Battleground Lake State Park is located in Battleground, Washington about 25 miles from Vancouver, Washington and 35 minutes from Portland, Oregon. The lake was formed by a volcano, and you can find lava rock in the shallow areas of the lake. This state park has numerous campsites for tents, RV's, as well as four cabins, and primitive sites that one can hike into.
My family and I camped at Battleground Lake State Park from June 3rd to the 8th of this year. We stayed in a cabin for our visit. The cost of the cabin is forty dollars a night. The cabin sleeps four with a bunk bed (one bed on the bunk bed is a full size bed) and a fold out futon. The cabins have a small table with four chairs, the bunk bed and futons, a table with a small lamp, electrical outlets, and heat. The mattresses on the beds are very thin, so not the most comfortable and you must bring your own bedding. The cabin also has a small covered porch which is great for when it rains. The sites have a grill and a fire pit, as well as a picnic table. The sites are surrounded by Douglas Firs, Cedar, Maple trees and more, providing a beautiful setting.
Some of the wildlife you may see here are chipmunks, squirrels, deer, rabbits, (all of which we saw), foxes, raccoons, coyotes, hawks, jays, woodpeckers, and more. Although not listed as one of the parks regularly seen animals, we also saw a Bald Eagle and heard a bear.
The park has hiking, biking, and horse trails, a softball, baseball and volleyball field, a badminton area, interpretive activites, bird watching, and an amphitheatre.
The lake is considered a smaller version of Crater Lake in Oregon and offers fishing, swimming (though too cold when we went), a dock, and boat ramp. The lake has trout, bass, and catfish and is regularly stocked with these, making fishing here great. The park also offers paddle boats for rent for five dollars an hour though to our dismay we were told that the boats had not been fixed from last year and were unavailable.
There is a park store that offers burgers, fries, ice, firewood, fishing supplies, drinks, and candy but was only open Saturday and Sunday while we were there. However, this may be because we were there before the actual summer season.
If you want to get away from the camp for a few hours, you can drive in to Battleground, Washington (about 10 or so miles) and visit the cute little antique and thrift shops, or head for the Fred Meyer, Albertsons, or Safeway. There is also a little joint called Burgerville with the best burgers, fries, and shakes all made fresh.
Our stay at Battle Ground Lake State Park was incredible. The scenery and wildlife is stunning and refreshing and the park employees are friendly, courteous, and very helpful.
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