7 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Cabin accommodations near Shelton provide access to both Hood Canal and Olympic forest areas with options ranging from waterfront to forest settings. Glen Ayr Resort offers cabins right on Hood Canal with full bathroom facilities, television service, and kitchenettes. "Nice campground with all the amenities of a hotel. Full hook ups, showers, BBQ's, games, hot tub, laundry facilities, game room with fireplace and pool table all with a beautiful view of the Hood Canal," reports one visitor. The Waterfront at Potlatch provides similar waterfront cabin rentals with views of Hood Canal, though highway noise can be noticeable from nearby US-101.
Rustic and deluxe cabins are both available, depending on the location. Dow Creek Resort features cabin lodging in a wooded setting near Hoodsport with clean, well-maintained facilities. Summertide Resort & Marina provides cabin rentals with power and water connections that accommodate families seeking more amenities than traditional camping. According to feedback, "The cabin was a bit older, but it has a charm to it, everyone had service there too." Camp Thunderbird offers more basic adirondack-style cabins as well as traditional cabins near Summit Lake with access to swimming docks and hiking trails.
Most cabins require visitors to bring their own bedding, pillows, and towels unless specifically noted as "furnished" in reservation details. Kitchen facilities vary widely between properties - from full kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves at Glen Ayr to simple countertops with minimal appliances at more rustic locations. On-site markets exist at several locations including Millersylvania State Park and The Waterfront at Potlatch, while others require bringing all food supplies. Firewood is typically available for purchase at most cabin locations that permit outdoor fires, though Rest-A-While RV Park and Summertide Resort do not allow fires at their cabin sites.
"It rained a couple of nights but being surrounded by huge trees made it really cozy. Nice walking trails that follow creeks and go right along the sound."
"Friendly staff, clean sites and facilities, coin operated showers. This campground is located right on the hood canal which is filled with oysters beds. Many people were harvesting the delicacy."
Available next weekend
from $12 - $61 / night
"They have glamping! Or as the campground calls it: pampered camping. This is a beautiful park located on Deep Lake just outside of Olympia. "
"It was rainy and the fire pit area had plenty of puddles. Lots of folks came in later in the evening with multiple cars and sat out talking; plenty of them packed up and left before 8 am."
Available next weekend
from $12 - $140 / night
"Nice quiet campground with fire ring and picnic table. Host was amazing as always."
"Lovely and secluded sites 30 amp, dump station, playground, great well stocked store,laundry, and helpful staff. Trails in area."
from $40 - $60 / night
"Fire pit was nice with a grill. Bathrooms and shower rooms were neat and tidy. Camp host was friendly and helpful. A lot of paths to walk the dogs. Areas for outdoor games in the summer."
"We had five sites all in one area near the entrance to the group camp site. The sites offered a good balance of privacy and open space. "
Available next weekend
from $12 - $70 / night
"We stayed for one night very clean well organized friendly staff and amazing view of the ocean/ river they have bags of ice to buy fair price gas grills for customers to use over all I will stay here if"
"Full hook ups, showers, BBQ’s, games, hot tub, laundry facilities, game room with fireplace and pool table all with a beautiful view of the Hood Canal!"
from $54 - $68 / night
"After flying into SeaTac late in the afternoon this campground was a great place to start our Washington trip and only about 30 minutes from the airport."
"I appreciate there is electric, sewer and water. I use this an overnight point to fill my RV before going off grid."
Available next weekend
from $23 - $74 / night
"Nice showers and restrooms. Complementary WiFi and Verizon signal is great. This is our second stay and would return at some point for sure."
"There are several cabins on the property, as well as a small inn. Property is well maintained. Would have given five stars, if not for the noise from the 101, which is just feet away."
"We have the place to ourselves and it’s just like being deep in the woods but with power and water."
"We love this area of Washington!"
from $25 - $90 / night
"It’s a nice little place, down on the hood canal, very cozy. We stayed down at a cabin and it was pretty empty, which was nice."
"Town is just 2 miles up the road with a full grocery store. Oceanside view is right off a busy 2 lane road so you hear the cars."
"Good for a short stay, since it's not located near a lot to do besides the Olympic National Forest and Lake Cushman."
TravelerNice campground, well maintained and rangers often patrol the campsite loops. Bathrooms are nice but dated, but quite expensive campground. Paying in-person was $49 for an RV spot with utilities, but booking online was $69 for the same site. Can be busy on the weekend.
