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Guess what? I whisked my two older grandkids to Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho again this year! "Whisked" might be a bit too generous of a word, though, since it took us almost 9 hours to get there—but I'll spill the details on that adventure later!
Our thoughts on Ravenwood RV Park
For the past couple of visits, we've been camping out at Ravenwood RV Resort, just a hop across the highway from the park. Now, "resort" might be a stretch—it's more like a cozy gravel parking lot with spots so close you could pass the salt to your neighbor without leaving your RV. However, they do have a tiny pool that's always overflowing with gleeful kids making the biggest splashes! Kids always make me happy.
The spots vary from 30/50 amps, with some full hook-up sites. The first time I rolled in two years ago, I was wowed by the lodge-like building at the entrance. It's where you check in and find a little camp store. Back then, they were re-doing the bathrooms, showers, and laundry, so they had sani-cans for the time being.
Fast forward to the next year: still no bathrooms, showers, or laundry. And this year? You guessed it—still no bathrooms or laundry! They promise a free shuttle to the park, but it's like hunting for a mythical creature; no one ever knows if or when it’s actually running. At least there's a fenced dog park and a playground, but without bathhouses and with those tight spots, it’s a bit of a letdown.
This year, I hit the jackpot and scored a camping spot at the Silverwood RV Park. No pool, but who needs one when you can walk straight into Silverwood and Boulder Beach Water Park? The camp spots were HUGE—each one was gravel, but well-maintained and level. They even have a designated level area for a tent at each spot, which is fantastic because many RV parks don't allow tents alongside RVs. They had a nice playground, a camp store, and ample, well-maintained bathhouses and laundry.
Silverwood RV Park
The best part? Being able to stroll right from our RV to the park entrance was awesome. I'll definitely try to snag a spot there again next year!
Got off to a late start!
The travel day getting there was quite the adventure! My sister decided to tag along behind us in her travel trailer. We planned to leave Gig Harbor between 10-11am, aiming to reach the RV park by around 5pm.
That morning, I was up and at it, loading everything up: the kids, their bikes, and enough snacks to feed an army. I kept trying to reach my sister with calls and texts, but there was
radio silence. Finally, at 10:30am, I hooked up my Jeep to the RV and hit the road. I wouldn’t have been so impatient, but with the kids chomping at the bit to leave, I wanted to stick to our schedule.
Just as I started crossing the Narrows Bridge, my sister called. She hadn't even hooked up her trailer yet and still needed to stop for gas! I told her I was already on the road and decided to drive slow and stop at the first rest area. I needed to dump my tanks anyway, so it was a perfect way to kill some time and give her a chance to catch up.
I stopped at the rest area, did the tank dump, and then pulled into a parking spot to walk the dogs and kill a few more minutes. I tried calling and texting my sister again to see where they were—still no answer.
After about 20 minutes, I got back on the road and headed out Highway 18 to I-90. Suddenly, the phone rings and it's my sister. They were just now getting gas! At this point, I was a full hour ahead of them.
I told her I would drive slow and meet her on the other side of the pass at the first rest stop past Cle Elum. She agreed, so I set my cruise control to 55 MPH to keep my lead foot from putting me any further ahead of her than I already was.
When I finally reached the rest stop, I snagged a parking spot and announced to the kids, "It's lunchtime!" We took our sweet time—ate lunch, walked the dogs, and lounged on the grass for a while.
Over an hour passed, and I called my sister again. Turns out, they (she and her friend) were still about 20-30 minutes away from me. Apparently, they had stopped to eat at the pass. Classic!
When she finally got there she told me her truck hadn't been running smoothly, so she wanted me to follow her in case of any issues. I agreed and told her my plan to refuel at the Love’s Truck Stop in Ritzville. I asked if she could make it there on her fuel, which was about another 130 miles. She assured me she was good to go, then sped off like a bat out of hell and soon disappeared from sight! Mind you, I was cruising at a modest 60 mph, so who knows how fast she was really flying.
A couple of hours later, I spotted a rest stop coming up. It was right alongside the highway, and I could see the vehicles parked there. Her trailer stood out like a beacon—it's white, shiny aluminum, and bright red! (Love It.) I spotted her in the lot, but it was too late for me to stop. I tried calling and texting, and finally got a text back saying it was just a quick pit stop and she'd be back on the road soon. I let her know I'd meet her at the Love’s Gas station in Ritzville as we planned.
By the time I reached Ritzville, it was already 5:30 pm and we still had a good two hours of driving ahead. The truck stop had a Carl’s Jr., so I parked the RV and treated the kids to dinner at the restaurant.
While we were chowing down, I got a text from my sister—she was on the side of the road 20+ miles behind me, out of gas! Can you believe it?! She wanted me to bring her gas, but after a quick debate, I decided against it. I couldn’t leave the RV unattended, didn’t want to blow $50 on gas to backtrack, and definitely didn’t want to arrive at the RV park after dark. I reminded her she had AAA for emergencies like this.
After dinner, I herded the kids and dogs back into the RV and we pressed on towards Silverwood. About 30 minutes later, I got a call from my sister saying AAA was on the way and she’d meet me at the park.
But WAIT, there's more!!
We finally rolled into the RV park around 7:30-8:00pm and got settled into our spot. The kids crashed right away, and I was exhausted—it had been a marathon of a day!
My sister was staying at Ravenwood across the highway, so the next morning, I tried calling and texting her—no response. The kids were wiped out, so I let them sleep in, and they eventually got ready to hit the park by about 11:00am.
As we were walking to the entrance, I finally heard from my sister. They hadn’t gotten in until about 10:30pm! Turns out AAA didn’t bring her enough gas to make it to the station, so they ran out again! My sister ended up walking two miles to a gas station and lugging a gas can back along the freeway. I told her she should have complained to AAA, and she said she planned to, but who knows if that ever happened.
She met up with us later in the afternoon, and we had an absolute blast! We rode the water slides, played in the wave pool, and lounged in the lazy river, sipping slushies from the swim-up bar. The park is beautifully maintained and clean, like a mini Disneyland! All the workers were super friendly and helpful.
After the water park, we headed to the Roller Coaster Slide. Only one of my grandkids is roller coaster-friendly, so we made sure everyone got to do something they liked. The park is completely cashless, so bring your credit card, or you can
Fun at Silverwood Theme Park!
load money onto your entry band. Just remember to get a refund if you have any money left on the band at the end of the night.
There are many dining options, mostly cafeteria-style, with reasonably priced and delicious food. My grandkids probably ate their weight in ice cream, candy, and popcorn!
We closed down the park the first night and did it all again the next day. I love roller coasters, and my granddaughter and I rode them all! However, there’s one called Timber Terror… While it has huge dips and goes super fast, it shakes your brain around in your skull enough to give you a concussion! I’ll remember to skip that one next time, and I know my sister will too!
On our day of checkout, Silverwood RV Park had us out by 10am sharp—so we hit the road bright and early. It felt especially early after two days of theme park marathon walking!
Ravenwood had a later checkout, so my sister left after us, and we were all headed to Leavenworth for a few days. Just before reaching Leavenworth, I got a call from my sister. Her truck had broken down on the side of the road! It had blown a water hose. AAA was coming to rescue her and the truck, taking them back home, while our cousin would help retrieve the trailer with his own truck that night. What a hero! That retrieval was about 6 hours round trip!
It was a bummer, but luckily it wasn’t a huge mechanical failure and she got it fixed once she got home. Despite the hiccup, we managed to have a great time and smiled more than we frowned!
Truck Breaks Down!
She runs out of Gas
