This is my favorite place in the whole world. I've been coming here since I was 3 (I'm now 27) and it's an absolute must to come here in the summer atleast twice. Definitely worth the 3.5 hours drive each time!! I love camping here even though the wasps and mosquitoes are really annoying read more

Site we booked online was on grass and steep, they didn't hesitate to move us to a much better site. Had a great meal at their restaurant and we enjoyed drinks and karaoke on Friday night. read more

Sun Lakes: beautiful but HOT! Surrounded by the Dry Lakes (a long dried up falls larger than Niagra) and in the vicinity of larger lakes created by the dam(s) along the Columbia River, Sun Lakes State Park offers campers, especially those who like water activities, with a lot of options for what to do. There are rentals for all sorts of boats -- paddle boats to jet skis -- at a nearby private resort. There's also an adjacent golf course (who golfs at 100+ degrees?!) and putt putt mini golf too. The star, however, is the natural beauty of the area. There is a viewpoint/interpretive center down the highway and up the hill from the park that offers a tremendous photo op of the area. Camp sites are mostly shaded at some point in the day, none are too far from restroom facilities. 10 o'clock quiet time keeps all but the rowdiest groups fairly quiet. Here's the issues: 1) your tent gets set-up on gravel next to where you park (didn't realize this ahead of time but luckily had air beds), 2) the water near shore is a bit murky (think Greenlake), 3) the first night there the wind was possibly sustained 50 mph and we had to tie down the tent poles to the car and picnic table to keep the tent poles from crashing in (blew until past 4AM!), 4) seagulls roam the camp and force you to pack-up any food before you go anywhere or they'll descend upon your table and eat all your hamburger buns and crap on your tent. Best thing to do in the summer evenings: it is worth the 30-40 minute(?) drive to see the Grand Coulee Dam laser light show. Plus, Electric City (cool name for a city) has a Safeway on the main drag... it might be the closest "real" grocery store to the camp. read more

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This is a pretty nice state park with a lot of space for all the kids. We stayed in one of the pool-side cabins and we were completely happy with the facilities. They could use a new paint job on the outside, but hey, this IS 'camping.' I thought that the tent sites looked pretty good too and we plan on going back for some tent camping. The food shack does alright. You can rent canoes and paddle boats and there's a general store where you can pay $10 for a $2 product. Oh, they also have an in-ground pool that's well kept. For some solitude I would suggest driving on past the campground office and going around to the other side of the lake where there's just a huge state park (no camping). We also took the little side road (from the campground) that goes out to Deep Lake and several other lakes. If you want to do some cliff jumping and enjoy a quieter lake (no motors on this lake) then go out to Deep Lake (ignore the other two). Also, while you're in the area you should visit the Lake Lenore Caves. Take the hike and explore some of the caves, they are pretty cool! Bottom Line: A pretty decent state park, nice (rustic) cabins, nice lakes, plenty to do. Will surely go back. read more

This place offers not only sunny weather and beautiful scenery, but also very nice park, great lake for fishing and swimming, many different cabins for rent, general store, boat rental, pool, golf, and many other amenities. It definitely will keep you busy. Personnel is polite and helpful. We have been there few times and we like it. read more

Sun Lakes State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Coulee City, Washington

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We went here Sept 11th 2022 and had a good time. Campsite 121 is a little far from the bathroom, but it's okay. I think the campsites that are next to Boy Scout Trail have the best shade in the evening. Not many bugs, but a few hornets after the food. There is a hornet trap at the next campsite so most got stuck in it and I think the camp staff empty it regularly. The camp staff was very friendly and helped us a lot with the local area. After Sept 15th, the whole campground goes to first come first served. We are from Seattle area, so the lake water was perfect temps and the air was great at 81F most every day we were there. No rain, but I saw a flash of lightening far away. The wind came up from time to time so next time I will bring a kite. I saw about 15 types of birds on the hikes in the area. The Deep Lake hike had a dozen or so places to swim and dive in the lake, but we didn't know that so we didn't have our towels and swimsuits. Next time. We saw two gopher snakes one day. So pretty they were as they were scared of us and zoomed fast away. Even the rattle snake zipped so fast away and didn't even rattle. Might have been an immature one at about 18 inches long. Coyotes howled two nights for about 4 minutes and it was great as the echoes bounce off the canyon walls. Clouds some nights, but other nights the stars were super clear and bright so use the phone app to learn the constellations. The Merlin app will help you learn the bird songs. Did I mention the best part? Free hot showers in the bathroom! After a 4 hour hike in the chapparal desert, it was so great. This was my 3rd time there and it gets better each time. I would suggest avoiding weekends here though as it is a little loud and crowded, but after school starts up after Labor Day, then this state park is super quiet. We were the only people swimming in the lake. Had it all to ourselves. No geese poop on the beach or anywhere. I think the geese had migrated South. I think I was one of 6 campsites. All the other sites were empty. When we left Sept 15th, it was down to 3 camping sites and quail and deer were roaming around a lot so put your food in your vehicle every night. (^: read more

