Naches Essentials

I know a lot of people have never been to Naches, so here's some essentials to consider:

Bugs: Might want to toss in some repellent. Mosquitoes can be a problem this time of year.

Sun: Toss in some sun screen. It's easy to get fried when hanging out on the rocks all day.

Water: There's no water available at camp, make sure you have plenty to last you through the week or weekend.

Firewood: If you have any extra firewood laying around, bring it. I don't think we'll have an issue with fire bans.

Chainsaw: Downed trees on the trail can be a problem. If anyone has a small saw they can bring, I'd recommend bringing it. I'll have one with me.

Legalities: In years past we've had some problems with Johnny Law regarding rigs being street legal. If your tires stick out 8" and you don't have doors, you might have an issue. We don't have too much pavement before the trails, but we do have some (10 miles max).

Cooling: Naches has some serious elevation gain and hill climbs. Make sure your rig is up to par on cooling. If you run warm at a red light, I'd recommend looking into it. Having to stop to let rigs cool down is not fun for the group.

Tread Lightly: Yes, this might sound cheesy, but remember to tread lightly. It seems like every year I go up, I notice a new illegal bypass made on a trail. Stay on the trail, please.

$$$: Bring some cheddar for the raffle.

Dust: There's a lot of it. Prepare for it.


Did I miss anything?

Do I need a WA state Discover Pass?

the_weirdo said:

Do I need a WA state Discover Pass?

Click to expand...

Negative. Discover Pass is only needed on state land such as Elbe, Walker Valley, and Tahuya. Naches is national forest, and where we're going to be camping doesn't require any sort of special pass.

Is the campground first come first serve free to camp? or is there a nightly fee, i may have missed it elsewhere, but just checking.

90xjblue said:

Is the campground first come first serve free to camp? or is there a nightly fee, i may have missed it elsewhere, but just checking.

Click to expand...

$5 a night is the fee. There is a message board and lock box where you pay as you drive in off the paved road.

Long Meadow doesn't really have designated spots so its first come first serve. However, space is a non issue, it's massive. There's plenty of spots along the tree line on the sides.

How big of an issue is not having doors up there..? I've been driving doorless for the last two weeks in Portland/Gresham/Clackamas and have been fine. I'm just wondering, don't wanna cause any trouble

bmikes said:

How big of an issue is not having doors up there..? I've been driving doorless for the last two weeks in Portland/Gresham/Clackamas and have been fine. I'm just wondering, don't wanna cause any trouble

Click to expand...

Washington is a bit more strict on legalities. Mostly with flaps and flare, but we did have a rig get a ticketed for no doors a few years back. There's not that much time on the pavement, and you can always squeeze in the middle of the group. It's your call.

Think it'll be very muddy still by the end of June?

bmikes said:

Think it'll be very muddy still by the end of June?

Click to expand...

You never know with Naches. If there's a hint of rain in the forecast, yes. There's usually still snow lingering around too on the ridge tops.

Ill be figuring out how to put my doors back on then

You mentioned dust..... BRING DUST MASKS OR BANDANAS! You will need them