August 21st, 2026 I…read moream camping for the summer as part of a mental health journey I am on and getting back to my old self. I booked online and the online unlike in the past apparently allowed me to book more than 8 days. The ranger (although not dressed or introduced himself as such) said I would only be able to stay a couple more days. I said that was fine and then the lady at the ranger station said that she would look into starting the refund and she would stop by my site before she got off to let me know about the progress. SHE DIDNT DO ANYTHING!! Then I get a notice saying I was basically breaking the law and i needed to see the ranger. so when I went down he explained it to me and told me that he would not be issuing a citation. then processed the refund and said because I paid with a card the money would immediately be put back onto my card. which was false! Then instead of the full amount that I would of had returned had the lady done her job like she said she would i received only half back and was told by the ranger that there is nothing he will do. when i called the reservation line she told me there was nothing she could do since i started the refund in the ranger station. so when i asked her due to the fact that the ranger didnt do what she said i was getting penalized and her exact word back to me was "yup". When I went back to the ranger station and explained my dissatisfaction he told me I could of done the refund myself. But why would I have if the lady said she would... isnt that part of her job to help with reservations and refunds? he then kept repeating the loss I took was cheaper than a ticket. as I told him not too nicely either I was upset as i walked back to pack up and leave I could hear him laughing at me even with the drive thru window closed and the door shut~! Now I am 40 years old and I have worked and take pride in customer service. These two were some of the worst examples of customer service that you could have working for you! please get back to me regarding this.

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.

Friends Landing is one of those places that reminds you why small towns and simple spaces are where…read moreit's at. It's peaceful, scenic, and right on the Chehalis river, perfect for fishing, boating, dog walking, or just sitting quietly and taking it all in. There's nothing flashy here, and that's exactly the point. It feels cared for, accessible, and connected to the land in a way that's becoming harder to find. What I appreciate most is how welcoming and unpretentious it is. You'll see families, and visitors all sharing the space respectfully. It's a great spot to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with nature without feeling crowded or commercialized. If you're in Montesano and looking for a calm, beautiful place to spend some time outdoors, Friends Landing is absolutely worth a visit. It's simple, authentic, and quietly beautiful.

August 2-4, 2025 - Montesano, WA…read more We loved this campground--especially after coming from a busy, crowded KOA. The peacefulness here was a welcome and much-appreciated change. There are 18 RV sites with water and electrical hookups. The campground is nestled between a river and a lake, offering a scenic and serene setting. A trail loops around the lake, and I really enjoyed taking peaceful walks there with my pup.

Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area Preserve is a Washington State Department of Natural…read moreResources managed land. It has two parking lots and an interpretive trail that connects those two parking lots. The distance between the lots/length of the interpretive trail in one direction is approximately 3.5 miles (so about 7 miles roundtrip). There is another shoreline access trail from the Preachers Slough parking lot that is 1/4 mile each way, so 1/2 mile roundtrip. If you hike all of the foot trails the total is a little over 7.5 miles. A Discover Pass is required for this site, and I found signage that provided instructions on how to purchase one if you forgot to buy one in advance of your visit. I chose to purchase my pass online which was $11.50 including the $1.50 processing fee. The nice thing about a one day Discover Pass is that the pass is good for the whole day, so you can use it to visit more than one park if you so desire. I chose to park my car at the parking lot on Preachers Slough Road while I hiked the trail out and back. I encountered a total of four other groups during the four hours I spent hiking and exploring this location. Blue Slough Road and Highway 107 run alongside the interpretive trail meaning I could hear vehicles on the road while I was hiking. The trail runs along the winding Chehalis River and there are occasional look-outs over the river. The parking lot on Blue Slough Road is the larger of the two. There was a picnic area and boat ramp in addition to a restroom (port-a-potti). A few fallen trees were in the water at the bend in the river not far from the boat ramp. About half a mile from the trailhead at Preachers Slough Road is a viewing platform. I stopped on my way back to the car and encountered two geese with their two goslings. At first I only saw one goose and one gosling. Then the other gosling and goose came out and they slowly waddled and foraged their way along the river bank. I saw a few other groups of geese/geese and goslings on my hike. They are so precious! An hour of my time was absorbed watching geese and their goslings foraging and swimming about. It would have taken me less than four hours to hike the interpretive trail if I hadn't stopped very often to take pictures or watch the wildlife. The trail path is flat and well maintained, so I found it arduous in the sense of not getting so distracted by the wildlife and vegetation as to not complete the trail. There were parts of the trail I would stop every 3 inches to 15 feet just to take a few pictures, I took just shy of 400 photos and videos total. This place is amazing and the plants and animals you can see are diverse and abundant. At one of the informational signs about birds and their songs, I read the sign, turned left and there was a wren near the sign. Talk about perfect timing! Mosquitos were not a problem and I didn't get any bug bites on my visit. In reading the Department of Natural Resources' website however, I learned of some cougar and bear potential sightings/appearances. The site provided some guidance on what to do to ward them off or if you encountered them in person. I incorporated some of the tips like making myself larger and speaking loudly as part of my hike to be safe. I was just one person, so this meant everyone once in a while I would stop, spread my arms, make myself tall and shout things like 'I love you cougars! I love you cougars! I love you cougars!'. So far as I know no one else on the trail saw me... Signs posted along the interpretive trail tell about the history of the area and the wildlife. I thoroughly enjoyed these fun tidbits that helped give context for how the land has changed over and through time. Little tidbits like a railroad used to run through here help bring history to life.