We camped in site 72, in the upper area. The lower area was crowded and would have had absolutely no privacy. It was nice, especially during the week. We tent camped, cooked on a fire, fished, swam, swatted mosquitos, fought back yellow jackets, and watched the marmots eating every morning. It was camping, bugs, and bees, and geese, and marmots are all a part of that. The rangers were helpful, the showers and bathrooms were clean. It was frustrating to have to pay $0.50 for a 3 min shower, but that was truly the only downside to our vacation. The neighboring campers needed some constructive criticism, but that isn't the fault of the campground. read more

This is my favorite state park in Washington. The trails around Perch Lake and Umatilla Rock are a very accessible way to get to know the wildlife of the sagebrush desert, and the scenery at Sun Lakes/Dry Falls is unique on this planet. It is best to visit before Memorial Day/after Labor Day because the park is much less busy and just as beautiful. On most evenings, a breeze arrives in the early evening before sundown: it can be very strong. Every winter at least one family of Bald Eagles migrates here and stays until Spring. Random Details: * excellent playground for kids * swimming beach in Park Lake * paved trail/road behind Park Lake (great for strollers) * lots of wildlife to view * facilities for RVs, Boats, horses, tents * cliff-diving on Deep Lake * rental cabins * rental boats/water toys * golf course I don't want to say too much about this place because it gets crowded enough without my advertising it as the best state park in the world. I will simply say it is by far my favorite state park in Washington. read more

I'm SO disappointed in you Sun Lakes State Park! 10 years ago you were the cream of the crop. You had jet ski rentals, a great space for tents and RV's with lots of room per site and even a fabulous little shack that you would sell stuff in. Oh how times have changed. Now, if you're unlike me and like the commercial industry type camping that's been spreading across the nation...have at it! This place has a golf course, coffee stand and lots of water activities. It is VERY family friendly and mostly geared towards family vacations and camping experiences. If you're a group of kid-free campers and want some space to get a little loud and maybe have some drinks...you may want to plan for a camping excursion somewhere else. read more

Stayed 5 days in mid July in the upper circle sites. First the good. Views are breath taking. The upper circles are roomy and pretty private . Store and restaurant very good Now the bad. Sand fleas will eat you alive if you stay in the gravel upper circles. Everyone bitten especially oldest daughter. Huge welts all over both legs even after a week. Campfires allowed but the wind makes it too dangerous. Rest rooms and shower in upper full service sites dirty, need a good bleach scrubbing, gross. Moorage full charge even If you bring a modest boat you may have to share it with a pontoon boat that takes up over half the slip. Main sites with tents really overcrowded. Glad we came but it was pretty miserable. read more

It was deserty. It was dry. A dust storm blew in from 5pm to 5am on one of the days. There are little pokey bullhead thorns that deflated both the air mattresses in the group. Despite that, I loved it. There is so much to do! We took a jeep trail with the truck, went fishing in two different lakes with kayaks, thought about cliff jumping (other people were, but I didn't want my nipples to stab anyone's eye out), BBQ'd, rested, relaxed, and generally had a great time. I would definitely come back to camp here (spot 46 is gangster), and would love to do some sunrise fishing next time. read more

