Wanapum Recreation Area

T Gomez

2023-07

This a great park. Not really a bunch of things to do here. I have seen reviews about the wind here. The time that we have been here, the winds have been light and variable but at night the winds pick up quickly and blow pretty hard. In fact it will kinda rock you gently to sleep. Views of the Columbia River are spectacular.Restrooms: One restroom were closed with honey pots for use. One of the young female rangers came by and said that there was a water leak that was in the process of being repaired . The she looks at the camper and said you probably don't need one. I looked at her and no i certainly don't.

Bubba Cat

2023-09

Well maintained park with "easy to get in" camp sites. Nice boat launch with ample parking. Plenty of weeds to snag your hook all around the dock. Pretty rough wind at night, I wouldn't camp here with a tent. There is a park with a playground for little campers, kids riding bikes and skate boards on the loop.Dog-friendliness: Plenty of barkie-yappies to ruin any get away.

Thanh-Truc Le

2023-08

It was a very windy experience. The first night we were there, the wind was 20 mph. It rocked our trailer very hard. The second night, it dived down a little, but it was still very windy. It improved slightly on the 3rd night. Don't recommend if tent camping at this location. Bathroom was clean and saw the sign for shower being available but didn't have to use since we have a camper. No picnic area or playground for kids. Great views of Columbia River.Playground: No playgroundRestrooms: They had soap, water, and electric dryer. It looked clean. We noticed it got clean every morning when we were there.Picnic area: No picnic area

chris m

2023-11

The recreation area includes the Ginkgo state park and Interpretative center, the state Wanapum campground, and the Interpretive Trails, as well as campgrounds and day use areas run by the county utilities district. We stayed at the state campground for 3 days and drove around to take in the sights and trails. At $40 per night it was overpriced. But everyone we encounter were nice and we enjoyed our time here.Playground: None.Restrooms: Out in the recreation area there is just the one vault toilet down by the dam.

kade estill

2023-05

Cool clean rec area close to the gorge... all park entrance with or without watercraft requires a discovery pass $30 ! This place has nice sandy beaches shaded picnic areas and a nice dock for loading and unloading.. prefer it over vantage

Jessica wilson

2023-08

Unfortunately when we went the cages that hold the petrified logs were overgrown with weeds and we couldn't get a very good look. Bummer because we had already bought 3 year passes (multiple vehicles) and forgot a pass for one car so had to buy another day pass only to hike around and look at weeds. Given there were two guys just sitting at the museum I would think one of them could have worked on the trail? Oh and the fence is falling down... Not the hike I expected.. went to Ellensburg and had a much better hiking experience on one of their trails.

Tanya Marcoe

2021-05

Very beautiful, relaxing, clean and quiet grounds mid-July. Kayaking, birdwatching, night sky, and peaceful "down time" were enjoyable. Huge grassy sites with abundant space in between trailers/tents. Several Yellow jackets wanted to join us for outside meals and a few nights were blustery, otherwise perfect!

Don Hennick

2023-11

You just spilled coffee in your lap, pull off 90 and set up your tent trailer down by the mighty Columbia.Dog-friendliness: Dogs must be on leash, but they won't mind because there is so much grass, geese and geezers around to keep them entertained.

randy clemenson

2021-05

The park is well layed out so most everyone has a view. Beautiful picnic and swimming area. Very nice boat launch with lots of parking. Park rangers are very accommodating and courteous. Trailers longer than 31ft. may hay have difficulty backing into some spaces.

Neha Sarraf

2020-05

I was here for camping, it is a very beautiful place but it is a site one should not go without a RV. We did camping with tent, ranger in the morning said it will be quite windy in the night and he didn’t aware us that a tent won’t stay against the wind speed. That’s why I’m giving 4 star as we literally had to run during night as wind blew our stuff. But if you have a RV and you go well prepared then it is most beautiful place. I will definitely go this place but with a RV.

J W

2020-05

Great place to go and drop the boat in . Has a gas station, 3 campground areas and a restaurant. Petrified Forrest and hiking as well. Be warned, it does get windy some times so make sure your tents are weighted down .

Alan M

2020-05

This is a particularly nice state park on the Columbia river halfway between Ellensburg and Moses Lake. The sites are large and comfortable with a very nice view of the Columbia river. That is a boat launch and places to swim. The bathrooms are clean with nice showers separated on the back. They have several smaller bathrooms which was nice, easy walk to them. This campground has a spectacular dawn. It can be windy! There are not a lot of services nearby so make sure you bring everything...

Joann Nicodemus

2022-05

Loved this little oasis on the high plateau! The first night we all awoke to 40mph gusts. We didn’t sleep much. It’s as windy as everyone says! The second night it was dead calm. Go see the petrified trees. Very cool little walking trail.

Marie Doneen

2023-05

Really nice state park! The grounds were clean and well kept. The bathrooms were taken care of. The dumpsters were pretty empty and accessible. I will definitely book here again!

