Bighorn Campground — Hotel in Ellensburg

TL;DR Decent campground to launch (boat/kayak/tube) from but suffers from proximity to railroad.

Booked this spot last minute for a spur of the moment Yakima river float. I believe I got lucky in snagging the spot due to the booking website being difficult to find a book through. The pictures on the website only have one picture for each site making it difficult to choose the right spot to adequately meet the needs of the group. The spot was pretty cheap and the place furthest upriver to launch from giving you the longest float time.

When we first arrived, the first thing we noticed was how much larger the space was in comparison to the picture however the usable space was kinda sparse and could have definatly been expanded with minimal effort. With a little landscaping this place could definitely be a hidden gem but it is currently a diamond in the rough. The site was clean. The honeybuckets were also decently clean and maintained but were suprising lacking hand sanitizer so make sure to bring your own. The launch spot is open to campers and any one who pays the launch fee making it kinda chaotic at the peek launching times.

The only real gripe that I had is not the fault of the camp site itself but of the proximity to the the railroad. My two nights there, I counted 10 trains passing at all hours of the night and day. They are deafening loud so, light...

We booked 2 campsites this last weekend of June 27 2020 for the first time ever. When we arrived we were given a code for the gate and found our spot clearly marked. We set up and walked around a lil we found clean spots and clean portable potties💯There are is no running water so bring your own. I highly recommend these campsites they are well maintained and secure. There was a spot to fish the Yakima river right in our backyard. Then we were able to launch our river rafts right in camp and tube down Yakima all day. The Ranger came by to check our cars and check on us he was very friendly and courteous. We will make this our new go to this Summer and beyond. Thanks for the great vacation . There are quiet hours but if you are courteous there will not be a issue . There is a place for your dogs to play in the water but the current is strong There are trains that come thru multiple times a day.and there is no cell service. There is a 🔥 pit too. So do yourselves a favor and turn off your phones unless you are taking pictures and...

I was there the week of July 11 2022 and mosquitos were still out of control. A sign at the gate said "If you don't have bug spray...go get some." Others I spoke to said this is an annual anomaly and is usually not like that...but its like that now. We made a fire, covered ourselves in deet, and wore long sleeves and pants to keep keep them from biting us but their constant presence flying around your face made sitting outside unenjoyable.

Other than the mosquitos, the campground still sucked. It is basically an old gravel bar with rock sand sand and little flat ground. Sites are tiny with many having little in between them...plus, getting in and out of the car to unlock the gate every time you come in or out is a pain (mosquitos made it even more of an actual pain). The ONLY reason to stay here is location...particularly if you have a boat for fishing and will be starting there to float the canyon stretch or floating the stretch above and ending there...or if you can't find a space any where else. Otherwise, anywhere else...