Hood Park — Hotel in Pasco

In the middle of the day, it's a very peaceful park. At night, it turns industrial - people racing on US 12 and truck drivers with unmuffled engine braking, dozens of trains whistling through the night, barges, speedboats on the lake, and planes overhead. Nighttime is lit by the port lights across the river/lake. Park layout is okay - this loop is one giant flat field with a playground and bathroom in the middle. Absolutely no separation from your neighbors, other than their RVs. Trees and shade are sparse, so make sure your site is shady (or your RV A/C is good.) Network is okay, 3 bars on 5G, meant to this from there but was watching videos.

Park rangers are very friendly and willing to help. I told one that I thought bees were nesting in a picnic table, and he got his can of bee spray, flipped the table like a pro, and took care of the ~6 nests inside.

Messaging is excessively focused on repeating Federal Schedule 1 regulations about one product, to the exclusion of other rules and regulations. Several times people used drones and metal detectors, despite these also being against the rules. These people stopped quickly, probably due to the vigilance of the park rangers, but this extra work and embarrassment could have been easily avoided, by being more balanced about telling people all of the park rules, instead of just focusing on one rule in particular. (Metal detecting is banned because this is a constructed nature facsimile, and the only metal to detect are the hookup mains and sprinkler feeds.)

And then there was someone smoking tobacco cigarettes in the bathroom shower, on the 2nd afternoon of my stay. But the messaging makes the park rangers seem more concerned about people gathering around the bong to sing Kum-ba-ya, or someone sneaking a vape pen behind their car. Like it's still the 1960s.

Unclear messaging about hookups - the sites don't have water hookups. At all. But the ranger station says not to use these nonexistent hookups and only use the water near the dump station. There are water faucets scattered throughout the park, but these were indicated as being the hookups - except the people at the site next to me were using that water and seemed fine. Overall the theme seems to be "smile and nod at the ranger booth then do what you want, and only stop if they tell you" because what you're told and what's going on are night-and-day different. They have strict rules about where your tent can go - so it doesn't get hit by sprinklers - then tell you that the sprinklers won't come on during your stay. (The sprinklers are turned on for vacant campsites by a team that shows up in the mornings specifically for this task.)

If a group is being rowdy, they should be seen to, regardless of the chemicals in their body - some men can get high off endogenous testosterone. And a peaceful group should be left alone regardless of what chemicals are in their bodies. These parks should be open to medical marijuana patients as well as families, and with a simple change of policy like "keep it in your tent/RV" you could easily serve both groups, but in authoritarian fervor you'd rather turn away...

I stayed at Site #6 on August 3/4 (Saturday/Sunday) It's pretty open space and one of the farther site from the next one over. The view of Snake River is beautiful, you will see and hear boats and traffic off Highway 12 day and night. If you forget your alarm clock, the lawnmower will make sure you're up at 745am on Monday. The sound of the train will also keep you entertained. There's burn ban in the summer, but they allowed propane fire pits. Make sure you know the length of your trailers, the pull through we're spacious, there's a few site that we're very close to each other, but you can see that on the campground map before you book, so some of the reviews here are not true. The campground is very nice compared to some state and forest campgrounds that I've been to. The bathroom and showers were great, a nice plus for a Federal owned campground. Only one bathroom in the campground, the other one is in the day use area. Very Clean, the camp host goes around the grounds often on their utility cart and they are easy to find. The front check in office are staffed the whole day and the ladies were nice and informative. The camp Host were very nice! Very helpful and kept the bathrooms and all areas clean. It's an electric only hookup, there's water spigots nearby. The spiders were active, and I think they are this time of the year. You will run into cobwebs. Keep your tents closed, there were mosquitoes, but not as bad as if you're in the forest. Overall this campground is nice and would come back here if I need a place to stay for a night or two. Traffic and train was noisy cause I was in a tent. Bring your swim suit, there is a swim area. Ice Harbor Dam is nearby and in the summer they have tours of the dam. The town of Pasco is a couple minutes away and they have awesome Mexican food places. Cellphone coverage with Verizon is good, you will be fine if you need to post all those pics you took for your Facebook,...

The campground’s proximity to the lake is unbeatable. However, swimming enthusiasts should be aware that the water near the shore is hindered by dense grass. If you have a paddleboard, kayak, or canoe, you can easily navigate past the aquatic vegetation. Our boat and jet ski adventures were a blast! Being able to moor right by our campsite made it super convenient. Kudos to the campground for organizing movie nights for the kids. It’s a thoughtful touch that adds to the family-friendly vibe. While the staff’s diligence is commendable, their vigilance sometimes felt a tad excessive. We even got a gentle scolding for filling our trailer with water before the official check-in time (2 pm sharp!). They have electric hookups, but there are no water hookups. The free dump station awaits as you exit. Just remember not to park on the grass; the staff is vigilant about that! The bathrooms were clean, and the free showers were a welcome relief after lake adventures. Beware, though—the spiders were out in force during our August visit. Over all Hood Park has picturesque setting, but be prepared for some strict rules and watch out for those eight-legged lake companions! I didn’t get a lot...