How bizarre to review a business park, huh? Except that this business park contains the remains of…read morea never-completed nuclear power plant, most notably the two massive cooling towers associated with a traditional power plant. While the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington was instrumental to the Manhattan Project, there is a noticeable lack of nuclear energy projects in the Pacific Northwest (with only two active reactors that I know of- at said Hanford Site, and the student run reactor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.) Trojan Nuclear Power Plant in Oregon has been closed for many years and it's distinctive cooling tower was demolished back in 2006- so where can you go for some photo shoots and pseudo-urban exploration? Well, Satsop is within daily driving distance from Seattle and Portland and considering the price (free,) it is well worth stopping by.

A short 13 minute detour off the highway on our way to Ocean Shores. Pretty cool to see the…read moreabandoned (unfinished) nuclear power plants up close - even though they are a gentle reminder of the government wasting more of our hard earned money. A few side items to note - the business park has hundreds (I mean hundreds) of brand new Volkswagens waiting for their forever home, so feel free to look around. BUT don't look too closely because there is a security guard with a lead foot who loves to mad-dog you from the comfort of the front seat of his Ford Focus (1989 - 92 model). There is also a huge boring machine on site which begs the question - are there tunnels below these nuclear structures and if so did the forgiving tax payers of the beautiful Pacific Northwest pay for this rusting eye sore? In any event - the power plants are pretty cool to see.

Referred by locals, this spot is convenient but easy to miss. You can take a long walk along the…read moreriver. There' s some trash and a preponderance of duck sh&t, but the view is nice. A good walk , in town.

Restroom never open the in winter even though a lot of people still come to the park in winter with…read moretheir kids. Even in summer months you can't depend on the people that are supposed to open them by 7am open them when the feel like it. A lot of time they don't empty the garbage and it overflows onto the ground and either the wind blows it all over or the birds get it it. The park is great for walkers, and dog walkers. It's a very nice park but the parks dept should maintain it a bit better for visitors especially the restrooms.

I really liked how this memorial park did not do too much with the bridge and kept true to what…read moreKurt Cobain likely sat by and saw when he would come here to find peace in solace, or inspiration in the scene. Couple of sculptures with descriptions that pay tribute to Kurt Cobain of what this place meant to him and I thought that air guitar stand was so funny. Mini hike that you can do through the woods, but I get scared bc I was by myself. So, I did not go in myself... but, this is a 3 minute walk away from the childhood home of Kurt Cobain, which you cannot enter because it is private property, but there is a description to read by the front of the fence gate. How cool it is to see the neighborhood that was origin of Kurt Cobain!

Not much here and nothing special to see except some signs and sculptures as tributes to Kurt…read moreCobain. Everything was covered in graffiti to intensify the grunginess. It's creepy under the bridge, so it's probably better for people who appreciate this type of vibe and views of the water. There's random goose poop throughout the park and under the bridge. I had to find out the hard way after my dog rubbed on some in the grass. Luckily, they have a big open garbage can here. The only parking is on the street in front of houses.

I have seen a couple of Nirvana documentaries of Kurt Cobain's earlier life that show his childhood…read morewhen he lived in this house. While passing through Aberdeen, I decided to do a mini Nirvana pilgrimage and check out the town that Kurt Cobain grew up in. After spending time at Kurt Cobain Memorial Park near Young Street Bridge, I walked over to his childhood home. The house is just around the corner. It has been refurbished and it is gated off. Someone else currently lives here, so all that you can do is take photos from the sidewalk. Cool historic place to check out, especially if you grew up a Nirvana fan like me. But there is not much else to see or do.

Kurt Cobain was born and grew up in the Washington coast harbor town of Aberdeen WA. This is where…read morehe lived from 1968 to 1984. It was purchased by Lee and Danielle Bacon in 2018 from the Cobain family. They paid $225,000...a bargain considering that the cardigan Cobain wore in 1993 on the set of "MTV Unplugged" sold at auction for $334,000. The Bacons have restored the home to appear as it would have while Cobain lived there. At the time of this review, you cannot go inside, but plans are in the works to make private tours available in the near future. Tours will begin about 1.5 miles away at a soon to be opened Nirvana tribute lounge and gallery cafe as zoning does not allow the home to operate as a traditional museum. It's great to see Aberdeen finally beginning to embrace Cobain's contribution to music history. Fans travel great distances from all around the world to find Cobain's beginnings and pay tribute in the town that helped to shape him. Just a few days prior to writing this review, the Aberdeen City Council unanimously voted to make February 20th (Cobain's birthday) Kurt Cobain Day.

The park is beautiful and quiet and appears great. The manager and his wife are the two rudest…read morepeople I have ever talked to or met. People trying to rent or buy into this park are judged badly and treated even worse.

This playfield is pretty cool and there is hardly ever anyone here! There are some cool/different…read moretoys and good swings. There is also a basketball court (not the best one, but not too bad either) and a really big field. The field is pretty muddy oftentimes, but the playground has wood chips and isn't muddy.