Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Neah Bay, WA

Our second time touring the peninsula we were lucky to get an early start and get a spot here. Note it can be crowded on the weekends in the summer.

This was a great spot for us right off the highway as we wanted to go to Forks and Neah Bay the next day. Last time we stayed at Shi Shi, which requires a bit of a hike in. So this is great for a traditional campground on the river and is doable from Seattle - although get an early start to get the good spots!

Note - if you are looking to tube on the Sol Duc river, there is an river access point at this campground. We saw lots of people entering the river here.

The drive to Shi Shi (pronounced Shy Shy) Beach was amazing. WA 112 is a fun, winding road with breathtaking views of the ocean. To backpack overnight on Shi Shi Beach you will need a Makah Recreation Pass. It was $10 and we purchased it at the Washburn General Store in Neah Bay. We then followed the signs to the Shi Shi Beach Trailhead. Overnight parking is in someone's front yard (about .7 miles from the trailhead), it was $10 a night.

The hike to Shi Shi Beach is relatively easy, at times muddy, and contains 1 very steep hill. Once we were on the beach we continued to hike until we found a campsite. The site was private with a great ocean view.

In the morning the tide pools were amazing! Colorful starfish and sea anemones everywhere. I highly recommend visiting and spending the night!

Lyre River is a bit of a hidden gem for car campers on a crowded and often expensive Olympic Peninsula. Tucked away from Highway 101 west of Joyce; it's a great place to settle down for a night or two, enjoy some fishing and visit some often overlooked locations on the OP.

As Washington Department of Natural Resources land the campground is free with a Discover Pass (purchased at any outdoor oriented location) and allows for a maximum stay of 7 days at the site. Because it is free and operates on a first come, first serve basis it's pretty full every night in the summertime. I would suggest arriving early (around 9 AM) and trying to swipe a spot when someone leaves, you may have to wait a bit but it's totally worth it. All spots are usually occupied around 11 AM and people are constantly driving through looking for openings.

As far as things to do in the area the main draw is fishing. There's a fishing platform at the southern end of the campground and a number of beaches with deeper pools that trout and salmon like to hang around in. One crusty old-timer said that during runs the river is overflowing with fish, including the highly coveted Steelhead. Around the area places like Murdock Beach gives great views of Canada and the Salish Sea. Joyce has a great museum and general store with a bit of everything. South lies Lake Crescent which has untold number of hiking trails, beaches and amazing views of the Olympic Mountains. The area serves as a great jump-off point for heading west on Highway 101 towards the rainforest or west on Highway 112 to Sekiu and Neah Bay.

Other points to note: Bathrooms (privies) are on site and there's a smaller privy in the southern end of the campground. There's a covered area to gather and a handicapped accessible campsite there as well. Although there are no showers you have the option of taking a bath in the beautiful Lyre River or driving to Salt Creek State Park to use their coin-operated showers.

This is my go-to spot while working out in the area and is great for families, friends or just weary travelers passing through.

We’re not even sure that we should be reviewing this one… maybe we just need to keep it to ourselves. Cuz, it’s that cool!  We grabbed our beverages, our chairs, and walked the short path from our campsite to the shore of Ozette Lake. No sooner had we settled in to watch the evening’s color change than scores of water fowl claimed their nightly roots and an otter swam by on its way into its home in the grass – totally worth the drive in. 

This small campground lies at the end of a long winding, but well paved, road in Olympic National Park. Getting there is part of the adventure, but from here one can hike out to the western most point of the contiguous 48 US states, Cape Alava.   Worth every moment!

The sheltered lake offers many great miles of paddling and small boat fishing holes, as well as access to some great backcountry camping spots. We paddled from the campground to Ericson Bay and then hiked the very wet trail out to the Pacific coast, which was a great day trip.   The next day we took the path more travelled and headed out along the boardwalk trail to the beach where you can access Cape Alava.  Some native territory back in this area, so please be respectful of signs and warnings.  You can walk along the beach for miles and miles.

The campsites are rather small and won’t accommodate large RV’s but have a lot of grass area for tents, picnic tables and fire rings. The toilets are about 1/4 mile away at the Ozette Visitor’s Center, with flush toilets and running sinks, fresh drinking water, but no showers.   There you can dispose of trash and recycling, as well as check out some cool interpretation displays and access a couple of trails and the Ozette River. 

