Searching for the best camping near Bellingham, WA? Bellingham is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Find the best campgrounds near Bellingham, WA. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
Deception Pass State Park is a 4,134-acre marine and camping park with 77,000-feet of saltwater shoreline, and 33,900-feet of freshwater shoreline on three lakes. Rugged cliffs drop to meet the turbulent waters of Deception Pass.
The park has 167 tent sites, 143 utility spaces, five hiker / biker sites, two dump stations, 20 restrooms (four ADA), and ten showers (four ADA). Camping is located at three locations in the park, 18 tent sites and two utility sites are at Bowman Bay, seven tent sites and 54 utility sites at Quarry Pond, and 147 tent sites and 83 utility sites are at Cranberry Lake. Maximum site length is 60-feet (limited availability).
In addition there are four campsites on Hope Island north shore bay, the pay station is near the east campsite, a vault toilet is in the woods 100-feet south of the campsites. The rest of the island is a natural area preserve and off limits to recreational use. Standard primitive campsite rules apply.
$12 - $40 / night
Set in a blue cove between Bellingham and Blaine, Birch Bay State Park feels private and secluded without being far from urban life. Stroll along the rocky beach and take in dramatic views of the North Cascades Mountains and Canadian Gulf Islands. Or head up the Terrell Marsh interpretive trail to a rare saltwater and freshwater estuary teeming with birds and wildlife, including great blue herons. Low tide reveals a wide mudflat with a treasure trove of clams and other shellfish that can be harvested in season. Bring out the pails, shovels, mud boots and licenses, and start digging! If you prefer to swim, Birch Bay is known for its relatively warm water, and if you'd rather be on the water, the park offers excellent crabbing, windsurfing, sailing and paddling. Staying overnight? Birch bay camping has a basketball court and environmental education programs in summer ensure fun for the whole family. If you're looking for a side trip, the U.S.- Canada border town of Blaine and the fascinating Peace Arch State Park are only 9 miles north, and the lively university city of Bellingham is 20 miles south. You can always spend an evening in town and return to the beachy bliss of Birch Bay.
The park has 46 standard campsites, 30 partial-hookup sites, two restrooms and six showers. Maximum site length is 50 feet (limited availability). The campground is divided into three areas.
Sites 1-9 (view sites) provide the best opportunity to view Padilla Bay and are also utility sites. Site length is approximately 50 feet and all sites are back-ins. Tents are not permitted in these sites. Sites 10-30 (hookup sites) face a 1.5-acre grassy section, which provides space for kids to play safely and for parents to keep an eye on them. Site length varies, with 40 feet the maximum length. All sites are back-ins. Sites 31-76 (standard campsites) provide a parking place, stove, picnic table and space to pitch a tent. Tent size and vehicle parking lengths vary from 25 to 40 feet. Only a few of the sites can accommodate a large tent. All sites are back-ins.
GROUP ACCOMMODATIONS The park provides one group camp for tents only. The camp accommodates 20 to 24 people. There is no space for RVs. Showers and restrooms are nearby. Fees vary with size of the group.
CABINS The six cabins at Bay View are nestled among Douglas-fir trees with views of Padilla Bay and the San Juan Islands. Bay View cabins are within walking distance to the park’s beach area and Padilla Bay. Each cabin is furnished with one double bed (sleeps two) and two single bunks (each sleeps two) as well as microwaves and small refrigerators with freezers. Outside is a fire ring and an upright pedestal grill. Two cabins have bathrooms.
$12 - $75 / night
$12 - $45 / night
Scenic views, hiking, biking, horseback riding, swimming, fishing. On Orcas Island. FERRY ACCESS ONLY. No boat access to park itself and park has no saltwater activities. 33 mi of hiking trails. Visit Cascade Falls - a spectacular 70' drop. Drive the twisting road to the top of Mt Constitution with great views and a CCC era observation tower. On clear days see the Olympics Mountain range, The Cascade Mountains, and Mount Baker as well as the surrounding islands of the San Juans.
220-acre Washington Park juts into Rosario Strait on the western edge of Anacortes, offering territorial views.
$30 - $37 / night
Deception Pass State Park is a 4,134-acre marine and camping park with 77,000-feet of saltwater shoreline, and 33,900-feet of freshwater shoreline on three lakes. Rugged cliffs drop to meet the turbulent waters of Deception Pass.
The park has 167 tent sites, 143 utility spaces, five hiker / biker sites, two dump stations, 20 restrooms (four ADA), and ten showers (four ADA). Camping is located at three locations in the park, 18 tent sites and two utility sites are at Bowman Bay, seven tent sites and 54 utility sites at Quarry Pond, and 147 tent sites and 83 utility sites are at Cranberry Lake. Maximum site length is 60-feet (limited availability).
In addition there are four campsites on Hope Island north shore bay, the pay station is near the east campsite, a vault toilet is in the woods 100-feet south of the campsites. The rest of the island is a natural area preserve and off limits to recreational use. Standard primitive campsite rules apply.
