San Juan County Park

Small county park on the shore of Haro Strait on San Juan Island with only 20 sites plus a hiker/biker/kayak site. I hate paying a reservation fee and prefer to stay flexible without reservations, but reservations were strongly recommended and upon arrival, it appeared all sites had been reserved/occupied. Most sites have varying degrees of a water view but little privacy between them. Very proactive recycling program with clear instructions about what is accepted. This was appreciated; as we travel around the country, the rules are different everywhere we go. The ranger appeared to be living on-site. We did a sunset kayak tour and advantage was that the tour company met us at the ranger station at the park; I highly recommend doing this. We were very lucky as we saw whales! A bit pricey for no showers or hookups but the location can’t be beaten.

Great park in a great location

I have been going to this campground almost my entire life every summer.  This is a perfect site for car camping.  The sites themselves are great as well.  Perfect size.  The only noise you hear regularly is the wind and waves.  The bluff is perfect for frizbee, football, soccer, sunbathing, watching the water traffic and sometimes Orcas!  The only issue I have ever had with this campground is that because it's popular they instituted a rule that if you are an Island Country Resident you get first dibs.  If you are not you have to wait until 90 days before your trip to book which can sometimes back fire and you don't get a site.  But it's so worth it to try!

My home a way from home

San Juan Island Washington Is THE Emerald Gem of this state!! If you ever want to find heaven on earth this is it!! We took the Prince II to the San Juan Islands where I got to see Orca Whales off the coast!! 

Orca Watching 

Located on the western shore of San Juan Island, this little campground offers one of the few camping options on the island.  The facilities are clean and the staff is very friendly and helpful.  There is a great kayaking launch and many companies use this area to start their trips.  

The sites area small and rather crowded, there are about 6 cycle, paddle or walk in sites.  The views of Haro Strait are breath taking and make up for the cramped quarters.  Orcas are often seen just off shore before high tide.  

There are flush facilities but no showers.  Showers are available at Roche Harbor marina about 11 miles away – these are some of the fanciest public pay showers we’ve ever seen.  

Cost: $32 – $40 /night


The only public camping on San Juan Island!

Great little campground on the water.  Pods of orca swim by all day.  Reservations are a bit hard to get, make sure to try to stay in the off season after school gets back in.  The only complaint of this park I have is quiet time is at 10PM, which I am fine with being quiet but you have to have your fire out at 10PM.  Basically you are told to go to bed. Wildlife more than made up for it, seals, foxes, deer and whales. If you want to get closer to the orcas check out Maya's Legacy Whale Watching. 

Watch the whales!

We loved it here! Great views, sunsets, and wildlife. Small campsites that are pretty exposed to neighbors but it is a small campground so it doesn't get too bad. San Juan Island is amazing, we loved our time here!

Top 5 campground

Such a nice campground with access to beaches and gorgeous sunsets! Bathrooms were nice and the campground was pretty quiet. Great place to launch your kayak. There was a small camp store for amenities.

Beautiful campground with beach access and lovely views

On west side of island so sun sets are beautiful 😎

Awesome view of Canada 😎

The campground location is beautiful. The sites and bathrooms are clean. There aren’t many camping options on the island, so overall it’s a great place to camp. There is pretty much zero privacy in the sites, even site 18, where we stayed for a few nights. We also stayed in sites 6 and 8. Site 18 requires a very small tent and is so close to the water there were many mosquitos even in cold May. But, it’s got a gorgeous view and is away from the other sites. Next time we go we will try for 18 again, or sited 15&amp;16 combined. 

Beautiful spot, no privacy 

It’s hard to blame the campground for this. You can only work with the land you have and they want to accommodate as many as they can. But the sites are right up against each other and and no privacy breaks such as trees.

That said, the trade-off is worth it. Great little beach - watch the property line Nd don’t stray on to private property. Elevated hill for viewing the strait and looking for whales and seals. All around great views.

Restrooms were clean. 

One more con at least for us. No cell service on Verizon. 

Tons of good, just two cons

Really beautiful setting and easy access to launching kayaks. Great paddling, just need to beware of winds and currents. Hug the shoreline and it’s much calmer. Most sites here are made for tents and not a lot of shade. Nice restroom. Our site worked well for our little pop top. One big downside for our stay was the construction noise at a home site across the bay. 8 hours of Jack hammering per day. Obviously this is a temporary inconvenience. I can’t believe the county permitted this right next to a public campground in the summer. I suspect this would not have been permitted in Roache Harbor with the wealth. 

Beautiful spot, adequate campground 

Arrived without reservations &amp; thankfully lucked out getting a spot after someone cancelled. Sites are a little close but when you’re exploring the island all day, we really only slept there. Nice bathrooms and water spigot onsite along with trash. It was $38/night for site 3. Some sites get into the $50+ range. No electrical hookups. Beautiful sunsets!