Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park
Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2019

Nice campground close to Paradise

Cougar Rock is a large campground (and the one closest to Paradise) with over 170 sites in six loops.  Note that the maximum allowable length for motorhomes is 35 feet and 27 feet for trailers and 5th wheels. Loops A and E have some sites that are right on the road. Some sites are pull-through and most are spacious with varying amounts of privacy between them. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and a bear box. C1 felt very private, even though it was the first site in the C loop. You can hear the Nisqually River lull you to sleep. Don’t forget to bring your towel to the bathroom as there are no paper towels or air dryers in the bathrooms. The bathroom was reasonably clean but as with all NPS campgrounds, there are no showers. Cougar Rock was a very quiet campground on a Monday in mid-June, even though there were a fair amount of people camping. The campground opened in May; the sites are reservable June 21-September 3 only. If you haven’t reserved a site (and therefore pre-paid), there is a machine that accepts coins and credit cards (but not bills that I could see!) to pay for your campsite. The Wonderland trail is accessible from the campground, but you would have to drive to other trailheads. We are told you can get a great view of Mt. Rainier just across the street on the trail, but we will have to take the ranger’s word on it as the clouds completely obscured the view! No cell service.

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Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019
  • Review photo of Cougar Rock Campground — Mount Rainier National Park by Lee D., June 20, 2019