Best Cabin Camping near Friday Harbor, WA

No hot tub

We stayed here for just under a week in June. Everything on the website looked impressive, clean and full of amenities. When we arrived, everything looked so run down and wasn't as described. For example, they advertise having a rock wall.. which is a hollowed plastic preschool-type structure not more than four foot tall, meant for very little kids. The playground itself is very run down and all of the plastic is sun bleached. The indoor pool and hot tub are nice features - except for the fact that the tub has an odd tile arrangement (see pictures) and that both the pool and hot tub close at 6pm! Super early and such a disappointment for the kids. The jumping pillow isn't fully inflated and was very dirty. I also noticed that one particular staff member persistently drove his golf cart around the grounds over and over all day and into the evening, stopping frequently to talk to everyone..being friendly is one thing, but this came across more like micromanaging campers, asking questions about when they were leaving and reminding them to not leave welcome mats where they might touch the grass. It just really took away from the vacay vibe and honestly annoyed me. The kids did love the rental recumbent bikes!

Convenient facility for exploring north coast and north Olympic Park areas. Excellent store, game room with ping-pong and pool table; good laundry. Pool was OK but hot tub out of commission. 😔

Right in the middle. About 10 minutes to Friday Harbor and 10 minutes to English Camp. Great spot on the lakes, lots of different options from tents, to hook ups to cabins to canvas tents etc. Hot showers for a price! But worth it.

Campground review: 5 out of 5 stars

As a Ranger on the Dyrt, I sometimes receive compensation for reviews like this one.

The Oostema Farmstead Inn is a pretty unique campground.  It is located on a working farm. There were chickens, cows, calves, a heron (I think it was nesting near the driveway), a raspberry field, a garden and even a cat wandering around.  If you are looking for a fun farm-style getaway, this is it.

I spoke with the camp host, Lisa, who told me I could explore the Raspberry Fields and the Barn where the calves were.  I did see signs that you needed permission, so bear that in mind when you go.

The campsites themselves are essentially located behind the Farm house, and we were able to set up wherever we wanted.  I chose a spot by two trees and Lisa brought over a picnic table for me.  Since the sites are in the backyard, and you can choose where to set up, you do see other campers.  They also allow RVs.

They also have a cabin you can rent, and they were kind enough to let me poke around and take a few pictures.  They have a port-a-potty, which was very clean, and a sink with soap and drinking water.  No showers, though they did mention the idea of setting up a cold shower.  There is a hot tub on premises, but it is not for campers to use.  They have a fire pit with wood available, which was perfect for us.

The Oostema Farmstead Inn Campground is located close to Lynden, just a 5 minute drive from downtown.  Because it is situated off the main road, while you could see cars in the distance (Lynden is a bit flat), they were not disturbing the quiet of the farm.  There is not hiking within walking distance, but there are some parks and a river nearby you can drive to.

When I booked the Campground, Lisa was very responsive to the questions I had about bringing extra vehicles and very accommodating.  She gave good directions to get to the campground, as GPS doesn’t quite get you there.  They put a sign up on the road where GPS directs you, and it is a little small but visible, at least during the day.  When you get to the end of the driveway, there is a sign for the “tiny house”, I chose to ignore those directions, and continue around the house – which it turned out, was the right decision.

All in all, this was a delightful stay and I would recommend checking it out!

Product Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, from time to time I get to test products. At the Oostema Farmstead Inn, I tested the Ice Mule Cooler Pro.

What I loved about camping with my Ice Mule Cooler.

The Ice Mule Cooler Pro is a backpack cooler.  Which meant, when I was walking from my car to my campsite, and over to the fire pit, instead of lugging a bulky cooler around, I just swung this one on to my shoulders, and off I went.

 I also decided to put this cooler to the test.  Several hours before camping, I filled the cooler with ice and all things that needed to be kept cool.  Then I left it in the car, parked in the hot sun.  When I arrived at the campground, I opened the cooler to see that the ice hadn’t even really begun to melt.  By the next day, leaving it out, there was still a lot of ice.  This cooler really works.

I also like the fact that you can roll it down, so you can compact it and it has an air valve to vent out the air.

Some details on the one I have: It can carry 23 liters, the site says it can hold up to 18 cans plus ice, and it weighs 3.2 pounds.  It is insulated and they have MuleskinET for the exterior fabric and MuleSkinEV for in the interior layer.

Now that I have an Ice Mule Cooler, I won’t be going back to those bulky standard coolers.

Tenting at this KOA we found some bright moments along with a few sour notes. I like to be positive, so I’ll start with the plus list.

Bright Moments:

The staff and one of the owners (male) are all super friendly. There is a pool and a hot tub—although anyone under 18 isn’t allowed to use the latter. There are two dishwashing sinks, which is handy. There is also laundry, showers, a nice little outdoor recreation area, and a family friendly game room along with the typical, convenience camp store. There were some activities on the weekend, which is always great for establishing community. The facilIities are all very clean. The game room really was a very nice touch and nicely done.

Sour Notes:

The campsItes were really crammed. The corner of our tent was only 4 ft from our neighbor.

The road noise!!--I mean we were practically shouting to be heard over it, and it NEVER stops…ever, not even to sleep. Some sites are likely quieter being further from the road. I uploaded a video. The birds were really close and should be loud. If you can’t hear them, then turn your volume up! On a positive note, the road noise almost covered up our neighbors who were shouting until 11. We‘ve never been so tired; our kids were a mess.

