Camping near Olympic National Park

Such a beautiful campground, and so quiet - we spent several days here. There was cell reception here, which was a nice treat.  Sites were all beautiful but in our RV we were glad to be able to drive around and pick one (rather than reserve one in advance sight unseen), because we need a level spot with at least some sun for our solar.

Loved it here, would highly recommend.

This is a beautiful campground with 4 loops- I would say loop D is most accessible for RVs. The entrance to B was steep and we didn’t even want to risk it. Cell service is spotty here so you have to rely on the boards with info about open sites (if you don’t have reservations). Hosts were gone by the time we visited in mid September and the ranger station was something like 7 miles away. So, I’d recommend reservations. There’s a dump station and water fill near the boat ramp. The campground is gorgeous and lush, very green and peaceful.

The registration process for this campground is confusing, if you show up without reservations like we did. There’s a board with info on it, but ultimately you need to drive back to the lodge where people go for hot springs soaks and register with them there (heads up, the parking lot at the lodge is very RV unfriendly). 

There’s a FHU area as well as non hookup areas, which you can stay in as long as you fit. Ultimately, there wasn’t room for us at the non-hookup campground, and the RV sites were all booked. Recommend reservations for this place!

Imagine a world where moss, funguses, lichen and other epiphytes grow upon the living trees in such vast numbers as to be more noticeable than the massive trees themselves. Imagine wandering down the trail in the middle of this mass of life and observe a herd of Elk browsing on this herbivore salad bar. It’s exceptional. 

The campground is within walking distance of many trailheads, and the visitor’s center. During the day, especially on a weekend, this place will be hopping, and traffic to get into the park is backed up for miles. So, plan accordingly. 

The sites are small but well spaced apart with the usual fire ring and picnic table. Check out the parking space limitations carefully, because this campground was developed back in the day before the massive rig trend. Its age makes it nonetheless charming, as we love these classic campgrounds. The bathrooms were recently renovated and offered flush toilets and running water, but no showers (we grabbed a shower for a fee at the general store, campground, restaurant down the road). Freshwater spigots and group dishwashing sinks available near the bathrooms– why aren’t these more regular throughout the NPS system?  We were able to find a reservation with little planning- using Dyrt Alerts! 

Activities abound in this part of the park, road cycling, hiking in the forest, or day trips to the beach areas along the coastal road– just be mindful of traffic. Returning to the campground in the early evening shouldn’t cause too much pain as the worst traffic is between 10am- 4pm. The nearest town with groceries, laundry and restaurants is Forks, about 75 minutes away.

Imagine a world where moss, funguses, lichen and other epiphytes grow upon the living trees in such vast numbers as to be more noticeable than the massive trees themselves. Imagine wandering down the trail in the middle of this mass of life and observe a herd of Roosevelt Elk browsing on this herbivore salad bar. It’s exceptional. 

The campground is within walking distance of many trailheads, and the visitor’s center. During the day, especially on a weekend, this place will be hopping, and traffic to get into this part of the park is backed up for miles. So, plan accordingly. The sites are small but well spaced apart with the usual fire ring and picnic table. Check out the parking space limitations carefully, because this campground was developed back in the day before the massive rig trend. Its age makes it nonetheless charming, as we love these classic campgrounds. We were able to find a reservation with little planning- using Dyrt Alerts!

The bathrooms were recently renovated and offered flush toilets and running water, but no showers (we grabbed a shower for a small fee at the general store/campground/restaurant down the road). Freshwater spigots and group dishwashing sinks available near the bathrooms– why aren’t these more regular throughout the NPS system?  

Activities abound in this part of the park, road cycling, hiking in the forest, or day trips to the beach areas along the coastal road– just be mindful of traffic. Returning to the campground in the early evening shouldn’t cause too much pain as the worst traffic is between 10am- 4pm. The nearest town with groceries, laundry and restaurants is Forks, about 75 minutes away.

This is another one of those late evening finds for us that makes this no reservations lifestyle work. Driving along Hwy 112 on the Olympic Peninsula can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere and then this little gem pops up seemingly out of nowhere. 

There’s just a handful of sites situated in a line at the end of a large parking area for the OHV access trails nearby, but they are lovely. These sites are FREE with your Washington State Discover Pass ($30 annual pass), and we can imagine that it gets pretty crowded on popular weekends.  

Campsites we’re pretty packed together, with picnic tables and fire rings.  Pictures were taken on a Monday morning when everyone else had already left. : )  Had the place to ourselves for a couple of hours.  