We arrived late on our first night of camping, and since it was just my daughter (7) and myself, we decided instead of setting up the tent in pitch black, to sleep in the car and wait til morning light to pitch the tent. After the loud music settled down around 1am, I was finally able to fall asleep, only to be woken up by a ranger shining a bright light into the car asking why we were sleeping in the car. I explained to her why, and she just kept insisting that we set up the tent. After she finally left (mind you the light was shining in my eyes this whole time, about 5 minutes), I was not able to fall back asleep. I had the camping pass in my dash, easily visible to anyone walking by, but she still felt the need to look inside the car and wake me and my daughter up. I do not understand if I'm paying for the site, why it matters where we sleep!! The following night was better, by then we had set up tent, I wasn't wanting to deal with that ranger again. Still the loud music well past quiet hours, but no disturbances by rangers that night. Overall, we did have fun at this park, which explains the 3 stars. The playground and beaches are nice and clean. However, the bathrooms are disgusting, and one my daughter even refused to go into. She's not one to complain-it was that gross. I'm not sure if I will be returning to this campground specifically, but really like the area and may return to a surrounding site. read more

When I was growing up, in the 1980's, we'd go to this park at least once a summer. The water was pristine and the campground was beautiful. How things have changed! Now the park is peopled with drunks, the camp spaces are dirty and slime clings to every surface under the water due to the gigantic flock of Canadian Geese that now make the lake its permanent home. In fact, while we were there, the lake was closed to swimming due to Swimmers Itch. This used to be a gem in the desert, but not anymore. I do want to say that during winter they close the road to Deep Lake and every winter my family walks that road from Park Lake to Deep Lake. It's a wonderful walk (during low snow years - as is usual), we often see deer and quail and sometimes wild horses and once we saw a bobcat. There are also some very nice hiking trails around Perch Lake and Umatilla Rock - which is best done in the shoulder seasons due to the heat in summer. This used to be the best camping in Washington State, and it's a shame that it still isn't. Because of budget cuts, the State Park system has really gotten the ax and that is probably why there are currently so many problems with this park. In the future, I hope this changes because this park used to be a Shangri La in the desert. read more

I came here the first time about 10 years ago when I was a teenager and had a blast. I got a group of friends together to come here this past labor day weekend. I was surprised I was even able to get a campsite here only a month or so in advanced. It was pretty much how I remembered it. You have to sleep on the gravel and somehow fit your cars in there too. My Advice: Bring an air mattress Bring quarters for the showers (3 mins for $.50) Bring bee traps/ bug spray! (The bees were terrible! One day we left the trap out and came back that night from the beach and we literally had about 40+ in the trap! The next night was a little less. I don't know if it was due to a busy weekend and a lot of people but as soon as that sun came up there were swarming our campsite table UGH!) Basically bring as much as you possibly can think of because the little general store is a ripe off! $3.50 FOR ONE BAG OF ICE that you can get at the store for $.99..geez.. The beaches are nice and grassy. The water felt amazing! On Sunday, we were all on the beach and I saw a plume of black smoke all of a sudden and flames from across the lake. Apparently, a brush fire started in a field right across from the cabin/ mobile home area. YIKES! No one was hurt but it sure was scary. Glad we didn't have to evacuate!! read more

Unkept. I will say that we stayed at the end of the busy season. That said, the place was acceptable although filled with a prickly something weed that finds its way to your feet and for sure, your dogs feet. That sucked! Beware and don't have high expectations or you'll be disappointed. read more

I will list to make it easier to read: Pros: -Beautiful scenery -Tons of restrooms and showers -Boat launch -two beaches (very nice too) -General store on site -Golfing Cons: -Seems like a teen to mid 20s hangout (loud) someone got arrested when I was there and people say thats common -Campsites are the smallest I have seen with no privacy -Your not aloud to put your tent on the grass you have to put it on rocks (yes rocks, you sleep on rocks) -The wind was bad, I saw tents rolling over, we had a canopy with us and it broke, impossible to sleep in it I thought my tent was going to collapse in the middle of the night and some peoples did -Bathrooms are gross, they were not cleaned while I was there and I'll let you guess what a bunch of drink kids did in there -Showers are only luke warm water -lake is only good till about 2 PM and thats when the wind picks up -Wifi is not usable, too weak (personally not big deal) -Cost just as much as nice camp grounds (stayed labor day weekend for $110 3 nights) To sum it up visit here for the scenery but do yourself a favor and reserve a sight at another close camp ground. My family was so disappointed we left a day early even though we still payed for it. read more

