Best Tent Camping near Olympia, WA

arrived at the farm and were greeted by the owners. they got on their quads and led us down a private road through a super nice cedar gated entry and showed us our spot. they gave us a quick run down of the place and let us be. our spot was the Trillium site which has a few hundred foot hike from where you park your car and the portable toilet. the site was pretty cool and very secluded. it had a fire ring with some sawn cedar benches, a pile of firewood and a giant old spool for a table. we threw our marmot up and took a closer look. there is a camp box with info, instant coffee, guides to area sight seeing and food along with a log book to write about your stay. there were also some cool led lighting which was great at night. fire ban was on but they put a big candle on the grate of the fire pit so we had something. we kicked around on the trails which look like they are used by horses and motorcycles but not heavily. some interesting plants in the area. they were working on a new trail that is supposed to eventually lead out to the lake but it wasnt complete yet. however it was covered with wood chips and had a hand cut cedar bridge built on it. you gotta see it. sounds like they are constantly evolving the farm looked like a lot of things in the works. definitely will come back for more time here. night time got spooky with coyotes howling in the distance but the morning there were so many birds chirping and singing you couldnt hear yourself think! oh we found a corn hole game in an open area that they have several picnic tables staged at.

I just completed my third stay at Dragon's Gate, and I've now stayed in each of the different sections (Moon Meadow, Giant Crystal, Jessie's Camp). Each gives a completely different but wonderous experience, either with open views of flower pastures and woods, or a more insular green surrounded by trees. Each reservable space is massive.... 4-5 times the size of most campsites. While you may reasonably run into other campers within each section if you go for a walk, you won't even know anyone is in the other sections, its so private. Sing at the top of your lungs or let your dog roam, they won't run into anyone. 

Its just SO pretty. Each campsite is really well maintained- the roads and campsites are mowed, carving into the meadows. There are porta potties and access to drinking water and a great deal on both wood and eggs. Wooden picnic tables are in each site, and a well appointed fire ring. The hosts are really lovely as well, and overly accommodating. The entire site is organic, so they do ask that you participate in their policies of no charcoal usage and leave no trace.

Tenino itself is a cute little historic town, with a surprisingly well appointed supermarket and hardware store, and on Saturdays there's a farmers market. 

Mostly, I love how my dog can safely roam, and how, even when I am completely by myself camping, I still feel safe.

This campground is right next to a state park. It’s also very close to a river and lots of woods. We stayed here to see Olympic national park, (I wouldn’t recommend this location to travel to Olympic every day, it was very far.)

The amenities were nice, bathrooms with warm water (one shower per bathroom.)

No laundry, no Wi-Fi and both Verizon and AT&T worked with about one bar.

The sites were level spacious and had a fire ring and picnic table at each. We chose the full hookup option. Firewood could be purchased through the camp host.

The best part about this day was the surrounding area. Every night, my husband and I would walk to the wildlife viewing platform to see lots of birds, or walk down by the river and see lots of elk and bald eagles.

Campground

Fairly large campground, free as long as you have a discover pass! Close to town yet still secluded in the woods. Tons of trails for hiking, horses and dirt bikes! Plenty of sites for trailers and tents. Vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and water hook ups. The camp host even had free bottled water for guest if needed. There was a creek near by with people panning for gold which was interesting!

Product Review

Being a ranger I get to test some products from time to time! Today's product is the LEDlenser MH2 Headlamp!

This headlamp is very impressive! Certainly the brightest light I have ever explored with. It comes in a very nice package with a charging cord, two different colored lens attachments, a carrying pouch and a battery. My only complaint is that the headlamp itself doesn't fit very well in the carrying pouch but I made it work! It was also a little heavy and I had to adjust the strap to fit my head more often then I would have preferred. The brightness of the light made up for the flaws completely!

Coho campground is a forested campground overlooking a large alpine lake. Lots of old growth forest, birds and squirrels live in the campground. The sites are large with a paved drive that can accommodate several vehicles and trailers. Large picnic tables and a fire pit on each site with an area for tents. No electric, water or sewer on the site. There are several flush toilets that are well kept. Bathrooms have an electrical outlet if you need to charge something. Faucets with drinking water. No showers. No cell service and starlink doesn’t work due to trees. Nearest gas station and stores about 35 minutes away. There is a boat ramp and a nice lake for kayaking. Several trails around the lake and campground.

Great PNW experience minutes from Olympia!

Campground review: First off this is not a primitive experience by any means. However this is a really interesting state park that has something for EVERYONE. The campground itself is separated into 3 separate sections. There is a larger trailer loop down by the main entrance, standard tent camping and lastly "glamping" and yes you heard me right. This campground also boasts a beer garden AND a boat house with kayak and canoe rentals. If this is all sounding a little much I understand. Surprisely though the campground was almost completely filled when we were there and do to it being densely vegetated and how it's laid out. Our campsite was very private and spacious. The campground itself was very clean and well kept and rangers were on regular patrol. It was a great fun local escape for us and our kids loved it!! They also have a few trails but we did not check them out this visit. My only complaint would be the restrooms are few and far between for how large the campground is just know this before your visit. Happy Adventuring!

Gear Review:

HellaGood Belmont Blanket

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I occasionally get products to test- today I am testing the HellaGood Belmont Blanket. Right away I was surprised by how light weight and extra durable this blanket was. Easy to pack in a backpack and bring to the water front with us and made a great blanket to cozy up under after a few hours of paddling. It was also a great additional play space for our kids at our camp site. The bottom is waterproof and the top is a soft fleece like material so I didn't have to worry about washing it when we got home. In the past we have just brought a beach blanket camping but this is for sure our new go to! www.belmontblanket.com