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    Riffe Lake Overlook

    5.0 (1 review)

    Riffe Lake Overlook Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Riffe Lake Overlook

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    8 years ago

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    Alder Lake Park - Beach

    Alder Lake Park

    3.8(31 reviews)
    18.9 mi

    I really wish we had a better experience at this campground. We were looking for something near…read moreMount Rainier, and this fit the bill. Some of the sites were basically right in the parking lot, but most of them were really nice. Ours was a walk-in site up the hill with lots of trees and greenery. It had a nice flat area along with a picnic table. The bathrooms were close and clean, and I loved having the lake nearby. However, the campground was really loud and rowdy. We stayed for two nights, and each night there were two to three large family groups that were loud until after 11 pm. We heard a car playing music with loud bass. A groups of kids entered the echoing bathroom and played, screaming, turning on the hand blowers, and spraying water everywhere. It was just really loud and the quiet hours were not enforced. The campground had all the ingredients to make a great stay. We just had a few loud groups that disturbed the otherwise quiet campground. I hope we just had bad timing.

    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.

    Photos
    Alder Lake Park - Eating outside so enjoyable, park well maintained and overseen constantly, no riff raff or noise.

    Eating outside so enjoyable, park well maintained and overseen constantly, no riff raff or noise.

    Alder Lake Park - A friendly deer grazing at one of the camp sites.

    A friendly deer grazing at one of the camp sites.

    Alder Lake Park - Enjoying family time!

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    Enjoying family time!

    Taidnapam Park - Wanna' put your boat in?

    Taidnapam Park

    4.2(9 reviews)
    10.5 mi

    This is a beautiful park and campground. I have been going here yearly for the past four years…read more There are lots to explore. Morton, WA is only about a ten minute drive and has a "Loggers weekend" in August. They have a parade, a chance to see and learn about the mill, among other events.

    I was so excited about this place. This was my first full hook ups with our TT. We drove through…read moreand then when we found our spot we realized that we were not going to have much privacy. Well, we were not too worried since the site next to us had no campers (July 2) and the one on the other side stayed in their TT. ... THEN the 3rd arrived. UGH! The quiet people left in the morning and were replaced by two families and the other side had a good size group. They were overall quiet but the double, if not triple family site decided to make this their grand central. They had friends from different sites visit and stay. Midnight came and went and they were still loud but I thought, well, at least the music stopped. Kind of wish the music would turn back on because they got louder and louder. 3:45 AM and they were LOUD! I didn't want to start trouble so put my DVD player on. What would have helped if knowing that 10PM or 11PM was quiet hour, why wouldn't the host drive around at midnight to check on the noise level? This was what upset me. Let me tell you that the place was nice and I'm learning that when you camp with hookups they are closer together. Okay, that would be fine, but even more reason for the host to keep an eye on the party people. The place itself is clean and neat. Don't plan on launching your boat from here (or kayak) but there is a place just 2 minutes from here where you can. That's where we went in. The lake is nice, too. --- Let me take that back, if you are brave and more experienced than me, you may be able to launch kayak. I need a boat ramp or beach. ;) The place would have seriously gotten a 5 star if not for the lack of consideration I felt that the hosts had by not checking the spots after quiet hours. BTW, yes, I know it was a holiday weekend, but come on! 3AM!!!!???!!! FYI: I would recommend this on a quieter weekend or weekday.

    Photos
    Taidnapam Park
    Taidnapam Park - Boat launch

    Boat launch

    Taidnapam Park - Pretty

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    Pretty

    Mayfield Lake Park - View of the campsite area

    Mayfield Lake Park

    3.9(12 reviews)
    8.4 mi

    Mayfield Lake Park Review…read more We absolutely love Mayfield Lake Park and spend many weekends here during the summer camping in our little tent and chasing muskies. The staff is always friendly, professional, and hardworking, and they truly go above and beyond to make every visit enjoyable. The park is always spotless -- from the campsites to the bathrooms and park areas -- and you can tell the staff takes pride in keeping it that way. On this trip, we came across an injured feral cat near our site. Skyler responded immediately and professionally, setting a trap to help the cat. My son was able to safely get the cat into the cage, and the staff took it to an animal sanctuary. We were so impressed by how quickly and compassionately they handled the situation. Another example of their dedication happened when we accidentally left soap in the shower the night before. Ben was quick to check if it had been found (unfortunately, someone had walked off with my husband's men's Dove soap), but we appreciated his effort and quick response. We drive an hour and a half from our home to spend time at this beautiful lake, and it's always worth the trip. The staff truly deserve recognition for their dedication, hard work, and kindness. Mayfield Lake Park will always be one of our favorite places to relax, fish, and enjoy nature.

