Looking for the best options for tent camping near Shelton? The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Shelton. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Shelton, Washington's most popular destinations.
This heavily used walk-in campground is accessed by hiking 3.5 miles on Lena Lake Trail #810. This backcountry primitive camping area is located along the west-shore of Lena Lake a large 55 acre lake in the Hamma Hamma drainage at 1,800 feet elevation. There are two pit toilets available on the west and north shores. Camp in designated sites located on either side of the lake. This area is heavily impacted by high visitor use! Campers must be familiar with Leave No Trace principles. Pack out all trash, camp within developed sites, and respect other visitors. From the campground there is access to The Brothers Wilderness via The Brothers Trail #821 which ends at The Brothers Base Camp. Wilderness regulations apply within The Brothers Wilderness. View a Lena Lake Campground vicinity map (.pdf)
$5 / night
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
Located in the Quinault Rain Forest, relax near a serene stream at Graves Creek Campground.
$12 / night
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
MCF is situated 12 minutes NE of Shelton Washington with secluded wetlands nested against the SW shores of Spencer Lake. Covering over 114 acres MCF offers terrain from grassy fields to heavily wooded forests and an abundance of sanctuary wetlands. Being surrounded mostly by private timberlands expands the remote feeling this location has to offer. More than 3 miles of maintained trails deliver single track/ pedestrian/equine pathways to wider trails joined by a main trunk trail large enough for vehicles.
Malaney Creek meanders through a cool grassy tree lined meadow where a 40 year old wooden bridge serving the main driveway can be viewed.
Established in 1977 as a resident farm, MCF was once rich with an old growth ceder forest feeding a cedar mill and railroad built by early settlers of Mason County. Remnants of the old growth giants still remain.
$29 - $185 / night
A Beautiful quarter acre residence on Carr Inlet.. backed by Penrose pointe State Park...
There are three spacious campsites below this beautiful quarter acre property in which to camp.
Macie's Brook has tenting only.. as you will park your vehicle at the top of the property and hike a short distance down to the tent sites.
This minimal amenity camp experience... Will prepare you for a little survival off grid..
These campsites are 100 ft above the beach line on high Bank waterfront property.
There is one trail currently down to the beach ask the owner for details..
$15 - $45 / night
Traveler
Went in the middle of the week and wasn't busy at all. Can tell this place is packed on weekends, being so close to Olympia. Nice swimming area with snack bar. Many of the tent camp sites are not private and right next to their neighbor. Overall a nice place to go during the week.
Scout
Wanted to make some headway leaving Mount Rainier towards Seattle and stay somewhere in the middle. Should have camped at Cougar Rock and driven further today. Expensive (30 plus tax) tent camping prices afford you an unlevel pad of weedy haphazardly maintained grass that's actually just the back yard of a house converted into way too many tent sites and two cabins. No fire pit, no picnic bench for my site, not raked after cutting the weeds so grass in EVERYTHING. The best part? The advertised wifi which would add some redeeming quality to the price tag doesn't reach the camping area (even though I could throw a rock to the reception desk from there) AND in the morning you have the blessing of COIN OPERATED showers after already paying for your stay. One single toilet and one single shower at the camp store for all campers.
AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. Not worth your money when there are plenty of decently maintained forest service sites around with flat camping pads. I only give it 1 of 5 stars because I found something worth about 30 dollars in the parking lot. Otherwise it's 0/5.
Guide
This campground is convienient located 3 miles away from the scenic town of Hoodsport, and only 30 minutes from Shelton. The water in the hood canal is beautiful, and even though it is along the road it is super quiet.
The caveat to this is that the campsites are dramatically close, so there is little to no privacy if it was busy. I would still stay here again, but only with a camper set up.
GuideThis place had it all; open RV camping, secluded van camping, tree canopy car/tent camping, walk-in camping, and themed safari tent camping, and one cute mini airstream.
Lake down the road. Water and electrical hookups, dump station with dump water and fresh water.
Restrooms and showers are scattered around. Showers are coin based and there is a machine to turn your dollars into coins.
Scout
Great little campsite with I think 5 tent sites. Looks like it fills up pretty quickly and doesn’t take reservations so get there early! $25 fee always seems a bit ridiculous for a tent site but happy to pay it for the pleasant night’s stay. Was very quiet when we arrived at 8pm.
Traveler
Kids really enjoyed the creek nearby and it was great for our tent camping. We were able to hike around and had water, and restrooms that were clean.
Guide
Very disappointed. Booked and told tent sites could be driven up to. Not the case. Host was very nice. Beautiful place
Ranger
I’ve been coming to this state park for as long as I can remember. There’s so many activities to do; clamming, shrimping, hiking, hunting for oysters, and there’s even places to rent kayaks. No shortage of bald eagles here either. Plenty of group tent sites as well as regular RV and tent sites. Each site comes with fire pit, hook ups, and a picnic table. Showers and bathrooms are clean and only costs a quarters for a shower with hot water. Great way to bring the whole family together. Will continue coming to this state park and campground for as long as I can.