Debbie L on 5/1016 starts out like this: "...First off, if your gonna complain about mosquitos, bees, flies, raccoons, deer, or snakes....please save everyone the hassle of going camping in the first place. Frankly, no one wants to hear about it...." And yet she finishes her review COMPLAINING ABOUT BIRD POOP?!?!?! There is TOO MUCH BIRD POOP??? Is this even for real?? Am I the only one that sees the absurd irony in that?? And then adds "I wish they would do something about it..." Seriously? Like what, install restrooms for the birds? Or pay someone go out there to pick it up so you dont have to possibly encounter bird poop?? Or maybe you should bring little poopy bags and do us all a favor and clean it up!? (Although I personally in 30+ years have never noticed it to be an issue... silly me) Wow - I think we have identified who should stay home! Sorry to break it to you DEBBIE L - but out in the world there are wild animals, and they (much like you) POOP!! But apparently their's is not bound up inside them prompting ridiculous review comments. Sorry, I had to say something... As for Sun Lakes, one of the best commercial camp areas in the state, been going for nearly 40yrs and it never disappoints!! Cant wait to go back next year! read more

The dock area and water at Sun Lakes was very nice. The campgrounds on the other hand were the opposite. You're not allowed to put up your tents on the grass, only on the gravel. There are hard, pointy spikes all over the ground (that even deflated our friends air mattress). They also go through your flip flops and hurt! The tables are tied to the ground, which makes it difficult for a large group to sit all together. During our visit, the park ranger pulled us over and gave us a $240 ticket for having five people in the car with out seat belts. We were driving to the dock to unload our jet skis, while going 20 mph so we didn't think it was necessary. BUT, he did not pull over a man in a truck with five girls sitting in the open trunk. ' There was also a terrible wind/lightening storm that took place the last night we were there and it blew EVERYTHING away. Our tents collapsed, the food was destroyed, we were taking cover in the bathroom for an hour. But the park rangers never came and checked on us, or anyone for that fact. They stayed in their little hut and didn't even go to see if anyone was hurt. At the beginning of the storm, three kids ran to our car and told us their parents were still biking on the hill, WE had to go inform the park rangers what had happened with the family. That is there job to take care of their parks and the people who visit them; not to give tickets to campers for the smallest problems. It was complete bs. read more

Alright let me set the stage here: I went here as a kid about 15 years ago and had some great memories. Fast forward to last weekend, when I returned to camp with several other couples and some old college buddies.I read every review here and on trip advisor, and I'll try to add a bit of fairness to these reviews. We reserved about 3 months in advance of our late June stay, and it was a scorcher out there. First, the Good: Shade was actually quite decent, which was much needed when it got hot out. Perhaps we got lucky with our selected sites, but it seemed that all sites except the group sites had reasonable shade throughout the day. The bathrooms near us were actually quite clean for campground bathrooms, and I've seen worse even at other state campgrounds. A couple volunteer site hosts came by when we set up and mentioned the best places for us to swim, they were actually very kind. You can throw baseballs and frisbees on the golf course, so long as it's after the last tee time and you stay off the green - someone in our group brought a glow in the dark frisbee which was awesome at night. Swimming was amazing at deep lake down the road and you are in perfect position to hike to Dry Falls. This campground was ideal for our tents since neighboring Sun Lakes Resort is a RV town, as is Steamboat Rock. The Bad: swimming from the main beach is mediocre. Nothing anyone can do about it - it's a stale lake with a decent amount of algae and bird poop in it (I would equate this to swimming in Greenlake - which plenty of people do). However... if you swim from the docks nearby in Sun Lakes Resort, or from Deep Lake down the road, you will enjoy yourself handsomely. One couple in our group was stopped late one night after returning from the Grand Coulee Laser show for passing a stop sign (at 11pm). The ranger was polite to not ticket, but be warned that they do take traffic laws seriously. Someone mentioned the showers were not too great, and only had hot water (no cold option in the summer?). Additional notes: Yes, like others mention, you cannot pitch your tent on the grass. For what it's worth, many campgrounds do this, because with the heat the tents would surely kill all of those patches of grass. We brought a tarp for underneath the tent and it was just fine. Sites are plenty private as any eastern Washington campground will get. Bugs... well we got lucky with very few mosquitoes, which likely was due to the drought and heat. Also, someone else mentioned in a review that the tables are chained... they in fact are not as of 6/24/15 - none in the campground were. One final note: I feel like the reviews here pay tribute to the fact that your experience at this campground is factor of SO MANY things - the time of year, recent rain and it's affect on bugs, campers nearby that are obnoxious or pleasant, and certainly the people you chose to camp with. Maybe we got lucky, but we had a wonderful experience, and it seemed that everyone camping near us did as well. But don't take my or anyone else's word for it - get out there and go camping! read more

