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Old 11-14-2021, 06:20 PM   #1
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Hoh Rainforest Camping Site Help

Surely not the very best time to visit the Hoh, but I happen to have some time off for Thanksgiving week and thought I might explore up there for a few days. My preference is a campground either in the Hoh or, at least in the Olympic NP. I’ve checked out all the established campgrounds. It looks like, at this time of year, there’s no reserving needed. Kalaloch appeals, as does Hoh campground. Anyone have some good intel on where to stay? I’m totally off-grid no matter where it is, I guess. That’s fine, now that I have my Webasto heater. I’ll have my pup so won’t be able to do any hiking. Thought we’d make it to the beach, at least, and hang out a bit there too. Just always wanted to sit quietly in the middle of the Hoh and know I made it to one of the quietest places on earth.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/t...est-place.html

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Old 11-14-2021, 06:41 PM   #2
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The camp site just north of Kalaloch has some amazing spots looking out at the ocean if you can get them. Great beach walking there and a tasty bite can be had in the lodge if you don’t feel like cooking.
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Old 11-14-2021, 07:03 PM   #3
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The camp site just north of Kalaloch has some amazing spots looking out at the ocean if you can get them. Great beach walking there and a tasty bite can be had in the lodge if you don’t feel like cooking.
Hey WhitH, are these outside of the Kalaloch campground? Not seeing anything on Google maps.
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Old 11-14-2021, 07:30 PM   #4
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It’s the Kalaloch Campground. The Lodge is right there just south of it over the creek.
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Old 11-14-2021, 09:45 PM   #5
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It’s the Kalaloch Campground. The Lodge is right there just south of it over the creek.
Thank you!

Anyone have any info on camping deeper inside the Hoh itself? It’s hard to determine from the FS website if Hoh campground is actually open. There are no reservations available after Nov 12, so I’m assuming they just go to first come/first served status. Or perhaps there are other, better places not showing up on the maps?
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Old 11-15-2021, 07:08 PM   #6
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Kalaloch is very nice, but you won't have it to yourself, and there's not a lot of room between campsites. But there's beach, and it's awesome.

The national park website indicates Hoh is closed, but Queets is open. You will definitely find serenity at Queets, if you can get there. Frankly, I don't trust the up-to-date-ness of websites anymore, I'd call and try to talk to a human ranger if possible before making that trek.

Another inland option is DNR campsites. They're very barebones, and often involve driving through clearcuts, but are nice and isolated once you get there. Free with a Discover Pass, which you'll need ahead of time, I don't think there's a way to purchase on site.
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Old 11-15-2021, 09:57 PM   #7
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Kalaloch is very nice, but you won't have it to yourself, and there's not a lot of room between campsites. But there's beach, and it's awesome.

The national park website indicates Hoh is closed, but Queets is open. You will definitely find serenity at Queets, if you can get there. Frankly, I don't trust the up-to-date-ness of websites anymore, I'd call and try to talk to a human ranger if possible before making that trek.

Another inland option is DNR campsites. They're very barebones, and often involve driving through clearcuts, but are nice and isolated once you get there. Free with a Discover Pass, which you'll need ahead of time, I don't think there's a way to purchase on site.
Thanks a lot, Andrew. I’ll give those a try. I bet you’re right about talking to an actual person.
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:30 PM   #8
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You're in luck, I mentioned your post to my wife who has a much better memory than me, and she pointed out that we had notes from not too long ago when we scouted a bunch of the west Olympics campsites.

First, I'm very skeptical that Queets will be accessible. We barely got there in summertime due to high water, it's gotta be worse now. But if a ranger confirms it is, it's very nice. Lush, dense forest, rivers, isolated.

Graves Creek, also inside the Park, is a strong contender. I don't recall the campground, but the trail up-valley from there is beautiful and would likely be pleasantly sheltered even this time of year.

Of the non-NPS campgrounds, Upper Clearwater was our favorite. Further up the road is Yahoo Lake, which I'm guessing would be as good or even better, but we didn't explore that far. Copper Mine Bottom and South Fork were good; Hoh Oxbow and Bogachiel State Park were tolerable, Cottonwood and Minnie Peterson were unappealing. In general, our entirely subjective opinions are based on natural beauty, views, and distance from roads and other people.

You can of course do dispersed camping on any DNR or National Forest land, but a lot of the possibilities are either barely off the road or grubby with litter, and we've never enjoyed those.

Have a fun trip!
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Old 11-16-2021, 12:12 PM   #9
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You're in luck, I mentioned your post to my wife who has a much better memory than me, and she pointed out that we had notes from not too long ago…
That’s really helpful, thanks a lot. I’d sure like to avoid getting stuck in the rainforest during the type of storms we’ve been having this week. We’ll see how it goes!
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Old 11-16-2021, 03:28 PM   #10
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Be sure to look for the shaggy phone booth while you're there.
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