Traveler
We were surprised when we pulled off to find such a nice place to camp. Great tent sites and free hot showers. Would definitely come back!
Scout
Decent, but the facilities are a bit rundown and there were three tent sites 5 feet from my door. Staff was friendly enough and 20 mins into Seattle.
Scout
If you like oysters and clams, this place is perfect. It's not fancy, tent sites don't have privacy between them. However, we had a blast here. Great weekend away. Family friendly.
LegendWhile it’s quite basic it gave an amazing nature experience. We usually do tent camping, but we opted for platform tents here as we were only staying one night. The tent was much nicer than we expected and had a good amount of space. We enjoyed hiking to the near by rivers. This was a great place to stay!
GuideThis campground was alright to stay in. The highway right next to the KOA was very busy and noisy all night long, bring earplugs. The tent sites were a joke. You get a small square in a grid of 16 or so squares. Our 10x10 tent took up more than half of the tent site. The neighbor’s tent was 4 feet from ours, offering little to no privacy. The WiFi barely worked, but the showers were nice. The back showers are private rooms which are really nice, especially when camping with little ones to keep them contained. There’s no water or electric hookups for tent campers in the little squares, I had to fill my jug up from a hose on the side of the main building. To access the WiFi you have to make an account, which was annoying also.
Legend
This is a nice little campground. Mostly tent sites or really small campers. There are a few larger events sites. Nice trails right from camp. No dump. Flush toilets with running water. No electric.
TravelerStayed in the tent sites ONLY area. Lunch green grass with a fire pit. Shared shelter if needed due to weather with 2 grills for use. Great trees to hang the hammock!
Guide
Camped over the long weekend. Tent camping. Was in spot 28 which is not on lake side. Found that there is little privacy between sites. The bathroom is showing its age though the shower is free. The campground is dog friendly. It is pretty quiet campground.
RangerOur site is one away from from the toilet/ bath house there are 6 combo rooms. There are 3 cabins, 12 full service sites, tent sites some w/ electric. Laundry 1 washer and dryer.
Guide
Who doesn't love Lake Cushman?
For camping, there aren't many other options, but this place is alright. RV sites were very popular, but we had the walk-in tent sites to ourselves. The camp store is very convenient too!
Legend
We stumbled upon this campground by chance and were quite happy to have done so. We came early in the morning and were able to get a tent site (first come first serve $20/night) before setting out to explore the Staircase area of Olympic National Park. The campground hosts were super friendly and gave us great advice on where to go in the area. Our tent site had a fire pit with grill, picnic table, and nice gravel parking pad. The spots here are well dispersed and set back in the woods for the most part so they felt very secluded and peaceful. We didn't spend a ton of time around the campground and this was just a one night exploration base but overall it was clean, offered good basic amenities and was very quiet and tranquil.
Scout
This is definitely a RV resort, but there are 5or 6 tent camping sites under some big trees which provide shade almost all day. Nice bathroom and showers. Laundry, dog run, tv room, plus really friendly employees!!! Waterfront is right down the street. Costco, Home Depot, Albertsons and other shopping close by.
Traveler
Tent camped here mid week last August. There’s a beach loop for RVs and a woods loop for tents & smaller RVs. Overall pretty quiet, close to town, close to ATV trails & dog friendly. The kids loved the park! 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.
LegendMillersylvania is located South of Olympia on Deep Lake. The campsites are nice, they have both RV, Yurts, and Tent sites. The RV loop does pack you in their like sardines. Deep Lake is a murky lake but is stocked with fish and has designated swim area.
Guide
Only con is road noise from Hwy7. Main through fare to Mt Rainier south entrance and services. Sites may be too close together if park was full. We were one a few campers! We tent camped and had view of Lake Alder. Nice campground host. We'll cared for, clean, organized sites. No sewer or showers, pit toilets.
Legend
Camp Thunderbird is owned by the Boy Scouts of America and is available for public use. It is located at the base of Summit Lake, with a dock and great swimming spot. There are tent sites, adirondacks, and cabins. There is a great big field and lots of trails.
GuideThis was our first camping trip of the season, for memorial day weekend. As first timers at this site, we were pleasantly surprised with the location and amenities. We had a tent site and had good shade/privacy. Would recommend a stay for those in WA looking for a nearby site!
LegendThis is a large campground with all the of camping options. They have tent sites, platform tents, cabins and RV hookups. This is located on both the Hood Canal and the Dosewallips river. This provides lots of activities like hiking, fishing, clam digging and exploring. There are several camp sites located on the river. The campground is well maintained year round.
Traveler
We stayed here for a quick night on the way up to the Hoh rainforest. This seems to be mainly used by people with boats but it was a nice woodsy spot with large tent sites.
It’s a bit out of the way which meant that even mid summer it was not full.
Shelton, Washington, offers a variety of tent camping options that immerse you in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Whether you prefer a serene forest setting or a riverside retreat, there’s something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Shelton, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Shelton, WA is Lena Lake Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Shelton, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 75 tent camping locations near Shelton, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
