Charbonneau Park Offers Riverside Camping Near Pasco, Washington

Camping in Charbonneau Park

Charbonneau Park and Campground, with 54 sites located on the Snake River, is an oasis of shade in the high desert land that is southeastern Washington.

The campground and marina sit on the south side of Lake Sacajawea, a reservoir that was formed when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed Ice Harbor Dam a couple of miles down river. The corps operates this campground just as it does its sister campground, Hood Park, a few miles to the west.

Charbonneau Park RV Camping

Charbonneau Park offers 37 RV and tent sites with 50 amp electricity; 14 of the sites are located along the water.  It also has 15 full hook-up sites with electricity, water and sewer; two of these sites are handicap accessible. All of the campsites can be reserved in advance through the federal government’s campground reservation system.

The sites have paved pads and each one comes with a picnic table and fire pit/grill. The campground also has playgrounds for children, flush toilets with hot showers, potable water and dump stations.
A boat launch and marina are nearby. The marina sells gasoline for boats during the summer months. The boat launch is open year round.

The Corps of Engineers charges nightly fees for camping from May 1 through September 30. Dry camping is available for free the rest of the year.

Day Use

Charbonneau Park also has a day use section with a picnic shelter for large groups. The shelter can be reserved in advance; otherwise, it is available on a first-come first-serve basis, the corps says.
The park is very popular with residents of the nearby Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick, who flock there by the hundreds for picnicking, swimming and boating on hot summer weekends.

Charbonneau History

Charbonneau Park is named after Toussaint Charbonneau, the French-Canadian husband of Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian guide who interpreted for the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery as it traveled to the Pacific Ocean.

On their journey to and from the ocean, the explorers spent several days camped a few miles downstream at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Their campground is now the site of Sacajawea State Park.

How to Find Charbonneau Park

Charbonneau Park is located at 642 Campground Road in rural Burbank, a small community on
Highway 124. Turn on Highway 12 just south of the Snake River Bridge and go 8.3 miles to the Ice Harbor Dam intersection. Turn right on Safe Harbor Road just before you get to the dam. The park is located a couple of miles down this road.