Ike Kinswa State Park, Silver Creek, Washington

     On our continuing quest to find new campgrounds, we found Ike Kinswa.  Since it's February, the campground was mostly empty and the trees were bare.  Even without leaves the campground is beautiful.  The sites are all paved, some back-in some pull-through. (I did notice that most of the pull-through sites were in the form of a tight arch and maybe too small for larger vehicles if they're not hitched in the middle and the back-in sites are narrow, designed for camping behind your rig)  Don't let that scare you away, the campground overall is great.  It is located on a peninsula reaching out into Mayfield Lake.  We found a nice but short hiking trail along the lake, complete with a rope swing for a warming time of year.  Also, there are several cabins for those so inclined.  They are 12 x 24 with electricity, but no plumbing.  From the outside they look quite nice.  We will have to visit here again, maybe next time in the summer, when we can enjoy the lake more.  All and all, it was a great weekend and I'm glad we found the campground.  It's about 20 miles off the interstate halfway between Portland and Seattle.  

         (From Wikipedia)  Ike Kinswa State Park is a publicly owned recreation area on the northern side of Lake Mayfield, located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Mossyrock in Lewis County, Washington. The state park covers 454 acres (184 ha) that include 46,000 feet (14,000 m) of shoreline mostly along the Tilton River including the point where the Tilton and Cowlitz rivers once merged. The park offers boating, fishing, swimming, waterskiing and windsurfing plus facilities for camping, hiking, and mountain biking, It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. The park came into existence with the construction of the Mayfield Dam in 1963. In 1971, the park's original name, Mayfield Lake State Park, was changed to Ike Kinswa State Park, in honor of a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.