Many of the sites have good to decent open sky for solar power and satellite internet, the mobile phone service was non-existent.  In a word, PERFECT!

Nearby towns with any services are Neah Bay and Clallah Bay, which are both super cool to check out.

We’re not even sure that we should be reviewing this one… maybe we just need to keep it to ourselves?  Cuz, it’s that cool!  But since it's part of the Olympic NP campground list, it's publicly known, so here goes...

Upon arrival, we grabbed our beverages, our chairs, and walked the short path from our campsite to the shore of Ozette Lake. No sooner had we settled in to watch the evening’s color change than scores of water fowl claimed their nightly roots and an otter swam by on its way into its home in the grass – already totally worth the drive in. 

This small campground lies at the end of a long winding, but well paved, road in Olympic National Park. Getting there is part of the adventure, but from here one can hike out to the western most point of the contiguous 48 US states, Cape Alava. The sheltered lake offers many great miles of paddling and small boat fishing holes, as well as access to some great backcountry camping spots. 

We paddled from the campground to Ericson Bay and then hiked the very wet trail out to the Pacific coast, which was a great day trip.   The next day we took the path more traveled out to the coast via a boardwalk trail which will take you  to Cape Alava and you can walk along the beach for miles and miles.  Be mindful of the native territory in this area though and head the warnings.  Absolutely worth every moment!

The campsites are smallish and most won’t accommodate large RV’s but have a lot of grass area for tents, picnic tables, and fire rings. The toilets are a bit of a walk as they are located at the Ozette Visitor’s Center.  They have clean, flush toilets and running sinks, fresh drinking water, but no showers.  The campground could really use a couple of vault toilets as the toilets are a 1/4 mile away, and it's the only reason we gave this a 4 out of 5.   Trash and recycling is located near the visitor's center as well lots of information about hiking in the area.

Many of the sites have good to decent open sky for solar power and satellite internet, the mobile phone service was non-existent. Nearby towns with any services are Neah Bay and Clallah Bay, which are both super cool to check out.

What is the most Northwestern campground in the lower 48 you ask? Hobuck Beach Resort just west of Neah Bay, Washington is located "where the Earth began" according to the local Makah Tribe. This campground/RV camp/ cabin resort has a little bit of everything for anyone at any price point. Spread over two sites about 3/4 of a mile from each other this is my go-to surf spot to really get away from it all. Found one of the few sunny weekends out on the Washington coast to try out my new Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel.

Campground Review:

For the luxury-minded who enjoy an actual bed and roof over your head 10 cabins are available at the north site in the park and 16 cabins at the south site. Cabins have their own bathrooms and can sleep up to six people, prices change throughout the year so check the website link at the bottom of this review.

For those who's camping experience includes 4-6 wheels there are 8 sites with full hookups at the south site. I have included photos of the campground map to give people a better idea of the layout of the sites.

For the full-on dirtbags and for those who don't require water/electricity there is a beautiful open field to set up shop wherever your heart desires or you can find room. The tent area has no designated sites and operates as a kind of "organized chaos" with people pulling cars over dunes into pits and getting sandwiched in when others arrive, so be aware of where you set camp.

Handy cans are located in various areas around the resort and there is one fully operational bathroom in either area. With that being said there is also only one fully operational shower in either area and it can get crowded/gross depending on the amount of people staying there. Expect to either take an ocean shower or do it at strange hours of the day.

Try to be flexible when making the journey out to Hobuck. Cabins can be reserved (and should be in the summer) but all other sites are on a first come, first serve basis. A use permit is required to camp on tribal land and you can get that at either the store in town or the resort check-in station.

The real draw here is the surf, Hobuck has one of the more consistent sets in Washington and surfers come from all over the state to check out the waves. In the summer and possibly other times of the year there is a rental shack set up by North by Northwest surf that can rent you anything you heart desires. If they are not there check out the main shop in Port Angeles on your way out if you want to rent/buy anything. The surf is pretty safe with really mellow currents most of the year so a great place to learn to surf!

