The area is beautiful but the rangers do not care about your experience here. They have let larger…read moregroups of people be as loud as they want into the early morning hours so they can make their money rather than listen to the complaints of many different campers who were all kept up until 3am. The group that was loud all night then came through early morning and took pictures of peoples camps and license plates. If you want to camp with a larger group, you get to violate the rules and be as loud as you want and the rangers will defend your behavior. Would not recommend staying here if you want to relax at night.

At first and overall we were supremly impressed with this state park. How to describe? It was as…read moreyou imagined state parks should be, with a friendly ranger to greet you at the gate (first time ever that there has been a person at the gate AT ALL in several years of camping) and give you directions. Tidy markers everywhere, stone borders, cut grass, and at least one set of spacious clean bathrooms. I say 'one set' because it matters which loop you set up your tent in. The upper loop is where we unknowlingly reserved and boy was that a mistake. It's dusty as all heck and jam packed with very noisy families enjoying their yearly family reunions. There is just one small bathroom facility in the upper loop. It has just ONE shower and with so many people, was just unpleasant from the get-go. Add to this that people were taking advantage of the situation by plugging into the bathroom outlets to fuel their activities at their campsites (yes runnning a HUGE extension line and propping open the bathroom doors to do so), getting very drunk and hanging about the bathroom doors, ie men in front of the women's doors, not picking up after their dogs then wiping the poo off their shoes in the bathroom, the list goes on. In contrast, walk down to the lower loop and it's quiet and orderly, RVs lined up and some tents, everyone quietly walking their dogs after dark, and right on the lake and the grassy mowed areas. Well, now we know. I should add that the ranger DID come by to tell people to quiet down and to ask if we were okay; and that there is only so much park staff can do to keep things clean when the campsites and bathroom are overrun like they were. So we went at a bad time - it was also very smokey from nearby fires. We did checkout a paddle boat from the concessions area (the couple running that are very nice) and had fun on the lake for about an hour. This campground reminded me of campgrounds of my childhood. If only I could go back to those.

Went fishing with Shane of upper Columbia cuisine service today with my in-laws and my daughter and…read moregranddaughter what a day we had . Such an awesome experience for me and everyone we made lifetime memories for sure. My brother in law has fished with Shane before and he and his family had a great day on the water with Shane, my niece caught a 44 lb king!!! So this year after COVID and all that BS we were able to book a trip together and it didn't disappoint for sure. My in-laws kept telling me how professional Shane was and how expert he was with his ability to produce fish on a consistent basis, also they kept saying how other guides referred to him for advice on how to keep their customers productive. We were to meet our in-laws at the boat launch, we, my daughter , grand daughter and I happened to arrive first Shane asked who we were looking for at the boat launch and we introduced ourselves and got situated on his boat. While waiting for threat of our family to show up I was able to listen the interaction between Shane and the other guides. Which confirmed what my brother in-laws had mentioned, the other guides were picking Shane's brain as to what he was going to use and where he was going to fishing. Now I have been fishing recreationaly for 50 years so I know a little bit about fishing and have been on charter trips before so I was watching and listening cause that's how you learn things such as where they are and what's working to catch fish, I was impressed that Shane was happy to help his fellow guides with current and accurate information. Now when we hit water Shane set us up with the latest rig up, I won't give out his secrets, but within an hour I was limited out and my daughter hooked and released 2 wild fish that were the largest of the day. Our whole party had a awesome day, further proof of Shane's expertise manifested it self continuously as boat after boat of came by and congratulated Shane on our and his success. Shane has an affinity to connect with a multiple of people and provide them with information as to how we were having success but unfortunately for the other boats they weren't able to duplicate our success. The highlight of the trip was my daughter and granddaughter catching their first salmon, they had smiles on their faces will be a memory that will live with me forever, thanks Shane! Look bottom line if you want to catch salmon on the Colombia river in my humble opinion you must book with Shane. My family is booking a trip next year.

Waterfalls aren't exactly common in the desert of central washington, so anyplace you can find the…read moresound of cascading water is special. Finding Summer Falls may be tricky, but the surrounding country roads that cut through coulees and follow abandoned railroad routes are very picturesque, so I would plan to get a little lost and enjoy it. The park is like an oasis at the end of a rocky, dusty driveway: a well-irrigated grassy park with trees, picnic tables, restrooms and a pavilion, all nestled up against Billy Clap Lake and the waterfall. Note: the only water recreation here is fishing: there is no beach and people have been seriously injured from falling on the slippery rocks of the falls. The falls are, however, very accessible if you have two legs and don't mind the "KEEP OUT" signs. If you are looking for desert hikes, there are plenty nearby (including Sun Lakes/Dry Falls state park), but not at Summer Falls. This park is a pretty sedentary place unless you are throwing frisbee or football in the grassy park. These falls and the depth of Billy Clap Lake they flow into were created when an irrigation canal was built to bring water from Banks Lake (itself a product of water diverted from the Grand Coulee Dam) to what was then dry, rocky, sagebrushy non-farmland further south. There is also a tiny, discrete power plant just up the canal from the falls. So the lake is a coulee that is full of water, and the water coming down the falls is what is leftover from the canal after the power plant takes it's share. It sounds pretty industrial, but it's not: the irrigation and power generating functions of the water are invisible at Summer Falls. Summer Falls is a good place--maybe the only place--to enjoy the relaxing sound of a waterfall amidst the area's desert landscape.

