I have been in this state park on numerous occasions. Take my airstream and hang out. It's a…read moregreat place to stage for traveling up and down the river. RV sites are large and open for the most part with electric, water and sewer. The winds at night are a riot during the hot parts of the summer. They blow like crazy. There is a day park separate from the RV park that you can walk to to swim and/or just relax. During the summer it is always crowded. Vantage has a gas station with food if you need it. Gorge is very close. Across the river are parks that are supported by Grant County PUD which are very nice and usually not many people. I'm impressed with the money and resources that Grant County PUD has put into the area. Just south of the Wanapum on the same road is a small park on a lake (small) that no one is ever there. Called the cove. If you have a boat you are in heaven with the Colombia River at your call.

Fun little park with toys for kids and a dock for fishing. Wish I had a kayak with me. The water…read morelooked dirty and swampy. No way in hell I am swimming in that. Lots of parking very quaint. Nice day to visit

We stayed for two nights at Pothole Camp, and from the very first morning (Saturday), the entire…read moretrip was just horrible. First issue: Someone thought it was a genius idea to hang a wasp/hornet trap right in the middle of two campsites -- ours and our neighbors'. Saturday morning, we woke up to wasps swarming all over our tents. At first, we couldn't figure out why until we spotted the trap in a tree, literally buzzing with activity. My husband went to the ranger station to report it, but no one was there. About an hour later, a ranger finally showed up and moved the trap -- by that point, our kids hadn't even been able to leave their tents. Once that was dealt with, I started cleaning up all the trash left behind by the previous campers at our site. Later that evening, while we were having dinner, our older daughter was stung by a bee. Speaking of trash -- let's talk about the lakes. We visited multiple spots around the lakes, and honestly, it felt like flashbacks to dirty California beaches. Everywhere we went: trash, broken glass, diapers, beer cans, baby wipes. Floating in the water. Tangled in plants. Scattered across the shore. My daughter was in the water for maybe 45 seconds before she cut her foot open on a shard of glass, and we had to go back to camp to pull it out. None of us even got to swim. And this wasn't just one spot -- we tried three different lakes and five different locations, hoping for a safe place for the kids. Nothing. We are never coming back. People can say what they want about western Washington coasts and lakes (the weather, the crowds, whatever), but what we do right is keeping our beaches, parks, and wildlife refuges clean. We respect our nature and our wildlife. We don't like people coming into our homes and leaving trash everywhere, so we don't do that to other places. This place could be a gem. It could be beautiful and worth returning to every year. But that won't happen. This was our first -- and our last -- time visiting.

love camping herre use park as base camp and go fishing in the many many lakes within 25 miles…read more love the fishing in eastern washington

Small campground, spaces along the river mostly offer paths to river. Any rv's larger than 20' can…read moreonly use sites 1,2, or 3, which are close to the highway. Better Riverside sites are at Sawmill Flats. Which is also more spread out.....

The owner is so nice and his dog, "Mia" is the BEST! The tent area has lush grass and there is…read moreplenty of space so you're not squished together like at other campgrounds. There's a chill party atmosphere and Africa makes really great food. I will definitely be returning!!

Tim is the best! Super helpful, chill, organized and kind! He helped us get a last minute spot for…read morelast night of Labor Dave weekend! Forever grateful. Have been coming here for years and will never stay anywhere else if I can help it! Facilities were super clean and listening to after party karaoke as I fell asleep was entertaining and still makes me smile. Thanks for creating a safe space to have a great time!!!

It's not the landscape, the wildlife, the trails or the views. It's the people. Most are…read moreperfectly fine and are out there to camp, hike, and fish for the sake of the activities. However, there is a percentage that is there because it's free and remote while still being accessible to a town where they can get their drug of choice. You'll recognize them by the ancient, filthy, motorhomes. My son was hiking with his girlfriend when they were approached by one of these "campers" who asked if they had any fentanyl to sell! Wow! Is there no where to escape this scrounge? Anywhere?

Mileage: estimated about 10 miles total (2 miles to where we set up our tents, then we hiked a loop…read moreof about 6 miles, then 2 miles back to the car the next day) Backpacked: April 16-17, 2016 This past weekend a group of us did an overnight backpack trek to Ancient Lakes. 3 first timers backpacking and it turned out to be an awesome trip! We had some problems trying to find directions out to the place, so here's directions from my personal experience. Directions: we stayed in Quincy the night before, so we took the 28 to Whitetail Road. Made a left on Whitetail from the 28, then a right on road 9 NW. follow road 9 NW and it turns into Ancient Lakes Rd NW. At the end of the road, you'll find the west parking lot. I am not sure how to get to the east parking lot. There's a lot of parking here, when we got there by 11 am, it was really crowded but we still found a spot. (When you are on Whitetail Rd, it might look like you are just driving through farms, but buried in there, there's Ancient Lakes!) There is a port-o-potty at the trail head on the west side. Trail head: is well marked, we hiked in about 2 miles and got to the lakes and the rolling grass area where you can set up tent where ever. There are some man made fire rings scattered through out the area. Hiking: After we picked a spot and set up camp, we hiked a loop around the lakes. We started towards the waterfall. It was a scramble up the side of the waterfall, like a class 4 rock scramble lol. Loose rocks, loose footing. From there, we went pass that waterfall and onto the backside where the east parking lot is. Which there's another waterfall there, and there's also camp spots there too. We looped around, it wasn't too hard. We estimated this part of the hike to be around 6 miles round trip back to our tents. Lots of people camping, we counted about 50 tents, then you estimate about 2/per tent, so like 100 people were out here! But you still are able to find solitude. We came across 3 snakes, an owl, and a marmot. Easy trek, not very hilly at all. Good for first time backpackers. The area can be explored in a day. I found this site useful: https://www.theoutbound.com/washington/backpacking/ancient-lakes-day-hike-or-backpack

