Battle Ground Lake State Park Camping: Sites, Cabins and Fees
Battle Ground Lake State Park in Clark County, Washington, has drive-in and walk-in campsites, four cabins and a small lake stocked with trout. Here is what the official pages say, checked November 2026.
On this page
Quick answer: Battle Ground Lake State Park, near the city of Battle Ground in Clark County, Washington, takes reservations for its campsites and four cabins all year. In winter the campground is only partly open: drive-in sites 1 through 34 stay reservable, while walk-in sites 36 through 50 close from October 16 to April 14. A one-day Discover Pass is $10, combustion motors are not allowed on the lake, and WDFW stocks it with rainbow and coastal cutthroat trout. Everything below comes from Washington State Parks and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), checked November 2026.
Where it is and when it is open#
The park is at 18002 NE 249th Street, Battle Ground, WA 98604. WDFW puts the lake inside the park, about two miles northwest of the city off Heisson Road, and calls it a crater lake. The state park page lists summer hours of 6:30 a.m. to dusk and winter hours of 8:00 a.m. to dusk. An older park brochure (print code 05/17) defines summer as April 1 to September 30 and winter as October 1 to March 31.
On the winter schedule, Battle Ground Lake State Park shows the campground as “Partial”, day use as open and the watercraft launch as open.
WDFW lists the lake at 25.40 acres. The brochure calls the whole place a 280-acre camping park. The two figures probably measure the water and the park, but neither page says so.
Campsites: what is open and how to book#
The winter schedule is the clearest statement of what is open. Sites 1 through 34 are drive-in campsites with limited water, and reservations are taken year round. Site 35 is an emergency campsite and is closed all year. Sites 36 through 50 are walk-in campsites, closed from October 16 to April 14. The brochure’s map marks sites 36 to 50 as hike-in with no vehicle access.
The park page says to expect standard, partial-hookup and primitive sites. Primitive sites mean carrying your gear up to half a mile from the parking lot, and the park takes RVs and combinations of 35 feet or less. The older brochure counted 25 standard campsites, six utility sites for RVs and 15 primitive campsites. We found no current inventory, so treat those counts as history.
Reserving. Washington’s reservation parks page says reservable facilities are generally bookable from May 15 through September 15, then lists Battle Ground Lake among the parks that take individual campsite reservations year round. Book online or call (888) 226-7688. The state fee page lists a non-refundable reservation fee of $8 online or $10 by phone, plus $15 per reservation for customers who do not live in Washington.
Nightly rates. That fee page gives statewide ranges, not a price for each park:
- Standard sites: $31 to $43 in peak season (May 15 to September 15), $23 to $35 in shoulder season (April 1 to May 14 and September 16 to October 31), and $23 from November through March.
- Partial-utility sites: $41 to $51, $35 to $46, and $35 over the same three seasons.
- Primitive sites: $12 in every season.
Tax is included where it applies, and fees can change. We cannot tell from that page which row a given Battle Ground Lake site falls into, so confirm the price at checkout. A site holds up to eight people, and an extra vehicle costs $10 per night.
House rules. The older brochure gives campsite check-in at 2:30 p.m., check-out at 1 p.m. and quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. On November 14, 2026 the park page carried a Level 1 burn ban that still allowed fires in designated pits and grills, plus propane and gas grills.
Cabins#
The park has four cabins, C13, C15, C17 and C21, in a grove of Douglas-fir within walking distance of the lake. The cabins page says each is 12 feet by 24 feet with a 6-foot covered porch, electric heat, lights and locking doors. Each has a bunk bed that sleeps three and a futon couch that sleeps two, with bathrooms and showers nearby. Outside are a fire pit, a picnic table and an accessible deck.
Bring your own bed linens. Cooking is allowed only in cabins with kitchenettes, and pets are allowed only in C21, for $15 per night, up to two pets. Check-in is 4 p.m. and check-out is 11 a.m. You can reserve up to nine months ahead by calling (888) 226-7688, and state discount passes do not apply to cabin fees.
The roofed-accommodation fee page lists Battle Ground Lake cabins for 2026 at $79 a night in peak season, $69 in shoulder season and $55 in winter, the same on weeknights and weekends, and says prices do not include tax. It also says new fees apply to reservations made for January 1, 2027 and beyond. In that second table Battle Ground Lake is in the basic-cabin group: $100 on weeknights and $110 on weekends in peak season, $85 and $90 in shoulder season, and $70 and $75 in winter.
Parking, the Discover Pass and launch fees#
A Discover Pass is required to park at Washington State Parks and on land managed by WDFW and the Department of Natural Resources. The Discover Pass page lists a one-day pass at $10 and an annual pass at $45, with transaction fees possible. One pass can be used by two vehicles but is valid for one at a time.
If you are staying overnight, you do not need a Discover Pass to park in the park where you are staying. You do need one for other state parks and for WDFW or DNR land nearby. The park has an automated pay station that sells passes and daily launch permits.
The state fee page lists a watercraft launch fee of $7 for the day and a trailer dump fee of $5 per use. Neither is charged if you have already paid for camping in the park you are staying in.
On the water#
The park has one boat ramp, for non-motorized boats only, and electric motors are permitted. WDFW’s lake page agrees: a small boat ramp, no combustion motors, and a dock that requires a fee. We did not find the dock fee on either page.
The park store rents kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, open weekends from April to Memorial Day and daily through Labor Day. The park page lists swimming among its activities but does not describe the swimming area, so we cannot say whether there is a beach or lifeguards.