3rd year coming here now and I must say its been great every time! The only reason I'm not giving a 5star rating is due to the police in the area. My only complaint is the police here apparently have nothing better to do then to give visitors speeding tickets. Last year my friend drove and we got a speeding ticked for going 4mph over the posted 30mph limit. Yesterday I got a ticket for doing 5mph over the posted limit of 10mph and it was while I was looking for my camp site..... WTF?!?!? The officer was friendly but really??? I was going 15mph... I though it was very ridicules. read more

Not my favorite campground in the world. It is dusty and crowded and doesn't feel the least bit like being 'out in nature' BUT it is the place to stay to take advantage of the area. There are some great hikes and lakes nearby that are so great that I try to make it out here every couple of years even though I now live out of state. I have looked before, and couldn't find anything better - so I keep coming back and staying at Sun Lakes. And then trying to spend as much time away from the campground as possible! read more

The police are ridiculous. We were going 36 down to the lake in what felt like a freeway. We were pulled over and told not to come back by a police officer! read more

In response to other reviews: The park is patrolled for a reason. It is NEEDED! I have witnessed some unreal Darwin Award winning activity at this campground over the years. Can't people just behave and not get trashed and be loud and stupid? People, you should never leave your food out. Duh! Of course the seagulls ate your hamburger buns. Really, what did you think would happen? Even in the city. Don't leave your food out unattended! You should always put it away. Leaving food out encourages the animals to come and make themselves a nuisance. Hello yellow jackets (which some of you are calling "bees." They are wasps.) Be responsible campers and store your food in your car. It's camping. You sleep on the ground. The ground is hard. Stay at a hotel if this is not your cup of tea. Yeah, it's crowded here. If this really irks you, there is always the option of reserving two sites... Park your cars between your stuff and your neighbors. Although, you may find you like your neighbors and they join you for some "campfire talk" It's true, the pay off is the beautiful landscape and utterly swimmable water. And obey the speed limit and you won't get kicked out. I believe the road down to the park and resort is 15 mph. read more

We were here for Memorial Day weekend. Amazing place. We were in 173 and 174. Was very windy and rainy. We weren't well prepared and left a day early. We rented paddle boats and it was so much fun. Will be back some other time. Lot of mosquitoes ...take repellent. read more

The park itself is great. Lots of lakes and hikes to explore. But stay elsewhere. These are not great tent sites at all -- dusty, small, and without much privacy. Steamboat Rock nearby is infinitely superior... if you can get a site. read more

Sun Lakes, looks like an oasis from far away. But right when we got out of our car we were attacked by mosquito's. So put your bug spray before you get there. Its probably because the campsites are right by a swamp. But it has an awesome play area for kids and there's a water park one city over and the dam is not to far too and they do a light show there at night at the dam. Second thing I did not like there was the wind at night was so strong our tent collapsed on us. read more

The scenery is beautiful and lake lake is stunning along with the view around, yet it is not a safe environment to be camping at, the park rangers are rude, the rangers kept an eye on us 24/7 waiting for us to make a mistake, and we got ticketed for dumb reason The campground is full of tiny sharp needles that poke through your shoes, tents, air mattresses, etc. and you are not allowed to put your tents on the grass, which made the campsites very small. It was not fun walking around barefoot. The night before we left, we encountered a wind/sand/lightening/thunder storm which blew all our tents away, trashed all of our stuff, and had us hiding out in the bathrooms until the storm eventually went away. We had a couple of friends do the RANGERS' JOBS and go look for anyone out lost in the middle of the storm while the rangers sat in their office's doing nothing about it, and didn't go searching for anyone to make sure people were okay. And when the storm went away, no one bothered to come ask if we were okay! It seemed like all they cared about was their revenues and not about the people there. When we complained to them, they gave us a cabin and charge us for it even after going through hell and back during the storm, and they were very rude about it. Also, when we were driving down to the docks to unload our jet skis, we got pulled over for having 5 people w/o seat belts on but we were only going on a half mile drive at 15 mph and got a $240 ticket, which his excuse was "I'm looking out for your safety" yet seized to come check on us after the storm, and after the ticket we felt as though we were being watched 24/7. Don't get me wrong, Sun Lakes is a beautiful place, but I do not recommend you going camping there. The weather is unpredictable and the service is shit along with the campsites. read more

