North Washington State Coast

[oldcat]

Planning on spending a few weeks in July. Looking at Birch Bay SP, Bay View SP, and Deception Pass SP. Also Fort Ebey SP or South Whidbey SP on Whidbey Island.

I'm assuming these parks are very busy in July and I will need reservations? Are any less crowded than others? Anyone have a favorite campsite at any of these parks? We prefer privacy over view. Power and water nice but not a must. Any other camping spots in the area we should consider?

Traveling in a 25' TT. Thanks in advance for any info.

[bikendan]

old cat, i'm a former NorCal resident that now lives in the area you're looking at.

Deception Pass is a great park and Birch Bay is very nice also.
Bay View faces a couple of refineries across the water, by Anacortes.
here's a camper's review:

June 8 Cabins good, Oil Refineries Bad
The park is nice and the Cabins are great. Clean, semi-private and a nice way to camp with kids. The bay + beach look out on to 2 oil refineries pumping white smoke into the air. Not so good. Deception Pass is a shrot drive away - recommend spending the day there.

but Anacortes is a great town but really busy in the summer, due to the ferry.

haven't camped at Ebey or S. Whidbey yet.

yes, you'll need reservations as these are very popular campgrounds.
if you want private, i can recommend Camano Island State Park, which is where i live. great out of the way campground but you still should do reservations.

[coupevillefish]

All will be crowded that time of year. All are nice, wooded parks. I have been to all of them but not necessarily camped.

Deception Pass is by far the largest. You need to be careful of the site size because ma b y are focused on tents and do no always provide sufficient or level parking. We prefer the Quay Pond area which at one time was private. It has water and electric with large sites. Enough privacy but still fairly open to get some sun.

I don't think the other two Whidbey parks have much for utilities, not even dump stations. We have used the sani station in Oak Harbor for about $5 when we need one.

There is also Washington Park in Anacortes. The access roads are a bit narrow but I think you can find a spot for a 24'. We checked out recently and it seemed pretty tight for our 35' class A. I think they take reservations but not as easy as the WA Parks reservation system.

[Ford Idaho]

If I may suggest.

On your way there or on the way back take in Fort Stevens out of Astoria, WA. and the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge.

Also remember that this year the entrance fee for some if not all NP's will or have gone up,

https://www.google.com/#q=national+p...ance+fees+rise

[flugelboneman]

Pt. Townsend is another great RV stop. Try Hudson Pt. Municipal RV Pk, right in town, right on the ocean. No better RV stop for dining, shopping for crafty things. Wonderful town.

[oldcat]

Thanks all for the very useful replies.

Bikendan - I see Camano Island State Park is a no reservation park. In July, if we get there early midweek should something be available?

Coupevillefish - is the dump station you mentioned at the Oak Harbor Beach Park?

Thanks again

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by oldcat

Bikendan - I see Camano Island State Park is a no reservation park. In July, if we get there early midweek should something be available?

we haven't spent a summer here yet. moved here in August so i don't know.
i'd call the Park and ask them. they are very helpful.

[coupevillefish]

Originally Posted by oldcat

Thanks all for the very useful replies.

Coupevillefish - is the dump station you mentioned at the Oak Harbor Beach Park?

Thanks again

Yes.

Someone mentioned Port Townsend. If you are not otherwise planning on touring the peninsula, you can park or camp on this side and walk across. Fort Casey is next to the ferry and is a great place to visit but the campground is not very private. On the water but few trees or other amenities.

[Marci]

Just don't forget to eat lots of fish and chips with clam chowder. Always my favorite thing to do when we are on the coast. I hope you get the best sunsets over the ocean. We also really enjoyed all the fireworks on the 4th of July from the Wash. beaches!

[EnjoyingLife]

My wife and I spent two weeks along the Washington coast in September of 2013 but more down along the south part than what you have mentioned. If you are down along the south coast Grayland Beach State Park was our favorite, very nice campground on the ocean. We stayed in site #82, it had power and water hookups and was a 1 - 2 minute walk to the ocean. Very clean sites with very clean washrooms and showers. One night we drove our truck onto the beach (you are allowed to do that), flew a kite, built a fire, BBQ dinner and watched the sunset. You can also drive into Westport and sit on the outdoor patio at the Islander and watch the fishing boats come in and out. We also stayed at Cape Disappointment State Park which is right across the water from Oregon. It is also a nice park but was to busy for our liking.

