Reviews

Hannah Bernadelli

We had an excellent time camping at this beautiful campground. We stayed in spot #6 along the water. I will say there was foot traffic being so close to the river. But it was so magical being so close to it. Our site felt huge! I marked down on service only to say that it felt like we didn’t see much ranger presence, besides the singular ranger from the first booth who I once saw walking to the station. Not their fault I’m sure and I am definitely no expert on staffing for the area, but in the two days we were there the main station did seem closed. However rules are posted in every place possible. Emphasizing that trash and coolers must be stored in vehicles or the Bear Boxes (brown metal boxes set on each site), when not actively outside and on the campsite. There are dumpsters to dispose of your trash bags. There were plenty of young couples and families staying mid to late week in the summer, as we did. I will say to parents beware of speedy drivers, and remind your kids about the buddy system! If you get the chance to stay at one of these sites even for a night it is stunning! Drivers, be aware of how quickly the pavement turns to rocky roads once you turn on to N Lake Cushman Dr. Also, your vehicle will most definitely get dirty. The #1 thing I learned about camping growing up is that you’re going to get dirty, but you’re going to have fun!

Claudia Berry

We had site 46A. To be honest I loved this campground. The rangers came by to tell us there were dear and not feed them. They walk around doing checks (very friendly). It was very peaceful with the ability to hear the water everyday. Nobody was loud at night or rude. Everyone had space to park cars when we went so nobody was blocking an area (thank you for following rule). Space wise the campsites also didn’t feel crowded!! The bathrooms are both flush and pit toilets. There is potable water for cleaning dishes. No towels in the bathroom naturally. No showers. The bathrooms didn’t smell great, but we did see someone coming by to clean them, so it wasn’t unbearable. Naturally just the odor of a small bathroom with no real ventilation. On sunny days the sunlight shined dead center on our camp site so maybe bring sunscreen. We did do the trails around, but I wasn’t a fan of the shady lanes trails because it only leads to a road, so we turned around. Love the staircase loop trail, so I am leaving another review there! Let’s see…. I think that might be it. I fit my entire car plus two tents on our campsite but still had room for another and neighbors were dope. No complaints. We didn’t have electric but my friend had solar lights.. definitely bring light.

Michael Ross Thornton

Quiet and peaceful campground, pretty much every site is shaded by giant trees. We got lucky with the walk-in site #14, right on the river with a little step down to a private-ish pebble beach.

Ro-bert

A beautiful place to see and visit. The stars are visible at night. Park Rangers have event walks and education shows on the Olympics Mt. Which are great for visitors. But, No showers for campers. if you camp you will find the camp grounds are a bit rough, there are rocks and tree roots sticking outside our tent area, that are trip hazards. But it's ok, great little trails. Gravel road is a few miles long from the lake, which is super dusty. Wish they would pave this and add hot showers. Nice to try once. It was a positive to have no cell service, gave us a real vacation from our device, but the ranger station should have a small store that sells ice, and a few snacks, and wifi, for emergencies.

Mimi M

My husband and I stayed here in the beginning of May 2024, at this time there was no reservation process it was first come first serve. The dirt road leading to the campsite in our opinion wasn't bad at all. Bumpy and we were in a Tacoma Pro so we didn't really have any concerns. We arrived Friday night around 10pm and at this time there was maybe 5-6 sites open for reserving. Since there was no attendant we paid our fees at the site entrance. As far as I am aware cash was not accepted at the self service station, we simply wrote down our card information. It was $24/night and we purchased the 7 day Olympic park pass for $30. Total of $78 for two nights. We do not have a discover pass so I am unsure if that would have satisfied the parking pass. The campground was very nice, the fire pit had a grill on it which is always nice. The bathrooms were not open since it was out of season but they looked nice from the outside, no showers as far as I am aware. They had single stall restrooms for use. We stayed on site #48 and didn't have any neighbors for our stay. If we were to return we would have chosen site #15 or #17 as those sites were right on the water but regardless the water was very accessible. We hiked stair case loop for about 3-4 miles and turned around, we loved every moment of it, we are definitely in good shape but I am recovering from a stress fracture so we didn't reach flap jack lake like we wanted. The trail was a little congested in the beginning mostly people just getting out and enjoying the nice weather. The further we went the less people we saw, we did chat with some people who came from the opposite direction I am unsure where the entrance would be traveling from the other direction, we also saw a few hikers who had stayed the night at flap jack lake. My husband and I are not hikers in this sense but it was cool to know if we ever wanted to hike somewhere and stay the night this may be a place we would consider. I've seen a few reviews about the rangers giving people a hard time and can attest that this is accurate. My husband and I did not have a single issue come up but we did witness a ranger driving through the camp sites and confiscating multiple unattended coolers. I truly believe they are just doing their job, I can only imagine how frightening it would be to have to put down a wild animal because people are careless or worse arriving to a campsite to find someone badly injured or dead. They do this because they've seen worst case scenarios and securing your food and beverages seems like an easy way to prevent this. Each time we cooked we cleaned everything and secured it in our vehicle. When we went hiking we put everything back in the truck besides tent and sleeping system. For a single camper I'm sure it maybe tough considering running to the bathroom or taking your dog for a walk and having to leave your site unattended-good luck they may have little more lee way in this situation. All in all, the rangers do not play. Check out was at 11 am and on our way out there was lots of places to stop to enjoy Cushman Lake, nice stair cases that lead to the water and plenty of picnic tables. I recommend stopping, if it was warmer we would have paddle boarded but it's the beginning of May. Maybe next time.

David Conaway

Fun park for hiking and camping however it's super busy and they charge $30 per car for entry. Camp spots are spread out, we found one on the river with a little privacy, which was nice. Bathrooms are clean and the park is well cared for. There are tons of different hikes around the area to explore.

Douglas M

I love hitting this spot outside of the busy season. Had maybe 4 spots taken and was nice and quiet. Bathrooms are clean, camping spots well taken care of. Definitely a beautiful area to visit. Just know it can be impossible to find a spot on nice days or holidays. Those complaining about the park rangers, maybe you should follow the rules and you won't have any issues. I had a ticket once for leaving my campfire unattended but that's my own fault and I knew the risk. When you camp alone, there isn't anyone to watch the fire when I gotta take the dog for a stroll to find the perfect pooping spot.

Angie

Sites near the river are a bit more muddy after a rainy day. Plenty of space for up to three tents comfortably. The fireplace and vault bathrooms are available during colder months and were clean when we arrived.

Shannon Reisenauer

Great hiking. Very busy on the weekend. Hard to find parking. No cell service.

KJ Jones

Love it here and will come back any chance I get!