping at all. That said, this is the sort of place that we want to go camping all the time now! We're definitely not go out in the woods and sleep on a camping pad under the stars type people. We're more camp where we can see the car and have a bathroom around type people. This definitely trends towards the latter. This little campground is about 17 miles past Bron Yr Aur in Naches and is an absolute gem of a spot. Upon checking in, you find they have a small store with plenty of food and beverage options. They have spots for tent camping, cabins with beds, and plenty of RV parking. We went up here for a friends birthday weekend and opted for one of the small cabins. It was named "mamas place "and was lovely. The cabins are newly renovated and have small kitchenette's, a nice TV, And most importantly were warm! The two that we saw in so I did not have bathrooms, but there is a shared central bathroom and shower house that's close to everything, and is also heated! On the grounds, they have a small beach area where the kids could go throw rocks in the River and during the summertime everyone is able to get into the water to cool off. They have tons of play equipment for kids to run around and play on, some awesome area for people to ride 4 x 4's if they brought them, and they even have a meadow type area where they hold weddings. It's incredibly picturesque with the river in the background and the cliffs behind it. Go out there at night and check out what they called the fire flies - a bunch of lights set up in the meadow the dance on the trees. It's pretty awesome! You are just close enough to be able to run into town for something you forgot, but also far enough away that your cell phone isn't going off all the time because the reception is bad. This is actually about as close to perfect spot as we've been, and we're really excited to go back!

    What a great family friendly campground. Water and electric hookups only, but the onsite bathrooms…read moreand showers were nice and well kept. They are located in a remote area, so there is no cell service, and wifi is only available right by the office, but they do have a great selection of loaner DVDs, which kept my hubby . They have a gathering space with movies and popcorn, an onsite store. They even had a great DJ on Saturday night.

    Photos
    Elk Ridge Campground - Directions

    Directions

    Elk Ridge Campground - Restroom and shower facilities

    Restroom and shower facilities

    Elk Ridge Campground - Game and playground area

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    Game and playground area

    Big Creek Campground - campgrounds - Updated May 2026

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