Are you planning a tent camping trip to Ocean Shores? We've got you covered. Finding a place to camp in Washington with your tent has never been easier. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Ocean Shores campsites are perfect for tent campers.
With all campsites located near the shoreline of glacially carved Lake Quinault, visitors are sure to enjoy the beautiful shoreline and interpretive opportunities in the area. From old-growth trees in the surrounding rain forest to excellent fishing, Willaby Campground's location is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts.
The forest features 10 miles of hiking trails and many waterfalls within walking distance of the campground. Lake Quinault is part of the Quinault Indian Nation As such,You must have a fishing permit and or boat permit through the Quinault Indian Nation. Both may be purchased through local merchants. Lake Quinault Lodge offers boat and kayak rentals as well as a number of interpretive tours.
The forested slopes of Olympic National Park provide a scenic backdrop across Lake Quinault. Towering conifers including Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western red cedar provide dense shade for this beautiful setting. The forest floor is covered with lush rain forest plants including moss, ferns, false lily-of-the-valley and oxalis.
Nearby, Lake Quinault Lodge offers a restaurant and gift shop. Short trails in the area include the Big Spruce Tree Trail, Forest Service Nature Trail, Kestner Homestead Trail and the Maple Glade Trail. Explore the ocean beaches close-by as well as the National Fish Hatchery. For a more adventuresome day, drive up the valley to hike along the rivers or climb the 4,200 ft. Colonel Bob Peak for expansive views of the mountains and valleys on a clear day.
For facility specific information, please call (360) 288-2525.
Reserved sites must be occupied within 24 hours or the site will be forfetied for remainder of reservation.
$25 / night
Unless otherwise posted, you can stay 10 days in a 30-day period at any of DNR's campsites. During your stay, please practice leave no trace principles and pack out what you pack in. Dispersed camping, camping outside of our designated campgrounds, is allowed in some of our forests. Dispersed camping is not allowed at day-use sites. Toilets, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water, and fire pits are not available in the backcountry. Please follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out everything you pack in. Dispersed fires are prohibited.
Located in the Quinault Rain Forest, relax near a serene stream at Graves Creek Campground.
Gatton Creek Campground is located on the south shore of Lake Quinault next to Gatton Creek, a small rainforest stream. Campsites and the picnic units are located along the shore of the lake with views across the__water to the forested slopes of Olympic National Park.The area provides opportunities to swim and use non motorized boats nearby.__There are 5 walk-in campsites that accommodate tents. There are also 3 picnic units. Nearest boat ramps are located at Willaby and Falls Creek Campgrounds.Access__Gatton Creek Trail #888 from the trailhead across from the campground along South Shore Road.
The entrance to this campground is through Coho campground, which is closed during off-season. There is a gate that closes off the entrance.
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping outside of a developed campground. If you enjoy selecting your own campsite, providing your own amenities, creating your own experience, and camping for FREE, then dispersed camping is for you!
Campsite
Choose a campsite screened from roads and trails, and at least 200 feet from water Use a campsite that’s already been established, if possible. If you choose a new site, return the site to its natural condition when you leave Pets
Your animal friends are welcome to accompany you on your dispersed camping adventure! Fires
Only burn wood that is already dead and down Always make sure your fire is DEAD OUT and cold to the touch before you leave it Campfires are allowed below 3,500 feet when not otherwise prohibited by fire restrictions Trash
Store your food & trash properly to keep bears and other wildlife out of your camp Whatever you pack in, PACK IT OUT! Human Waste
Bury your poo & paper at least 6” deep and at least 200 feet away from any water source
Traveler
Have been coming here my whole since I was a kid. It’s one of my favorites and they got hit hard with the heavy rains. No wind but man it was muddy at our site
Guide
The road was a little rough but my suv made it fine. No signal and got a little snow on the roof in the morning but it was a good spot with a great view.
Traveler
Our friends have stayed here a few times for razor clam digging and seemed fine with it, so we tried it. We stayed 2 nights during a mid-November clam dig. There is a string of long-term campers and a string of short-term spots. It was really empty, so there were no close neighbors. I could see how it would be overly snug during a busy session with how close the sites are together. You literally have enough room for a slide out and 5 feet or so to the next site's picnic table. The covered fish cleaning station was very nice to clean clams. It's an older looking campground but we were happy with it.
