Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground

The location was so convenient to Elbe for the train ride and Mt. Rainier National Park hiking. The campsite was clean, the water clean, and the staff was very kind and helpful. They even had extension cords for our camper to reach the electric. We really enjoyed our time there and would return. The showers they provide are $2.00 for 5 minutes FYI. We used our camper though. It was very clean, everywhere!

The word campground is being generous. It was more of a parking lot, and I’ve slept in nicer parking lots than this. $58 for a primitive site that was right on top of your neighbors. Everybody was crammed in like sardines and people continuously walked through our site. There was no clean water anywhere on site. The water that was advertised ran brown. Vault toilets only. And I paid $58 for one night and you’re going to charge me for showers? Between the people, the illegal fireworks, and the oddly loud frogs, we barely slept. Camper be ware, we felt like we’d been duped.

We stayed at Lions Den Campground in late June while visiting Mount Rainier National Park, and it ended up being a great last-minute place to stay for two nights. The campground has a nice view of the lake, and the hosts were incredibly friendly and helpful. One of the biggest highlights was the shower house—$2 for a hot, five-minute shower was well worth it, and the facilities were very clean and appeared to be fairly new. The drop toilets were also clean and well maintained.

Saturday night was a little busy with a few louder families nearby, but everyone quieted down around 10:00 PM. By Sunday night, the campground was practically empty, making for a peaceful and relaxing evening. There is also a small market within walking distance, which was convenient for picking up a few essentials and some reasonably priced beer.

The campground wasn't quite what I had pictured when I booked it, but that's mostly because I was expecting a wooded campground similar to those inside Mount Rainier National Park. Instead, it's a more open campground with fewer trees. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing—it just wasn't what I had imagined.

A few minor downsides were that our tent site wasn't very level, the fire pits didn't have grill grates for cooking, and the campground firewood was a bit overpriced.

Overall, this was a convenient, affordable, and well-maintained campground that worked out great as a basecamp for exploring Mount Rainier. If you're looking for a clean place to stay close to the park and don't mind a more open campground setting, I'd definitely recommend it.

We camped at Mineral Lake Lions Den Campground over Memorial Day weekend (May 26–28) with two adults, two tents, and one vehicle, and had a terrific lakefront camping experience. The campground was easy to find, check-in was smooth, and reservations were simple to make online with instant confirmation. Sites are fairly close together, well maintained, with picnic tables and fire pits. The campground was clean and well organized throughout our stay. Bathrooms were very clean and well stocked, and firewood was available for purchase on-site when needed. Camp hosts were friendly, helpful, and present. We had good cell service (about 3 to 4 bars), and quiet hours were generally respected. The lake was the highlight, with easy dock access, great wildlife, and conditions ranging from choppy to glass calm. There’s a small local store within walking distance for basics, but it’s best to bring most of your own food as dining options nearby are limited unless you drive into Ashford, Elbe, or Eatonville. Overall, it’s a well-run, clean, and scenic campground ideal for a relaxed lake stay, fishing, boating or paddling. I'd be happy to camp here again! We had a terrific camping experience.

Heavily over priced for what it is. Each tent site is just gravel. No privacy at all.. Definitely not worth the price. There should be some type of privacy in between the sites . Never again.. not worth the 150 bucks for 3 nights we left early because of the situation..