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Where? Browns Lake Campground in the Colville National Forest about 1 hour 15 minutes from our house in Northwood. Distance from Dick’s Hamburgers: 63 miles, approximately 1 hour 29 minutes. When? 7/10/18 – 7/11/18
Photos & Videos: GoPro Hero 5
Why go camping here?
It’s not far from home.
It’s often not full, especially during the week.
The camp sites are quite large and include fire pits, picnic tables, lots of parking as well as a plethora of places to pitch a tent.
You can easily access the lake.
You can swim in the lake.
You can paddle board or enjoy other non-motorized water craft on the lake.
You can fish here although it’s fly fishing only.
It’s quiet.
It’s beautiful.
It’s dog friendly.
It includes a nice hiking path.
It’s only $16 per night to camp there and $8 for each additional car.
Overview: We camped here as kids and I remember enjoying it, but my perspective as an adult made me appreciate its natural beauty and all it has to offer even more. It was nice that it was only a one hour 15 minute drive from our house.
How we got there: Check out my Get Out Spokane Google Map. We traveled north on Highway 2 to the exit to Highway 211. We drove on this road about 15 miles to Usk. Leaving Usk, we traveled on gravel roads and arrived at Browns Lake 20 minutes later.
What we saw and did: After traveling on a narrow gravel road to the campground, we joined my brother and his family in their amazing campsite right on the lake. We spent the day paddle boarding, sitting around the fire, eating, drinking and simply enjoying the wonderful smells of the forest and the sounds of the wilderness that come with that. My brother and I even donned head lamps for a paddle board ride @ night. The highlight of the evening was laying on our boards in the middle of the lake looking up @ the starts.
The next day, the morning faded away as we enjoyed a slow start to the day under the canopy of trees. We took the dogs for a hike on the trail alongside the lake. Upon our return, we once again hit the water on our paddle boards, dogs and all. With all three dogs on my board, I circumnavigated the lake and the lagoon in 39 minutes.
We pretty much had this mountain lake all to ourselves. We hung out, paddle boarded, hiked and enjoyed nature.
There's a secluded portion of the lake which is fun to explore.
There's a long stretch of beach to park your boards or a chair.
They boast huge campsites. We had two tents and a camping trailer on our camping site plus room to park all of our cars.
This is the hiking path that take you above the lake while providing gorgeous views of the area.
what we saw and did
what we saw and did
After traveling on a narrow gravel road to the campground, we joined my brother and his family in their amazing campsite right on the lake. We spent the day paddle boarding, sitting around the fire, eating, drinking and simply enjoying the wonderful smells of the forest and the sounds of the wilderness that come with that. My brother and I even donned head lamps for a paddle board ride @ night. The highlight of the evening was laying on our boards in the middle of the lake looking up @ the starts.
The next day, the morning faded away as we enjoyed a slow start to the day under the canopy of trees. We took the dogs for a hike on the trail alongside the lake. Upon our return, we once again hit the water on our paddle boards, dogs and all. With all three dogs on my board, I circumnavigated the lake and the lagoon in 39 minutes.
bottom line
bottom line
If you love the outdoors and enjoy camping where you have large campsites and a fair amount of privacy, Browns Lake is a great choice. At times you feel like you have the entire lake to yourself. I’ve heard that the fishing isn’t so great there anymore, but we had plenty to keep us busy on our trip without casting any lines.
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