TAIDNAPAM PARK, GLENOMA (NEAR MORTON), WA

Our Opinion: Recommend.  This nicely developed campground makes a good base camp for exploring Mt. Rainier National Park and the east side of Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Date of Stay:  Sept. 6-7, 2011

Weather During Stay:  Sunny and warm, with a pleasant nighttime cool down.

Site Description:  This park, owned by Tacoma Power, was expanded within the past couple years to double the number of RV sites.  Originally 51 sites, now the park has 96 FHU sites (perhaps a dozen have 50 amps), 43 W/E (30 amp) sites, and 24 walk-in tent sites.

Sites in the old (original) loop are more heavily forested, but all sites in both loops are in trees.  Roads are paved, all RV sites are paved, and most sites are very level.  Pull-through sites are curved pullouts along site the road; the back-in sites are a little better suited for large rigs. 

We picked site 215, a long, level back-in which happened to be one of the 50 amp sites, a nice surprise.  Sites spacing is good, and each site has a substantial picnic table and a fire ring,

The park has flush toilets, private (coin operated) shower rooms, an abundance of trash cans, and a big, clean, double dump station.  Voltage and water pressure are good.  Roads are paved and easy to navigate (slowly) in a big rig.  The campground is near Riffe Lake; the park has a boat launch and a fishing bridge.

Rate:  $28 per night for full hookups.  $5 per night discount for seniors (age 62+) or disabled (quite a few ADA-compliant sites)!  We paid $23/night for 50 amp FHU.  Stay limited to 10 consecutive days in summer; 10 days out of 30 days the rest of the year.  Reservations and information are available at www.tacomapower.com/parks.

Phone/radio/TV:  Though on “extended network”, our Verizon phones and aircard work here.  Very few (if any) sites have a clear sky view for a roof-mounted satellite TV dish.  No stations on the air antenna; no local NPR station.

Elevation/landscape/terrain:  This is a flat park at 800’ elevation.  Lots of tall evergreens.  Views are of neighbors (we didn’t have any), forest, and scampering squirrels.

Lighting/noise:  Very dark and quiet at night.

Favorite Sites:  Our site, 215, was very long, very level, very roomy - but many others were equally nice. 

Hiking/Walking: This big park is pleasant for walking - to the fishing bridge, the day use area, and the swimming area of the lake.  Quite a few mosquitoes at dawn and dusk during our stay.  We did our hiking at Mt. Rainier National Park, where the trails are unlimited.

Comments:  No doubt fisher folk and boaters love this park.  We came to visit Mt. Rainier, and it made a very comfortable base camp for our explorations.  The small town of Morton, 8 miles west, had a very well stocked small grocery store, Morton Country Store, along with a post office and a few restaurants.