River Bend Campground

We wanted a quiet and cheap off-highway campground near Mazama Washington. We’d driven by Ballard Campground on Forest Road 9140 on our way to Hart’s Pass on a previous trip so we headed there. But on arrival we realized all of the sites were only yards from the moderately busy and dusty dirt road so we continued on to Riverbend Campground about a mile further. This is a pretty isolated little USFS campground that has 5 sites, a decent vault toilet and not much else. Being mid-week and 1/2 mile from the Hart’s Pass Road the campground was empty.

Riverbend campground is on the Methow River which can be heard but mostly not seen from the campsites. There is lush undergrowth below towering pines but not a lot of privacy between sites because of human trampling. One site is open to sunlight if solar is desired, the others are in shade. We chose shade because it was in the mid-90s. The pad was not level and took a bit of work for us to get the camper level. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit with grill.

The campground can handle small to mid-sized rigs but a word of warning. Forest Road 9140 is badly washboarded from the moment it turns to dirt about 1.5 miles before Ballard Campground. We just drove slow and fortunately didn’t have any cupboards or drawer open up on the way. No cell service or satellite signal. We were able to pick up SiriusXM radio.

There’s lots to do in the area. There is a trailhead for Robinson Pass that heads out from Ballard campground. Hart’s Pass and the Slate Peak WW II Radar Site is the highest point you can drive to in Washington and has unparalleled views of the North Cascades. Passenger cars with reasonable ground clearance can drive this road. An easy hike from where the Pacific Crest Trail meets the road takes you to a beautiful viewpoint of the Pasayten Valley. Wildflowers are beautiful along the PCT in season. The viewpoint is set in a grove of larches that turn golden in the fall.

The nightly price includes our senior pass discount.