Wanapum Campground

We started our camping season with a weekend visit to Wanapum. Site 6 is a pull thru on the original loop. The RV pad is very level, but is also gravel, not asphalt. The utility pole was in great shape, like most Washington State Parks, and functioned properly. Water pressure strong and voltage available at the pole did not sag, as it often does at other RV parks. There is minimal shade on Site 6. Neighboring Site 8 has much more shade through the day, but the RV pad did not appear to be as level and the whole campsite is basically on a downhill slope. Site 4 had more shade at their picnic table throughout the day, but was basically a shade less site like 6. The sites that are mostly back-ins and on the inside of the main camping loop had more shade due to having more mature trees. I'd estimate that the back-in sites nearest the restrooms have the most opportunity for shade.

Campsites are huge, but not at all private. Sites are also not well shaded. We only had shade on our picnic table during the afternoon, but it wasn't particularly good shade as the trees that provided it were rather sparse. We had a huge amount of grass available to us in our campsite. A fire ring and aluminum picnic table were on our site, but a rather longish walk away from the RV. This is one of those campsites where you had better have a Clam day tent or awning to put up as you aren't going to have the campsite amenities close enough to your rig for your RV awning to do much good for you.

Campground hosts were visible and were out tidying up sites which had just been vacated almost as soon as the previous group had left. Because the campground is in the desert all the grass you see has to be irrigated. So unoccupied campsites were being actively irrigated in between occupants. I didn't notice too many campfires around the campground while we were there and couldn't locate the firewood for purchase. It was pretty warm for a mid-May visit, so maybe nobody was thinking about having a fire at night.

Restrooms were typical for Washington State Parks; well maintained. Washington State typically charges for showers, but during our visit the showers did not require tokens or coins to operate. I wouldn't bank on this being a permanent change to park policy.

Cellular service was excellent. Performance was as good or better than if you were in a major city. I was fully connected all weekend, which might not have been the best for unplugging and enjoying the outdoors. Access to the water is going to be at the swim beach or at the boat ramp. The campground itself has no access to the water except by following the roads down to the water or hiking the marked trails down to the beach. This is a 5 or maybe 10 minute walk. It helps to have bikes to get around because things are a bit spread out here.

We will be back, not sure when, but overall a quality, well maintained, if not fancy, campground.

Wanapum is a beautiful SP with FHUs and spacious sites along the Columbia, and it manages to be both easy to access and away from it all. Sites vary a little in levelness, but they are big rig friendly and offer some privacy (more so in the pull-thrus). Our utilities were easy to reach and worked well, and there is plenty of room to walk a dog. We would definitely stay here again, except, as other reviewers mentioned… the wind can be really bad. I’m not one to complain about the weather (it’s certainly not the fault of the CG), but the wind in Vantage made it hard to get outside and enjoy the surrounding area. Over a week, we had 4 days of heavy winds all day, and we had 2 nights of poor sleep (after 4+ years of traveling FT, 1 of those nights was one of our windiest ever). The park does fill up on the weekends, but it was still peaceful during quiet hours. While we would stay here again, we wouldn’t bother with a whole week knowing we might have to deal with the wind again. Our Verizon worked fine here without a booster, and my only complaint is that this place is on the expensive side for what we normally pay to camp ($45 a night, $5 non-resident fee, and $8 reservations fee).

Stopped for a night on a long trip. Surprisingly quiet. We had thought that noise from I-90 would be a an issue but we didn't hear a thing. It is over 2 miles south from the Interstate which adds to the quiet. Two loops, one nearer the river (lake?) the other, upper, farther back. Upper loop is all pull through sites with water and power. Most of them have nice views of the water. Upper loop is more deserty. Lower loop is much more treed, grassy and nearer the water. Nicely maintained CG. If you arrive without a reservation be sure to check the payment board for available sites before setting up, the sites are not marked in any way to inform you of their status for the night.

We stayed here on 4/12/21 for 3 nights and it was nearly empty, maybe 6 other sites were occupied. The views are amazing, but the winds can be amazing too. I'm sure it was gusting to 40mph the second day of our stay. We picked it because it had good reviews and the parks in Ellensburg didn't and while I think this was a nicer place to stay, it is a good 30 miles east of Ellensburg.

When we were there, only the loop next to the water was open. But we walked through the other loop and noticed that some sites would have been difficult for larger rigs, du to the placement of the water/electric post. They are too far into the site and so the entry angle could be difficult. Most sites are fairly level, but some are sloped or are very short pull through. We have a 41' 5th wheel and I'm not sure we could have gotten into some of them.

There is a petrified forest visitor center nearby, but we were not able to visit during the hours they were opened.

This was our first time at Wanapum. Since it’s fall, the area was pretty quiet. We had a mix of sun and rain. The wind was off and on, but I was glad to be warned about it —we packed up everything at night.

This has to be one of the nicest maintained campgrounds we have visited. The sites were in good condition, well-manicured. It was so nice. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were hot.

It’s a quiet area, which is what we wanted. Our site had a great view of Wanapum Lake and a beautiful sunrise. We did some hiking, then mostly relaxed around the camper. It was nice to get out into dry, sunnier climate before winter sets in.