South Skookum Lake
4Heads up4 fires, nearest 29 mi
- Right now
- Closed for the seasonOut of the season the agency publishes
- Sites
- 2524 on recreation.gov
- Season
- May 24 – September 16Open May 24 through September 16
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
South Skookum Lake Campground is a beautiful campground situated next to South Skookum Lake. It is heavily forested and plenty of shade and seclusion from other campers. The lake is relatively small and is not suitable for boats exceeding 20 feet. The boat ramp is small and unimproved. Two docks, one of which is accessible, are located near the launch area and provide fishing opportunities. South Baldy lookout, which is still staffed during the summer months, is visible from the campground and is a popular day trip. Keep reading
Recreation
Camping, fishing, bicycling, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, & swimming make this a favorable place to visit.
Facilities
Each site has a table and fire ring. The campground has vault toilets, drinking water, animal resistant garbage containers, and animal resistant food storage boxes. No place to fill recreational vehicles only water jugs so be prepared to come with your rig full prior to arriving.
Natural Features
A beautiful forested landscape with South Skookum Lake beside it. Most of the campground looks into the Colville National Forest and the lake can only be seen once you crest a small hill which overlooks the lake.
Nearby Attractions
South Baldy lookout, which is still staffed during the summer months, is visible from the campground and is a popular day trip.
What the agency tells you
Bears and cougars occur in the area. Any time you are away from your campsite and when sleeping at night, you are required to store all food, beverages, garbage and other attractants so they are unavailable to bears and other wildlife. Proper storage is usually in your vehicle or an approved container. See the campground host for further details.
SCRS & Recreation.gov policy states we will hold your reserved site until check-out time on the day after the scheduled arrival date. If you haven't occupied it at any time during this period, your reservation is null and void and will be given to first come first serve campers. Your reservation will be a no show and no refund will be given.
Day Use parking available for a fee. Pay at site or by purchasing a day use season pass before arrival online here.
Everything else this campground posts · 3
Off-highway vehicle operation is prohibited in the campground.
Don't Move Firewood: Please protect Pacific Northwest 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 further information.
For more information on Colville National Forest, click here
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 25
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 54 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…table and fire ring. The campground has vault toilets, drinking water, animal resistant garbage…”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…ring. The campground has vault toilets, drinking water, animal resistant garbage containers, and animal…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Mountain biking
- Paddling
- Picnicking
- Swimming
- Water access
- Night sky · 249th darkest of 400 in WA
- Bortle 3
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
recreation.gov lists 24 of the 25 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 9
What you actually pay
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 · 4
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
25 sites
All 25 sites
| South Skookum | 01 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft |
| South Skookum | 02 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft |
| South Skookum | 03 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft |
| South Skookum | 04 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft |
| South Skookum | 05 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft |
| South Skookum | 06 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft |
| South Skookum | 07 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft |
| South Skookum | 08 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft |
| South Skookum | 09 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft |
| South Skookum | 10 | standard nonelectric | 51 ft |
| South Skookum | 11 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft |
| South Skookum | 12 | standard nonelectric | 53 ft |
| South Skookum | 13 | standard nonelectric | 48 ft |
| South Skookum | 14 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft |
| South Skookum | 15 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft |
| South Skookum | 16 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft |
| South Skookum | 17 | type not stated | |
| South Skookum | 18 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft |
| South Skookum | 19 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft |
| South Skookum | 20 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft |
| South Skookum | 21 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft |
| South Skookum | 22 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft |
| South Skookum | 23 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft |
| South Skookum | 24 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft |
| South Skookum | 25 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Browns Lake CampgroundKaniksu National Forest · 3.0 mi
PanhandleKaniksu National Forest · 8.9 mi
Pioneer Park14 mi
Outlet at Priest Lake15 mi
OspreyKaniksu National Forest · 15 miOutlet at Priest Lake CampgroundKaniksu National Forest · 15 miFrom Newport, WA follow State Highway 20 north for 15 miles to the town of Usk. Cross the bridge over the Pend Oreille River on the east edge of town and follow the Kings Lake Road (County Road 3389) 8 miles to the junction of Forest Road 5032350 (Kings Mountain). Follow Kings Mountain for 0.5 mile to the campground entrance.
The weather
the next four days
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Cusick, WA
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
South Skookum Lake is in Washington’s 5th congressional district. Its representative, Michael Baumgartner (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →