Washington Coast Camping Suggestion

PNWVAN · 10-26-2016, 08:38 AM

Hola everyone,

My wife and I with our 3 dogs have decided to spend thanksgiving camping on the Washington Coast. Anyone have any suggestion for places to camp/park the van?
Would be cool to let the pups run around a little bit, get some ocean views etc.

Thanks

rallypanam · 10-26-2016, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PNWVAN

Hola everyone,

My wife and I with our 3 dogs have decided to spend thanksgiving camping on the Washington Coast. Anyone have any suggestion for places to camp/park the van?
Would be cool to let the pups run around a little bit, get some ocean views etc.

Thanks

I have no suggestions, other than to say I love camping on Thanksgiving weekend.. 3 or 4 days, nobody else out, so great idea! Bring an umbrella though!

PNWVAN · 10-26-2016, 09:05 AM

No doubt on the unbrella. Also tarp, awning, and towles for 3 muddy dogs.

WhitH · 10-26-2016, 09:42 AM

There a nice campground at Kalaloch Beach with easy access to the beach and great views. It's up north of Aberdeen though so I'm not sure if you're headed that far up.

Otter · 10-26-2016, 10:34 AM

I don't know how far up you're going, but my absolute favorite place: Fort Flagler State Park, across from Pt. Townsend facing Mystery Bay and the Strait. Also, on the way, a tiny park called Mystery Bay State Park. I love that ride up the Peninsula or taking the ferry from the mainland.

I like Ocean City, too: Ocean City State Park | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

If you're boondocking and want just beach, close in, you can park above the waterline in Long Beach. Won't be crowded there in November! But likely windy in any of these on-the-water places. Though the views are great, unless it's warm, I prefer camping in the trees and protected areas with a short walk to the beach.

Of course, if you have time, you can't beat the wildness of the ocean side of Olympic National Park. It's almost like it was made for van camping.

Have a great time. Terrific idea for Thanksgiving, something different.

.

WhitH · 10-26-2016, 11:00 AM

Otter is right, Flagler is amazing and really fun to explore for adults and kids too. Kalaloch has a lot of sights with a good amount of wind break.

Yeahbud · 10-26-2016, 11:21 AM

I'm always a fan of Hobuck Beach Resort. Lots of room for the dogs to run around, lots of possible hikes you can do over the 3-4 days. You can buy salmon from the coop in Neah Bay and cook it over a fire for your thanksgiving feast!

vwteleman · 10-26-2016, 11:23 AM

North of Aberdeen and Ocean City is a small state park called Pacific Beach that we've been to numerous times. Great little spot right on the beach. Quite exposed though - there's no trees in the campground.

Cheers,
Brent

PNWVAN · 10-26-2016, 11:30 AM

Right on guys, thank you. Going to check out all of those places, see what works best for us.
If weather is totally horrible, may head to Bend, OR for better chance of sunshine and mountain biking

WAMTB · 10-26-2016, 01:02 PM

It's a lot farther north, but I would aim for either the San Juan's via the ferry system, or Fort Ebey state park on Whidbey Island. These are all at least in part in the 'rain shadow', so they tend to have much drier weather then the coast itself, while still having coastal views, etc. Orcas Island also has a state park for camping.

BTW, both Ebey and Orcas (Moran State Park) have mountain biking. Ebey tends to be pretty dead in the winter. The trails are fun but not that big of a network. Moran state park is only open to bikes in the off season, 9/15 to 5/15. There is roughly 20 miles of trail there, and it is a gem.