Maggie Liu

2023-05

We like the state park here. The museum is nice too. You can also see some petroglyphs here too!

Stephanie Nelson

2019-05

Wanapum State Park (which I think is managed together with nearby Ginko Petrified Forest State Park) is a fantastic gem on the Columbia river just south of Vantage. We decided to try it at the last minute and lucked out with a cancellation. We ended up with a quiet pull through spot with a fantastic view. The area between the campground and the river is about 50 yards of lovely bluff criss-crossed with light hiking trails and filled with sage, desert wildflowers, and wildlife (we saw quail, lots of lizards, butterflies, the usual birds like swallows and cow birds, deer, and lots of evidence of elk). There's a day use area on the south side of the campground with a picnic area, swimming area, wide lawn surrounded by cottonwood, and a trail along the river for a little ways. There's a boat launch on the north side of the campground. Usual state park fees ($40 for the night for a typical RV site), state park rules (dogs ok on leash), state park amenities (nice and clean restrooms), and state park crowd (family friendly). We were enchanted with our accidental find and will definitely be going back!

Kathleen Organ

2019-05

Nice campgrounds with water access. One morning water was perfect for kayaking. Water was very cold but refreshing on the 80-degree day. Could be perfect for a weekend getaway, but every night we were here we had very very very strong winds starting between 4 and 7 PM. Unable to have a campfire or cook over a fire. Everything blowing around, including chairs and coolers. If you don't mind the wind, it is very nice. 50% chance or less that I'd come back due to the wind...were it not for the water, weekend would have been a bust.

Karlee Ontiveros

2023-07

It is really windy and there’s not much around to do, but the campground itself is really nice and the recreation area is clean too. The swimming area seems safe and you can walk out on the sandy area pretty far. Perfect for toddlers in life vests.The showers at the recreation area are closed, but the ones at the nearby campground are open and super clean/ free.Restrooms: Clean restrooms and nice, free showers.

Carl Sgambelluri (Spamlover Spambelluri)

2022-05

Great place to take the kids swimming if it's not super cold or windy. Summer time gets packed and the wait can be long to get parking. But it's a beautiful area. One of our favorites.

Bud McCormack

2023-05

I have stayed here numerous times but only in the off season and only for one night. They don't recommend tents due to the high winds that may be blowing. My last 2 times I had to pull in one my slides. I was afraid the slide topper would rip. The park itself is great. I have always stayed in the upper section. If it wasn't for the wind, it would be perfect. Nice beach on the Columbia River. On a hot summer day... a place to cool off.

Megan Castro

2019-05

Beautiful park with day use area and campground on the Wanapum damn on the Columbia River. Clean restrooms with showers. Full RV hook ups. Beach and boat launch. ADA sites.

Jason DePue

2021-05

What a great campground. Obviously it will be hot and windy as other people have stated. Very nice boat launch and beaches - when the water is lower.

Jo Bledsoe

2019-05

We had a fun hike and camped over one night, but the wind was wild!

Jake Arnesen

2021-05

Great beach area. The day use area is great, and open right now. It is a walk down hill from the parking area to the beach. There is a nice buoyed off area and most of it is sandy. Overall a great place to recreate.

A Crazy Life

2023-09

Small(er) park.nice green grass. The restroom facilities are just ok.. you can actually fit sone bigger campers in the spots. Smaller campers won't have much of any type of issue. We had site #29 and it's HUGE. We easily fit our 37' 5th wheel and dually crew cab truck with enough room to about decide when we went so.eplace and came back we can nearly park behind our trailer if we had wanted.Our only other complaint is we saw people B-lining for the parking lot across our site and cutting thru our grass to get there. Yes there is a teeny trail to the blacktop but it's kinda disrespectful for people to go THRU your site to take shortcuts.

John Lawson

2023-07

You have to be prepared for wind if you stay here. We make this our regular stop traveling from North Idaho to NW Washington and the wind is hit or miss but if it comes, it really comes! Not recommended for tents and don’t put out awnings! But, it is a lovely park overlooking the Columbia River.

Jason Tang

2020-05

Campground is well maintained. Nice glass campsite. Highly recommended.

Antonio A

2021-05

Very windy. Stake down your tent well and put all trash in bag. Ellensburg or Quincy is closest grocery store.

Mike Kostersitz

2019-05

As usual a beautiful place to stay- the only downside is the constant high winds coming down the Columbia River Gorge

Kazuya Sakakihara

2023-05

Not really great for tent campers. Very strong wind at night (I saw a small tent tumbling around), excruciatingly hot during daytime. The ranger was nice and removed the sprinkler around our tent.The swimming area was good though a bit away from the camping area. It's not that big and pretty crowded on weekends.Don't forget visiting Gingko Petrified Forest State Park across I-90. Wild Horse windmill farm is also interesting.