ScoutI wanted to like this campground, but I wouldn’t stay here again for more than maybe one night.
There are signs EVERYWHERE warning about theft, which immediately tells you something about the area. I didn’t have anything stolen, but I was extremely careful about what I left out.
The biggest problem is that you’re basically on your own after hours. There is no campground host, no posted after-hours ranger number, and no non-emergency number at the campground or through the park’s phone system. The staff hours also seem very limited and inconsistent. I arrived around 6:30 PM and nobody was there, and staff didn’t seem to return until around 9–10 AM.
The bathrooms were dirty, out of toilet paper, and the showers were cold. One morning there was a large unleashed dog in the women’s bathroom that growled at me while its owner was showering. I believe she may have been homeless and using the facilities. Again, there was nobody around to contact about it.
Another night, people were extremely loud until almost midnight. Same problem: no host, no ranger and no non-emergency number. Unless something is serious enough for 911, you’re left to deal with it yourself.
There are also a lot of homeless people and visible drug addicts/drug activity around Federal Way. I had been warned about the area before coming here, and I understand why.
The park itself is pretty and might be fine for a quick overnight stay, but for multiple nights, I wouldn’t recommend it. Between the theft warnings, lack of after-hours staff, weird staffing hours, and no way to report non-emergency problems, I never really felt comfortable settling into my campsite.
GuideWe had such a wonderful stay at American Heritage Campground! The campground has a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere, and you can really feel the history and care that has gone into the property over the years.
We stayed at site 6 which was right by the playground, laundry, pool (closed for the season), and 2 individual bathrooms. There’s more bathrooms in the main bath house with showers! Our site was also able to use the WiFi since it was close to the front of the campground
A huge part of what made our stay so special was our host, Rita. She was incredibly kind, welcoming, and made us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. Learning that the campground has been in her family for over 40 years makes the experience even more meaningful. You can tell how much pride and love she has for the campground and the people who visit.
If you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing place to stay in Olympia with a personal touch that you just don’t get at the big commercial campgrounds, we highly recommend American Heritage Campground. We’re grateful we got to meet Rita and experience a little piece of her family’s history. We’ll definitely be back!
Edit: we walked around in the morning and found the farm (sheep and chickens), frisbee golf, horse shoes, volleyball and a pavilion. This would be such a fun spot in the summer!
TravelerThere is single camp-host here, the facility’s are in a deep state of disrepair, and the campground is overcrowded when full.
ScoutGreat little RV park! Check-in was super easy, the campground was clean and there’s a nice path that takes you right down to the river. There were only two other campers while we were there, so it was incredibly quiet and peaceful.
The location is great and really easy to find, especially when you’re traveling in a bigger camper. They have showers, laundry and full hookups, which was exactly what we needed.
Simple, clean, quiet and convenient. We would definitely stay here again!
RangerOne of our favorite stays so far. Schafer State Park has everything you actually want in a campground: flush toilets, hot showers, potable water, and hookups if you need them. The hiking is excellent for how compact the park is—easy, mossy forest loops and river-edge paths that feel much bigger than two miles. The park is split into two worlds: the older West Campground and a newer East side (about three years old). We chose the “old” side for its first-come, first-served sites. They felt private and spacious, with the East Fork Satsop River running right behind us. Kids’ laughter and happy dogs mixed with the sound of the water—this place is very family- and dog-oriented in the best way. We loved it. We were honestly surprised sites were still available over Labor Day weekend. We’ll definitely be back
TravelerI stayed there for one night on my way back to Seattle, and it was perfect for what I needed. Very quiet back there. The people were all super nice and accommodating. They had a dump site, restrooms outside and heated restrooms attached to the office area. I really loved that two of the permanent residents would do security at night as well. Being a woman and traveling alone, that made me feel very safe. Highly recommend this place!
GuideQuiet, but we were here mid week in late August….
LegendWe stayed here for a short overnight as we made our way up the Olympic Peninsula to Port Townsend. Nice park with a some trails right from the campground. We enjoyed the Maple Valley loop. There are elk at Dosewallips but we didn’t see any. Some road noise from our site (21) and heard a low-flying helicopter in the morning. Shower water pressure was a bit low and the water not hot enough.
