Brooks Memorial State Park — Hotel in Goldendale

This was my first time camping in Washington State. It was one of those camping stories my family will talk about for years to come. This is a really unique area to explore. It was unseasonably cold the weekend we went getting below freezing in the middle of June. The first night we weren't prepared and froze so I would check the weather at this location because it was 10 degrees colder than in Goldendale the whole time we were there. The campsite was next to the road and it gets loud at night with trucks. We rented one of the tents thinking it would be like renting a YURT in Oregon. It wasn't. The back side of the tent was not secured causing it to be very drafty and making us freeze the first night. My baby also fell out of that side of the tent when crawling around. On the plus side in the morning the maintenance guy came and fixed it for us. He was very nice. The camp Host wasn't on duty when we arrived to check in and get a day use pass for use in the state parks. This was ok though because the only time we needed one was when we went to the Goldendale observatory and the park ranger for this park just happened to be there and vouched for us. The park ranger was very nice and professional. The camp Host was very nice and professional as well. It was not as nice as most of the state parks I have visited in Oregon but I would definitely check...

Really wanted to like this place and was looking forward to exploring the area. Unfortunately the reservation website does not list enough details to make an educated choice about sites for your needs. I have a small tent trailer, and reserved spot 30, which is basically a walk in tent site (you cannot tell that from the website description or pictures ). For those thinking about camping here, if the reservation system says 1 tent, assume there is no place for your car. Because it was a Thursday night, we took an open unreserved spot, and then left on Friday to find a different location to camp (ended up at Mt. Adams).

The traffic noise was really horrible and didn't quiet down until the wee hours. The park host volunteer was not able to answer any questions about reservations or spots that were open (he was nice, just no help). The cost for the site ($38 per night) and the extra fee for out of state campers means we won't return.

On the upside the bathrooms were clean and the nearby St. John's Monastery bakery has fantastic food (best baklava...

This park is easy to find right off hwy 97. There is a tiny gate house that appears unused, we had to self register at a pay station. There was a park host right at the entrance to the campground with a small store that was closed. The full-service sites were side-by-side with no privacy. The non-service sites were located in the forest on twisty, narrow, rough dirt roads that do not accommodate anything bigger than a small tent trailer. There is additional tent camping very close to the hwy with lots of road noise. There are high power lines running directly over the full-service campsites. The air hums with electricity. The playground was an old set of swings hidden in the woods. The butterfly garden was an overgrown weed patch. There are lots of trees and a large field of green grass. There are lots of hiking trails, but the maps provided are poor quality and the trails heads do not provide any information. The restroom in the campground area is clean but the restroom in the day use area near the hwy stinks. Drive...