Cascade Peaks Family Campground

We arrived on a Saturday afternoon to find the office closed and nothing posted for us to help us locate our site or to indicate a self-check in was expected. We eventually found someone zipping around on a golf cart who went into the office, but when I approached her, she said the office was closed. I pleaded my case that we had just arrived and had not checked in nor did we have directions to locate our campsite; she decided to let me in and gave me a map with a highlighted route to the river-side site we had requested. However, when we arrived at the site on narrow, dusty, bumpy interior roads, there were 2 or three sites all appearing to share the utilities (elec & water) and there was a picnic table blocking what appeared to be the entrance to our assigned site. It was not at all clear where we were supposed to park and what appeared to be our site was uneven and too short for our vehicle (even though we had provided a vehicle length in our reservation request).

So even though the view from the site was nice, we decided to see if we could be moved to another site that could accommodate our rig, was easier to access and more level. Back to the office we went, and again no one was there, so we tried calling the office (and the secondary phone number provided on the answering machine) with no luck. While we waited for a callback from someone, a car arrived at the office and appeared to be someone who might be able to help so we followed her in as she opened the office again. She was very helpful and accommodating and told us we could take any available site we wanted, so we moved into one of the full hookup sites and decided to stay there for the week. While the site was next to the road (road noise), it was much better accommodations than the tiny riverside site we'd been assigned, so we stayed there for the week.

Pros: helpful office staff - when you can reach them. The office manager called us back the following day to check on what site we chose, and she made sure we got a refund since the FHU sites were cheaper than the river-side site we'd originally been assigned. Full hookup sites are nice and level. Cell service is very good (important since we were working during the week), but no WiFi. Views from the river are nice and there are a couple elk that seem to live around the grounds which are dotted with many lovely large old trees, and the sites away from the road are generally quieter than in the roadside area.

Cons: difficult check-in when no one is there to help (it is offseason, so they apparently have limited staffing); sites have not all been well maintained, especially in the non-FHU areas and there is debris and litter scattered throughout (appeared not much grooming has been done recently); many sites are uneven and rustic, though there are others that are fine. Everything looks worn and a little shabby; many long-term or seasonal residents, some of whom have chained off their sites to prevent someone from using them (site selection is otherwise first-come-first served unless you reserve ahead) and some of the RVs on those sites look shabby and not regularly maintained. Laundry had only one (out of 3) functioning dryers; there was a gentleman lingering by the laundry who may or may not have been a resident here and had some hygiene issues, so we opted not to even try to use the laundry facility. Garbage/dumpster areas were overflowing when we arrived, but were emptied some time during the week. FHU sites are noisy (road noise from a lot of truck traffic), but fine at night, especially with earplugs.

The staff was nice but may not be in the office during regular hours. This park is very large and there are a lot of people living here (not exactly family vacation friendly). So many sites that you can show up at any time to have a place to stay. Close to packwood and so it’s good for visiting the park! I just don’t believe this is a “family” campground.

We booked last minute as we were headed back east after a three month road trip. We stayed about 45 minutes east of here when we first came to explore my rainier NP. I wish we would of found this place then. We’ve stayed at many campgrounds from coats to coast over the last few months. Everything from fancy resorts to basic boondocking and this is one of our favorites so far. WiFi is only available in a few spots within the park (fine by us ….. it’s camping right?). There is great Verizon coverage so you can still stream a movie if you’d like. The camp store is great and reasonably priced. The staff is great and the bathrooms were clean. I got the old school campground vibe there. Lots of kids having fun I. The pools and on the zipline. The price? Can’t beat it at 39 bucks. I’d recommend this place to anyone. We’re not picky though. Lots of open spaces even in mid August. Great location as well. Packwood is right down the street with a cool down town markets, restaurants,etc.

We decided to camp here as a home base for Mt. Rainier NP. The closest entrance is about 45 minutes away and the cell signal allowed us to work remotely. We called ahead to ensure availability and were told that reservations were not necessary if we were not here on a holiday weekend.

Great: We arrived and had our pick of sites. This park is massive and has multiple sections. You can have shade, river views, close quarters or an open field. The riverside sites were limited but made the park worth it. Verizon speeds varied but the best was 153 mbps down and 15 mbps up. T-mobile was worthless. There is a pool but we preferred the river accesses. The camp store is well stocked and the staff are friendly.

