Camping near Cougar, Washington
Camping near Cougar, Washington includes 7 public campgrounds on record, 5 reservable and 2 first-come. The U.S. Forest Service runs the most, 3 of 7. The nearest, Cougar Park and Campground, is 0.7 miles from Cougar in a straight line, and 6 of 7 are within 15 miles. 1 is free. Another 19 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Cougar.
Cougar Park and Campground 
Beaver Bay Park and Campground Merrill Lake Campground Kalama Horse Camp Canyon Creek Campground Swift Forest Camp 
Lower Falls Recreation Area Camping near Cougar at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 7 (3 National Forest, 3 Other Agency, 1 State Forest)
- Getting a site
- 5 reservable and 2 first-come
- Cost
- 1 free; lowest posted fee at Lower Falls Recreation Area: "Single Site: $20 per night"
- Distance from Cougar
- 0.7 miles (Cougar Park and Campground) to 22 miles (Lower Falls Recreation Area) in a straight line; 6 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 15 ft (Lower Falls Recreation Area) to 2,000 ft (Kalama Horse Camp), 7 of 7 on record
- Season
- 4 seasonal with posted dates
- Campsites
- 278 across the 6 campgrounds that state a count
- Drinking water
- 4 of 7
Distances are straight-line miles from Cougar's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
Reservable Cougar Park and Campground - Agency
- Other Agency
- Sites
- 44
- Season
- Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day
- Fee
- $32/night; group camp $480 (15 tent sites, 120 people); $8 booking fee
Reservable Beaver Bay Park and Campground - Agency
- Other Agency
- Sites
- 64
- Season
- Friday before Memorial Day to September 30
- Fee
- $37/night (5 people, 1 vehicle); group camp $555 (14 sites, 112 people); $8 booking fee
- Agency
- State Forest
- Sites
- 9
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- No camping fee (first come, with a Discover Pass)
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 27
- Season
- May to November
- Fee
- Single site: $23 per night; additional vehicle $8 per night
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Free
- Agency
- Other Agency
- Sites
- 93
- Season
- Friday before Memorial Day to November 22
- Fee
- $30/night (5 people, 1 vehicle) through Sept 30; free October 1-November 22 (Section A only)
Reservable Lower Falls Recreation Area - Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 41
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $20 per night
No campgrounds match.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Cougar
- Cresap Bay Park and Campground, 6.7 miles from Cougar in a straight line , Other Agency , reservable ($37/night (5 people, 1 vehicle); group camp $555 (15 sites, 120 people); $8 booking fee); listed under camping near Amboy.
- Sunset Falls Campground, 16 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $20 per night); listed under camping near Yacolt.
- Government Mineral Springs Campground, 19 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Carson.
- Paradise Creek Campground, 19 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Carson.
- Battle Ground Lake State Park, 19 miles from Cougar in a straight line , State Park , reservable (Peak nightly (statewide): standard $31-$43, partial hookup $41-$51, primitive $12); listed under camping near Battle Ground.
- Rock Creek Campground, 20 miles from Cougar in a straight line , State Forest , first-come (No camping fee (first come, with a Discover Pass)); listed under camping near Venersborg.
- Cold Creek Campground, 20 miles from Cougar in a straight line , State Forest , first-come (No camping fee (first come, with a Discover Pass)); listed under camping near Venersborg.
- Beaver Campground, 21 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $27 per night); listed under camping near Carson.
- Paradise Point State Park, 23 miles from Cougar in a straight line , State Park , reservable (Peak nightly (statewide): standard $31-$43, partial hookup $41-$51, primitive $12); listed under camping near Ridgefield.
- Lewis River Hc (wa) Gifford Pinchot Nf, 24 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night; additional vehicle $5 per night); listed under camping near Trout Lake.
- Tillicum Campground, 26 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Trout Lake.
- Panther Creek Campground, 26 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Carson.
- Cultus Creek Campground, 26 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night); listed under camping near Trout Lake.
