Vasa Park Resort

The was basically a basecamp for touring the area. But, I would love to spend more time here in the warm months. It was simply felt like I was at someone's lakeside property. Everyone was nice. They offered a twenty amp plug if I didn't have my own. The showers were coin operated, but were in a huge single occupancy room. Access to the city was a mere 20 min. non rush hour, or an hour in morning traffic. The site was grassy and a little unlevel, but it didn't bother me enough to pull out my leveling blocks. It was also quiet.

We chose this campground for it's proximity to Seattle and we were very happy with our choice.
We booked over the phone with one day notice and Elizabeth, who took our reservation, was extremely nice. When we arrived, she gave us advice on how to get into Seattle and where to find parking.
There weren't many people there when we went, but when this place fills up, we can see how it would be a little cramped with regard to the sites being lined up and narrow. The grounds were very well cared for, and the lake was beautiful. We saw several different types of fish just looking through the clear water from the dock. Getting into and out of Seattle took about 20 minutes each way so that was a home run.
In the six months that we've spent full-timing in our trailer, this is the very first place to charge tax, and so $39 seemed a bit high compared to what we've been spending, especially with no sewer hookup, and a pay shower. There is a dump station. Bathrooms appeared very clean at first glance, but no toilet paper in two of the three men's room stalls, and it was also clear that the insides of the toilets have been ignored for some time. Not a deal-breaker, just sayin.

We really enjoyed our stay at Vasa Park and the park managers were super friendly and helpful. We had more than one long conversation about the local area and the park itself. They even gave us specific park and ride directions, along with a detailed map, so we could take public transportation into Seattle and avoid a parking nightmare. Management even cruised through the park in the evenings, after the day visitors departed, to make sure the RVers were doing well.

Don't get me wrong, as far as RV parks go this place is small. However, it isn't an RV park, it is a day use area at a gorgeous lake in the middle of town that just happens to have a few full hookup and water/electric only sites.

We booked our site about a month in advance and were told at booking that they were pretty booked up and the only thing they had was a water/20 AMP electric only site that was long enough for our rig. They have a dump station on site so I was perfectly happy with that and for $32 bucks a night, 12 miles from Seattle, I wasn't about to complain.

Yes, you must pick up after your dog and confine the dog to your site but considering that day use visitors are not allowed to bring their pets I felt it was generous enough that RVers are the exception. Yes, there is a very large field across the street that is off leash for your dog to run in and our Dane Maggie loved it. We also liked the excuse to get a good walk in a couple times a day taking her over there. :)

All in all we really enjoyed our stay at Vasa Park and paddle boarding on the lake was awesome. We will definitely look to stay here the next time we are visiting the Seattle area.

Before we begin: RV’ers BEWARE - these grounds along with their massive amounts of reviews are mainly a testament to the campgrounds party rental and day use facilities - which actually seem nice and pleasant. A 4-5 star review would be appropriate had we NOT been RV’ers. We have been on the road for three weeks and our experience with site hookups and management at Vasa Park was by far the worst on the west coast.

Our issues are as follows:

1. Website and onsite information do not match up. Showers are coin operated, campers must pay extra for more than two guests and family “must leave before 7pm” - all of which was not clearly stated on their website. Only after our payment was processed were we giving a separate set of info describing our issues above.

2. Bathrooms are not “sparkling” per their website. There is major water rot in the showers and toilet seats have large amounts of corrosion.

3. Our biggest problem is Vasa’s electrical system. It’s only 20amps - which is also not stated before purchasing a camping spot- unfortunately that is not the true issue because we have the proper adapters that can run on a 20amp system but for whatever reason we could NOT even run our mini fridge on their electrical without tripping the breaker. Therefor we could not make food and what we had spoiled.

A refund was requested and the owner blew us off.

We decided to stay here for quick access to the city, for that, it worked fine.

We rarely stay at RV parks, and I hate paying for camping, so when I do, I like to get some value for the expense. I did not feel I got that here. The other reviews cover most of the details of the park, so I'll just add a few notes from my "hate rv parks" perspective:

The "tent" sites are very tight, and packed with RVs with slides out, etc. Very little space between rigs, which contributed to lots of noise.