Fishing#
WDFW says rainbow trout have been stocked here since the late 1930s, and that thousands of rainbow and coastal cutthroat trout are stocked from late winter through spring. Its catchable trout plant list shows 1,000 rainbow released on October 26, 2026 and 1,080 more on October 27, so fall plants happen too. WDFW adds that regulations, not stocking dates, decide when you may fish, so check the rules and hold the right license first.
WDFW’s seasonal notes for the lake:
- Rainbow trout: best in spring. Success stays high into June, then slows as the water warms and fish move offshore. Fish that escaped the spring harvest come back to the nearshore in fall.
- Coastal cutthroat (resident): best in spring and fall, with a summer lull in July and August and the lowest catch in late winter.
- Largemouth bass: improves through spring, with a slight summer lull, though dawn and dusk can be very good.
- Bluegill: can be caught year round and fishes best in the warm months.
Grass carp have been stocked, and fishing for or keeping them is prohibited. In a July 18, 2024 boat-electrofishing survey, bluegill averaged 153 fish per hour and largemouth bass 16.5, though WDFW warns that such catch rates may not reflect actual abundance. The lake page says two-pole fishing is allowed but not what that requires, so read the sportfishing rules pamphlet.
Trails, horses and group camping#
The park page says there are no designated bike trails: mountain bikers may use horse trails if they yield to riders. The older brochure instead counts five miles of pedestrian trails and five miles of equestrian and bike trails, 10 miles in all, including a self-guided interpretive trail. We rely on the current page for bikes.
The brochure describes two reservable, primitive horse campsites in the northwest of the park. Its group camp holds up to 64 guests, with a minimum of 25, and the park page says it has four Adirondack shelters and no RVs are allowed. Dogs must be leashed, and the brochure says that includes trails and campsites.
Where the official pages disagree or say nothing#
An earlier version of this article overstated the lake’s size and trail mileage and described a sandy beach, diving board and slide that the official pages do not mention. Those claims are gone.
- Campsite counts: the brochure and the winter schedule do not agree on drive-in sites.
- Acreage: 280 acres for the park in the brochure, 25.40 acres for the lake on WDFW’s page.
- Bike trails: none designated on the park page, five miles of equestrian and bike trails in the brochure.
- Discover Pass: $30 a year in the brochure, $45 on the current page.
- Shore fishing: WDFW’s page labels shoreline access “Good” but also says “Limited shore access”.
- Not covered: the nightly rate for a specific Battle Ground Lake site, the dock fee, swimming-area details and cell service. The park’s phone is (360) 687-4621.
Plan the rest of the trip#
Start with our lake camping reservation guide, then how to plan a lake camping trip. With kids, read camping with kids. For other waterfront sites, see the best lake campsites for water sports and Lake Easton camping, another Washington state park. Safety basics are in our lake camping safety guide.
Sources#
Checked on November 14, 2026: Washington State Parks, Battle Ground Lake, winter schedule, cabins, roofed-accommodation fees, park fees, reservation parks, Discover Pass, WDFW lake page, WDFW trout plants. Older, print code 05/17: park brochure.
Frequently asked questions#
Can you camp at Battle Ground Lake State Park in winter?
Partly. The Washington State Parks winter schedule marks the campground as “Partial”. Drive-in sites 1 through 34 take reservations year round and have limited water, site 35 is closed all year, and walk-in sites 36 through 50 are closed from October 16 to April 14. For booking windows and winter tips in general, see our lake camping reservation guide.
Do you need a Discover Pass at Battle Ground Lake State Park?
For day use, yes. A one-day pass is $10 and an annual pass is $45, and transaction fees may apply. If you are staying overnight in the park, you do not need one to park there, but you do need one for other state parks and for WDFW or DNR land. The park has an automated pay station that sells passes.
Can you use a motorboat on Battle Ground Lake?
Not a gas one. WDFW says no combustion motors are allowed, and Washington State Parks says the one boat ramp is for non-motorized boats only, although electric motors are permitted. The state fee page lists a watercraft launch fee of $7 for the day, which you do not pay if you have already paid for camping in the park.
How much do the Battle Ground Lake cabins cost?
The 2026 table lists $79 a night in peak season (May 15 to September 15), $69 in shoulder season and $55 in winter, the same on weeknights and weekends, before tax. The state says new roofed-accommodation fees apply to reservations made for January 1, 2027 and beyond, and that table lists Battle Ground Lake in the basic-cabin group at $70 to $110 depending on season and night.
When is the best time to fish at Battle Ground Lake?
Spring for rainbow trout, according to WDFW, with success staying high into June and some fish returning to the shallows in fall. WDFW says coastal cutthroat fishing is best in spring and fall, with a lull in July and August. Warmwater fish such as bluegill and largemouth bass pick up as the water warms. See our guide to trout fishing in Washington for other lakes.
Are dogs allowed at Battle Ground Lake State Park?
Yes, on a leash. The park page lists dogs as allowed on leash, and the older park brochure says pets must be on a leash and under physical control at all times, including on trails and in campsites. In the cabins, pets are allowed only in cabin C21 for $15 per night.
How far ahead can you reserve a cabin or campsite?
Cabins can be reserved up to nine months before your arrival date. Individual campsites take reservations year round at this park. Washington State Parks charges a non-refundable reservation fee of $8 online or $10 by phone, and $15 more per reservation if you do not live in Washington.
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We started this blog as a place to go to when we had questions about buying our first home on the lake. There was a lot of information on the internet, but we always spent hours...
