Camping at North Cascades National Park
One of the hardest things for me when planning a trip is figuring out where I will sleep. As parks become more popular and crowded, a lot of National Parks are changing their once was first-come-first-serve camping spots to reservation. This can be great if you are a planner and know where and when you want to stay. However, I tend to plan things last minute.
Despite being a less trafficked park than others, it can still be hard to find camping in North Cascades National Park.
I always have better luck checking out campsites outside of parks, though these can often be harder to find specific information on—that’s what I am here for! (If you are interested in staying inside the park, check out the NPS site for camping information and reservations)
Lone Fir Campground. It was nice. The sizes of campgrounds varied for the site. This one would definitely not fit a large part, but it worked great for Cameron and I!
If you are visiting the North Cascades, there are three campgrounds outside the East side entrance of the park that you should consider that are all first-come-first-serve (listed in order of closeness to the park). These are also great choices if you plan to do hiking or climbing on the east side, as they may be closer.
1. Lone Fir Campground
I stayed at this campground for two nights. It was nice—nestled in the woods with a little stream next to it. Proximity to the park was definitely a plus, though the following two campsites were not too much further.
Number of sites: ~30 (variety of RV appropriate pots and regular drive in spots)
Price: $20 / night
Services: 3 pit toilets + water. There is no signal / service at this campsite
2. Klipchuck Campground
I did not stay in this campground but it definitely looked nice. This was definitely the largest campground of the three highlighted here. It is a mile or so away from the highway which is nice if you don’t want to be near the sound of cars, but it also means a little bit more driving and earlier wake ups!
Number of sites: 46 (there is a variety of RV appropriate spots and regular drive in spots)
Price: $20 / night
Services: Pit toilets + Water. There is also a little bit of service, but it is very unreliable. As you get closer to Mazama, the service gets better
3. Early Winters Campground
This campground is really two campgrounds, one on the north side and one on the south side of the highway (right across from eachother). The camphost is on the northside campsite if that matters to you. I stayed at this campground for one night. I appreciated how close it was to Mazama, the service that was available, and the fact that it was a little bit cheaper! If you are a light sleeper, this might not be best for you, as there is little protection from the lights and sounds of the highway.
Number of sites: 12 (6 on each side of the highway)
Price: $15 / night
Services: one pit toilet on each side of the highway + water. There is service at this campground, but it goes in and out. It was good enough to have a long phone call while at camp, but I couldn’t load reliably Instagram (oh noooo)