There is a vault toilet and a fresh water tap.   We just stayed the night on the way to/from the west side of the peninsula back to the east side, so it was perfect.

Nearby OHV trails and dirt roads offer lots of recreation opportunities, as well as the nearby Olympic National Park. Driving distances in this area are pretty far, so plan accordingly. 

The closest town with all services is Port Angeles, but many gas stations, general stores and mom and pop restaurants can be found in the small villages through which you will drive.

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.

This Olympic National Park Campground along the Washington coastal route is highly coveted, and frequently packed. If you’re lucky enough to get a reservation, or a cancellation (see the Dyrt Alerts), you’ll be treated to some of the best sunsets that the Olympic Peninsula has to offer, if you don’t mind a little traffic noise. 

Many of the campsites are tucked away under the spreading canopy of trees and moss, and little sunlight filters in. While others face the ocean and have more expansive views of the sky. We were lucky to grab one of the latter and had plenty of open sky for solar power and satellite internet. 

The bathrooms offer clean flush toilets and sinks, but no showers. The sites all have the typical picnic table and fire ring, but pay close attention to size limits within each site on recreation.gov because the sizes vary widely as does the space between sites. 

Activities abound in this park of the park, road cycling, nearby hiking in the forest, or miles and miles and miles along the wide sand beach. The shore is quite shallow here so the tidal flats are very wide. Many different beach access areas within a short drive bring you to different types of beaches, some with sea stacks, stellar tide pooling rocks and backcountry trails.  Head to the Kalaloch Lodge for a tasty dinner out!

Many NPS Park Ranger programs meet at these different beach locations. The Hoh Rainforest Visitor’s Center is about an hour and 20 minutes from the Campground. Also be aware of the traffic congestion at any of the visitor centers in Olympic NP, which can have you waiting for several hours to get into the park. 

The nearest town with groceries, laundry and restaurants is Forks, about 45 minutes away, but the nearby Kalaloch Lodge served an excellent table, reservations suggested.

This Olympic National Park Campground along the Washington coastal route is highly coveted, and frequently packed. If you’re lucky enough to get a reservation, or a cancellation (see the Dyrt Alerts), you’ll be treated to some of the best sunsets that the Olympic NP has to offer, if you don’t mind a little traffic noise. 

Many of the campsites are tucked away under the spreading canopy of trees and moss, and little sunlight filters in. While others face the ocean and have more expansive views of the sky. We were lucky to grab one of the latter and had plenty of open sky for solar power and satellite internet. 

The bathrooms offer clean flush toilets and sinks, but no showers. The sites all have the typical picnic table and fire ring, but pay close attention to size limits within each site on recreation.gov because the sizes vary widely as does the space between sites. 

Activities abound in this park of the park, road cycling, nearby hiking in the forest, or miles and miles and miles along the wide sand beach. The shore is quite shallow here so the tidal flats are very wide. Many different beach access areas within a short drive bring you to different types of beaches, some with sea stacks, incredible tide pooling rocks and backcountry trails.  Head to the Kalaloch Lodge for a great dinner out, then walk along the beach at sunset.

Many NPS Park Ranger programs meet at these different beach locations. The Hoh Rainforest Visitor’s Center is about an hour and 20 minutes from the Campground. Also be aware of the traffic congestion at any of the visitor centers in Olympic NP, which can have you waiting for several hours to get into the park. 

The nearest town with groceries, laundry and restaurants is Forks, about 45 minutes away, but the nearby Kalaloch Lodge served an excellent table, reservations suggested.

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.

This app shows the campground is full. It is not. During September through May, it's first come and first served. We arrived on Saturday around 1 PM and found a few open spots. It's located above the bluff overlooking the beach and easy to walk down to the beach.

South Beach Campground across the road was closed so I drove up the gravel road here a bit. Not many spots but if all you need is a place to park and sleep then you’re good. No amenities, but a place to park and sleep. Definitely stop at the campground picnic area and hike in 2 minutes to see the ocean. You’re up on a bluff and it’s beautiful

We did not have a reservation but got a spot. Quiet sites and little beach for kids to explore. Hot showers and bathrooms are clean

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.

This was wonderful in terms of a car campground. The sites are all secluded and tucked into the woods. The beach access, though, small offers standard gorgeous PNW views. And the day area was nice to explore. Few other campers but I barely saw them. Enjoyed my stay.

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.

Gorgeous little spot off a national forest road. Stunning views, no light pollution or car sounds at night. It’s December so of course it’s a bit cold at night and I’d recommend at least AWD to get up here. Will be back.