Traveler
Unless you manage to get one of the nice spots, you’re essentially paying a premium to park on grass with no privacy. It’s a beautiful area: but pick your site wisely.
ScoutCouldn’t get any cellular signal
Scout
Nice little spot. Free hot showers. $20 for a tent site. Some of the tent sites to choose from were really small or not level but we got lucky with what we thought was the best site (B-10)
Scout
Drove about 1 mile down the road and it was closed off. A couple of pull offs that were super muddy so didn’t bother. South Beach Campground just down the road is also closed.
Traveler
Such a beautiful view, hard to beat! clean bathrooms and everyone was very friendly. Lots of little trails straight to the beach. Great place to watch the sunset and have a quiet campfire
Guide
You are supposed to have a Washington State Discovery pass to stay here, also they want you to fill out self registration once you arrive, fyi there are no pens onsite to do so.
This was a nice spot to stay the night, clean, nice picnic tables and fire pits, one pit toilet.
LegendThis campground is part of the Olympic National Park, it’s FCFS only, and very bare bones. There are flush toilets, but no sinks or showers or water spigots- don’t forget to bring your own water!
It’s $20/night, and you pay when you arrive after you select a site. You pay either via a QR code with PayPal or a credit card(if you have cell reception), or fill out your credit card information on a slip that you drop in a deposit box. No cash and no checks accepted. No campfires allowed at this time. The ATT phone had decent reception, the Verizon phone was very weak and basically unusable.
There is a row of sites along the edge that are the primo sites- full ocean view. Everyone else can make do with the ocean views they get from in between all the other campers. The waves are calm and steady all night, very relaxing and nice for drowning out generator sounds. There are trash bins but no recycling bins. Each site is attached to a numbered picnic table. If there’s no free picnic table then it’s not a site (we were confused by this big open area that would have easily fit us, but it wasn’t actually a site. Look for the picnic table).
There is a host on site. There are trails down to the beach, after climbing over driftwood and rocks, but otherwise no trails or hiking or anything else to do directly from the campground. We stayed one night.
Legend
Really nice, mellow, low key RV & tent campground..“nice” as in comfortable and welcoming to all, not as in the amenities. The place itself is somewhat run down, but still functional and fine. We got spot #30, which was an unlevel back-in site. We were told all sites are FHU, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the sewer cap off, if that’s what it was. I didn’t bother to ask about it, as we didn’t need to dump yet.
With taxes and all we paid about $50 for a night for that site. We didn’t have reservations and there was plenty of availability. Free showers, which we didn’t use, laundry is $1.50 for wash and $2.00 for dry. There are also cabins on site, a huge rec room with an arcade game, a TV, kitchen, and a book exchange. Cell service was a little weak but their free wifi was nice.
They also bake bread on site! Not sure what that was about or if it’s for sale, but they were baking when we walked in to the office and it smelled great. The walk to the beach was a pleasant roughly 0.25 mile one. Cars drive straight on the beach so watch your dogs.
There is recycling here and they do take glass but cans must be uncrushed and bar code must be readable, and no soup cans accepted :(
LegendWe stayed in loop D, site 189, which I chose because I thought it would be nice to have a spot right on the lake. I wish I’d chosen one of the sites in the little off shoot roads though, because the lake was not visible and not very accessible, and the entire row of sites are just sites side by side with zero privacy. It was fine though.
Cell service was very iffy for both Verizon and ATT, but the weBoost helped a lot. Lots of nice hikes here in this park, and the beach is a short walk away. The bathhouse for this loop has flush toilets and one shower for the whole loop. The shower was free and the water was nice and hot. The shower was so dirty and gross but what are you gonna do.
Water spigots throughout campgrounds and there’s a free dump and water fill station in the park.
Scout
Just about 10 miles north of highway 12 near Elma. Got a great site right by the river. Nice toilets & showers (in old building so was pleasantly surprised!) wifi by information center, cell coverage limited (1 bar t-mobile with Weboost)
Ranger
Came to stay 4 nights and camp with family.
