USFS- Tinkham

I have camped at Tinkham road many times, yes, as many noted, the road is really loud. One thing to keep in mind is that in the corridor, the angles are quite steep and the road noise reverberates all over — the only way to escape it is to get up over one of the ridges on either side, where the noise is then inaudible. Most all of the road-​side camping I have found in the I-​90 corridor has some presence of the corridor traffic… these are the unfortunate realities of living in such a populated area, and remember that I-​90 is what moves most all of the Port of Seattle’s materials to-​and-​fro locally and beyond.
The advantages to the area make Tinkham road a practical choice, but be prepared for road noise. There is free camping on the national forest lands off of Tinkham road directly, if you can’t get a camping spot or don’t want to pay for one. Be forewarned that the upkeep of this road, IMHO, is poor, and I have seen (and collected and removed) a lot of litter… essentially, people come out to party/​drink and leave behind their mess… the US Natl Forest staff is likely overstretched as is, budget-​wise and the cleanliness of this road becomes a small priority (which is unfortunate, as it has potential to be way better if it was better maintained)…there are some great access roads up to the McClellan Butte and more… also many of the forest roads lead to scenic areas and all are a reminder of Washington’s not-​so-​distant heavy-​logging past… this area was once home to old growth cedars, douglas firs and hemlocks.
Enjoy the journey!

Beautiful campground but the traffic noise from I-​90 is really really load and ever present

Clean Pit Toilets, single well pump potable water, well maintained sites, fire ring was pile up stones so no grill grate, friendly host, most sites will take a small RV, access road is double wide compacted gravel.
Site #22 was large enough for a group, direct river access.
I don’t think any camping destination should get a 1 star but I had to do it because the average rating was a 4 star which it really is not and it was something I used when booking this place.
We’ve camped enough to know not every campsite is for everyone. And for us this one was the place where we wanted to fit in one more camp before school started up again and everywhere else was booked solid. I really think its for that person that wants to get out for some adventuring and doesn’t want to drive too far out of Seattle to get it, oh yeah and you don’t mind the constant hum of traffic noise.
It’s not for the regular camper because you like us will think Why did they put such a beautifully maintained campground with awesome views and a direct access to a kid friendly river smack dab up against one of the busiest access highways into Seattle. We left after one night because we could not hear each other talk and trying to sleep is just not possible.
I would not recommend it for the first time camper either as it will spoil you view of what getting out there is supposed to be like.
If you’re going to do it just do it for the night, pack some ear plugs, just use it as your base camp, and bring an open mind.

Campsites are nicely maintained. Has potable water, and some nice tenting spots. Not a great spot for solitude, but a fun campground. Small .5 mile trail loop to a small pond. Beautiful river views.
Great if you want to pull off the interstate and camp for the night.

This is a very nice, well maintained campground located along a beautiful river with big trees, pretty good privacy between sites, clean vault toilets, and convenient (but not walking distance) access to a number of popular trail heads. Firewood is available from the camp host for $ 6 for enough wood for one fire. The sites here are generally bigger and more private than at nearby Denny Creek Campground, but this is tent sites only, no hookups if that is important to you.
There are 2 big minuses: (1) the noise from the busy freeway and (2) the access road, which is somwhat badly potholed in a couple of spots. The freeway noise becomes white noise fairly quickly, but it is always there and definitely detracts from the experience. The sites away from the river are slightly better in this regard, but the noise is still very noticeable. The road in (about 2 miles) isn’t horrible, but you do need to be careful and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you have a low clearance car. No problem for trucks/​SUVs and OK with a normal car if you go slow and are careful.
Because of the noise I much prefer Denny Creek a few miles away, but it is understandably more popular and harder to get into. We would definitely stay here again if Denny Creek were full and we wanted to camp in this area.

Great place to camp. The forest service road leading in is a little rough, but manageable. Private sites with plenty of room. Does not have running water bathrooms, and I-​90 is pretty loud.

Been camping at Tinkham many times in the last few yaers and it’s always been a decent place to go. It’s got easy access to the Snoqualmie River (south fork), numerous trails to hike, and is super close to the I-​90. This is great if you run out of beer and have to make a run to one of the truck stops off exit 34. Unfortunately, Tinkham’s proximity to 90 means you get to hear traffic all night long, but the noise isn’t too bad most of the time. There are a couple of super awesome campsites, so book in advance online to reserve them.
There can be some sketchy folks, but that’s to be expected at any campground so close to the city. 4 stars for convenience, river access, and the staff.

