Campground Review - K/M Resorts - Columbia Shores Resort

Description

The K/M Resorts – Columbia Shore Resort is a small privately owned park in the port town of Chinook, just a few blocks from the Chinook Marina on the Columbia River. The park is family friendly and is a member of the Coast-To-Coast, Resorts Preferred International (RPI) and Resorts of Distinction (ROD) park networks. The park is a great base from which to explore the scenic Columbia River and southern Washington coastal area.

Location

K/M Resorts – Columbia Shore Resort
706 US-101,
Chinook, WA 98614
Website
Phone: (360) 777-8581
Latitude: 46.268941 N, Longitude: -123.941091 W

Details

We stayed at the K/M Resorts – Columbia Shore Resort for one week in late-July using our ROD membership for an inexpensive stay. This is an older park right next to Highway 101 and just a few blocks from the Chinook Marina on the Columbia River. The park was not busy during our stay, although we were told the park would be filled to capacity the following week with the opening of Salmon fishing season. We had a 30 amp water and electric pull-thru site during our stay. Despite proximity to Highway 101, the park was generally quiet.

Cost

Our seven night stay here was free (included in our ROD membership fee – given how many nights we stayed at ROD resorts this travel season, we averaged about $3/night – not counting the occasional extra vehicle fee).

Amenities On Site or Nearby

The campground only has basic amenities, including partial-hookups, RV dump station, restrooms and showers, laundry room and fish cleaning stations. The park has a nice club house. Few amenities are available close to the park – Chinook features a Post Office, a few restaurants and a small store, while markets, gas stations, and restaurants are available nearby in Ilwaco and Long Beach. A wider range of shopping and services are available across the Columbia River at Astoria or Warrenton.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 4/5

The campground is easily accessible from Highway US-101 and the lane through the park will easily accommodate large rigs. Roads in the park are well maintained gravel. The campground facilities have provisions for Universal access, although the gravel roadways might be rough to navigate.

The park only has back-in RV sites. A few tent sites are also available. Sites are generous in size and most could accommodate large rigs.

Facilities/Amenities – 3/5

As noted, the campground offers only basic amenities, including partial-hookups, RV dump station, restrooms and showers, laundry room, fish cleaning stations, dog run and a nice club house. The grounds and facilities are clean and well maintained. At one time the park featured a bait and tackle store, but that store appears to have been closed for quite some time. The campground was experiencing septic tank problems so the RV dump station was unavailable during our stay – repairs to the park septic system were underway as we were leaving.

Site quality – 3/5

The park sites only have partial hookups with water and 30/20 amp electric service. A few tent sites with either no hookups or water and electric partial hookups are available. Sites are dirt and grass with a picnic table. Sites are fairly spacious.

Scenic Value – 3/5

The park is not in a particularly scenic location since it is within the city limits of the small port town of Chinook and is just off of Highway 101. The park is, however, a few blocks from the shores of the Columbia River and scenic drives abound throughout the area.

Location/Isolation – 3/5

As noted, the park is not in a particularly isolated or scenic location, but it is generally quiet, despite occasional road noise from Highway US-101.

Paws Friendliness – 3/5

The campground is pet friendly and has a small enclosed pet run, but does not provide cleanup-bags. The campground is large enough to take a short walk with your pet. Longer walks through town and around the marina are possible.

Overall Rating – 3/5

This is a nice basic campground which we can recommend to use as a base to explore the area or as a good place to stay for a fishing trip. We would certainly stay here on another trip, but probably for a shorter time.

Additional info

Internet access

We received a weak to moderate 4G Verizon signal at this campground. We deployed our cellular antenna and booster to improve MiFi hot spot internet access. The campground provides Wifi, but we did not try this service.