Wow. Extremely hard to find, but well worth the wild goose chase…read more This is a waterfall created by one of the many dams in Washington. There's a nice park and swimming area, a little hut for picnics, and bathrooms. You can swim/hike over to the waterfall and even walk behind it (if you blatantly ignore the signs that prohibit this activity, that is)! It was surprising how many people were here, what with how out-of-the-way it was. Glad we found this little gem! Minus one star for having thistles in the grass. My flip-flopped feet did not appreciate.

Great small lake and park near Winthrop. Part of the lake is well-maintained and landscaped and…read morethere are plenty of tables and spots to have a picnic. Large, clean restrooms too. There is a swimming area sectioned off, and it would be a great spot for boating. Definitely a nice picturesque spot while in the North Cascades.

I don't know what to say... It's our favorite camping spot... My kids call it yuppie camping. I…read morejust love getting to know all the campers that come every year, and the amazing camp posts! The Rangers are amazing also... This last time we were there which was really recent three different fires broke out... We were able to witness all the different air relief for the fires...As we swam in the lake, we had full hook up and we were in the old Derrys area... I loved it because they could walk straight across to the water... And right now they're redoing everything and it will be just so gorgeous when it's done!! So many hiking trails... It was amazing! I also enjoyed the town of Winthrop which is a old western themed town... And Sherri's has the best ice cream around!... Just a little tip if you pay cash it tends to be a little cheaper! Putt putt golf is down below now with the new deck for up above there is more shade down below while your little ones try to sink a hole in one!! Winthrop also has a lot of hiking trails and I enjoyed it very much our kids favorite is going to the fish hatchery and taking a tour and feeding all the little fish in a pond... They also love the hike that is next to the fish hatchery... You get to go through field and there are horses... It was awesome! I would have to say kid friendly slowly becoming animal friendly... And many amazing places to go out to eat!

We went camping at the park and had a great time…read more The park manager is a nice older gentleman that was happy to answer questions and always seemed to be around when you needed him. The park is not selling fire wood this year (2020), so we had to find a nearby gas station after we arrived. They do have ice for $2/bag. The campsites themselves are a good size and we felt like we had plenty of distance from our neighbors. There were a good number of kids around making lots of noise, but the camp manager came around at night to make sure the buzz of the campground stayed at a low, consistent level. The facilities are fine and the shower is one big room and was plenty satisfactory. With covid, the playground is closed. In addition there is apparently toxic algae every year, so the beachfront is closed often, and it was on our visit. Finally, the wasps here are numerous. I was wearing flip flops and still got stung on the foot. I don't feel they were particularly aggressive, but they are everywhere. If you cook anything, you will be completely swarmed. Bring some traps to try and keep them away from your site.

Nice state park. Open during winter which was nice. Trail leading out of park allows for peaceful…read morewalk. Not many people. Few campers. Came once with snow on ground, enjoyed the solitude and river views. Came another time when it was warmer and was able to walk the whole trail and back. Geese like this park as well...just saying to clean your shoes before getting back into your car.

Another amazing trip with Don. This guy knows his stuff. 19 HUGE sockeye in a morning of…read morefishing!!!! My girls had an amazing time. I will definitely be coming back w him. I didn't see another boat catch close to what we did

From the owner: Don Talbot's Fishing Guide Service specializes in Upper Columbia River salmon fishing, Vernita…read moreSalmon Fishing, Lake Wenatchee Sockeye Fishing, Brewster Sockeye Fishing, and Lake Chelan Kokanee Fishing are most of my locations.

We had an absolutely incredible experience with Lake Chelan Adventures and Captain Mark. From the…read moremoment we stepped on the boat, Mark was knowledgeable, capable, informative, professional, and genuinely polite -- exactly the kind of guide you hope for on a charter. Within five minutes of setting the lines, we were already hooking fish, and after that it felt like we were reeling one in every 10 minutes. For February, we couldn't have asked for a better day. We had the entire lake to ourselves and ended up catching 14 fish -- including two Chinook salmon and a bunch of big lake trout. The boat itself was extremely comfortable and fully outfitted with modern gear. The remote GPS-guided motor and sonar fish finder let Mark stay focused on positioning us perfectly and helping me and my wife Neoma land fish all day. Everything felt smooth, organized, and professional. We had such a great time that we already booked our next charter with Mark for May. I honestly can't recommend Lake Chelan Adventures enough. Truly an awesome experience with a top-notch guid.

Absolute top notch fishing guides, far exceeded my expectations. Been going to Chelan every summer…read morepast 30 years, first time using a guide but will call Mark and Joe every year going forward. Lake Chelan has tons of fish, small ones are easy to catch, big fish absolutely require local knowledge and advanced equipment. If you want to catch big fish while visiting Chelan, call Mark and Joe.