Swift Forest Camp

It seems this park was not really designed for any trailer over 15’. We had a heck of a time getting our 22’ travel trailer into our waterfront back-in spot. Once in, we experienced a peaceful, well-kept park with tall trees and beautiful views across the water. The water wasn’t as readily accessible as we’d hoped because of the 10’ sheer bank along the campground. It’d be nicer if there were one marked common beach access. Instead, people have to walk, bike, etc through other people’s camp sites to get to the water.
The camp is run by Thousand Trails and the camp hosts were super nice. Campfire wood is available at the host site.
We loved the location for access to great hikes in the Mt St Helens area. The tree canopy covering the roads were beautiful! Watch out for surprise dips in the area forest roads!

We stayed at the Swift Forest Campground to visit Ape Cave and Lava Canyon in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, at the end of August. We made reservations online on a Thursday for Friday and Saturday night and were able to snag a waterfront pull through site. Site A9 was huge, with beautiful views of the reservoir and the rolling forest hills. Sites A8, A9, A10, and A11 all have water views, with A10 having the most unobstructed views (no trees/shrubs) and the most sunlight. These sites have steep steps taking you down to a sandy/rocky beach that runs along the water which is filled with steelhead trout and salmon. We loved watching the three local eagles and osprey fish for their dinner at night. There are also many wooded sites, and a short walk will take you to a picnic shelter area near the water. We had to head 15 minutes towards Cougar to get any Verizon cell service, as there was none at the campground. The campground also has no hookups, but does have potable water and a dump station. We did not use the restrooms, so we cannot comment on their condition.

Talking with a local camper, we learned that the campground has had some trouble in the past with local families hoarding the waterfront camping sites. This year, the campground introduced online booking, with a limit on how often each family can camp at the campground. He said it has improved the situation greatly, and the campground tends to stay uncrowded. We found it easy to get a nice spot, and the campground to be quiet. It should also be mentioned that the water level this time of year was very low, and the boat ramp for fishing was closed, which may have contributed to the quietness of the campground.