Cool off with a lakeside camping trip in Washington state's Cascade Mountains.
With three lakes within a quick drive of one another, the Cle Elum area is an ideal destination for boating- and kayaking-loving campers looking for lakefront camping within easy reach of Seattle. Area public campgrounds are managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and include the Wish Poosh Campground on Cle Elum Lake (just north of Ronald) and the Kachess Campground on the northwestern banks of Kachess Lake. Both offer tent sites and RV camping, plus basic amenities such as fire pits and picnic tables, but don't expect hookups or dump stations. A couple of group camping sites are also in the area, notably the Cle Elum River Group Site just north of Cle Elum Lake and the East Kachess Group Site, right on the eastern banks of Kachess Lake. Private lake camping options abound as well.