Free camping - but you MUST have a Discovery Pass first.  $11.50/day pass or $35 for a year

This campground is located near Lyre River in a mature riparian forest, about a half-mile upstream from where the river empties into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A popular camp for anglers, Lyre offers good salmon fishing during fish migrations. The site has 11 campsites, shelter, two toilets and potable water. View our map for more information. Campsites can accommodate up to a 20-foot RV, though size may vary by site. 
 
A Discover Pass is required for access to this campground and free camping.

Lyre River Campground

Lyre River is a bit of a hidden gem for car campers on a crowded and often expensive Olympic Peninsula. Tucked away from Highway 101 west of Joyce; it's a great place to settle down for a night or two, enjoy some fishing and visit some often overlooked locations on the OP.

As Washington Department of Natural Resources land the campground is free with a Discover Pass (purchased at any outdoor oriented location) and allows for a maximum stay of 7 days at the site. Because it is free and operates on a first come, first serve basis it's pretty full every night in the summertime. I would suggest arriving early (around 9 AM) and trying to swipe a spot when someone leaves, you may have to wait a bit but it's totally worth it. All spots are usually occupied around 11 AM and people are constantly driving through looking for openings.

As far as things to do in the area the main draw is fishing. There's a fishing platform at the southern end of the campground and a number of beaches with deeper pools that trout and salmon like to hang around in. One crusty old-timer said that during runs the river is overflowing with fish, including the highly coveted Steelhead. Around the area places like Murdock Beach gives great views of Canada and the Salish Sea. Joyce has a great museum and general store with a bit of everything. South lies Lake Crescent which has untold number of hiking trails, beaches and amazing views of the Olympic Mountains. The area serves as a great jump-off point for heading west on Highway 101 towards the rainforest or west on Highway 112 to Sekiu and Neah Bay.

Other points to note: Bathrooms (privies) are on site and there's a smaller privy in the southern end of the campground. There's a covered area to gather and a handicapped accessible campsite there as well. Although there are no showers you have the option of taking a bath in the beautiful Lyre River or driving to Salt Creek State Park to use their coin-operated showers.

This is my go-to spot while working out in the area and is great for families, friends or just weary travelers passing through.

Quiet, Serene and Great Fishing

We love this spot! We’ve had trouble finding quiet campgrounds but this one is perfect for us. We got a spot on a Sunday morning, about half the campground was available. I imagine it might be harder getting a spot on a Friday or Saturday, but haven’t tested it out yet. Our spot was right on the river. There are a few water spigots and a couple vault toilets. We enjoyed the trail from the campground to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We’ll be back! 

Lovely river side spots ooo

This was our first trip to a DNR campground and it was lovely. Only 11 sites some spread out some close together all along the lyre river. It’s beautifully shaded but that adds to some dampness feeling in some of the sites with more growth.

We stayed in site 4, great for a single family tent, probably could squeeze in another, had room for our hammock.

2 vault toilets with 3 points for water access (1 next to #3, 1 by the shelter across from #6, and by the #9). There is a dumpster for garbage next to the shelter. 

All that’s required for camping here is a Discover Pass. The recreation warden does come by to check at least once a day. 

Cons: toilet was a little bit gross there’s a sign that it doesn’t get maintained on a daily basis. No TP after 12hrs, make sure to bring your own. 
-there appears to be some transient people that wander through, just keep an open eye.
-there is private property adjacent to the camp ground, mostly feel marked and there are video cameras 

Hidden campground, serene

Stayed at this campground at the beginning of our trip down the 101. Took a ferry from Seattle and pulled in late at night. It was empty (winter) and free with a discovery pass. About $10/day or $35/year. If we had more time we would have gotten the yearly pass. The campsites were great. Beautiful spots right on the river. Settled 13,000 years ago. Fire pits, bathrooms, limited cell service. The sound of the river was peaceful. 10/10 would recommend.

