Olympic Campgrounds May 23, 2015, 08:26:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152938We are going to Olympic National Park for a few days this summer in our 27' mid-bath with a toad. Anyone here have recommendations regarding the best campground? Regards.
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #1 – May 23, 2015, 08:46:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152939This page on the Olympic NP website will answer many of your campground questions:http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/camping.htmKalaloch is a nice campground, and the only one which takes reservations. It, like most of the others (that RVs can get into), has a few sites that a 27' will fit into, but the larger sites go fast.As ever, YMMV.Joan
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #2 – May 24, 2015, 09:07:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 152949We were there a few summers ago and it was hard finding a spot for our 30'. I'd recommend you unhitch the toad before driving through the campgrounds looking for a site - or scout one out using the toad first.Chris
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #3 – May 24, 2015, 11:44:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 152951Good input and thanks. I am actually going in late June and will arrive early in the week so probably will be able to get a spot. I am now considering one of three campgrounds; Klahowa in the national forest, and Heart o' the Hills as well as Altair in the park. My assumption is it will rain everywhere, but I am a little concerned about spaces that will accommodate a 27' Lazy Daze.
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #4 – May 24, 2015, 12:30:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152952When looking for campsite it Olympic or any other NP, it's best to show early in the morning, when the overnighters are leaving. Most NP campgrounds have a large daily tune over, with one night stays being the norm.Last August, we stayed at the Ehwa Dam RV Park, located a few miles west of Port Angeles. It was a good central location for exploring the north end of the Olympic Peninsula. We drove to Forks and the Ho Rain Forest, only to find it dry and lacking the dripping lushness we had experienced before, it wetter times.If you have the time, a day or overnight trip to Victoria, taking the ferry from Port Angeles, is a fun trip that drops you into the middle of a foreign looking and feeling city....that speaks very proper English.Larry
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #5 – May 24, 2015, 12:54:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152956Great idea regarding a day trip to Victoria. I will add it to the list. Thanks
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #6 – May 24, 2015, 01:14:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152957A further question regarding visiting Victoria. It it "walkable"? That is, could we ride the ferry (leaving the car behind in Port Angeles) and then play walking tourist from where the ferry arrives?
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #7 – May 24, 2015, 01:18:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152958Absolutely! And you can rent bikes an d scooters near the ferry terminal if you want to zip around the neighborhoods. Buchart Gardens is worth a trip, but for that you'd have to get a tourist bus.Sent from my Windows Phone
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #8 – May 24, 2015, 01:23:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152959There is a fine county park campground called Salt Creek a few miles west of Port Angeles. It's situated on the bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Superb view.If you should decide to take your RV over to Victoria, consider the West Bay campground/marina. There is a walking path just along the bay into the city. Kind of expensive and you'll need a reservation but it's pretty cool.John
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #9 – May 24, 2015, 01:26:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152960I second the vote on taking the time to visit Victoria B.C. It is beautiful and the people are so kind. If you go to the Fairmont Empress Hotel you can get the best desserts at the Restaurant. Try the custard pie, it's the best I have ever had. The ferry over is a fun way to travel.bobmoore14
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #10 – May 24, 2015, 01:50:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152961Joan, there is a wonderful county park, with RV hookups, near Port Angeles, called Salt Creek Rec Area. You can reserve, though it's on phone or by mail. Here is the link:http://www.clallam.net/Parks/SaltCreek.htmlThat one has great views of the northern waters of the OP. The state parks all have pretty good RV sites and hookups, but weekends are probably already booked and their fees are high. Fort Flagler, near Port Townsend , is very cool, with RV sites right on the beach. Dosewallips has very roomy RV sites. The National Parks on the peninsula are pretty much dry camping and you have to be really careful of road access to many of them. Some, I would not drive my car, let alone RV.Those are on the north and east side of the OP. I don't know of many private parks in this area, but on the SW side of the OP is Ocean Shores and Westport and there are many small private parks in both areas. My hubs and I drove around and visted most of them last fall and I took notes. One thing to keep in mind is that the OP is huge. You CAN drive around it in a day, but it takes about 18 hours of driving.On the ocean facing side of the OP, there's not much between Hoquiam and Kalaloch, except Lake Quinalt, which has a private RV park. I haven't seen that one yet and it's inland from the Ocean a few miles.I live on the Kitsap Peninsula, which is considered to be part of the OP. Let me know which areas, in particular, you want to visit, such as town names, or mountains or ocean, etc., or what activities you like to do, and I can get more detailed for you.For instance, if you stayed at Salt Creek, you're close enough to Port Angeles to take the ferry to Victoria, BC, as walk-ons, for a day trip. Looking forward to helping you plan this!Patti Stollaka "clayartist" WSGAOlympic Peninsula Chapter Chapter Representative
