Fort Lewis Travel Camp (Washington)

Fort Lewis Travel Camp is operated by the Army and is located on Joint Base Lewis McChord-North, between Tacoma and Olympia, Washington. You must have post/base access to stay at military recreational sites.

This is a beautiful, wooded setting along the banks of American Lake. Compared to many "RV parks" we've visited,  the sites are spacious.  There are full hook up RV sites, tent sites, cabins and overflow spots here.

Typical site

cabins

to show the distance between spaces

The park was quiet and well-maintained. You are not allowed to swim off the shores by the campground. There is a swim area nearby. There are boat ramps - and boating and fishing are allowed.

Fort Lewis Travel Camp offers free wifi, well-maintained common buildings which contain showers, laundry and rest rooms.  There is also a picnic area and propane gas and the PX and Commissary (opened 7 days a week) are nearby.

 

Maximum stay during peak season (1 May - 30 Sept) is 14 days, though they will extend for an additional 14 days. You may stay 28 days from 1 Oct - 30 Apr - and they will extend for 28 days if space is available. A 28 day year-long limit is stated, but I talked to several who have stayed in the park longer than this limit.

We paid $20 a night for our 30 amp full hook up. It is $22.50 a night for a 50 amp hookup and a bit more for a lakeside spot.

Lakeside spot

We enjoyed this location and found things we'd like to explore in the area. We would love to stay here again.  We have found this website, operated by a private citizen, to be helpful while researching military campground options.

 

For more campground reviews cruise the categories in the side bar.

Lake Pleasant RV Park - Bothell, Washington

Located in Bothell, WA Lake Pleasant RV Park is 30 - 40 minutes from downtown Seattle and 20 min to Lynnwood  - it was ideally situated for us. At $44 a night, it was a bit higher than we wanted to pay- but it was, by far, the most convenient and nicest spot we found in our search.

Pros:

This park is in a lovely setting. It was ALWAYS refreshing to drive back home after a long day of exploring. It is an oasis in the midst of the urban, Seattle area.

 

 

The grounds and facilities are well-maintained and clean. The laundry room was equipped to handle the business from the park.

The grounds are lush and green. We enjoyed the buffer of grass behind our trailer and the playground (the flip side of that below). This was close enough to Lynnwood  our son could get off work and stop by for dinner.

The "lake" is filled with catch and release bass - this was fun for the kids and they'll want to stay again. 

Blyth Park and the Burke-Gillman/Sammamish trails are minutes away from Lake Pleasant. Shopping is easily accessible. 405 on ramps are close.

Cons:
The advertised "free wifi" - is one hour a day. Our data plan worked well for us.

The spaces are narrow and packed tight - some are very unlevel. The hooks ups are at the rear of the pull through sites. This means you cannot leave a tow hitched - it also meant a bit of juggling for us to fit where we needed considering slide outs, length of space and position of hook ups. Cedar shrubs are planted between sites in an attempt to give privacy.

The grass behind the playground is used by residents as an off-leash dog run. This is noisy, messy and not safe. Yes, this happened daily. Yes, I made the staff aware.

Playground - dog run - general use grass

I was told (on the phone) there are no weekly or monthly fees - but it appears a majority of the park is occupied by residents who stay somewhat permanently. When I asked in person about extended fees, I was told there are no weekly fees but there are "seasonal/monthly" fees - though there are "rig restrictions" for seasonal residents. This was the first time I felt maybe our 2007 Outback wasn't quite "up to snuff" in a park....and I didn't like the feeling. I much prefer the mix of vintage, spanking new motor homes, and everything in between that is found in state parks and fam camps. LOL

It is what it is. This is NOT camping. It's a beautiful, clean, relaxing spot to land near a big city and is much cheaper than hotel accommodations. It was MUCH nicer than parks which are, in reality, paved parking lots with hook ups! Yes, the spots are tight - but that seems to be the case in most RV parks near big cities. Unless we find something comparable at a better price, we'll stay here again when we visit our son.