So Dope

We camped here by chance over New Years. Beauty, Lush, Evergreens, Moss, Eagles, the mighty Lyre River, Steelhead Trout, a hike to through Aspen forests to view the San Juan. It rained the entire time, with mini breaks, but we camped with a 20’ travel trailer and boondocked with a generator and full tank of water at the host campsite (#6). The water was on and bathrooms open but only at the pavilion. DNR was by daily, felt safe and secure. Joyce General Store nearby - been there since 1911 and owners bought it from original owners in the 60’s -  a nostalgic place to get randoms, say hi to some locals, and get gas if needed. 

A beautiful intense place during the winter

This a great little spot outside of Port Angeles. It’s right on the river, and most spots have access to it. The spots seemed spacious. Not a ton of privacy between them. The cell service was spotty at best. There’s a vault toilet. Its also a quick drive to some rocky beaches to look for agates. Other reviewers mentioned someone coming around to check for a Discover Pass, but that didn’t happen while I was here. I’d say it was about half full during my stay in early March. I enjoyed my time here and felt very safe and secure, and it was a nice jumping off point for the national park.

Right on the River

Awesome camping right on the river! It was so relaxing to be in the forest and wake to to the river. The river and campsite do fall between two hills so not much sun but I’m sure that is nice in summer but was chilly in April. The sites are well maintained and while there are pit toilets they were clean. 

A few of the sites are close together. Best to go with friends and hope to get neighboring sites since it’s first come, first serve or hope you don’t end up next to a converted bus playing dance music until 2am (yikes!). Despite the tunes, we would definitely recommend this campground to others.

PNW Camping At Its Best

I camped here the weekend of May 1, 2021. Got to the campsites at about 3pm on a Saturday and there were still at least 5 campsites available. The river runs right alongside some of the campsites. No Verizon cell service. There’s a short trail nearby that will take you to the Straight of Juan de Fuca.

Very peaceful!

This is a small campground on a pretty river. The sites are pretty close together, and it’s not really dispersed since there aren’t really any places to camp except the established sites. There are a lot trees so solar panels don’t get much charging. There’s a nice but short boardwalk through the trees. Nice platform overlooking the river. The road winds around a bit so you don’t feel like you’re to close together. Not a lot of trails, but not far to drive to Salt Creek Recreation Area, which is beautiful. About an hour to Hurricane Ridge. 

Nice stopover on scenic river 

This location takes the Discovery Pass. There was no host here, and cell signal is spotty at times. I had to drive towards the 101 after I found my site to get signal to call or have internet access. It worked out. 
     There seems to be about 6 sites at this campground. Quiet, just the sound of the river rushing by. Clean campground with 2 vault toilets and a dumpster for trash. I would stay here again. 


Rivers edge

the campsite is incredibly gorgeous with huge trees and lots of moss/ fungi/ an other neat things. The lyre rive is also stunning and plays a great tune to sleep to every night and is great to play/ wade in in the day. There are a fair amount of spots and they all filled up every single night, but when we got to the site around 2/3pm on a week day we had our choice of almost any spot. They fill in by around 5/6pm depending on the day. Some noisy campers but most were respectful. free with discover pass. 

peaceful and green

Stayed for one night. Well maintained and quiet. Camped right by the river. Would definitely recommend. Limited number of sites so get there early.

Small, but quiet and clean

We loved the little trails around camp to cruise with our dog and infant. Lots of river access for exploring. Spacious campsites. We were able to easily pop into town for supplies. Quick drive to the ocean too. 

Planned for 1 night, but stayed for 4!

Secluded riverside campground. Pit toilets, two water pumps, covered picnic with three fire rings. Very few tent sites , so get there early to snag a spot. You do need a Washington State Park Discovery Pass ($11.50 daily), otherwise it is free. Beautiful spot, fell asleep to the sound of the river. 

Gorgeous quiet spot

easy to find campground, got a great spot on a thursday around 5pm but was one of the last available
spots.
the grounds were quiet and clean.
the river is gorgeous and provided us with the perfect background noise for us to unwind in the forest
 to.
will be back.