Not Great: Bugs, especially mosquitos and flies were pervasive, The dirt roads did kick up dust no matter how slow people ride by. The restrooms were not well taken care of. The worst thing was we were here during a heat wave and the power fluxuated frequently. Our bulldog surge protector did not like it and even when we removed the bulldog from the system and tried other power connections, we could not keep the power on to keep the AC running. We asked the office to take a look but as far as we could tell, no one ever came to look. This meant we did not feel safe leaving our pups in the camper while we went to explore Mt. Rainier. There is a kennel in the area but they board outside. We were able to get out of the camper in the hottest part of the afternoon and enjoy the river. The dogs loved it and we loved the cool water.

Local Tips: The town of Packwood is about 10 minutes away. It has a grocery store, Liquor Store and Packwood Brewing Co. We visited the brewery a few times and the beer was good. They had wine and cider options also. On the other side of Packwood is White Pass Taproom and Taqueria that was dog friendly outside, great service and the carnitas tacos were awesome.

This is hands down the largest private campground in Washington. We have stayed here multiple times and the boast that there are over 500 sites. Some of the sites are really tiny and could fit a tent and a car. They have a wide variety of sites from full hookup to completely dry camping. This campground is very family friendly with the pools, river access for playing and a small zipline area. The cons are the dirt roads going around can kick up some dust on occasion. We stayed in Main Vein the last time here (next to the pool and it was a good spot right in the middle of everything. We especially like the river access and the ability to go around and explore. Except for holiday weekends , its not completely out of the question to show up and grab a site. They wont let you pre book sites unless you have stayed here before. We have filmed a couple of Youtube videos here including a complete 500 site by site review to help assist with being able to know what the sites look like. We will for sure be back. - Unique Adventurez

This campground is interesting. I believe it is about 90 acres. It is FCFS and they have TONS of sites. We came in the middle of July and there were many sites open. We ended up in the Cascade Loop at site 129. It was treed on all sides so offered a lot of privacy. We chose to do water/electric only as the full hook ups are kinda just in a huge field with little privacy. The water is located at the front of the sites, so you need a long hose, or just fill up before parking.

We had to pick up quite a bit of trash from our site and noticed other sites nearby had a lot of trash too. We also noticed the staff would water the unoccupied sites but would leave the sprinklers on to the point that the sites would flood. It is clear there is a lot to take care of here and not enough hands to keep things in top condition.

The bathroom near our site was not the cleanest and the shower was closed. Overall there are a lot of parts of the campground that are dilapidated and could use some repair.

Verizon was great here and the location is pretty good too. Despite all the things mentioned above, we still would stay here again. It is an affordable option for fulltimers looking to be near the park.

Cascade peaks is a huge campground, and you’re free to pick your own site. There are so many sites and loops that it’s kind of a free for all and a little chaotic trying to navigate and pick a site that your rig will fit in. We found that the Meadow had the best sites! A portion of the meadow has trees that provide tons of shade, and there are sites big enough to accommodate any rig. Our site was private, shady, and level. The water/electric hookups are at the front of the site which made hooking up a little inconvenient. Make sure to bring an extension cord for your RV. We really liked the site we ended up with and probably would stay here again since the location to Mt Rainier was good.

There were a few different bathhouses throughout the campground. The bathrooms and showers were okay—not the nicest nor the cleanest. There was only one shower, and there was a line to use it in the bathroom closest to us. The campground sold firewood, but there was a fire ban so not sure of the price (the fire ban was not enforced in this campground-we saw so many fires happening at the sites around us). There was a laundry room at the front of the campground ($2 to wash, $2 to dry). There were two dump stations throughout the campground ($8 to dump if you’re not staying at the campground). There is also two pools (one was closed), a camp store, and playgrounds.

We had pretty good Verizon and GoogleFi service here. Can’t remember how many bars.

We camped there in our 5th wheel for a few days, flew out for a funeral and then camped for a week over Memorial Day weekend.
There were LOTS of families and kiddos. With a playground, small pool, a lot of roads to bicycle on and a couple open fields with mowed grass this is a kids paradise.
We stayed in the meadow where the sites are large with water and electric. Some sites in the woods are tiny.
This campground is huge. Utilities are at the street so extra cord and hose needed. The Rv park with FHU is very crowded when full. The park could use some paint and spiffing up but everything worked. The gravel roads were a little dusty during busier times.
We had a great time and hope to be back some day.
Many campers were there for the huge garage sale in Packwood.