Set up camp | Camping in and around the Valley

There's plenty of campgrounds within easy driving distance of Yakima.

Come summer, there’s something about the great outdoors — not just recreating in it, but sleeping in it, whether under the stars, inside a tent or immersed in the creature comforts of an RV or trailer.
And when you live in Yakima, you don’t have to go far to enjoy it. Just across the Yakima River is Yakima Sportsman State Park, which has 30 spaces for tents and another 37 utility spaces for RVs and fifth-wheels.
But if you’re looking for more of a rustic, being-out-in-the-sticks experience, there are plenty of places to choose from — particularly along the White Pass and Chinook Pass corridors, where you can pretty much always find one of the more than 569 official campsites at 24 Forest Service campgrounds.
The number of campsites are fairly evenly split between the 258 at nine campgrounds on the Highway 12 side and the 311 at the 15 campgrounds accessible by State Route 410. Camping fees range from $8 to $18 per night, depending on amenities and location.
And in the highly unlikely event all of those campgrounds tent spots’ and RV spaces are full, the Naches Ranger District also has another 10 dispersed camping areas (ranging from $5 to $8 per vehicle per night).
Sixteen of the district’s campgrounds (American Forks, Upper and Lower Bumping, Cedar Springs, Cottonwood, Cougar Flat, Hells Crossing, Little Naches, Lodgepole, Pleasant Valley, Sawmill Flat, Soda Springs, Hausse Creek, Indian Creek, Willows and Windy Point) are operated by Hoodoo. To reserve a spot at one of these campgrounds, call 877-444-6777 or go online to www.recreation.gov.
The district’s remaining campgrounds all operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The county also has numerous privately operated campgrounds that are very popular, such as Squaw Rock Resort along State Route 410 and the Rimrock Lake and Silver Beach resorts off Highway 12.
— Scott Sandsberry