First camping experience of 2024 finally in the books! Wawawai County Park offered a great experience for the first outing of the year. Wawawai County Park is located in Whitman County, WA. It is easily accessible from Pullman, WA via the Wawawai-Pullman Rd or from Clarkston via Wawawai Rd. The road from Pullman does descend from the Palouse into the Snake River canyon on a fairly decent decline that is a little twisty (read as fun to drive if you like twisty roads). The road from Clarkston follows the Snake River and is a relatively flat and uninspiring drive, but the views of the river and hills it cuts through can be quite amazing, especially in spring when everything is verdant.

The campground has 9 campsites that are available on a first come, first served basis. The cost is $15 a night plus $5 for a second vehicle. The sites can only accommodate two vehicles. There are trash cans conveniently dispersed throughout the campground. There is water during the warmer seasons at about the mid-point of the campground. Each site has a fire pit with a grill, a handicap accessible table of pretty decent size, and a tent pad that can fit two two-person tents without problem. There are no hookups for RVs. There are two vault toilets available, one near the campground and the other in the park area.
The creek was flowing while we visited, which added a nice touch of ambience to the setting that I was not expecting. I believe that I heard aircraft on two separate occasions, which is pretty minimal for this day and age. The sound of cars on the nearby road was also easy to hear, but the road is not heavily trafficked during the colder part of the year. Spring and summer may see road noise being more of a nuisance as the college kids spend a lot of time on the river. The only other noise of note was the coyotes that I awoke to on two separate occasions. With the nature of the valley, they could have been further away than it seemed.
The campsites were nice and clean, and it was evident that park crews have been busy cleaning up the park and campground of the fall detritus. I did not ask about firewood availability, as I had brought plenty of my own. The park itself offers up many sheltered picnic areas with grills available at each table. There is one large group area that has 3 fire pits, electrical outlets, and a sink with water. This shelter can probably fit about 100 people and is available to be reserved or on a first come basis.

There is a small beach where you can embark into a little cove off the Snake River. There is no lifeguard and warnings that the water may be stagnant, so swim at your own risk. The park also offers a playground at the top of the hill and an interpretative trail. The trail is about 1/2 mile long and has many great views of the river as well as signs to teach a little about the history and use of the area. There is a blackberry patch that encroaches on the trail at one point, but, surprisingly, there were no berries present in February.

Overall, I think that Wawawai offers a very family friendly experience. In the winter months when a lot of campgrounds are either closed or inaccessible, it offers a very pleasant winter experience. Weather on the Snake River is usually a little milder than it is up on the Palouse. While I was waiting for my partner to show up, the campground received a little rain shower. On top of the hill, where she was, it was snowing, and this is a great example of why this could be a prime winter destination for those just itching to get some camping in during the winter months.

Official information can be found here: https://www.whitmancounty.org/facilities/facility/details/Wawawai-County-Park-8

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