Camp Lakeview is a Christian retreat and family campground that offers both long-term and short-term RV sites. Visitors can choose to rent one of their RV sites or tent spots, or for those that would rather, they also have seven cottages and two halls available for rent. The campgrounds are open year-round, but their tent sites close for the winter. The establishment has several added amenities that are available to their guests, including a volleyball court, basketball court, playgrounds, and docks where visitors can launch boats, go swimming, and fish. Camp Lakeview can be found north of Eatonville and south of Graham. Tanwax Lake is located northeast of the property, and another lake, Byron Lake, can be found on the southwestern side of the premises. Mt. Rainier National Park is within the vicinity as well. Camp Lakeview has been around since the 1930s.
Camp Lakeview offers a variety of overnight accommodations, ranging from spaces for people to set up their own RVs or tents to rooms in their retreat center for larger gatherings. There are 47 RV and tent spaces, seven cottages, and two halls in the retreat center. The RV sites vary, depending on what hookups a patron would like for their stay. Some of them come with full hookups, including water, electricity, and sewage, while others only come with water and electricity. Sites range between 30 to 50 amps and sewage typically comes with the 50 amp sites. The tent sites close for the winter, starting in October, and typically reopen after Memorial Day.
Besides the overnight accommodations for guests, there is also the main office building that has a store in it. The store sells various products that range from sundries, fishing supplies, camping supplies, hot food, ice creams, and other snacks. A kid's playground can be found near Tanwax Lake. There is a volleyball court and horseshoe pit right next to the laundry facilities, as well as a basketball court, which rests on the other side of the laundry rooms. Docks in Tanwax Lake allow guests to launch their boats, fish, and swim. Some of the fish that can be caught from the lake include bass, perch, trout, crappie, and catfish. There are several hiking trails that are located across the grounds, allowing guests to hike, bike, and walk their dogs without having to leave the property.
There are a variety of places that guests can explore in the general area around Camp Lakeview. Mt. Rainier National Park can be found southeast of the establishment and offers many more hiking and biking trails. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is in the vicinity, allowing people to see wild animals such as bears, wolves, coyotes, bison, eagles, and bighorn sheep, up close. A few other places that the manager mentions as noteworthy places include Puyallup Fairgrounds, Pioneer Farm Museum, and the city of Seattle. She notes that people in the past have driven two to three hours to the ocean and spent the day there. The manager also enjoys pointing people to some of her favorite restaurants, including places like Amici Italian Eatery in Graham, which is an Italian restaurant, or Bruno's Family Restaurant and Bar in Eatonville.
The manager of Camp Lakeview wants her guests to feel safe and welcome when they arrive. The motto for Camp Lakeview is, "Inspired by the setting, designed for fellowship, dedicated to enhancing your life." To help their visitors find enjoyment at the campgrounds, the employees do their best to enforce the rules and try to help visitors to the campground as quickly as possible. Another thing they focus on is trying to maintain a quality standard of cleanliness. The manager explains that there are some days she is able to speak with and see guests often, but other days she gets too busy and is unable to check on her patrons, though she does make an effort to at least say "hello."
Camp Lakeview is capable of holding events such as retreats, weddings, and family reunions, due to the retreat center. The retreat center has a lodge, chapel, and cabins, allowing guests to have their own events. Some churches will even rent the lodge for their own services.
Drugs and alcohol are prohibited in the campgrounds, and there is a ban on all weapons. Pets are allowed on the property, but only if they are leashed the entire time. Pets are not allowed to be in the private lake for safety reasons, nor are they allowed inside any of the buildings or cottages. Sunday through Thursday, quiet hours begin at 11:00 PM and go on until 8:00 AM. On Friday and Saturday, the quiet hours begin at midnight and end at 8:00 AM.
Over the years, Camp Lakeview has received a number of reviews from past patrons. The visitors that have spent time at the campsite have mentioned the atmosphere of the property and show appreciation for the family-friendly environment. One person writes, "This is a down-to-earth campground. We love the outdoors. Fishing, boating, hiking, volleyball, playground, tent camping, and awesome cabins. Good for groups of all ages."
The grounds of Camp Lakeview have been operating as a place for retreats, RVs, and tent camping since the 1930s. The retreat center has been used in the past by Red Cross to hold classes there, and at the lodge, they used to have a Soldier's Retreat event. The owner has pictures of what the old cabins and lodge used to look like before renovations were made. The original owner of the campgrounds was a man named Mr. Benbow. In honor of him, they named one of their roads after his name, calling it Benbow Drive.
The current owner has done a lot of work on Camp Lakeview to renovate it and add more amenities for people to enjoy during their stay. They completely redid the Cedar Lodge, Timber Lodge, and all of the cottages, renovating much of the inside as well as the outside. Many of the sites have been updated. The current manager has been at Camp Lakeview for over 25 years.
The manager of Camp Lakeview explains that she enjoys the variety of the job and being able to meet people, both ones who have never stayed at the property and ones that are returning visitors. She also enjoys not having to be in the city, being able to see the lake from her office, and not having to take the freeway to get to work.
32919 Benbow Dr E
Graham, Washington 98338
United States
Campground
Mr. Benbows
