Best Equestrian Camping near Chimacum, WA

Dungeness Recreation Area is known as the portal to the Dungeness Spit, but there is a lot more to discover before you arrive at the National Wildlife Refuge. Picnic on the bluff, watch the shipping lanes and catch a glimpse of Mt. Baker. Providing the starting point of a great adventure, the 216-acre Park offers many amenities. The virtues include a 1-mile long scenic bluff trail with picnic sites, a pocket picnic area, a group picnic area with shelter, and equestrian trails.

There is a 5.5-mile natural sand spit which is the longest in the country, and serves as a peaceful place to go for a walk along the beach. The narrow strip of land juts out from the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula and encloses the beautiful Dungeness Bay.

The Dungeness County Campgrund is clean and the camping spots are private. There are 66 campsites. No utilities at campsites. The campground is located on a bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is open all year long. There was a picnic table and fire pit available at each site. Clean bathrooms and pay showers. There is firewood available to purchase from the campground host. (cash only).

We love this campground so much, I almost hesitate to write this review. Like a number of Washington State Parks, the plug-in sites are in a large field, with very few trees around and kind of look like a lot of other standard RV parks with three or so levels of close parking with lovely views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the US and Canada.

While the view is lovely, this is not where this park shines. Go further, into the primitive camping loops, there you’ll find paradise. The sites are small, and situated under a diverse coastal Washington beach forest. A few of the sites have some good solar opportunities, while others are completely under canopy. Most could only accommodate smaller rigs, but a few could get a mid-sized Class B, vans and smaller trailers aren’t a problem. 

Aside from reminding us of the kind of campsites we went to as kids, this place just feels like a great place to hang out and let the kids run feral. This park offers one of the most stunning tide pool experiences that these two naturalists have ever seen without getting in a boat. It’s so richly filled with creatures in the intertidal zone, that it has to be seen in order to be believed. Just a short walk from the campground, go armed with good footwear and the curiosity of a child. Trust us, just put it on the list. 

There’s lots of hiking within the park as well, from the short coastal path, to exploring the WWII ruins, and down to the sandy beach below the bluff on which the campground sits. Nearby Olympic National Park offers many recreational opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast, the hiking is particularly stunning there. 

Port Angeles is less than 20 minutes away where you can get resupplied, or treat yourself to dinner, or get more information about the National Park. The nearby communities have gas stations, general stores and convenience stores but only a few Mom and Pop diners/ cafes along state route 112.

Langley is a great little town. I don’t know why they haven’t done more to develop the campground- all sites are first-come-first served. They did repair the electrical system this year and just reopened. It’s at the fairgrounds on the edge of town, there’s a largely unlandscaped grass field with electrical boxes & (some) water connections. There is a dump out on site and potable water. There are accessible bathrooms and showers nearby. The campground is on a hill above the horse barn and arena, very convenient to the town of Langley, which is delightful. No camp host available, nobody you can call for assistance. Because the campground just reopened, we were the only ones camped most of the 6 days we were here. I love Langley but they are not as tourist-driven as many towns which have campgrounds like this.

What a beautiful place! The campground is in 500+ acre Tolt-McDonald Park, far enough away from any busy road so that there is no traffic noise, just the sound of the Tolt River rapids. All the RV sites are drive-through, with water and 20, 30, and 50-Amp service. (There is a privately-run RV dump on the way to the park.) The sites are wide because of the driveway. No trees between sites, but some bushes between sites offer some privacy for the back half of the sites. The 17 RV sites are around a huge lawn, with the restroom building at one end, and a path down the middle that is part of a long, level, paved bike/walking trail. There is a shower in each restroom, so the whole building is heated (which was really nice, since the lows were in the 30s in April, 2022) Access to both rivers is at the South end of the RV loop. There are tent-only sites to the North, and also yurts and more tent sites across a picturesque foot bridge over the Snoqualmie River. There are carts available to roll your stuff over the footbridge.