Leavenworth — Tumwater Campground

Tumwater sits along the Wenatchee River on US-2, about 10 miles west of Leavenworth. It’s a bigger USFS campground by Washington standards — multiple loops, vault toilets, fire rings, and river access throughout. The Wenatchee runs loud and clear here, which is half the reason people come back. Overlanders running the Icicle Creek corridor or staging for Wenatchee ridge roads use this as a reliable overnight before pushing further into the range. It fills up on summer weekends — show up Thursday if you want a site without fighting for it.

Access is right off US-2, pavement all the way in. No hookups, no showers, but Leavenworth is 10 miles east with full resupply. Cell service is spotty in the canyon. Some sites are reservable through Recreation.gov; walk-in sites often available mid-week. Elevation keeps this one accessible April through November most years.

River-side base camp west of Leavenworth.