Fantastic park. We were there for 8 days in August - we hiked, biked, swam in the lake a lot. Had the entire family - 2 boys (1.5 and 7 yrs old), two dogs, and me and my wife. We had a blast. Hot days, some awesome thunderstorms at night, some calm nights. We stayed WAY in the back of the park - we were on the edge - it was quiet and peaceful, even over the weekend when the park filled up. Beautiful area, tons to do outdoors, lots of biking around the park. Great place and very family friendly (i.e. quiet, clean, and safe for kids). read more

Would not recommend tent camping here to anyone! 1) sites TINY, cramped, lack privacy 2) not much shade, you will be in the direct sun for most of the day because they cut the branches off the trees 3) wind storms at night are violent! we were not prepared for this at all. we couldn't have campfires because of the wind and were forced to cook some of our meals in the tent. the wind storms kept us up for 4 out of 6 of the nights we were there and the metal poles of our shade tent were actually snapped clean in half, had to throw it away. 4) have to sent up your tent on the dirt- the dust gets everywhere, especially when the wind gets going. The only good thing about the wind was that it kept the mosquitoes away! The beach/lake area was ok. It was convenient to walk to from camp and there were some picnic tables and shady trees. it was peaceful during the week when the campground was nearly vacant. However, the water was GROSS and Swimmer's itch was inevitable. The only good thing was that the campground cleared out from sunday afternoon-thursday but then the trail park moved in. sites crammed with 3-4 tents, upwards of 10 people per site, blasting music, trashing the bathrooms (which do not get cleaned very often), kids and dogs running around everywhere with no adult supervision, and people walking directly through your site with no regard for your privacy or respect for your vacation. We left a day early. read more

We had a great time. Great place with a trailer. Water in the lake was very nice.

An absolute hidden gem. We were there for 10 days and had a blast. The lakes are just amazing and the "dry falls" are an absolute sight to behold. They are on error 400 feet tall and more than 3 miles long something like 4x the size of Niagara Falls. We hiked way up to the caves, the view was heart stopping. The park itself was great! The spots were quite large (don't understand what others meant by small. ) We could have parked our trailer sideways. Yes it's gravel but even with a bit of wind it wasn't dusty, we didn't track it in but it does get in flip flops lol. Just like everywhere else haha. The Rangers were very nice as was the park staff. We did not feel like they "watched" us at all. There was only 1 problem person and it was handled quickly and quietly. We also did not feel as thought there were tons of rangers. There was even a wildfire on the resort side (started by a dumbass) and it was amazing to watch everyone take care of the problem in nothing flat. By the time the fire department got there from coulee city the fire was already out. All in all it was a fantastic stay! I have recommended this place to everyone. read more

Sun Lakes State Park - Dry Falls and one of the many lakes - Campgrounds Near Me - Coulee City, Washington

The bad: My wife made a reservation back in Feb for this camp ground. She specifically requested a tent site large enough for two tents since we have 6 people in our family. We drove from Seattle to Sun Lakes (roughly 4hrs with a lunch stop) to find we had been assigned a pull through RV site in section E an area not in the main part of the campground. This area is mainly for RVs and a group site. Also, section E has no trees and no shade and NO tents on the grass. None of this was stated when we booked the reservation. Basically, we were left with the proposition of setting up on the gravel drive and roasting in the direct sun. Make sure you check your site section when booking. Unless you really need full hook up don't even book this section. The Good: Dry Falls... amazing, incredible, worth the drive itself. The lakes for swimming, fishing, etc. read more

We come here at least once every year for the past 7 years. First off, if your gonna complain about mosquitos, bees, flies, raccoons, deer, or snakes....please save everyone the hassle of going camping in the first place. Frankly, no one wants to hear about it. Second, if you like hot weather in the summer and a cool lake that you can sit and relax in or a little mini golf game, it's absolutely beautiful here. Everyone who we have met that works here has given us a pleasant experience. And yes, they are strict about their driving rules as far as speeding and running stop signs, but it's their job to make sure they are protecting the public. I've gotten a ticket myself already. There isn't much of any privacy at this site but people are very respectful around here and mind their own. It does have many areas that offer decent shade, but you have to know where to look. It does get pretty windy at times, but most of it occurs in the evenings so be prepared and know if you have a sturdy tent when it's needed, or you'll be up through most the night trying to keep your tent from collapsing. One of my only complaints that I would have is I hate the bird poop that they have in the park. I wish there was something they would do about it and make it more appealing to want to be there. It's the only reason I've rated it a 4. Otherwise we plan to continue coming every year and enjoy what beauty this place has to offer. Hope this helps. read more

