Sunday, October 18, 2015

Toutle River RV Resort

Toutle River RV Resort is the campground we WANTED to LOVE.  It's also the park that taught me to check Google Earth as well as various RV Park site reviews.

 There is much to love here.  The Tents for Troops program originated with this Resort. They gave us two free nights of camping - we stayed four. Their fees are not posted on the website - but from what we were charged I would guess $45 - $47 a night. This was a great deal for us at $23 a night average. Toutle River RV Resort is located directly off I-5 in Castle Rock, WA. It is one exit away from the exit for Mount Saint Helens. We expected road noise.

 We had trouble trying to make a reservation on the phone, but decided to just drop in. There were LOTS of spaces available and the lady in the gift shop was the friendliest with which we've done business.

This location is loaded with amenities and the facilities were the nicest we've seen. This is a very family friendly resort, right along a river. We met families who come here often on weekends. We could tell how well-organized and maintained this location was as we drove in.



There is much to show from this spot - here are some photos showing some of the amenities.

Private Saunas

Dog wash

Volleyball

Covered Picnic Areas
 


Basketball

Disc Golf

Fun playground

Soccer and "Big Foot" Croquet

RV Wash?

Huge covered area - and covered badmitton, Ping-Pong, basketball

Free to use smoke house
 
Sites

Great fire pits at sites and around resort

Free G rated movies and popcorn for kids

Horseshoes


Hot tub


Pool

The one thing we did not realize is that a train travels behind the Resort every 20 - 30 minutes. Our spot was about mid-way in the park between I 5 and the Train.  Even being a ways from the tracks, we did shake, rattle and yell every 20 - 30 min. The monthly residents say you get used to it. Quite a few have their trailers parked permanently against the fence which runs along the tracks, so I assume they are right.

 We enjoyed our stay here. The kids were happy to have the pool. I was happy to have the hot tub and laundry. The river trail was a great bike ride. We didn't get to use all the free amenities offered as we were busy exploring Mount Saint Helens each day. Some of our kids actually say this is their favorite spot - and judging by the families we met, they are not alone in their assessment.
I'm not sure if we would choose to stay here again. I think if one is driving through  and needs a quick spot to stop, do laundry and let the kids run - Toutle River RV Resort is for you. If one is looking for a destination spot - lots of fun things to do without leaving the location and doesn't mind the train noise - Toutle River RV Resort is a great option.  If one is looking for a bit of quiet - there are other parks which appear to be quieter on the way to Mount Saint Helens: the Mount Saint Helens KOA park (not the other by that name), Silver Cove Resort, Kid Valley Campground to name a few.
  
We loved this park and we hated the train noise....still not sure how to rate the experience.

For more campground reviews click "campground" in the category section in the side bar.

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