It's beautiful, and very well maintained. Some sites are pretty tricky to get set up in, though. We…read morebooked Site 34, which is listed as, 'Up to 25ft.' Our trailer/truck combo is under 25ft, and there was no way to easily back in. Thankfully, the evening-host (Mike) saw us struggling, and told us to pick any other spot that might work. Hardly anyone else was even there so we wound up take taking two spots, haha. Be advised, spots 34 to 53 are beautifully grassy, mostly level-ish, and on the upper side---having quite the drop off to the lower level. Actually, every site, RV or tent, were beautiful grass. Tent camping would be awesome, here. Bill is the day host, and like Mike, is friendly and helpful to all. All-in-all an amazing place from Moses Lake Parks & Rec...

A Peaceful Lakeside Spot for Families, Pets, and Play…read more Cascade Park may be on the smaller side, but it packs a lot of charm and versatility. With its open grassy fields and lakefront access, it's a great spot for boaters, families, kids, and pets to enjoy the outdoors. Whether you're tossing a frisbee, playing yard games, or simply lounging by the water, there's room to relax and have fun. On July 4th and other major holidays, the park really comes to life--families and friends gather for barbecues, kids splash near the shore, and you can often spot boats cruising across the lake. It's a wholesome, welcoming space that's perfect for creating memories and soaking in the joy of simple outdoor moments.

This park spans part of the Yakima River out near Rattlesnake Mountain and sorta near where I work…read more I believe the park is fairly long, but I mainly have went to the main park area which is just off the 225. Here there is a campground, large grassy fields (for doggies to run like maniacs), a boat launch, hiking paths, and bathrooms. I've been here to run my dogs around, attempt some fly fishing (we were skunked), and most recently to geo-cache. Oh, and apparently, you can also ride your horse around here as well. Interesting.

One of my customer told me about this park... He said that theres a flock of pelicans in this park…read more At first I cant believe it so I asked him again and he said clearly yes theres pelicans in this park. So I asked my husband...Iasnt it pelicans are suppossed to be in the Ocean? You know Salt Water Ocean? He said yes... And so today we agreed to go in there and to my surprised.."YES!" Theres alot of pelican in there and some other kind of birds that I never seen before here in the tri-cities.. I also saw some herons...WOW! this is the first time I saw pelicans and herons...really neat! I cannot really go so close but I told somepictures from the side of the water. It was neat. The park itself is not that big though I saw few trais and some camp site with RV Parking (with electrical plugs and water faucets)... each parking has a picnic tables too. The bathrooms are surprisingly clean even the park look like deserted. You should try to go to this park if you want to see something new.

Nice clean recreation camping area developed by Grant County PUD…read more Nice bathrooms, well marked tent pads, river trails, paved. Pretty river views, looks to be open year round First bathroom gets a lot of use as a highway rest stop.

We had a really fun day at Soap Lake, thanks to the great sunshine and perfect temperature. It was…read morealso not crowded at all, but it was a random Wednesday afternoon visit. The park offers amenities: public restrooms in a building and some port-o-potties; outdoor shower to remove the grime (that gets in EVERY crack); covered picnic tables. It also has some grassy areas for recreation and a playground for the kids. Plus, there's a touch of culture, with what professes to be the first human figure sundial. The sand is rocky in and out of the water, and the water is shallow, good for keeping it fails warm and for wading quite a ways out. It was nice to slather ourselves in the clay and let it bake in before rinsing it off. But be warned, the sulfur in the water and clay will keep you and anything you wear smelling even after a thorough washing. So I wouldn't plan a nice evening out after ;-) We look forward to going back for more fun this summer, after we check out some other local beaches.

Soap Lake has 2 public parks on the lake, this one is on the East shore on Highway 17 between…read moreSmokiam Campground and B&B Restaurant. There is a bath house, Beach Access, Picnic Tables and a huge Bronze & Basalt Sundial. It's a great place to stop and play or even plaster yourself in the healing mud from the lake. Swimming is easy as you float easier because of all the minerals in the water. We made a specific trip here during our vacation. Daughter and her kids played in the healing waters while wife read a book in the shade and I took the nap I really needed. Unfortunately, I took too long of a nap and missed laying in the water :( I guess I'll have to go back next year. This is the 3rd time we've come here and it is always worth a repeat visit when you are in the area.