I’m still reeling from a weekend spent at the mercy of torrential downpour for 2 full days and nights but I can’t take my frustration towards Mother Nature out on this lovely campground!
First off, you can easily reserve sites online via
. We were able to find something here short notice for Labor Day weekend.
For being less than an hour outside of the city, you can find bliss amongst the trees and next to a beautiful rocky river. This campground is located off a forest service road and is fairly remote however should you forget something, or need to go buy some tarps, North Bend is only 15 mins away.
Most of the sites are fairly private and bordered with trees of which come in handy should you need to bury yourself with tarps in an effort to avoid the rain! We stayed in site 3 of which was nice however it was a bit distracting to be able to see the traffic on the forest road above. For my next stay, I’m choosing space 24 of which was perfectly surrounded by trees and had it’s own private pathway to the river.
We found one nice well marked trail and plenty of areas to explore as well as some fishing spots to take advantage of. I found peace in walking through the moss laden trees admiring the huge trunks of their fallen ancestors while taking advantage of the soft footing that Nature’s carpet allowed. The river provided ample rock hunting and several swimming holes begging for a swim but unfortunately the motto on this trip was to stay dry.
This is a pretty rustic campground, no glamping here! Bring your wetwipes as there are no restrooms or showers, instead they offer what they call comfort stations of which are essentially outhouses. However I must say, they smelled pretty darn fresh and as long as you didn’t look down, they were as they are named, comfortable!
There is a camp host, ours were friendly enough to deliver our wood and even Smokey the Bear payed the grounds a visit!
I knock off some stars because this is located close enough to I-​90 that as much as you’d like to imagine the noise is the river, you hear a loud truck horn scream by and the intimacy you were just sharing with nature is shattered!

FYI: If you want to go camping, hiking, or on any other outdoor type adventure take some time to go to:
This website allows you to find places to go, gives great detail on amenities and other important details and provides maps along with the availability to book reservations on line. This is how I found Tinkham!
Starting from the road side, you drive in and find yourself following a loop that trails from the road down to the river, follows along side the river and then back up to the road. There are of course campsites inside the loop and outside said loop. I recommend (after some map study and physical site surveying), site #13. Yes, I could regret this rec but at the same time my optimism plays in and tells me that you JUST might invite me along for your trip! This spot is right along the river and even has it’s own private pathway down the river bank. It also has a great big open field just for you and your people to allow for more tents or just kicking it.
My posse and I reserved site #46 which was one of the spots right as you drive in. The camp ground does have bathrooms but they are basically honey buckets in wooden sheds. Each one is conveniently stationed close by so that there’s really not a far walk at all if you can’t man up and go into the woods.
I could get into the extravaganza that was my 4Th of July weekend but let me simplify as not to make you jealous. The Park Ranger was RAD! Super chill, sort of reminded me of a surfer. I invited her to come kick it at our site when she got of work and she did. Owwww! There are several labeled trails throughout the campground that take you along the river and through the woods, with little detailed signage for different plants and wildlife to expect to see. It is quiet but there were no complaints for any ruckus that my have came from our or any other campsites. The Ranger is on site at all times and from her (Diane), you can buy fire wood, first aid stuff and water. She’s also got some great rec’s for ANYTHING you could want to do that involves nature.
Tinkham is right off I-​90 and if you’re head Westbound it’s exit 42! Take a right and keep your eye out to the left and you’ll be there in no time. If you don’t get a chance to check it out on line and you’re in the area with no other back ups, stop by. They have «walk-​in» only sites so you most likely will be in luck to find a place that way as well. Happy camping.

Let’s get our camp on betches!
Spent the holiday here with Delilah, Don L, Amanda, Brenda, Frank, Kevin and Brenda’s kicking son Rylee. The Riss and Delilah show and a select part of our ‘entourage’ hit it up and kicked it up hard, fast and fun.
Tinkham Rd is your basic USFS campsite. Well maintained, very basic amenities, extremely reasonable priced, easy to get to and loads of fun.
For the «super campers» this may not be a «top spot», but there is easy river access, walking trails and it’s very close to more serious hiking, backpacking, skiing, boating, fishing and the like.
We let the tunes keep playing, and the park ranger lady even kicked it with us our first night.
Since the main staples of our weekend were rum, vodka and beer. not a whole lot was necessary for us to have a total blast.
This site would make a GREAT choice for any Unilocal camping event. Only 40 mins outside Seattle, easy to reserve connecting and multiple group sites, inexpensive, and more «fancy» amenities and civilization (hotels, latte’s, and food) are only a very short drive up (summit) or down (north bend) the road!