Best Glamping near Maple Falls, WA

Beautiful place to camp! Lets start with the downsides: reserve early as it fills up quick for summer, during the summer there are burn bans and you will need a propane fire pit or no fire at all, the jet noise can be overwhelming and until the late hours of the night for someone who isn’t used to it, if you are tryIng to party at the campsIte the park rangers wIll come and tell you to be quite after quIte hours whIch Is 10pm. The great things about the park: beautiful place to camp, short walk to the water to dip your feet in the freezing water, beautiful views, quite, bathrooms are usually close and have runnIng water and hot showers for a small price, water spickets to clean dishes usually near by, a lake near by to fresh water fish and beach with shallow water for the kids to swim, overall great place to camp! Camped here a lot so pictures are from 3 different times.

I have camped at Deception Pass multiple times. The campground has Ocean access and hiking access. Overall the campgrounds are well maintained and the bathrooms were always well stocked. It is a popular campground for families, with kiddos riding bikes and running around. It is a larger campground with sites that are a good size and semi-private, some sites offering more privacy than other.  I have gone during July and August and most times there has been a fire ban. The campground offers propane fire pits for rent for a small fee. They do get rented up quickly so I recommend

not waiting and asking when you arrive. The site we stayed was not very private and the campers next to us played loud music most of the day and into the evening, however the camp host was dutiful in reminding campers to be courteous of fellow campers.  The campground books up very quick so reserve early.

General: West Beach Resort offers a variety of accommodations from tent sites to water/electric sites to tent cabins to regular cabins. It is situated right on the water where you can enjoy ice cream, cocktails, and popcorn (popcorn is free) at sunset during the summer. Much about this resort is nice but at almost $80 per night for a campsite (water and electric), it is pricier than we are used to paying. However, there are limited options for camping on the island and it was high season when we were there. While Moran State Park is nice, there are no hookups, further reducing your options. 

Site Quality: The water and electric sites have rock/gravel driveways. Some have trees separating them from others, but many do not have any separation/privacy between sites. All can accommodate a vehicle and RV and/or tent. Site 47 was nice as it had only tent sites on one side and a good amount of space on the other. You should be aware that for many of the sites (not 47), the hookups are on the “wrong” side, necessitating driving your RV in rather than backing in. This makes it challenging when it comes time to unhook and then re-hook when leaving the site, especially for larger rigs. The other challenge is that there is no dump station or sewer hookups. This was not an issue for us in our camper van but people in RVs should be aware of this. 

Bathhouse: The women’s bathhouse was reasonable with three stalls, three sinks, and two showers. There was a bench at one end. Lighting was not quite sufficient, especially in the showers as I discovered when I took one at 8 pm one night! Also, the showers cost $.50 for 90 seconds. With the price of the campsite, it would have been nice to not have to pay extra for the showers. 

Activities: Many activities are available, but all are on the pricey side (ex: a SUP rental for one hour is $25; kayak and whale watching and kayak tours cost over$100). You can bring your own toys and also fish from the dock. There is a small shop with gifts and sundries. There is a hot tub, but it comes with an extra cost. There is a small beach but not suitable for beach walks. Be aware that the ferry terminal if you want to explore other islands is about a 20-minute drive and the town of Eastsound is about three miles away. We rented bikes in town and rode back and forth but be aware that there are hills and sections of the road with narrow or no shoulder. Orcas Island Pottery is less than a mile(an easy walk) and a definite not-miss (closed on Mondays). 

This was our fifth time in the San Juan Islands, and we enjoy the area very much. While we enjoyed our time at West Beach, considering the price, the extras costing additional, and some of the less desirable sites, it merited three instead of four stars in my opinion.

We camped in site 6 double site (best group site) and we loved it! We had our own access to the water and the fire pit is located with an excellent view of the mountains. They don't call in Panorama Point for nothing. Plenty of parking for 5 cars and 5 tents! The restroom was almost directly across the street. There was no camp host, firewood or working water when arrived in the summer of 2020, so we had to go to Swift Creek about a 1 mile up the road. The water was a little minerally there, so I would would recommend bringing your own drinking water. Mosquitos worse on the camp side closest to the day park due to standing water. One of our favorite spots in the PNW!