    What beautiful lake and not as crowded. Coming from Los Angeles we are used to crowded public…read moreplaces but this place is peaceful and clean. I would totally recommend if you are looking for a spot to bbq with friends and family.

    Photos
    Mayfield Lake Park
    Mayfield Lake Park - Campsite view

    Campsite view

    Mayfield Lake Park - Restroom shower

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    Restroom shower

    Coldwater Lake - Serpentine board walk on lake

    Coldwater Lake

    5.0(5 reviews)
    17.6 mi

    This is a beautiful lake. It sits within view of Mt. St. Helen's near the Johnston Ridge…read moreObservatory and the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater. You can miss it if you are on the way to the observatory given there a good sign on the way up. There's a trail that goes around the lake that is well established. One kayak here and I hear there's some pretty good trout in the waters. I though the lake and the surrounding scenery were quite beautiful, especially along the trails. It's a great place for pictures and such. There are restrooms available, potable water, but to motor boats nor overnight camping is allowed.

    Mount St Helens is the first glacial mountain I ever climbed. I've also hiked the entire Loowit…read moretrail along with many of the other trails in the park. Love this place! Been visiting Coldwater Lake for as long as it's been open. It used to be a well kept secret but in more recent years it's become difficult to experience the serene experience that it once was due to it's increasing popularity. The Rangers and park staff are awesome as is almost always the case in National reserves. They do "require" a national pass here and elsewhere in the park but that requirement is rarely enforced and I've never seen it enforced any place other than at the Johnston Observatory. There is a boat launch area and they may well be checking for passes in vehicles over there. I am so thankful that the Park Service is so committed to monuments like this one. Been coming here for many, many years and hope to do so for a long time to come. Coldwater Lake is one of our very favorite places to visit at almost any time of the year.

    Photos
    Coldwater Lake
    Coldwater Lake
    Coldwater Lake

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    Merrill Lake Campground - Merrill Lake from canoe

    Merrill Lake Campground

    3.8(5 reviews)
    30.5 mi

    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!

    Photos
    Merrill Lake Campground - Merrill Lake taken from island

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    Merrill Lake taken from island

    Reflection Lakes Loop Hike - Great reflection of mt Reinier

    Reflection Lakes Loop Hike

    4.7(9 reviews)
    34.8 mi

    This is a great hike for photographers if you want to get both a nice view of Mount Rainier and of…read moreits reflection in the lake. The best time to come here is on a clear day and when the water is calm. You get stunning views of the alpine lakes and of the mountain peaks in the background. I made two stops here during my trip because the wind had caused ripples on the water and I wasn't able to get a clear shot with my camera. The reflection was much more clearer the second stop. Reflection Lakes is located off of Stevens Canyon Road just south of Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park. After parking, head down to the lake to find the hiking trail. The parking lot can fill up during the busier part of the day. The Lakes Trail is a three mile loop trail that goes around the lake and starts from either end of the parking lot. Wildflowers border the lakes in summer which adds some nice color to your photographs. The park asks that you stay on the trail to protect the meadow around the lake. Pinnacle Peak Trail is another popular trail that starts south of the Reflection Lakes parking lot. I really enjoyed making a stop here. It is one of the best places to get an iconic picture of Mount Rainier. There is no swimming, fishing, or boating in Reflection Lakes. But nearby Louise Lake allows wading and fishing. You can only visit Reflection Lakes in the summer as Stevens Canyon Road closes up during the winter season.

    Made a quick stop here to see the reflection of Mt Rainier…read more Heard it's supposed to be beautiful at sunrise, but it was rainy during our visit so we forewent the early morning visit. Came around 9am-ish on a cloudy day and were able to see a decent reflection - can only imagine how beautiful it would be on a nice, sunny day. We did a bit of the walk around the lakes, and while the walk was nice, the best views come from the overlooks where you park. Definitely worth a quick stop while driving by. If the weather is good, consider sunrise - you might be in for a wonderful surprise.

    Photos
    Reflection Lakes Loop Hike - 9/21/24

    9/21/24

    Reflection Lakes Loop Hike
    Reflection Lakes Loop Hike - 9/21/24

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    9/21/24

    Riffe Lake Overlook - lakes - Updated May 2026

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