- Dougan Creek Campground, 27 miles from Cougar in a straight line , State Forest , first-come (No camping fee (first come, with a Discover Pass)); listed under camping near North Bonneville.
- Forlorn Lakes Campground, 27 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single site: $15 per night; double $30; additional vehicle $5); listed under camping near Carson.
- Harry Gardner Park, 27 miles from Cougar in a straight line , County ($25/night RV site, $20 tent site; $5 dump fee for RVs not staying); listed under camping near Toutle.
- Goose Lake Campground, 27 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single site: $20 per night; additional vehicle $5 per night); listed under camping near Carson.
- Taidnapam Park, 30 miles from Cougar in a straight line , Other Agency , reservable ($56 full hookup, $51 water/electric, $35 walk-in tent (May 15-Sept 15); $45/$40/$25 off season); listed under camping near Glenoma.
- Mountain View Rec. Club Group Campground, 30 miles from Cougar in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Trout Lake.
Things to do near Cougar
Public land and water within 30 miles of Cougar, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Swift Power Canal fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 3.5 miles from Cougar; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest, 3 of the 7 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Kalama Horse Camp at 6.5 miles from Cougar; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Toutle, Cinnamon and Fossil trails, at Kalama Horse Camp (6.5 miles from Cougar): The camp loop trail reaches the main trailhead for Toutle #238, Cinnamon #204 and Fossil #242, with over 50 miles of trails and closed roads.
- Lake Merwin fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 8.5 miles from Cougar; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Swift Reservoir fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 9.3 miles from Cougar; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Trapper Creek Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 17 miles from Cougar; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Battle Ground Lake fishing, a fishing water whose mapped point is 19 miles from Cougar; stocking record and species on fishypedia.com.
- Battle Ground Lake State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 19 miles from Cougar; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Eagle Island State Park (Washington), a state park whose mapped point is 20 miles from Cougar; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Paradise Point State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 23 miles from Cougar; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Cougar
Nearest emergency room: Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, 2211 NE 139th St, Vancouver, WA, 28 miles from Cougar , (360) 487-1000. Next nearest: Peacehealth St John Medical Center, 1615 Delaware St, Longview, WA, 31 miles, (360) 414-2000. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.
- Groceries
-
- Lakeside Country Store & Deli
- Cougar Store
- Chelatchie General
- Fuel
-
- Lakeside Fuel
- Cougar Store
- Sinclair
- Propane
-
- Suburban Propane
- Pharmacy
-
- Walgreens
- Walmart Pharmacy
- Hi-School Pharmacy
- Laundromat
-
- Laundry
- Refreshed Launderette
- Cedars Laundromat
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Cougar: RV dump station, potable water fill, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-09-29; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Cougar, WA?
7 public campgrounds are on record near Cougar. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Cougar Park and Campground (0.7 miles), Beaver Bay Park and Campground (1.8 miles), Merrill Lake Campground (3.2 miles), Kalama Horse Camp (6.5 miles), and 3 more. 3 book through PacifiCorp Lewis River campground reservations (CampLife), 2 are first-come, first-served with no reservations, and 2 book through Recreation.gov.
Is there free camping near Cougar, WA?
Yes: Canyon Creek Campground charges no fee at the campground.
Where can I go tent camping near Cougar, WA?
Cougar Park and Campground lists tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Cougar with drinking water?
Beaver Bay Park and Campground, Cougar Park and Campground, Lower Falls Recreation Area, and Swift Forest Camp have potable water on record.
When is camping season near Cougar, WA?
Of the 4 seasonal campgrounds with posted dates, most open in May (1 of 4) and close in November (2 of 4). Each campground's own dates are in the table.
Where can I camp near a lake around Cougar, WA?
Beaver Bay Park and Campground sits on Swift Power Canal.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Cougar, WA?
Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, 2211 NE 139th St, Vancouver, WA, is 28 miles from Cougar in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (360) 487-1000. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in Washington ; by agency: National Forest campgrounds in Washington , Other Agency campgrounds in Washington and State Forest campgrounds in Washington ; by county: campgrounds in Cowlitz and campgrounds in Skamania .