Kid Valley Campground

I gave my stay 4 stars because we were able to benefit from a no-show and get a “wide” spot—you know, a spot where you can put your slide out without hitting anything, go out your front door without stepping into a huge bush, and back in to your spot without hitting a neighbor’s awning.

If we would have only had a choice between spots #9 or #16 I would be singing a different tune.

Our travel trailer is not a monster. 25 feet long, normal width, one shallow slide. Kid Valley packs them in like sardines.

But the folks were nice and the grass was green. Place was packed in November. We were the only St Helens tourists. Everyone else was there for elk hunting season.

Mt Helens was a bust because it snowed the night before. We made it so far down the road before turning back. Plus, everything on 504 (Forest center and observatory) closes for the season. Probably would have been better to stay on the south side of the mountain so we could actually see it and access some hiking trails. It’s a 2 hour drive from Kid Valley to the south side and we didn’t have the time to go out that far. We went to the Visitors Center off of I-5 instead. That was good! They play a short video about the 1980 eruption.

Absolutely no cell service at Kid Valley, and out Starlink connection was very obstructed because of all the trees. In that regard, it’s a good place to put down your phone and disconnect. But you will not successfully receive text messages, so maybe tell your frequent contacts you’ll be off-grid for a while.

The park was easy to find. It is located right off of Spirit Lake Highway It is the closest park to Mount St. Helen’s. There is pavement all the way until you arrive at the park. Signage is adequate. Check in this early in the season was self serve. Find a site, fill out the envelope and pay CASH only.. The rules are fairly basic.

Our site, 20, was a back in that was just long enough for our Coach and Towed. Services (30 amp and water only) were to the left side. Distancing is somewhat close for a rural park. Most sites do not have a vegetation barrier. Each site has a table and most have a fire pit. Our site was flat but sloped to the rear. Overall the park was pretty and well manicured. There is a big grassy field, Basket Ball Hoop. Ping Pong Table and a Sand Box for the younger set. On a very hot day, one might want to venture a short distance up the logging road behind the park to find, under the bridge, a pair of rope swings over the water.

We could not obtain any Verizon cell service thus had NO internet. We did not find any OTA TV. Satellite might be difficult because of the trees if you don’t have a portable dish. We did not use the washrooms or pay showers (25 cents for 2 minutes) but we checked and found them dated but clean.

There is a pathway that starts between sites 7 and 8 that runs alongside a steep bank that leads to a restaurant a short distance away. The restaurant was closed while we here but it looks like the views from the deck would be amazing.

We found this park to be a well run rural RV park. We paid $30.00 per night and we feel we received very good value. We will be back if in the area again.

Cons:
1. There is NO CELL SERVICE HERE. We are full-timers and need cell; fortunately we stayed here on the weekend so did without.

2. For $35/night showers should be FREE, but are coin operated.

3. Sewer hookup is in far back of FHU sites (needed 2 hoses) often next to your neighbor’s picnic table.

4. Right on the highway so road noise can be heard during the day but quiets down at night.

Pros:
1. Very forested and tranquil (when your neighbors aren’t home…holiday weekend).

2. Closest campground to Mount St Helens, which is why we chose this park.

3. Older park but clean with trash cans scattered throughout and emptied often.

This was a lovely park, heavily treed. We stayed in one of the RV sites with water and electric only. Most have sewer as well, for $35. There were about a half dozen long-term residents there and lots of open spaces until Friday night. They have some very nice tent spots as well. This is the most convenient spot to camp outside the west entrance to Mount St. Helen's. There is no camping inside the park from the west entrance. The restaurant next door was nice, and reasonably priced. We had no cell service in the campground.

A very nice but small campground. The bathrooms and grounds were clean. The price is reasonable. We got the non-hookup site B which was the best site in the place with foliage on both sides making it more secluded than the other sites. The showers like most on the west coast are coin-operated which is annoying but at 2min per quarter are reasonable. All-n-all a very nice tree-covered area not too far from Mt. Saint Helens but outside the blast zone… just in case :).

No useable cell service on Verizon or T-mobile.

We spent one night here in early June 2017 after visiting the Mount St. Helens Monument and Johnston Ridge Observatory. There is a camp host, and he was friendly without hovering. There are some long-term residents (maybe 5 sites taken) as well as weekenders. In addition to 18 or so hookup sites (20/30/50 amp), there are several tent sites and a nice restroom with pay showers for those who need that.

The sites are gravel and dirt, vary in length/depth, but rigs up to 30' should be able to back in fine. There is not a lot of privacy from site to site if you have neighbors or lack of choices remaining on your arrival. There were a couple of sites (#s 15/16) that were very close together and would work as a group site. Our site (14) had a dump station and water along with a fire ring and picnic table. The other hookup sites all appeared to have dump stations as well. Our site had a slight slope, but was good enough for the fridge and heat. It got decent morning and evening sun and afternoon shade, which struck us as the perfect mix. There is a cafe a few hundred yards away that serves lunch/dinner (not breakfast). We didn't eat there, but it seemed nice.