$12 - $40 / night
Set in a blue cove between Bellingham and Blaine, Birch Bay State Park feels private and secluded without being far from urban life. Stroll along the rocky beach and take in dramatic views of the North Cascades Mountains and Canadian Gulf Islands. Or head up the Terrell Marsh interpretive trail to a rare saltwater and freshwater estuary teeming with birds and wildlife, including great blue herons. Low tide reveals a wide mudflat with a treasure trove of clams and other shellfish that can be harvested in season. Bring out the pails, shovels, mud boots and licenses, and start digging! If you prefer to swim, Birch Bay is known for its relatively warm water, and if you'd rather be on the water, the park offers excellent crabbing, windsurfing, sailing and paddling. Staying overnight? Birch bay camping has a basketball court and environmental education programs in summer ensure fun for the whole family. If you're looking for a side trip, the U.S.- Canada border town of Blaine and the fascinating Peace Arch State Park are only 9 miles north, and the lively university city of Bellingham is 20 miles south. You can always spend an evening in town and return to the beachy bliss of Birch Bay.
The park has 46 standard campsites, 30 partial-hookup sites, two restrooms and six showers. Maximum site length is 50 feet (limited availability). The campground is divided into three areas.
Sites 1-9 (view sites) provide the best opportunity to view Padilla Bay and are also utility sites. Site length is approximately 50 feet and all sites are back-ins. Tents are not permitted in these sites. Sites 10-30 (hookup sites) face a 1.5-acre grassy section, which provides space for kids to play safely and for parents to keep an eye on them. Site length varies, with 40 feet the maximum length. All sites are back-ins. Sites 31-76 (standard campsites) provide a parking place, stove, picnic table and space to pitch a tent. Tent size and vehicle parking lengths vary from 25 to 40 feet. Only a few of the sites can accommodate a large tent. All sites are back-ins.
GROUP ACCOMMODATIONS The park provides one group camp for tents only. The camp accommodates 20 to 24 people. There is no space for RVs. Showers and restrooms are nearby. Fees vary with size of the group.
CABINS The six cabins at Bay View are nestled among Douglas-fir trees with views of Padilla Bay and the San Juan Islands. Bay View cabins are within walking distance to the park’s beach area and Padilla Bay. Each cabin is furnished with one double bed (sleeps two) and two single bunks (each sleeps two) as well as microwaves and small refrigerators with freezers. Outside is a fire ring and an upright pedestal grill. Two cabins have bathrooms.
$12 - $75 / night
$12 - $45 / night
Scout
There is a trail that leads down to the water or you can hop in your car for a short drive. We did a walk up site and checked in late, the bathrooms were locked due to it being the off season. We had to stop in at the park station and ask the person working for the bathroom code. Peaceful and very pretty trees.
Traveler
Definitely a nice area to Visit for our first time. Quite and the ferry comes right past the camp ground. Ferry doesn’t blast its horn unless there is a boat in the ferry path. Definitely worth to check out and check out the fort. Showers and nice very clean park.
Traveler
I stayed for a weekend to do some local education classes and found the RV park to meet my needs just fine. The check in staff disappear at 4 pm, so I had to call to find out the codes to shower facilities. The site itself was average - great views and within walking distance to restaurants, and the bathrooms and showers were clean and very good. I would consider staying here again, but will probably look at other RV parks as well.
Scout
Arrived around 4pm on a Friday and there were a few spots left. Pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables available. No water. Got a spot with lake and Mountain View’s. Very small, quiet, stunning campground. Felt safe. We have a rooftop tent, not many sites with large enough spots to park trailers or vans. Mostly tent sites that are walk in. Mostly open, some sites in the forest. Had one bar of Verizon service. Would stay again!
Traveler
Very nice campground,! Very nice campsite! And very clean restrooms ! And has a family restroom/shower room which makes it very nice! We love it are returning
Traveler
Have been camping here for years and the camp ground has had things added to it over the years as well. Quite and always a laid back atmosphere. Miss the camp sites that where on the west end of the park that where really close to the river. But still a great place to camp.
Traveler
We love this campground our kids love it too. The kiddos always want to go camping here when we ask them!! Great staff really nice campsites. Beautiful beach bring the kites
Traveler
Park is nice paved showers are free and clean
Guide
Was going to book a stay here but when I called the line was no longer in service and the email address bounced back. Plus $750/night?????
Something’s wrong here
Is this a real place?!?!
Will update the review if we find out this is a real place
Guide
Lots of flat, wooded sites are a short level walk to the beach on a really beautiful lake. Across the main road from the campground is a 3+ mile trail to popular hot springs.
The best sites for view are 34, 37, 38, 39. We stayed in 46, and loved it because it is very close to the beach. 47 and 44 are also very nice and close to the beach.
The campground reservation site did not have a good map of the campground. I finally found one on the forest service site https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5308652.pdf
The reservation site said site 46 could only accommodate a vehicle up to 15 feet in length, but there was plenty of room.