Camping cabins near Shelton, Washington offer access to both forested terrain and waterfront areas with elevations ranging from sea level to over 1,000 feet in nearby hills. The region typically receives 50-60 inches of annual rainfall, creating lush vegetation and moderate temperatures even during summer months. Most cabin sites provide year-round access with peak occupancy during July and August.
Swimming in Clear Lakes: Summit Lake offers family-friendly swimming areas at Camp Thunderbird, which features a dock and designated swimming spot. "It is located at the base of Summit Lake, with a dock and great swimming spot," notes a visitor. The lake maintains moderate temperatures even in summer months.
Clam Digging and Oyster Harvesting: Beachfront areas provide opportunities for shellfish collection during appropriate seasons. At Rest-A-While RV Park, "You can dig for clams and oysters by paying cash to the office for your gatherings. No dogs are allowed on the beach," according to one reviewer. Shellfish licenses may be required.
Hiking Forest Trails: Wooded areas surrounding cabins offer walking paths ranging from beginner to intermediate difficulty. "There is a figure eight hiking loop that offers some really great variation in terrain and vegetation without being too long. There was a really cool section along the back side that was like walking through a forest tunnel," reports a visitor to Schafer State Park.
Waterfront Locations: Direct access to Hood Canal provides opportunities for water activities and wildlife viewing. A guest at Summertide Resort & Marina mentioned, "Sunset on the hood canal was great, we saw some porpoises. Overall, I'd go back again if I wanted a quiet little getaway without the haste of camping."
Secluded Woodland Settings: Forested cabin locations create privacy between sites. At American Heritage Campground, "The lots are well plotted with space and privacy," according to a recent visitor. Tree coverage provides natural shade and temperature regulation during summer months.
Resort-Style Amenities: Some properties offer additional facilities beyond basic cabin accommodations. "Nice campground with all the amenities of a hotel. Full hook ups, showers, BBQ's, games, hot tub, laundry facilities, game room with fireplace and pool table all with a beautiful view of the Hood Canal!" notes a guest at Glen Ayr Resort.
Seasonal Variations: Weather conditions affect availability and accessibility of outdoor activities. At Millersylvania State Park, "The park is on their winter schedule so only sites 1-7 and 226-248 were open. It made for a nice, quiet weekend even though the open sites were 80% full," reports a winter visitor.
Reservation Requirements: Most cabin facilities require advance booking, especially during peak summer months. "The beach loop fills up quickly - get your reservations in as early as possible if you want to camp there," advises a visitor to Belfair State Park.
Amenity Differences: Facilities vary significantly between properties regarding bathroom access and utilities. "Clean sites, as advertised. Sites are dirt, so can get a little muddy in the wet season," notes a visitor to Dow Creek Resort, highlighting seasonal considerations.
Swimming Areas: Lakes provide safer swimming options than Hood Canal for children. "The beach was great, water is rather warm for in the sound, it's also pretty shallow which is great for the kids to play in," reports a visitor to Belfair State Park about their August visit.
Playground Facilities: Some locations include dedicated children's areas. At American Heritage Campground, visitors appreciate the "old school playground which we love" as noted in a recent review. Playground equipment typically accommodates ages 3-12.
Group Camping Options: Multiple families can coordinate adjacent sites or reserve group areas. "We went to Schafer with four other families and had a great time. We had five sites all in one area near the entrance to the group camp site. The sites offered a good balance of privacy and open space," shares one visitor.
Site Surface Conditions: Parking areas vary between paved and unpaved surfaces. "Paved RV pad, gravel tent area at each site," notes a recent visitor to Schafer State Park regarding their remodeled sites. This information helps RVers prepare appropriate leveling equipment.
Hookup Availability: Different properties offer varying levels of utility connections. At The Waterfront at Potlatch, "All amenities are amazing. Nice showers and restrooms. Complementary WiFi and Verizon signal is great," reports a visitor, highlighting connectivity options important to modern RVers.
Space Limitations: Some locations have restrictions on larger vehicles. "Only 16 RV sites, which I find is a plus. All have views of beautiful Hood Canal," notes a visitor about The Waterfront at Potlatch, indicating the limited availability but premium positioning of these sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Shelton, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Shelton, WA is Belfair State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 20 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 41 cabin camping locations near Shelton, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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