Not dog friendly, the manager demanded we take her out across the highway to walk. This wouldn't be a problem l if there was enough space in the campsite.

The entrance is small and on a blind curve of the highway.

Prior to here we stayed at Tolt MacDonald Park, which was awesome, but we ran into reservation conflicts there. If you don't mind the longer drive into the city, I'd highly recommend Tolt MacDonald as an alternative.

I had a 6-month work assignment near Seattle. We expected to stay in various parks, RV resorts and boondock during our time in Washington; however, the job and Washington's summer-season did not allow for that. Instead, we ended up staying at most of the State Parks and RV "Resorts" in the area. We have to say, this was our overall favorite. In short, the State Parks lack hook-ups (only a problem in the heat of the summer or middle of the wet, cold winter) and have a stay limitation. The RV "resorts" are pretty much parking lots where you are literally on top of your neighbor.

VASA is a park, campground, and highly desired community picnic location. Site fees vary based on time of year and full hook-up or partial hook-up spots. With no traffic, you can make it to downtown Seattle in 20 minutes. Even during rush-hour commutes, the longest it took was just over an hour, but a regular rush-hour commute is about 45 minutes. Vasa is 25-30 minutes from Snoqualmie Falls, and an hour and a half from Tacoma and Leavenworth. The Issaquah Zoo and Sammamish State Park are only 5 minutes away, along with a natural grocery store and other amenities. Marymoor Park (with a HUGE off-leash dog park, complete with open space, woods and river access) is about 20 minute north.

The Great

• You have lake access all day long, even after the park closes to the public.
  
• Lots and lots of green.
• Laundry on-site.
• Dump station on site.
• Park across the street also owned by the property, and is a nice place to take the dogs and kids to run.
• The managers, Susie and Walt, really care about the park and the safety of everyone there.
• Full access to the playground for kids all the time.
• Volleyball court and horseshoes also available.
• Had T-Mobile and AT&T Cell Service as well as Verizon Jet Pack service, but don't recall the strength.

The Good

• Hook-up sites are on gravel and mostly flat.
• The partial hook-up spots are in the grass/dirt and some are more level than others. Though we really liked these spots, some people would prefer pavement or gravel.
• Monthly rates are sometimes offered through the off-season months, but fill up quickly and are only available on a limited basis.

The Eh

• There are only 6 highly coveted full hook-up spots.
• The other (15?) or so spots only have 15/20amp (not enough to run the AC) and water.
• Dogs only allowed in the designated campground area for the safety of public guests.
• In the summer, there can be 1000-2000 people onsite for picnics, parties, and lake swimming. (Though you cannot participate in these activities, we enjoyed the hustle and bustle, though it IS loud and not for everyone.)
• Weddings are held in the building across the street and you can sometimes hear the noise.
• The street is the main through-fare for people commuting to and from Microsoft each day.
• Park is open to the public 9am-8pm everyday.
• Beware the steep hill coming down toward the campground off the highway - sharp turns and abrupt stops.

We lived here for about 4.5 months and despite the drawbacks, really, really loved it here. It's a great location if you're passing through, want to visit the Seattle area and environs, have kids, and want to experience lakefront living. As mentioned previously, there are a few other good options in the area depending on what you're looking for [Saltwater State Park (just beware the airport noise) and Lake Pleasant RV Resort in Bothell (only 55+ for weekly/monthly rates and no units more than 10 years old... nightly rates much higher but have fewer restrictions, including any age RV, dog flexibility and children... but is a much farther drive from Seattle proper).

We would absolutely stay here again.

Surprisingly nice here! We were't expecting a whole lot, so I suppose that helps. The kids LOVED the slide into the water, they have a great playground and its pretty quiet in the off season. Sites are close, but there's a huge grassy, open, meadow so lots of space to stretch out. We stayed in a full hook-up site. I bet its pretty slammed with day trippers during the summer though!

Camp WiFi is decent. 5MB upload is a nice change of pace.