Scout
This is a beautiful campground with plenty of hiking opportunities and gorgeous views. It’s close to a highway so you can hear the road but not a ton of traffic through the campground. We stayed on the Quarry Pond side which seems a bit smaller and more private. Nice wide open campsites with a power hookup and clean water. Plenty of amenities nearby as well, the 76 gas station on the edge of the campground is full of supplies; food wise and gear wise. Doesn’t feel so isolated and in the middle of nowhere but still plenty out of the city.
TravelerBeautiful, excellently maintained campground with clean bathrooms and free showers. Setting is really beautiful and there are many things to see and do that are close by. Campsite was immaculate and large with a fire pit and picnic table.
Scout
We called early afternoon and asked if they had a space for that night for a fifth wheel with total rig length 53ft. Nice grass around all the campsites, 50 Amp electricity, water and sewer. Picnic table at every site. Lovely location but it can be noisy due to proximity to road and navy jets. Overall a great place I will stay again.
TravelerWe live about a 20 min drive from silver lake. We go often , sometimes to just go hike around the trails and have lunch, we also take day trips to the lake there and go kayaking and ALWAYS have fun there nice big lake and fun for the kiddos too! Easy boat launch access! And we do camp there a couple times a year we love the camp site layouts and availability
Scout
Scam
Traveler
This area was perfect! Took a nice stroll along the road after dinner. Didn’t really run into any other campers.
GuideReservable campsites, mature forest, 2 hours from Seattle, not full on Labor Day weekend! I didn’t know that existed. It’s a nice small campground on the Mountain Loop Highway. It has very dense trees and a small beach on a creek for wading. Hiking trails and a larger river are a short drive away.
Traveler
We ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED CAMPING here !! We live about 15 mins away and will be returning!!! We lived in a travel trailer for 2 years myself my wife and 3 children and from time to time we miss it ! The kids have been missing a lot them selves and we went tent camping here for first time after living in our trailer and we had an amazing time there! Big out space with plenty of availability! Clean out house for the kiddos! Fire pits ,wild life , and really peaceful! Thank u guys for letting us camp with u will be back soon
Guide
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.
Guide
We had a great stay here - sites are nice, close to others but still good privacy. Everything was clean and well taken care of. Great outdoor shower Loved the meat that we bought. Would definitely come back.
ScoutWe found an amazing site right on the lake, with great views and it was fairly quiet. There were a couple people who decided to have campfires despite the statewide burn ban in effect, which was a bit of a bummer. Despite that, great campground with toilets, picnic table, fire ring (when allowed), and lots of trees for hammocking. Loved our weekend here!
Guide
This was our first trip in a new trailer, and the park is close to home for us, so perfect for our maiden voyage. Shaded sites, some hookup (water/electric), but most unserviced. Water close by for filling our tank. Short walk to an amazing beach.
Scout
Really nice farm with a great mountain view. Quiet rural setting but close to town (Mt. Vernon) if you need anything or just want to explore the farmer's market, as we did. Woodland trail on the 10+ acres was a real plus for our two dogs. Hosts were helpful and responsive. All around a great weekend. Thank you.
Guide
Really nice campground, particularly for a base camp, or just an easy/quick getaway. I'm slowly overtime trying to visit all of Washington's State Parks, and there are a large number of them in the Port Townsend area. I was able to visit 6, including this one, where I made camp for the night. Got here kind of late so didn't get to explore to much, but did one of the trails down to the beach.
The RV spots looked pretty tight and not great, other's reviews seem to be right on with that. But the upper campground with no hook-ups had a lot of tree cover, the sites are all very large, and most of them offer a good amount of privacy. Clean campground, and clean bathrooms. I would visit again to explore more for sure.
Scout
Staff was very friendly. We stayed in the overflow site directly next to the office with 20 amp electric only. Campground is well-maintained and very clean. Sites are a little close together, but you do have some green space with a picnic table at each site. Each site is full hook up with water, electric and sewer, and there is not a separate dump station. There are some permanent residents throughout the campground.
Guide
If you need wifi to plan your next days this location is not for you. Wifi available at the lodge only and very slow. Except for that the site is big, nothing specific regarding amenities
Scout
If you think all the spots are taken, keep driving. So many spots along Baker Lake Road.
Late July, there’s a lot of partying on the lake. It’s not so bad but you’ll definitely hear people having fun.
Camping near Bellingham, WA, offers a mix of stunning scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a quiet retreat, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Bellingham, WA, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to check the specifics of each campground to ensure a great experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Bellingham, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, Bellingham, WA offers a wide range of camping options, with 236 campgrounds and RV parks near Bellingham, WA and 9 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Bellingham, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Bellingham, WA is Deception Pass State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 102 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Bellingham, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 free dispersed camping spots near Bellingham, WA.
What parks are near Bellingham, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 8 parks near Bellingham, WA that allow camping, notably Keystone Harbor and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
