Lake Easton's forested loop has a sandy swim beach and a boat-launch dock in the trees, with I-90 east of Snoqualmie Pass humming next to camp. Evergreens cover the far shore, with peaks behind them. In the morning you walk down to the dock, swim off the sand, or put a boat in, then come back to camp without getting back on the highway.
If you leave Redmond and cross the pass the same day, you sleep at Lake Easton. Washington State Parks has full-hookup and no-hookup sites here, some taking vehicles up to 60 feet, with a dump station on site. The campground closes from November into spring, when you can still park for day-use and the boat launch but you cannot sleep in the park. As of September 2026 the park is open, with a nearby fire being watched.
When the forest campgrounds up the Cle Elum River are open, they are the next night on this same corridor.
Cle Elum and Salmon la Sac
Past Lake Easton, I-90 reaches Cle Elum and Roslyn, and Salmon la Sac Road turns up the valley from there. The road follows the Cle Elum River into the trees, and the picnic tables sit over the water where the Cle Elum meets the Cooper. The Forest Service campgrounds along that road take tents and RVs from late May through mid-September, and some sites are pull-throughs for larger vehicles.
As of September 2026 a Three Queens Fire order has Salmon la Sac and Cle Elum River closed through the end of October, so Lake Easton is the night until they reopen. Past this valley, keep going for Wenatchee and Lake Chelan.
Tolt-MacDonald Park
Tolt-MacDonald Park in Carnation sits at the confluence of the Tolt and the Snoqualmie. A 500-foot suspension footbridge crosses there, trees on both banks, the two rivers meeting under the span. Stay in the trees, walk the bridge in the morning, and skip the pass entirely. The campground runs year-round.
King County's campground is reservation only, with water and electric hookups, a 36-foot cap, and no sewer. Book the site first, then the van. If you need more sleeping space or a longer vehicle than that cap allows, look at RVs for rent in Washington.
Marymoor Park and the Sammamish River Trail
The velodrome at Marymoor Park is a bicycle-racing track in the middle of Redmond, next to a large off-leash dog field. You leave the van in the lot and spend the day on foot or on a bike. King County calls it the county's largest park, and it is day-use only, with no camping. From Marymoor you can follow the paved Sammamish River Trail 10.1 miles to Bothell.
Snoqualmie Falls and the Tiger Mountain walks are Bellevue trips. Snoqualmie Pass and Olympic National Park's north side are Seattle trips.