Set in a blue cove between Bellingham and Blaine, Birch Bay State Park feels private and secluded without being far from urban life. 

Stroll along the rocky beach and take in dramatic views of the North Cascades Mountains and Canadian Gulf Islands. Or head up the Terrell Marsh interpretive trail to a rare saltwater and freshwater estuary teeming with birds and wildlife, including great blue herons. 

Low tide reveals a wide mudflat with a treasure trove of clams and other shellfish that can be harvested in season. Bring out the pails, shovels, mud boots and licenses, and start digging! If you prefer to swim, Birch Bay is known for its relatively warm water, and if you'd rather be on the water, the park offers excellent crabbing, windsurfing, sailing and paddling. 

Staying overnight? Birch bay camping has a basketball court and environmental education programs in summer ensure fun for the whole family. If you're looking for a side trip, the U.S.- Canada border town of Blaine and the fascinating Peace Arch State Park are only 9 miles north, and the lively university city of Bellingham is 20 miles south. You can always spend an evening in town and return to the beachy bliss of Birch Bay.

Birch Bay State Park Campground

I camped there with my tent and i just loved how close it was to the beach! Very friendly stuff! I enjoyed my stay.

Pure nature

We stayed here and had a good time, but it's not one of my favorite campgrounds. It's far to walk to the beach and there is only one trail for hiking. Most sites aren't very private. The bathrooms were so clean though, and it is a beautiful bay. 

Big and not much privacy 

If you're the type that loves walks along the beach and breath taking sunsets... Brich Bay State Park is the place to be!

Sunsets on the Beach

This has to be one of my all time favorite places for Shell Fishing and Crabbing!

peaceful and not too busy, access to the beach, and group camp sites, makes this a family destination for quiet fun.

This is the place to get away from it all and enjoy the beauty that Nature has to offer.

Dont forget your Shellfish license and hit those beaches at low tide, because dinner is going to be delicious!

Small But Fun

We just did a quick over-nighter here on our way back from CA. We set up camp and had our dinner on the beach to watch an incredible sunset!

our drive-up site was great, well maintained with bathrooms nearby.

Wish we could’ve stayed longer!

Great sites, amazing beach!

I was a little concerned at first with this campground because it's such a busy area. Once you're into the campground however, it's like you are in a place far off the beaten path. I was amazed at how quiet and peaceful it is. The camp is laid out beautifully, you dont feel too close to your neighbors. There are full bathrooms and showers. Potable drinking water is close to every camp. I loved being able to walk 5 minutes down to the beach or stay cool in the huge trees at camp. There's tons of wildlife and lots of explorable area. We'll be going back again soon!

Fantastic and family friendly

Limited electric sites but an abundance of basic sites. Bathrooms look brand new and are well maintained. We saw many people leaving from the site and returning with fresh crab from the sea. The only downside is that the park and beach is a little bit of a jaunt, so we took the vehicle - loaded it up and parked at the beach for a few hours at a time. The park is also in a unique spot and your parking pass also lets you skip paying at the beach. This is one of or favorite spots to camp now. Along the coast, there is every type of WA beach - rocky, good for tide pools, semi rocky for trying to find clams and sand dollars and pure sand, perfect for making castles. 

a beautiful campground with plenty of fun!

This was our first camping trip as a family with our new pop up camper. The experience was wonderful! We had a spot (146) next to the restrooms which would seem bad, but the spot was surprisingly very private. 

  

The kids roamed around all day on bikes, the canopies were thick, so we didnt' get much heat (for better or for worse), but that meant we could play when it rained thanks to natures umbrella!

  

The rangers were attentive and friendly. We would love to go back and stay in the 'teens or the 70s because those had cliffside water views.

Cozy, Maintained, Great Beach Access

Beautiful wooded campsites and trails to walk. Site 115 was a perfect location and offered a sense of security. I must say these were the most clean bathrooms I have ever seen at a campground. 

Comfort and beauty

Plus, this park is right across the street from the beach. 
Minus, this park is right by a tourist area road and beach.
The campground is down a lane and in the woods so it’s private but open to people wandering through. 
This is what I call primordial forest, ferns and cedars and you wouldn’t be totally surprised to see a dinosaur meandering through.....well maybe you would , lol
Basic camping, secure your valuables and pay attention to your surroundings. All of that said it was a nice, maintained park. 

Not first choice

Birch bay is a noce hidden gem on Washington's northwest coast. Lots of biking and hiking up and down the beach there is plenty to do locally. Birch bay has a wonderful assortment of gift shops and restraunts.

Quiet get away

Top 5 favorite! Forest and beach. Great campsites, quiet and just beautiful. Tons of day use sites, great park and playground, lots of beach. Shallow bay great for swimming, sandcastles, kayak, fishing, crabbing. Birch Bay proper has great restaurants, shops, great paths for walking and biking. Oh!! And did I mention the Sugar Shack ice cream truck rolls through?!

Hands down favorite! 

Stayed both on tent side and hookup side. Well maintained, clean facilities. Ice cream truck makes the rounds every day. Good use of greenery to keep sites separated, and easy access to the beach from the whole park. 

Great state park

I love that there is access to the beach from the whole park. Its nestled in to some old growth forest and really peaceful.

Fantastic campground! 

We loved camping here. The rangers on duty were so nice and helpful. Nice and quite away from it all. 

The beach is a short walk away. 

The ice cream truck even visited the campground! 

Overall, great experience the facilities were super clean and we had a great time. 

Beautiful getaway in the woods 

We came up mid week for a few days. It was gorgeous. Nice old forest sites right on the water. A short path to the beach and playground. Beautiful new restrooms and well cared for state park 

Wow!  Great park 

Beautiful campground located right next to the bay awesome walking distance from our site to the bay and not too noisy either! Would definitely stay again perfect for small children as well!

Birch bay campground 

Very clean, rangers were nice. Very crowded camp ground, but it was peak season so makes sense. Large enough sites for big rigs and some smaller tent sites. 

Cool Camp ground 

Birch bay  state park campground is awesome.  DONT CONFUSE WITH THE RV RESORT!  Seaside camping at it's best.

Another great near seaside campground 

Restrooms closed at dusk due to vandalism have to use porta potties 



Lovely Park

This an awesome campground. Short walk to the beach for some stunning sunsets, my only issue is that there are so few hookup sites and there is an abundance of loud children all through the campgrounds. 

Great campground !

Cozy, safe, easy to navigate to spot. Hot showers and nice restroom facilities. Was with friends, but would
camp here as a solo female traveler. 