Sunday, August 25 Through Wednesday, August 28, 2019
The Winthrop KOA entrance is unimpressive. However, that first impression is deceptive as this turned out to be one of the better KOA parks we’ve stayed in.
We had arrived just after 1:00 in the afternoon and setup quickly. Because we were there for three nights, we put up the portable dog fencing. This unusual back-in sight had full hookups and was the width of two trucks. The site went back a ways. Larger than usual. Tree cover meant both shade and pine needles. The grass was thin in places but mostly green. Other campsites had more thicker grass but what we had was just fine. We put out the awnings to keep the sun off the back door and the west side of the rig. The final touch was getting out the zero-gravity folding chairs and leaning back to watch the day go by. This isn’t as good as a La-Z-Boy recliner but in terms of camping gear that can be stowed, it is as good as it can be.
After some time of reclining and relaxing, it was time to do some exploring. The Methow River runs along the park parallel to WA-20, the North Cascades Scenic Highway. Campers in this park float down the river in tubes, kayaks and rafts.
The KOA side of the river has steep banks with a rocky shoreline. With the water at the level shown, walking along the river on the rocks along the full length of the KOA isn’t possible without getting feet wet.
Salmon and Steelhead Trout spawn in the Methow River. Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, an eagle climbing up in the river had a large salmon sized fish caught in its talons. First time seeing that in person. Amazing.
The bathhouse turned out to be a real gem.
Each bathroom has a shower, toilet and sink. Plenty of move around room for dressing and cleaning.
The laundry was on the small side but cozy. The machines all took quarters. A change machine was in the corner.
There were two of the Conestoga Wagon styled camping cabins. People spend the night in these. They do have air conditioning. Looks like fun.
A variety of pedal powered bikes, trikes and quads were available for rent. Kids really like these – boys and girls. Parents would pedal their littler kids around the park too.
The playground looked like fun. The usual climbing, swinging and sliding structure. Giant sized gaily painted Adirondack Chairs made for fun photo opportunities. A play log cabin. Then there was the giant jumping bouncy inflated thing.
A single centrally located unusual trash container was on the other side of the playground. On Sunday when we arrived, the trash was full. It was emptied on Monday.
The park has a bus to get people into town and back. Given how crowded the road through town was on Monday, parking must be at a premium on weekends. The bus seemed like a good way to get campers back and forth from town where there are lots of interesting shops to visit.
The park runs sprinklers day and night to keep the grass run and as lush as possible. Each night, with the windows open, we heard a worker driving a golf cart around and moving sprinklers.
The park was still fairly full when we arrived Sunday. Many people stayed through Monday. Monday evening the park was the least full. Then Tuesday afternoon, people started arriving. Most of the pull through spots filled up by the evening. We left Wednesday morning. Friday would be the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. Expect this park to be at capacity on summer and holiday weekends.
This is a park we will return to when in the area. Staff is good and responsive. Place is clean and well cared for. Fixtures are in good working order. The park gave us the room to spread out. Enough room as a good public park.
Hope to see you on the road ahead!
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