White River Campground

First come first serve campground. Call ahead to the Rangers station to see how many spots are available. This is especially helpful when it is a holiday weekend.

Was it difficult to walk up and find a spot if you arrive mid to late afternoon?

This campground is one of my favorites. Clean and friendly, with great views and trails. Loop D was so close to the river with a great view of Mount Rainier. They had nice bear lockers to keep the smells contained but still conveniently located by your table. The campsites were large and spacious, perfect for having 4 kids with us, with lots of fun trails to keep them busy. The site also had really great trees all around, for some privacy and the perfect place to hang your hammock. The ranger on duty had talks every night we were there about different things about the park and we all gathered around a warm campfire for it. The beautiful Sunrise Ridge with the trails, lakes, and visitors center is also close by for more things to do.

White River is the only car campground on the Sunrise side of Rainier. If you are lucky you can get some sites that have great views of the peak on a clear day, and like the name, the White River flows right by the campground. There is access to the Glacier Basin, Sunrise and Wonderland Trails all from the campground. Out of the loops I liked C and D the best. D has less tree cover and is more open to the river with Rainier views, while C is forested and some of the sites (like C17) have their own private little waterfall and footbridge...pretty fancy!

If you're on bike tour, pitch and ditch at camp then conquer the climb to Sunrise without your gear. Spend $7 for a tallboy of Rainier while enjoying views of the namesake mountain. Stargazing is ace up at Sunrise visit's center!