Sites are nicely sized but any rig over 25foot would have trouble getting into.
Absolutely no cell service.
In Site 25 we had enough of an opening to get Starlink to work ok.
In the reserved loops bathrooms are flush toilets and kept clean.
Forest is thick
There is a dump site which says it costs $5.
Potable water throughout.
Scout
I pulled up and it looked abandoned and unsafe—something from a horror movie. The bathroom literally had trash dumped out in front and the some of the campsites were unkept. It's trek to get back there for such disappointment. Left as soon as I could, ended up sleeping at a rest area.
Traveler
Travel Inn RV Resort offers a welcoming and convenient option for travelers seeking a comfortable stay. Located in a serene environment, this resort provides essential amenities such as full hookups, clean restrooms, and recreational facilities. Whether you're looking for a short getaway or an extended stay, Travel Inn RV Resort ensures a pleasant experience with its friendly staff and well-maintained grounds. For those planning a trip and needing to sort out documentation like an NBI clearance, it's essential to schedule an NBI online appointment for renewal for clearance in advance to avoid any last-minute hassles. By doing so, travelers can focus on enjoying their stay at the resort, knowing their paperwork is in order.
Guide
Wonderful spot to wake up next to a river. Need to be mindful of other campers in the area. Met a friendly dog. Looks like an ok place to float down the river 😉
Scout
The layout of this campground packs sites too close together. It feels more like tailgating in a parking lot than camping. Other than that, this park is pretty great. It's a very short walk to the beach and a stone's throw from Westport. It's even got some decent trails for hiking around a bit. The bathrooms are pretty standard fare for state Park bathrooms, however, the free showers were a great plus.
Traveler
Right up next to the shores! Nice little private tent spots. Free cold shower. Friendly camp hosts and staff.
GuideThe coordinates for this location takes you into a road that is within the National Park. There is “No free camping” in the national park.
Across the road you’ll find the South Beach Camping. This is a FCFS open campground provided by NPS. It’s $20/night or $10/night if you have a reciprocal pass.
There’s toilets and a great ocean view and beach access.
If you choose to park down the access road, you could potentially be ticketed.
I did choose to stay 1 night at the campground. Pretty crowded by RV’s but was okay for a single night.
Traveler
This spot was great for a night! Super quiet. There was some trash around the site and the road, so I picked up as much as I could. The view was misted over but beautiful anyway- however, in my little Nissan Versa, I struggled on the roads up and down. I eventually kept it around 5-10mph to avoid damaging my car, but I got there just fine and had no issues at the campsite. I've got T-Mobile and had full bars.
Scout
James and Jordyn were so helpful and accommodating to any need that arose. The nearness of the trail to the beautiful beach was a huge plus. Super relaxing ...hope to return soon!
Guide
It's basically on the beach, the staff is great, and the price is fantastic!
Traveler
This is not Curlew Lake in Eastern Wa. This is Ilwaco near the Columbia River in the SW corner of Wa. We came to this campground by the lovely pictures of a large lake, nice camping sites etc. The Pro's: easy check-in Walking distance to the town and Marina. Close to Cape Disappointment State Park There is a laundromat. Cons: this is a fisherman's park. The sites are close together. No picnic tables at our sites. $59 is too expensive. Bad advise from the previous reviewer!!!
GuideVery far off the beaten path, every time I camp here I don’t run into anyone. You’re camping on the Ridgeline so it can be a bit windy. East of the campsite there is a walking trail that takes you to an overlook, perfect for watching the sunrise.
TravelerExcellent dispersed site next to electronic towers.
Traveler
This campground was in the perfect location. There are sites on the Bluffs or in the forest, but either way it's a short walk to the beach. Many sites were pretty small. We had 2 large tents and that was tight, but one large tent would be fine.
Tent camping near Ocean Shores, Washington, offers a blend of scenic beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for nature enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ocean Shores, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ocean Shores, WA is Willaby Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 20 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Ocean Shores, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 25 tent camping locations near Ocean Shores, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
