Northwest Fishing Reports

Can anyone suggest a camping location near Kapowsin? It doesn't need to be large or fancy. It will be myself and a tent and my boat for one evening. I have thought about the possibility of camping on the large island at Kapowsin, does anyone know if this is public land or private?

Looking for suggestions...

Thank you Toni!

Toni wrote:Camp Lakeview on Tanwax Lake is about 10 minutes from the Public Launch on Kapowsin. They have tenting areas.

Good call!

Camp Lakeview is great and offers cabins and tent sites. They do have a no alcohol policy,just mentioning it
but they are great folks. Rainbow has a great staff but I'm not familiar with lodging options here.
The island at Kapowsin is public and camping on here is fairly popular.However,it does get some trash build up
from other/less respectful campers. My buddies and I try to clean it often but its a losing battle. The land behind
the island is owned by Hancock Properties,they grant permits for land use such as hunting,firewood gathering.
There is also a small camp used by the Boys Scouts of America on the same side as Hancock but its unclear if its owned
by them or Hancock as well.

I took a look at camp Lakeview. Funny enough, the only time I do like to drink is when I am camping. If the Island is public domain, then I have found my spot. I will make sure to bring some extra trash bags and gloves and pack out some extra trash when I leave.

I would check into if you can park overnight at the launch at Kapowsin and even if it is legal I'm not sure it is safe to leave your vehicle there overnight. There used to be alot of trouble with tweekers breaking into vehicles around there, not sure if there still is.

Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah, I tried it out this summer, got there at around 5 am and there were a few groups of weirdos in the woods, just walking around, gave me the impression of "tweakers".
I went and checked out ohop and waited until they left...

I would not leave my vehicle overnight at the Kapowsin parking lot.... FYI.

See if Andy's next door is still in operation maybe?

I`m pretty familar with Kapowsin. I saw that Kevin B posted. He is the man to pm and ask if you have any questions. I bet he can tell ya where to park. Might be a small fee for over night parking. I can bet alot of $ your vehicle will not be there the next morning or not in one piece. I know the pierce county sheriff`s have been patroling on a regular basis and have also limited the vandelism in that area. But you can`t catch all of them. Every time I go there I see tweakers around. Just an FYI:)

The consensus seems to be... Don't park too long at Kapowsin unless you are hunting tweekers.

Yes,their is no doubt that Kapowsin has had its issues with a select few "Bad apples"
(keeping it clean) but as rjn stated previously,the Pierce County Sheriffs Department has made huge strides in policing the region and boat launch and WDFW Officers also make their rounds on a very regular basis. This alone has seemed to curb most incidents with theft and vandalism and the fact that they have also been able to catch a few of these less desirable people in the act of commiting such crimes,they now sit behind bars. Next time your at Kapowsin,Tanwax,Ohop etc and see the WDFW Game Wardens and PCSO Deputies,be sure to give them a thank you and let them know the fishing community appreciates there service.
Having said that,I personally havn't had any issues at Kapowsin in many years and I like to practice defiance,I have adopted the attitude that this is "OUR" lake and not the tweekers,so they need to leave,not me. The area is improving,its nothing like it was 10 years ago.It still has its problems like many other semi remote lakes in the state but things are certainly looking up and the family and I will be fishing it hard
again this year,just like every year. Should I find any "Bad Apples" on our adventures,I may need to take a course on making and decorating concrete boots....these classes are followed by how to make a quality catfish holes!

bcalvert wrote:I took a look at camp Lakeview. Funny enough, the only time I do like to drink is when I am camping. If the Island is public domain, then I have found my spot. I will make sure to bring some extra trash bags and gloves and pack out some extra trash when I leave.

Just put your drink in a cup and don't get drunk & loud. I've been there and done that.