[GreenImp]

Not quite the advice you asked for, but I have been to many of the above mentioned parks, and love Ft. Stevens the most. We try to get there once a year. Washington does make it very easy to drive out onto the beaches though. Can be done in Oregon and CA. in certain places...just not as easily.

Oh yeah...one more thing. Since you will be passing the area, you should research "Washaway Beach". You may decide it's worth a visit.

Washington's Coast: Hazards - Erosion: Washaway Beach, Cape Shoalwater

Erika Langley ? Washaway Beach

More homes eaten by raging Pacific Ocean at Washaway Beach | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News

[oldcat]

Thank you all for the great info. EnjoyingLife - thanks for the tip on Grayland Beach State Park. Looks like the inland sites are very private. We may stop there on our way back.

We are beginning to make our reservations. I will post our itinerary when we get it locked down. Thanks again. Happy travels.

[oldcat]

We have finally made all of our reservations. So, as promised, here is our itinerary. We start off at Greyland Beach SP, move to Washington City Park in Anacortes, then to Birch Bay SP, Rasher SP, and end up at Camano Island SP. Arriving Greyland SP July 11, departing Camano Island SP August 5th so we average about 5 days per park. Gives us lots of time to explore.

We have planned day trips to Deception Pass, Whidbey Island, and a ferry trip to the San Juan's. Anything else you recommend near these campgrounds or along this route - restaurants, attractions, etc. We hike, bike ride, and will do day trips up to 50 miles or so one way.

Thanks again for all your input. It helped a lot! Safe travels.

[MMattox]

Avoid taking your trailer on any ferry, if you do you will feel like you were robbed. Easily three to four times the price of a car. Also a day trip to Fort Casey is good for a 1/2 day of checking out the old gun battery and the park is huge, lots of hiking and trails. Fort Ebey is nice, medium sized camp ground but only a hand full of power and water sites. Also something else to be mind full of is that the Washington state parks have started charging different rates for different sites within the same park. Really irritating. Basically the nicer the site the higher the price, a more private site is more money than one that has less privacy. It is a really hokey way for the state to make more money off campers. You will notice that on the number post they have a circle or a square or a triangle showing which ones are what price per night. The state has a difficult time managing their money and have made it costly to visit our parks. Please be aware if you venture out to a different state park than where you are staying at you will have to either pay a day use fee of I think is 10.00 or buy a year pass called the discover pass and that is 30.00. Enjoy your stay up here it is really nice but crowed during the summer.

[Henboy]

Check out the RV facilities at Salt Creek Rec. Area, Clallam County parks.
Right on the Straight of Juan De Fuca
Very nice, convenient to Port Angeles, WA and Olympic Park.

[hammer55]

wow I am going to plan a trip there pretty soon, I have not been there since the mid 70's when I was stationed there, I still have some old buddies that I was in the Navy with that still live on the island, wow I really want the wife to see the view from the pass, this thread really makes me want to get up there, well maybe when I get the new MH I will start planning my trip, want to stop first in hermiston, oregon to see a old navy pal of mine I have not seen in 10 years or so, then a little stop in enumclaw, wash. to see another old pal, then up to the pass,, brings back a lot of good memories

thanks for the thread, gives me ideas

[oldcat]

Hammer5- I was stationed at Bremerton in the late 60's before my first WestPac tour. Have been back several times since, and agree that the pacific northwest is still one of the most beautiful places in the US.

[F and E Damp]

Oldcat:

We live in Anacortes, about 3/4 of a mile from Washington Park. We used to walk our Labradors around the scenic loop (just over 2 miles within the park) but they're now 11 and 12 years old and we're both the up-side of 70, so we don't do it as often these days. The CG is a tad old-fashioned, but the sites are quite private.

