Best Campgrounds near Hamilton, WA

Wow did we luck out, last min stay and got a site RIGHT on the water! Site 10. Worth every penny, great little hikes and wonderful spaces.

There are two sections to this small, tucked away campground on the edge of the Salish Sea, one in the forested area and another out on the beach spit. We camped along the spit, and had an amazing time. And even in the final days of summer, it was a lovely temperature to hang out for the week and we even got to see the Northern Lights one night!  One extra clear days, you can see Mt Rainier directly across the bay.  That incredible sight just never gets old.

The nearby towns of Port Townsend, Port Hadlock and Chimicum have most of the things you might be looking for in terms of groceries, eateries, and entertainment.  Definitely put Finn River Farm & Cidery on your must-do list while you are here.  So much fun...great food, great cider, fun atmosphere, live music!

The sites down on the spit are first-come first-served, with 4 tightly packed together near the single vault toilet and fresh water tap, with several more further down the spit.  The sites all had a grassy spot, picnic table and fire ring.  As this is also a county park, there’s lots of vehicle and walking traffic but it is all deserted by sundown. It’s very quiet at night unless you have some rowdy neighbors, but we rarely had neighbors except on the weekend nights.  Met some nice locals who come to camp on weekends.

Across the canal there’s a naval armory which plays the National Anthem at 8 am and Taps at 8 pm, so enjoy that nice touch. We had great solar accessibility and phone service as well as an unobstructed view for satellite internet. Up in the forested campground (Upper Oak Bay) there is less solar access, and a lot more trees, but feel more like a campground.

This is a great tide pooling and bird watching area, with great opportunities to put the kayaks, or paddle boards in the water for a short trip. While street walking is easy here, situated in a residential area, more significant hiking is a drive away. We went to Fort Worden State Historic Park to get in some miles- lot’s of history there. Olympic National Park is also within an hour’s drive. Road cycling is pretty good in the area, but be aware of the narrow lanes and heavy traffic. We bounced over to Marrowstone Island to get away from traffic and have a wander by bike.

The bridge over the nooksack River on Forest service road 12 has been out for the last few years. You can park there and walk across it or ride a bicycle or an e-bike or maybe a small ATV but they are not planning to repair it at all. Therefore, to get to Blue lake you have three extra miles of road to walk before the trailhead.

Definitely worth a stay with it's proximity to the beach, stargazing, hiking. The whole area feels magical. Plus Anacortes is a fun town just a few minutes away. The only downside is the noise from the naval base nearby. You'll hear jets overhead on a regular basis.

There are only a couple spots, you have to go down a long gravel road with lots of huge potholes and most of the spots are away from the water, you'd have to walk into someone else's campsite to get to use the lake. Very crowded, there were people trying to camp of the side of the road. No privacy at all. And some stole our camping chairs.

The only campground open in the winter at Deception Pass State Park is the Quarry Pond area. And even though the weather was wet and cold the campground was far from empty during our stay. This campground is great, the reservation system is super easy to use, facilities are clean, theres a convenient store within walking distance for any forgotten camp essentials, and trails to the bridge and beaches leave from right next to the sites. 

Definitely going to want to visit again in the summer.

Had the whole park to our selves. Beautiful old growth forest with a river.

Jan 24-26, 2025 We went for a winter meet-up with my local teardrop trailer group. As mentioned in other reviews, the beach campground is very open with little privacy between spots, but there is quite a bit of space. The first night there were a few gusts of wind that shook the trailer, but it died down. The second night there was no wind. We had beautifully clear skies and little light pollution so it was really nice for stargazing. There are two gun batteries right next to the campground and a trail right out to the beach. You are also close to the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Even in winter, the park was busy with people during the day and the campground was full. There is so much to explore, I wish I'd had more time there.

Park is remarkably pretty with older trees. Most of RV sites looked great & we loved ours. Read reviews that complain about low flying jets causing a racket. Happy to say we only encountered a couple jet making racket so our stay was relatively quiet. Sure October (we stayed during week) is quieter. Navy reservists as rule not practicing.

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.

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.

Our camp spots were close to the lake. The cedar trees gave great cover from the rain. The trails around camp were well maintained.

Came in mid October on a Saturday. First come first serve and no fee in the off season, despite being October, it was busy. Got a spot after driving a few loops around the campground and asked someone if they were leaving. Was able to put chairs in the site before they left to secure the spot. Nice picnic area along the river we hung out at while waiting for the site to open up. Safe enough to dip in the river. Very close to multiple hikes in North Cascades National Park. Pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings available. No water in the off season. Had 3 bars of Verizon service. Lots of options for tents, trailers, or vans. Would definitely come back for off season camping.

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.

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.