Southend Campground — Moran State Park

Even though I grew up on Orcas Island, Moran State Park remains to be my favorite state park in Washington.

It offers so many different things from miles of hiking trails to swimming holes, cliffs to jump from, fishing, boating spectacular views and so much more!

There are three loops you can choose from; North End, Midway, and South End. Every loop is well kept, and has its own perks. My favorite is the South End due to all of the sites being on the lake with private water access! But you truly can do no wrong with whatever site you end up with!

If you have a chance to explore Morans beauty, I highly recommend you do so.

Do remember before booking a site that there is an hour long ferry ride to Orcas from Anacortes. You will need reservations in the summer. The camp ground is about 40 minutes drive time from the ferry. No worries though, plenty of sites to see along the way.

Orcas Island is one of my favorite places to camp. The island is magical. This campsite is really great b/c it sits right on Cascade Lake and you can easily get to various hiking trails and a few other lakes. One of my favorite things to do is hike Mount Constitution. The views at the top are amazing.

The site has a swimming area and you can rent kayaks, etc. There’s an undercover kitchen area you can rent if you want to cook with friends and there’s electrical outlets inside. Nice bathrooms. Family/four-legged friendly.

Highly recommend this spot. I typically camp 4+ days b/c the trek from Portland to Orcas is long. 4 hrs to Anacortes, WA + 1 hr ferry ride to Orcas Island + 20 min drive to Moran state park.

Loved this campground! Lots of the spots have huge forested areas behind them. Was easy walking distance to the lake where you can rent kayaks and paddle boards or lounge on the beach. The bathrooms were clean and everything seemed well maintained.