Where Can I Camp?

VISITORS’ GUIDE • GRAND COULEE DAM AREA • 2020-2021

Where can I camp?

At a private campground

Coulee Playland Resort , SR-155, 509-633-2671 King’s Court RV Park, SR-174 (East), Grand Coulee, 509- 633-3655, with laundry and more

At a state park

Steamboat Rock State Park — One of the most popular attractions along Banks Lake, this park is 5,043-acre camping park with 50,000 feet of freshwater shoreline. Three campground areas and a large day-use area are protected from winds by tall poplars, a camping, swimming, hiking and boating mecca. One of more than 100 state parks, Steamboat Rock is among Washington’s best. It has a sandy beach and sheltered swim area (no lifeguards), plus a modern bath house and a concession stand. The wide grassy picnic area contains playground equipment (currently closed) and a truly unique view of Banks Lake and Steamboat Rock.

For overnight camping, this state park offers 100 campsites with full hookups. Water, electricity, sewer, tables and stoves are on each site, and 26 standard sites with table, stove, and tent pad, plus 12 boat-in campsites located on the north end of Steamboat Rock. The restrooms have hot showers.

The park also offers 80 primitive sites at Jones Bay and Osborn Bay Campgrounds, with tables, stoves and vault toilets, but no running water.

Steamboat Rock State Park is part of the state’s reservation camping system. Reservations can be made year round by going online at www.parks.wa.gov or by calling 888-226-7688. The popular campground fills up fast and early reservations are recommended. The park is open for camping year-round.

Please Note: A permit is required at all state parks for boat launching, and trailer dumping. Permits may be obtained at the park office or from the Washington State Parks Commission in Olympia, Washington.

At NPS campgrounds

There are 35 campgrounds located along the 660 miles of shoreline around Lake Roosevelt. Five of these are maintained by the Colville Confederated Tribes, two others by the Spokane Tribes and 28 by the National Park Service.

These facilities are available for camping, picnicking, boating, swimming and fishing.

NPS camping sites along the lake vary from fee campgrounds with major facilities, including picnic areas, swim beaches and interpretive programs, to primitive boat-in campgrounds.

Clear waters and sandy beaches on Lake Roosevelt make for happy dogs, as well as humans.

• Spring Canyon on SR-174 is the closest NPS campground; turn left approximately three miles east of the town of Grand Coulee.

There are 87 campsites including RV (dump station but no hookups), tent and group camping sites. Fees are charged. Reservations are available by going online at www.recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777.

Other major NPS campgrounds are located at Keller Ferry, Fort Spokane, Porcupine Bay and Kettle Falls. • Keller Ferry is about 14 miles from Spring Canyon by boat, or 15 miles overland from the Highway 2 cut-off near Wilbur. This area includes a marina, store, and free ferry across the lake to the Colville reservation. • Fort Spokane, built in 1880 and used by the U.S. Army until 1898, became an Indian agency, boarding school and tuberculosis hospital until the late 1920s. It’s about 50 miles up the lake from Spring Canyon at the confluence of the Columbia and Spokane Rivers. To see Fort Spokane, take SR-174 to Highway 2 east, watch for road signs and turn north at Miles-Creston Road, just east of Creston.

The Fort Spokane campground is the second largest in the recreation area. Picnic area, historic trail, swim beach and boat launch are available. • Kettle Falls, at the north end of the lake, is enjoyed for its beautiful setting and good boating. It has a houseboat rental operation.

Indian reservation camping when available

Several campsites on the Colville Indian Reservation are normally open to non-members, although the Colville Tribes has closed non-essential travel through 2020 and barred non-members for camping during the Covid- 19 pandemic.

When it is open again, various permits and random camp fees (for boats along the lake) can be purchased for one day, three days, seven days and seasonal use.