We always make our reservations for Memorial Day weekend way too late because we aren't sure what the weather is going to be like. We decided to risk it this year by booking something east of the Cascades and hoping for better weather. There were only a few campgrounds left by the time we decided to book and Sun Lakes looked like it had the most interesting activities and hikes nearby. While we did have a very nice stay, I probably wouldn't stay here again. The campsites here are very small and you aren't allowed to put your tents on the grass, so we managed to cram two cars and two tents on our gravel area (like everyone else in the campground). The bathrooms were extremely dirty just due to the sheer volume of people there over the holiday weekend. You need to bring your own hand soap and sanitizer, since they don't stock the bathrooms here. They did have a nice little store and there is a resort next door that has activities (like mini golf) for the kids. If you do stay here, try to get one of the sites number 58-88, they are newer and much nicer (and you have to share the bathroom with fewer people). We did a hike over at Beacon Rock State Park and that campground is much nicer, with much bigger campsites, so I think that would be our first choice next time for a stay. read more

The "Rangers" dont care about your safety which ruined our whole trip! They just want to give tickets so they can make money. They really suck and should be talked to. Its nice there but the rangers ruin your trip. And the bee's there are crazy! They follow you everywhere. My friend got stung! read more

I was skeptic about going to Sun Lakes after reading the reviews here but thought I would still give it a try. After one night of our 3 day camping trip we left the next day, the scenery is beautiful and the weather was great, clear sky and the water was wonderful. The problem was the camp site, you are surrounded by other campers, no privacy and the only thing that separates you is your vehicle from your neighbors. The camp grounds are hard, dusty and deep slopes not "slight slopes". Even though they tell you quite time is from 10 pm to 6 am it never happens, everyone around us was loud and my wife and I didn't get any sleep, only time we got real sleep was in the sun the next day. During the day people where having radio wars with each other, seeing who's car stereos where louder than the next, it would've been ok if it was music you could understand. If you're going to camp there take lots of friends so you can all have an area all to yourself and I don't mean another family, I am talking 4 or 6 more families. This is a great place during the day but we will never go there again for camping. read more

very cool hike to check out the many caves! simple and not too hard to do. make sure when you think you have seen the last one, to continue on....the best is saved for last! bring water! :) awesome views! read more

Sun Lakes is in the Grand Coulee corridor in Central Washington. These are 'ancient lakes' created during the time of the great floods that came thru central Washington. These lakes existed BEFORE Banks Lake north of Coulee City was man made. There seems to be less and less personal identity for each lake. There are no road signs saying the names of these ancient lakes as you drive by each one. on Hwy 17 Yes, there is a grouping of several small lakes that can be seen from the Dry Falls observatory. They are Deep Lake, Dry Falls lake; Dusty lake Rainbow Lake. They were all there before l950;s irrigation project began. Then Park Lake; Blue Lake, Alkali Lake; Lake Lenore and Soap Lake complete the chain and also have been there to time indefinite. All modern day recordings of their names seem to be disappearing and the fallacy that the seepage of Banks Lake has created them is appearing in reliable books like Pacific Northwest Audobon under Eastern Washington Parks and Preserves states"Although its lakes are filled with water channeled from the Grand Coulee Dam irrigation project into former canyons and low spots". Maps of Washington (road maps and birding maps) no longer list the names of each individual lake. Again, these are ANCIENT LAKES which in my mind makes the corridor ever so much more significant and why it is being overlooked by those in charge of maps and state parks is a not a mystery. The Bureau of Reclamation claims that all ground water in this region is because of their creation of the irrigation system and by denying the existence of the ancient lakes they can lay claim to all underground water and utilize the water from underground pumps to add to their irrigation. Notice that the 1st three lakes (Soap Lake, Lake Lenore, and Alkali Lake are all depleted in water. There is a huge pumping system between Soap Lake and Lake Lenore that moves all water between the lakes into the North end Soap Lake siphon. So on your next trip to the Grand Coulee Corridor and the Sun Lakes, really recognize the true significance of these Ancient Lakes. read more