Our neighborhood, Skyline, has a nice beach-front park for strolling. It's called Tug-boat Park (though the tug-boat it was named after was scrapped some years ago) and is east of our house on Doon Way. There's also a marina in the neighborhood where passenger ferries run to some of the islands not served by the State ferry system. Whale-watching trips are also popular, with a booking office/gift shop for the bigger operator on Commercial Avenue as you come north into town on SR-20 Spur. Those trips operate out of Skyline Marina also, as do some small charter sport-fishing operators.

If you take a San Juans ferry trip, just with the car, you can do both Orcas Island and San Juan Island on one trip. Orcas has the highest point in the chain (Mount Constitution) from which you can see the Lions' Gate Bridge in Vancouver BC, even without binoculars. The other main Island is San Juan. The ferry dock is at Friday Harbor, a very pleasant town with several good eateries. The pub on the corner, just after you get off the boat and turn left, is great. Two places to visit on San Juan are the town of Roche Harbor and Lime Kiln Point SP. The old hotel at Roche (Hotel de Haro) has a register with President Roosevelt's signature from when he stayed. From there head south down the coast road to get to Lime Kiln SP - really good for whale watching while still on land. It isn't a camping park, just a day park.

Continuing on that coast road from Lime Kiln will get you back into Friday Harbor and the ferry terminal.

If you need any more ideas for the immediate area, drop me a PM through this newsgroup. I also know the Everett area quite well, as I worked for Boeing there for almost 30 years. If you have aviation interests, there's the Boeing Museum/Tour Center and Paul Allen's Aviation Heritage Center. They're both at Paine Field in Everett. It's about 65 miles away on SR-20/I-5 or you can drive down Camano Island and take the ferry from Clinton to Mukilteo. Paine Field is only about 3 miles from the Mukilteo terminal.

Enjoy your time here.

[coupevillefish]

X2 what Frank offered. You probably have figured out that Washington Park is a great base for Whidbey and the San Juan Islands. I agree with taking your car to see Orcas. I visited Mt Constitution many times as a teenager and need to go back. The Rosario Lodge is interesting and historic. If you like to ride bikes, Lopez is the friendliest for that. We rode Orcas once and it was scary.

Also in Anacortes is a nice Marine Museum. It is on a grounded stern wheeler work boat that I watched many times pulling logs (dead heads) the Snohomish River in Everett. Besides Deception Pass, visit Fort Casey and the Admiralty Lighthouse. Also spend some time in historic Coupeville visiting the shops and the Wharf. Have lunch and Toby's Tavern or the Need and Feed, both good and not expensive. Another possible Whidbey stop is the sea plane museum in downtown Oak Harbor, if you are interested in that sort of think.

You also may want to visit La Conner. also a historic town on the water with a number of different shops for tourists. You will see the tulip fields but will be too late for the bloom.

Birch Bay is also a great place. Nice waterfront, water slides, miniature golf, etc. It has a number of attractions for family fun and is a great flat place to ride bikes (you can rent them). Bellingham is 20 miles and has several museums and the Fairhaven historic District. There is a nice historical museum Ferndale, a few miles away and if you have your passports, you are near the border. We will likely be up there when you are since we volunteer at a camp on the hill above town.

When you are on Camano, give us a wave. We can practically see the park on a clear day for our deck. Again, if you like museums, there are three, yes 3, air museums in Everett. The Future of Flight provides the opportunity to tour the Boeing Plant. If you don't take the tour, at least drive by to see how big it is. The other two feature collections of historic planes.

As Frank said, pop me a message if yo have specific questions.

Dave

[oldcat]

F and E Damp, coupevillefish - thank you both so much. Great Information, I will print out your replies and take them along. We rented a house on Orcas for a week a few years back, so we planned on a day trip to San Juan with the truck this trip. Driving the Island loop sounds great!

We have been to Toby's years ago and are looking forward to a big bowl of mussels. We also have a friend in Langley we will try and visit.

Thank you both for your offer to PM you. As it get closer I may take you up on it. One question for coupevillefish - Camano SP does not take reservations. Will we have a problem if we arrive early on a Thursday mid July?

Safe travels.