Other things to do include hiking to either Shi Shi beach to the south or Cape Flattery to the north, both are fairly easy and Cape Flattery is mostly a boardwalk to the point. Shi Shi beach allows for camping but a permit is necessary as it is Olympic National Park land. Other than that Neah Bay has a great museum explaining Makah history and the Ozette village site originally located further south. There is also killer seafood you can get either directly from people in their homes or from Washburn's in town as well as day tours and kayak rentals to do some exploring on your own! 4/5 stars, it looks like their setting up to build more facilities in the north site (maybe more showers). If so I would give 5 stars here!

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Makah nation is drug and alcohol free, I'm not sure if that carries over into Hobuck Beach Resort but PLEASE respect their wishes as you are guests on their land.

Check out Hobuck yourself: http://www.hobuckbeachresort.com/

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I occasionally get products to test in the field, since I spend time outdoors for both work and play this is great for me! This trip I decided to test out the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel.

I was really worried about bringing a solar panel out to one of the grayest and wettest parts of the US but the weather gods had pity upon my soul and gave me clear skies for 3 straight days out at Hobuck Beach.

The Goal Zero Nomad 7 was great! It gave me enough power to keep my tablet, phone and portable batteries powered through the weekend. I was able to set it up on top of my car and tent and keep things charged while I went out to my morning and evening surf sessions. I really liked the kickstand and "solar intensity" indicator on the junction box showing you how much juice you have running to your devices so you can dial in maximum performance.

The construction itself is super rugged, I wasn't worried at all about the constant sea breeze and dew that was ever present out there. It was ready to go right out of the box and is super simple to use, just plug your USB charging device directly in and your good to go! Bonus points for having 2 carabiners included so you can hang the panel off a backpack and charge on the go. I'm definitely bringing this product out in the field for work this summer and any sunny day. 5/5 stars

Check out the product here: https://www.goalzero.com/shop/solar-panels/nomad-7-plus-solar-panel/

Campsite Review: This campground in the Sol Duc Valley is composed of several different loops and setups for every type of adventurer. In addition to the lodge with a general store and restaurants, there is an RV only parking lot which seemed a little different as it’s just a parking lot with hookups and a table at the end of each space. There was no separation whatsoever between them. However, the loops are more set into the fairytale-like forest and you feel much more like you’re actually in the rain forest. The campsites themselves seemed to all be kind of small, and a little close together but with nice flat areas, tables, fire ring, and lots and lots of underbrush you can’t really see your neighbors. We stayed at site 38 in loop A which had a nice tent spot set out under the trees along with a decent table and fire ring set back from what is basically a parking lot that was open to the road. When getting your site be careful about the exact size allotment if you’re in a larger vehicle, because these sizes didn’t seem correct. This site is listed as being a 35’ back-in, but it really is just a shared parking lot between this and the site next to it (37) across from the central restrooms. While the site might say it’ll fit your vehicle, the roads are narrow and there are a good number of trees and branches around which may impede your maneuvering if you’re in something large. Because our site and the one next to it have “spaces” for 2 vehicles each, we did have a few people whom would pull up park in the “lot” and then explore around the campground and loop at the board for available spaces which was a little annoying, but at least they aren’t walking through our site.

The toilet facilities in Loop A were clean, but could have used a good once over. They seemed to have been maintained, just not super regularly and thankfully no guests had come in and destroyed them. There was hand soap but unfortunately the hand dryers were broken (which I normally like because of the reduction of trash, but dislike because of the increased noise they produce). You have some potable water/dish cleaning spigots, but nothing is there to catch the waste. There are also a couple of bear proof trash cans and the camp host sold fire wood (pricey at $8 a bundle). However, you can collect downed wood whenever the host isn’t selling wood.

Amenities: standard picnic tables, fire rings, plus flush toilets, potable water, & bear/cougar proof trash cans |Prohibited: pets off-leash

Nearby Hikes: Sol Duc Falls, exploring some old growth forest with a waterfall (highly recommended), Lover’s Lane, Ancient Groves, a self guided nature trail, & a couple lake trails

You’re also just down the road from the Sol Duc Hot Springs, which is 3 different pools with the water pumped into them. At $15 a person, this seemed a little pricey, but you do get access to the showers, so if you’re really desperate it might be an option to clean up and then relax after some strenuous hikes.