American Forks Campground
5Heads up5 fires, nearest 26 mi
- Right now
- OpenInside the published season, our reading
- A night
- $15From, per site
- Sites
- 12All of them booked ahead
- Season
- May 1Opens May 1. No closing date published.
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 3 notices
In the agency’s own words
American Forks Campground is located about 40 miles west of Naches, Washington, near the American River and Bumping River in the East Cascade mountains. Keep reading
Recreation
The campground provides ready access to Bumping Lake, where boating and fishing are popular. Hiking and horseback riding trails extend into the William O. Douglas and Norse Peak Wilderness areas, and off-road vehicle and snowmobile access draws visitors to the Little Naches drainage. In winter, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing are popular in the American River area. A trip along the scenic Mather Parkway is a fantastic outing. The American River, adjacent to the campground, offers a scenic backdrop for anglers. Its cold, clear waters sustain populations of rainbow and brown trout. Whitewater enthusiasts may enjoy a paddle on the river or one of the many other tributaries draining into the Cascade region.
Facilities
The campground has 8 reservable sites and 4 first-come, first-served sites available between Memorial Day and the end of September. There is no water available at the campground, however, vault toilets are provided.
Natural Features
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is defined by its diverse landscapes, boasting high glaciated alpine peaks, lush valleys of old growth forest, and rugged shrub-steppe country. The American Forks Campground is nestled in an old-growth forest of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and a cedar under story with grassy areas, ferns, and mosses. With the William O. Douglas and Norse Peak Wilderness areas nearby, the location is home to abundant wildlife, including deer, elk, porcupine, native fish, and migratory birds. Endangered and threatened species, including the northern spotted owl, gray wolves, and grizzly bears also find havens in local ecosystems. Summer temperatures are generally sunny and warm with little precipitation, and winters boast mostly clear skies, but plenty of snow.
Nearby Attractions
Hikers may want to traverse a portion of the spectacular Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), one of the world's premier National Scenic Trails. Enjoy some of North America's most fantastic scenery, as the trail winds from Mexico to Canada through Washington state. Boulder Cave Trail is one of the most popular places in the Naches District. Visitors can walk the accessible trail along the river or explore Boulder Cave. Interpretive signs along the trail explain the geology, plants, animals and history of the area. In addition to hiking, there are a plethora of outdoor activities available within 10 miles of this campground. The list includes lake access with a marina, boat ramp, and dock, mountain biking, off highway vehicle trails,historic sites, horseback riding trails, scenic driving, hunting and fishing.
What the agency tells you
Single site fees include 1 vehicle and 1 legally towed vehicle. Additional vehicles are subject to an extra vehicle fee, space permitting. Extra vehicle fees are half the single site price.
Off-road vehicle use is prohibited in the campground.
Don't Move Firewood: Please protect local forests by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 12
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 45 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…available at the campground, however, vault toilets are provided. Natural Features The…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…Memorial Day and the end of September. There is no water available at the campground, however, vault toilets…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River
- Boating
- Cross Country Skiing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Whitewater rafting
- Night sky · 261st darkest of 400 in WA
- Bortle 3
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 12
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $15 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
12 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 12 mapped sitesAll 12 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 12 of the 12 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 01 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 65 ft | 201 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 02 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 65 ft | 237 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 03 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 73 ft | 263 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 04 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 74 ft | 310 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 05 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 78 ft | 366 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 06 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 86 ft | 337 ftBumping River | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 07 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 110 ft | 185 ftBumping River | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 110 ft | 205 ftBumping River | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 09 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 90 ft | 298 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 10 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 90 ft | 213 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 11 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 99 ft | 198 ft | $15 |
| AMERICAN FORKS CAMPGROUND | 12 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 99 ft | 297 ft | $15 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
American River Guard StationSnoqualmie National Forest · 0.0 mi
Cedar Springs Campground (WA)Snoqualmie National Forest · 0.3 mi
American Ridge LodgeSnoqualmie National Forest · 0.4 mi
Indian Flat Group SiteSnoqualmie National Forest · 0.9 mi
Pine Needle Group SiteSnoqualmie National Forest · 2.1 mi
Kaner Flat Group SiteSnoqualmie National Forest · 2.9 miFrom Naches, travel west on US Highway 12 for 4.4 miles. Continue straight onto State Route (SR) 410 W for 27.5 miles. Turn left onto Bumping River Rd / Forest Road 1800. Turn left on Bumping River Road, cross the bridge over the American River, then turn left onto the American Forks Campground Road.
From Enumclaw, depart SR 164/Griffin Ave toward Wells St. After ½ mile turn left onto SR 410/Roosevelt Ave. Follow SR 410 approximately 66 miles east to the intersection with Bumping River Road (FR 1800). Turn right on Bumping River Road, cross the bridge over the American River, then turn left onto the American Forks Campground Road.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Cliffdell, WA
Typical weather
Typical May night 37°F, day 60°F.
Coldest night of the open season: typical May night 37°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Augusts are colder than the August line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
American Forks Campground is in Washington’s 4th congressional district. Its representative, Dan Newhouse (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →