Seattle recommendations?

[mookieblaylock]

For whatever reason I'm thinking that there are at least a couple of Dynamax owners in the PNW. We were planning on being in the area mid July and are having some trouble finding availability in a park with relatively easy access to downtown. I thought I would check here for some recommendations that might not have popped up on my radar yet. All the facilities I've contacted on the East side Seattle are booked indefinitely.

Thanks in advance!

JT

[Rancher Rob]

I'm expecting our corona virus deaths aught to be making lots of vacancies around here shortly!
No waits to be seated at restaurants here either!
If we're here you could boondock on our farm but I'm still hoping to be repaired and on the road this summer. Plus we are about 3 hour drive from Seattle. But 20-30 minutes from Portland.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

For whatever reason I'm thinking that there are at least a couple of Dynamax owners in the PNW. We were planning on being in the area mid July and are having some trouble finding availability in a park with relatively easy access to downtown. I thought I would check here for some recommendations that might not have popped up on my radar yet. All the facilities I've contacted on the East side Seattle are booked indefinitely.

Thanks in advance!

JT

I live near Seattle and find that easy access to downtown is pretty much impossible. Traffic is terrible during daylight hours.

There aren't a lot of RV park options around the Seattle metro area and the farther out you go, the more difficult traffic can become. Main issue is land value. Seattle is so overgrown land is at a premium. RV park or apartment house/housing development? Guess which is more profitable.

One possibility is to look across Puget Sound around Poulsbo (i've stayed there once before) or Bremerton then when you want to go to Seattle just hop on the Ferry from either Bremerton or Winslow (on Bainbridge Island near Poulsbo). Leave your vehicle near the ferry docks and just walk from the ferry dock to most places in downtown, use city buses, or "Uber around".

Bremerton to Seattle is about 45 minutes to an hour and from Winslow it's a 30 minute ride. Most Seattle attractions are near the waterfront anyway or within 4-5 blocks of it.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob

I'm expecting our corona virus deaths aught to be making lots of vacancies around here shortly!
No waits to be seated at restaurants here either!
If we're here you could boondock on our farm but I'm still hoping to be repaired and on the road this summer. Plus we are about 3 hour drive from Seattle. But 20-30 minutes from Portland.

On some days it can be over a 2 hour drive to downtown Seattle, just from one of it's suburbs. I live 30 miles North and when taking my late wife into Seattle for her various cancer treatments it wasn't unusual for the trip to take 2+ hours.

[Janet H]

Camping near cities is tough and Seattle is no exception. Some suggestions:
Number 1 suggestion: https://www.stateparks.com/fay_bainb...ashington.html
Once there you an take a foot or car ferry directly into downtown avoiding nasty traffic snarls. Initially you would want to drive to that location via Tacoma to avoid ferry fees for rvs.

There is an Elks Lodge in Burien (if you are a member)
Puyallup Fair grounds - not fancy but CHEAP and with hookups
Cran Mar RV in Covington
Lake Pleasant RV in Bothell

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Rancher Rob;2279864[B

]I'm expecting our corona virus deaths aught to be making lots of vacancies around here shortly! [/B]
No waits to be seated at restaurants here either!
If we're here you could boondock on our farm but I'm still hoping to be repaired and on the road this summer. Plus we are about 3 hour drive from Seattle. But 20-30 minutes from Portland.

Yes, panic mode has been fully engaged around here.

Few are taking time to realize that 18,000 people died in the US alone in the 2018-2019 Flu season. That's 6 times the number of people who have died so far WORLDWIDE from COViD19.

There are those who are also trying to politicize the outbreak.

Sometimes I think our society has grown bored with "normal" and need a good panic to stimulate their lives.

[Magnatudes]

We have lost our grip on "normal" society today. Politization of just about everything that should not be political and is primarily originating from the chaotic WH. COViD19 "discovery" is just in it's infancy and it's not something to speculate about, especially if you are not an expert in these matters.

[NJKris]

Well, we have had a snowless winter here, so people are starving for panic to make a run on stores. Maybe we can assault Costco here in NJ like the westies are doing in the news pics! They look like monkeys climbing those tall shelves! hahahah!

[D W]

Our experiences when we traveled down to WA in the past 5 years is that their State Parks allow booking 9 months in advance and if you want site you better be on it 9 months to the minute to secure a reservation. If not you'll be out of luck. You may find a mid-week day or two open here or there, but forget about weekends.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by D W

Our experiences when we traveled down to WA in the past 5 years is that their State Parks allow booking 9 months in advance and if you want site you better be on it 9 months to the minute to secure a reservation. If not you'll be out of luck. You may find a mid-week day or two open here or there, but forget about weekends.

This is true for most State Parks here in WA.

If the OP is looking for any that are close to Seattle and don't require a ferry ride however, they will find the closest ones filled with a lot of "near homeless" people. Sites are grabbed as soon as available and they stay for the maximum length of stay. Many sites are "Walk Up" sites only and people in the park will often just have another family member go grab a vacant site then they move their tent(s).

[ForestWalker]

WAshington State Parks

https://parks.state.wa.us/168/Reservation-fees
https://parks.state.wa.us/845/Seattle-Tacoma-Region

[mookieblaylock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

This is true for most State Parks here in WA.

If the OP is looking for any that are close to Seattle and don't require a ferry ride however, they will find the closest ones filled with a lot of "near homeless" people. Sites are grabbed as soon as available and they stay for the maximum length of stay. Many sites are "Walk Up" sites only and people in the park will often just have another family member go grab a vacant site then they move their tent(s).

First, thanks to all who offered suggestions/recommendations...very helpful.

As of this afternoon I've found one 'non-ferry-ride' site about 18 miles from the downtown area, and, based on the comments/reviews, it seems like it's occupied mostly by folks that actually live there. A couple of the other parks mentioned were on my list, and I've already confirmed that they are booked.

I still need to look into the Puyallup Fair Grounds option (although it appears to be quite far out of town - 36+ miles down I5), and I guess I need to explore the 'ferry-ride' parks to the west.

Thanks again!
JT

[D W]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

This is true for most State Parks here in WA.

If the OP is looking for any that are close to Seattle and don't require a ferry ride however, they will find the closest ones filled with a lot of "near homeless" people. Sites are grabbed as soon as available and they stay for the maximum length of stay. Many sites are "Walk Up" sites only and people in the park will often just have another family member go grab a vacant site then they move their tent(s).

From what I've seen on our Anchorage FOX affiliate the homeless have set up camp right on the sidewalks of Seattle. What a mess!

[GoneSouth10]

We found the same issue with a stay in Seattle area in October 2017 (no, not the Corona thing - the lack of any RV parks). The one we did find was in Bothell (Lake Pleasant RV Park). Kinda expensive, but a very nice little park, probably about 1/2 full-timers and 1/2 travelers (I'd call them "transients", but . . .).
We don't tow, so we ended up just renting a car from Enterprise in Bothell and, sure enough, "They picked us up!" Had a couple trips into Seattle (my daughter lived in the Queen Anne district) and down to Bellevue, as well as Ballard and over for a U of W football game. All pretty easy access, maybe 30-40 minute drive, but I'm comparing that to Southern California traffic, so maybe that sounds rougher than it felt.
Bothell itself was a cute little town with some great little restaurants downtown and right across the road from the RV Park (be sure to try Carolina Smoke BBQ - wow! Right across the road)

[randocommando]

I grew up in the Seattle. Have since moved and don't miss it. It has gotten so crowded, and the homeless are out of control. Was there last Summer. You can Uber anywhere, and you really won't want to stay around downtown for more than a day. Heck, so many people living in RVs and tents on the street, could probably park somewhere nicer a bit out of town for the night, and nobody can do anything about it. If heading to the state, I would spend time in the mountains, or Olympic Peninsula. Don't focus on downtown.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by D W

From what I've seen on our Anchorage FOX affiliate the homeless have set up camp right on the sidewalks of Seattle. What a mess!

Setting up tents isn't all they do on the sidewalks. You have to definitely watch your step.[emoji15][emoji51]

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by randocommando

If heading to the state, I would spend time in the mountains, or Olympic Peninsula.

10X!!!!

[Magnatudes]

Originally Posted by randocommando

If heading to the state, I would spend time in the mountains, or Olympic Peninsula.

Kalaloch, Lake Crescent, Hoh River, Sequim, Dungeness, Port Angeles, Aberdeen, Long Beach, Astoria, ...

[rebellee]

When we were there in May we stayed at Lake Pleasant RV in Bothell and enjoyed it. This was the view behind our site.

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by Magnatudes

Kalaloch, Lake Crescent, Hoh River, Sequim, Dungeness, Port Angeles, Aberdeen, Long Beach, Astoria, ...

Don't forget Cape Flattery and the hidden gem of Hobuck Beach . . . (See my profile pic!)