The bathhouse only had 3 showers for the whole, large campground--and they were super tiny. There were frequently lines. The access to toilet stalls and showers, etc is super tiny. There is no way there could be handicapped access unless there is another office bathroom available somewhere that is hidden from the public. I would give 3 stars if it weren’t for this

There is only one bathroom anywhere on the property, and it closes for one full hour for cleaning. Gotta go? Hold It please.

Finally, I found one issue to be particularly frustrating because I believe in honesty and transparency. This KOA goes through great lengths to advertise free WIFI. It was only after registration and payment that we learned only 2 devices can be connected. Electronic access these days are so frequently device specific. With a family of 5, sharing wasn’t an option. The funny thing was that we didn’t even care if only 2 people used it at a time…but we needed to be be able to exchange devices. I nicely asked the woman owner about thIs, and she was immedIately hostile and defensIve. I got the impression that she is approached about this issue all the time. I suggested at least making this information available so that people can plan accordingly—all she had to say in reply was that “we said we offered free WiFi, not unlimited WiFi.” She was shockingly rude. After this encounter she gave me a smug and rude smile whenever she saw me, and I really felt rather uncomfortable staying there. Which is a shame, because her husband was so, so nice, and cares so much about the property. So for the record: there is only WiFi, free or otherwise, for 2 devices. Further access codes cannot be purchased either. This owners sheer rudeness also contributes to the 2 star rating. Had she been friendly and if there were ADA bathrooms, then I would bump up to a 3-star rating.

I forgot to take the usual number of campground pics that I like to share, in part because it was crowded, and in part because I was pretty tired. There is so much to do in the area. We enjoyed Olympic, and a whale watch tour with Island Adventures. They brought us up to Minke whales, Orca and a Humpback all in one night!

We have been on the road for a few weeks and luckily, we can work remotely but we need good WiFi and they have it. You can even stream if you want to. The campground is very well maintained and the staff is super friendly and helpful. Bathrooms were clean and so was the laundry facility. The laundry facility could use an update in terms of the washers and dryers and allowing people to use their cards to pay...but you can get quarters at the office/store so no big deal! There is a creek that goes by the campground and it makes it for a nice walk with dogs or without dogs :) There are a lot of trees there, which provide shade for part of the day, which is great. They are close to Chuckanut Drive, which is amazing, a must do when there, you finish the drive in Bellingham! Go for a walk at the park, which is by the water and get a burger at Zane after that...so worth it! Lots of local coffee shops around too. We also went on the cascade scenic drive - we did it in 12 hours...but people do it in a few days as they stop and stay along the way. We didn’t visit the San Juan islands this time around but make time to go to Friday Harbor and Orcas island; spend at least day in each and explore around. You can take a bus tour in Friday Harbor but we recommend renting a car for Orcas island. We will stay at this campground again when we go back to the area.

Was rented for a rustic wedding. Has industrial kitchen. Amazing views. Impressive outdoor fireplace. Lots of bunk space in cabins. Area for tents. Newer cabins were very nice. Older cabins were institutional and smelly.

We stayed in a cabin at Quarry Pond. The cabin was beautiful, clean, and very comfortable. Bathrooms were great and even have showers. Close to the beach and tons of hiking trails. My kids did not want to leave!

Stayed here in a cabin with the kids so we could explore the local area along with driving up to Cape Flattery and Olympic National Park. We enjoyed the ability to stay dry and warm in the cabin with access to hot showers and a pool.

We actually stayed at the cabins rather than in a tent. The views of the bay from the cabin were great. The cabin is definitely luxurious if you’re used to tenting (two padded bunks and a queen sized bed; also has heat if you need it.) The campground is also very close to Skagit Valley (an easy bike ride to the tulip festival,) as well as close to Deception Pass which makes for a nice day trip.

The only caveat would be that it is quite noisy as it is right next to a main road and there was not a well enforced quiet time.

So I actually work for fort worden hospitality. And I’ve noticed you guys have tent cabins on the list even though our tent cabins are still in the process of being built. And are unavailable for use due to not being completed in the timely fashion due to funding constraints

Our families rented some cabins together. They are newer and made for a great way to visit and camp in comfort. The restrooms are still in a shared location not far from the cabins and are clean and well maintained. The only downside is we were located on the opposite side of the highway from the water. But, overall a comfortable way to stay at Deception Pass.

We stopped in for a few nights in mid September and this place was amazing. It was a mid week stay at the end of the season, so a very slow time to be there, which maybe made it better. There were minimal campers there and we really enjoyed having extra space and quiet. The canvas cabins were a great solution to either traveling with gear or renting gear locally since we flew into the area. When we arrived we found the cabin with everything we needed including firewood with matches and newspaper for lighting, a s’mores kit, and bed warmers (insulated rubber bags of boiling water). It was September and chilly at night, but the bed warmers worked well and the setup is designed to handle a cold night. Breakfast was included with the stay in the canvas cabins, and was a nice benefit. The food was good, and the staff was friendly. The grounds were clean and beautiful. There was a lot of wildlife on the grounds and fishing available on site. We will return again during future visits to SJI.