Best Tent Camping near Pacific Beach, WA

Tent Camping Reviews near Pacific Beach, WA

782 Reviews of 52 Pacific Beach Campgrounds

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  Annie C.

  Legend

  Jun. 1, 2021

  Hoh Campground — Olympic National Park

  Wet but worth it.

  This is a very wet campground(you are in the Hoh Rainforest afterall), so bring some extra tarps to stay dry. There are 3 loops, with a few riverside sites in Loops A and C. There were a lot of downed trees that were in various states of being cleared when I was there, which did close some sites to campers. Some sites had some privacy and others did not, but all were level. I was comfortable on my site, but preferred more privacy. None of the sites that I looked at had dedicated tent pads, but all had the usual picnic table and fire pit. It's a short walk to the visitors center and lots of hiking trails are nearby, including one that cuts through the campground. It was very quiet at night, and even though I was not on a site on the river, you could hear the river at night.

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  Jen G.

  Ranger

  Jul. 1, 2016

  Kalaloch Campground - group — Olympic National Park

  Close to the Beach, But Fills Outrageously Fast

  First off, let me say that I'm definitely no stranger to campgrounds filling up quickly. I frequently camp in Zion and Arches, and those campgrounds fill up super fast- but NOTHING fills up faster than the beach access sites at Kalaloch. We camped there on a Tuesday night in August (so summer, but not a weekend) and of the 8-10 beach access sites that were available when I looked the night before I booked (six months in advance), every single one of them was gone when I got on within 10 minutes of reservations going live. It was INSANE. So I had to scramble, and booked a couple of sites next to each other (since we were camping with a group that was too large for a single campsite). I've never experienced anything quite like the speed with which this campground filled up. If you want a beach access campsite, I would definitely recommend being right on time and being ready to go! One disclaimer I should give is also that I didn't spend an extraordinary amount of time in this campground. We arrived pretty late at night (in the dark, around 10pm) and left early-ish in the morning (around 830/9). and didn't have much time to explore around the campground. So my review might not be the most complete, but I'll give it based on the knowledge that I have. My biggest complaint (which is a common-ish one for me, but this campground was the worst I've experienced) was that the tent area was absolutely rock hard. I'm by no stretch of the imagination an incredibly strong woman, but I really struggled to get the stakes into the ground for our tent. In a wet coastal environment where you want to stay dry, staking out your tent and fly is important, and it was really frustrating trying to get those dang stakes into that hard ground, especially in the dark. Another small gripe, that may have been magnified by the fact that we had just stayed in the very secluded Newhalem Campground in the North Cascades the night before, was that the campsites we stayed in (A055 and A056) were pretty much right on the side of the road though the campground. We essentially parallel parked, and set up our tents maybe 15 feet from the road. The sites were a little small (in fact one member of our group sneaked farther back into the bushes to set up his tarp and sleeping pad in a little more seclusion and space) and being right along the road definitely made at least those sites not a place I'd want to relax in. This is likely one campground where the site you're in can make or break your experience. My last small gripe is going to sound outrageously vain, but the bathrooms were a little small, there was only one sink, and the only mirror was above the sink. I like to have a mirror to make sure my face is clean and my hair looks decent, but I don't necessarily need a sink. When I went to the bathroom in the morning a woman spent almost 15 minutes standing in front of the only mirror, washing her face and doing her hair. It would've been nice to have had another mirror so she didn't "hog" the sink and the only mirror. The GOOD THINGS about this campground are the accessibility to the amazing beach, nice paved roads (so no dust), and lots of greenery. The air felt very fresh and clean here, and it was a cool experience for those of us from the desert to sleep in a place with so much green! The bathrooms were also very clean (if small) and the campground's directions were straightforward and clear.

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• 

  Scott-Christy B.

  Traveler

  Jun. 20, 2019

  Kalaloch Campground - group — Olympic National Park

  Rainforest camping above the beach

  Most campsites are woven in amongst old growth rainforest trees. Bathrooms are basic, no showers. Water spigots at bathrooms. Tent, rv camping allowed with some sites on the beach bluff overlooking the ocean. $22 for tent camping comes with fire ring and picnic table. There is a general store .5 miles away at the lodge.

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  Greg K.

  Traveler

  Jul. 9, 2019

  Hoh Oxbow Campground

  Great little primitive camp area

  Had a 6 RV spots and a number of tent sites. No power, no water, but there are compost toilets. Has fire rings and picnic tables.

  Quite sweet spot on the river. No fee Decent 4G ATT cell coverage

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  Angela S.

  Guide

  Aug. 19, 2020

  Ocean City State Park Campground

  Walking distance to beach

  Very close to the beach but wind protected sites with lots of trees and bushes. Most sites have privacy. Showers are coin operated but work well.

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  debra

  Traveler

  Jun. 20, 2023

  Coho Campground

  Great rural campground

  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.

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• 

  Shari G.

  Legend

  Apr. 9, 2025

  Kalaloch Campground - group — Olympic National Park

  Busy but OH SO Beautiful!

  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.

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  stephanie E.

  Scout

  May. 29, 2025

  Cottonwood Campground

  Beautiful private campground

  Only a few sites and each is incredibly private. Absolutely beautiful space for tent camping or boondocking on the Olympic Peninsula. Vault toilet. Picnic table and fire pits at each site. Some pull-through RV sites. First come/first serve - I was there in a Tuesday in late May and had the campground to myself. Washington Discovery Pass required. Good T-Mobile service so you can buy the pass on-site if you need to, as long as you have the ability to write down and display your transaction number

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  Abby M.

  Legend

  Aug. 10, 2021

  Cottonwood Campground

  Great spot and very quiet

  I stayed here for two nights in late July. Arrived on a Sunday afternoon and there were three spots still open. It is free with a discovery pass which is required. There is one vault toilet which didn’t have any TP so be sure to bring some. There’s no camp host. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Not a lot of sunshine coming through in most sites so isn’t great for long stays when you rely on solar. No trash so pack it all out. Most Sites are large enough to accommodate several vehicles or larger rigs.