Lodgepole Campground (Washington)

We have camped at Lodgepole on and off for 40 years. It is a nice quiet campground and if you don't mind real camping (no hook-ups) it is a relaxing place to stay.

We have camped at Lodgepole on and off for 40 years. It is a nice quiet campground and if you don't mind real camping (no hook-ups) it is a relaxing place to stay.

The campground and campsite was very well upkeep, the campground host was very polite and helpful, and it was calming hearing the sound of the stream at night as I was falling asleep!

The campground and campsite was very well upkeep, the campground host was very polite and helpful, and it was calming hearing the sound of the stream at night as I was falling asleep!

The campground is nice. Our spot was clean and easy to park in. We enjoyed walking down to the river. We thought our site would be right on the river as per the on-line map; but you couldn't access the river from our site. We were disappointed to see how many of the sites were reserved but "no shows." Like many people, we like to camp and struggle to get reservations. Its hard to see empty reserved sites. We would like to see a way for unoccupied campsites to be listed as open if the reserving party hasn't arrived by a given time, for example 5:00 pm. There are 34 campsites at this location, all were reserved, and only 7 were occupied our second night.
A big "con." We were very disappointed in the quality of bathroom maintenance. They were not ever cleaned or swept in the three days we were camping there and the men's never did have any toilet paper. We are ok with vault toilets, but this mess was a deal breaker for us.

The campground is nice. Our spot was clean and easy to park in. We enjoyed walking down to the river. We thought our site would be right on the river as per the on-line map; but you couldn't access the river from our site. We were disappointed to see how many of the sites were reserved but "no shows." Like many people, we like to camp and struggle to get reservations. Its hard to see empty reserved sites. We would like to see a way for unoccupied campsites to be listed as open if the reserving party hasn't arrived by a given time, for example 5:00 pm. There are 34 campsites at this location, all were reserved, and only 7 were occupied our second night.
A big "con." We were very disappointed in the quality of bathroom maintenance. They were not ever cleaned or swept in the three days we were camping there and the men's never did have any toilet paper. We are ok with vault toilets, but this mess was a deal breaker for us.

campground was clean and well kept and the campers abided by the rules set forth.

campground was clean and well kept and the campers abided by the rules set forth.

This was our family's first time to the Mount Rainier area. Keep in mind that Lodgepole is just outside MRNP but is still in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. We stayed two nights at Lodgepole.

Lodgepole is east of the park, and about a 35-minute drive from Sunset, one of the more breathtaking locations in the park. You will ascend the road toward Naches Peak, then go down the switchbacks on the SW side before entering the park and climbing again toward Sunset.

My children and I were there to visit MRNP, so our reference points are in terms of the campground's distance from the activities there. The American River crawls around the edge of the campground's sites. There was a strict ban on all campfires (even in pits/rings) so we were not able to enjoy this part of the camping experience but still had a wonderful time.

On the 2nd evening of our stay, we drove to the Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap Trailhead (just a few hundred yards from the Naches Peak Summit on Highway 410) and busted out our telescope to check out the nighttime views. Washington in the summer has a fairly late astronomical twilight (well after 11pm) so this made for a late night to bed, but it was one of many varied activities one can enjoy in and near this campsite.

We would definitely return again!

This was our family's first time to the Mount Rainier area. Keep in mind that Lodgepole is just outside MRNP but is still in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. We stayed two nights at Lodgepole.

Lodgepole is east of the park, and about a 35-minute drive from Sunset, one of the more breathtaking locations in the park. You will ascend the road toward Naches Peak, then go down the switchbacks on the SW side before entering the park and climbing again toward Sunset.

My children and I were there to visit MRNP, so our reference points are in terms of the campground's distance from the activities there. The American River crawls around the edge of the campground's sites. There was a strict ban on all campfires (even in pits/rings) so we were not able to enjoy this part of the camping experience but still had a wonderful time.

On the 2nd evening of our stay, we drove to the Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap Trailhead (just a few hundred yards from the Naches Peak Summit on Highway 410) and busted out our telescope to check out the nighttime views. Washington in the summer has a fairly late astronomical twilight (well after 11pm) so this made for a late night to bed, but it was one of many varied activities one can enjoy in and near this campsite.

We would definitely return again!