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #11 – May 24, 2015, 01:52:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152962Just saw that you weren't the one posting the question, Joan. Sorry...that was meant for froglovinfoo...Patti Stollaka "clayartist" WSGAOlympic Peninsula Chapter Chapter Representative
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #12 – May 24, 2015, 01:59:27 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152963Patti, I wasn't the poster who asked the question on ONP campgrounds, but I appreciated the very helpful information that you sent anyway! The entire Olympic Peninsula is indeed lovely, and well worth taking plenty of time to explore!Joan
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #13 – May 24, 2015, 02:00:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152964If going to Canada, be sure you know the rules about re-entry into the U.S.http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/do-i-need.htmlJohn A Wozniak
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #14 – May 24, 2015, 03:13:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152967I have taken the ferry from The Olympic Peninsula to Victoria on two separate occasions - once to stay in a bed & breakfast for two nights, and the other? Well, it was one of my most memorable trips ever! The second trip was via a tour bus that picked us up in the campground in Sequim and drove to Port Angeles. The whole bus was then loaded onto a ferry and we were whisked to Victoria forthwith. Upon arrival, we had a stop at Butchart Gardens, and a tour of the town. Then we were deposited in downtown for several hours of free time. This amount of time was sufficient for High Tea at the Empress, plenty of sightseeing, and a dinner.The return trip was equally as easy. Customs was a breeze; mostly all we had to show was a smile when the customs officer came aboard the bus and asked if everyone was a citizen of The United States.Someone else did all the driving; no parking worries or fees; and everything downtown is within easy walking distance. We had a printed map of places to see, but any cell phone with a mapping program could probably give as much information as could be used during that time. Fortunately the weather was more than glorious during our stay(s), but it might be more unpleasant if there were rain showers.The tour bus made many stops at local hotels before and after it came to our campground, so it wasn't just limited to campground pick ups. There are probably more options directly out of Port Angeles than there were from Sequim, but I can surely recommend the system as relaxing for everyone. Can you tell I thought it was totally grand? ;->Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #15 – May 24, 2015, 03:41:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152968There are many ferries that go to the San Juan Islands, and these are very worthwhile trips. Friday Harbor is a very touristy place, but fun to spend a few hours there. You can rent bicycles/scooters for exploring further afield, but walking around the town and having lunch (we ate at Basil's) is quite a nice experience in itself. The last ferry out gets you home in the dark, but the crossing itself is at dusk, and there were many sea creatures spotted along the way. We left from Anacortes, which is actually on the Washington mainland.Can you tell I love ferries? ;->See:http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/>We also rented a house at Fort Flagler for two nights, and that was a real kick. The cost was very reasonable, and we had a whole two-bedroom, two-story house for us and our guest. It was just like being at home.http://www.parks.wa.gov/383/Fort-Flagler>See also:http://www.parks.wa.gov/>for lots of information.Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #16 – May 24, 2015, 05:35:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 152970We spent a month on the Olympic Peninsula last summer (July/August) in our 30' with tow. Our favorite campground in Olympic National Park was South Beach, since it is right on the Pacific. Lots of sites for big rigs there. In the park we also stayed at Mora Campground, which had plenty of sites long enough but too much shade for our solar panels. We did stay at Heart O' The Hills, but it was tough for us to find a long level site, and there was even more shade there. They were all in good locations for exploring various parts of the park, depending on what you want to do or see. Arrive in the morning, well before noon, and you won't have any trouble getting a site.We stayed at 7 Feathers Casino in Sequim (free overnight RV parking), Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Port Townsend, and at Cap Sante Marina (dry camping in designated RV area) in Anacortes, a great location and nice little town. If you would like more info you can go back and look at our blog posts from July 29 -August 19, 2014 when we were there. We had a great time! littleadventures-jg.blogspot.com
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #17 – May 25, 2015, 09:54:05 am Yahoo Message Number: 152991Thanks so much for the information. Everyone on here is so helpful. We are going lots of places in the West this summer and I hope to see many fellow Lazy Dazers.
Re: Olympic Campgrounds / Victoria BC Reply #18 – May 25, 2015, 01:22:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153000I lived in Victoria BC from 1984 to 1991, so I can offer a bit of first hand experience. Second amendment doesn't apply in Canada. Only the bad guys have guns because they're illegal for everyone else. If you normally carry firearms with you, you better have a plan. The best one is to leave them in Blaine or Bellingham. Gun shops there will probably store them for you. Otherwise you'll get arrested and your weapons will be taken away and you'll get your name in the paper and the locals will laugh at you. By the way, Mounties don't wear red coats and ride horses, they look like regular police and drive regular police cars. Drunk driving is equivalent to a felony in Canada, and if you have a prior DUI in the US, they can refuse entry just because of that. Now that everything is computerized, they're going to know. Don't enter Canada without a passport, or you'll have a hard time getting back into the US. You risk a big fine if you try that more than once, so it's cheaper in the long run just to get the darn passport and be done with it. Victoria is mainly a tourist town (with a side order of provincial capitol), so businesses and attractions will be working very hard to part you from your cash. Don't expect the same level of customer service you're used to in the US, however. Moving down here was a big revelation for me. The scenery is pretty good. They tout the place as being "a bit of Olde England" but it looks nothing like England. It's pure, wild Pacific Northwest. I prefer Vancouver for scenery and a little more variety in the way of food and entertainment, but it's practically impossible to live there unless you're a billionaire. Victoria is slightly (but not much) less expensive than Vancouver housing-wise. If you're going all the way to Victoria, don't just stay in town, head for the west coast of the island. "Sooke and ye shall find Metchosin Land," as the locals say. Stop at Point No Point for lunch, then continue on to Jordan River and Port Renfrew as well, or you'll miss some of the most amazing scenery I've ever scene. For salmon / steelhead fishing, drive up the east coast of the island to Campbell River. Trust me on this. I know diddly about RV parking around Victoria, but I'm sure there's some. Motels are everywhere though. You may see tent cities on the lawn at the Parliament buildings, but those are for protesters not tourists and reservations are required. Canadians flock to Victoria because the climate is mild compared to the rest of the country. You'll also see lots of tourists from Asia and Europe. About the only language that won't be especially useful to you up there is Spanish. People seriously go to Victoria to buy souvenirs made in England (but also China). Everything is more expensive because it has to come by boat: food, fuel, manufactured goods. Stores and restaurants are happy to take US cash but will give you change in Canadian currency at the standard exchange rate. This will instantly identify you as American (and therefore fair game for whatever low-grade resentment is apparently due tourists and Americans in particular) so keep that in mind and maybe hit the ATM first. Yes, Canadian money looks like monopoly money. Don't point that out to the locals (see above). If you want a near-waterproof handmade Cowichan sweater made from natural undyed wool, you can get them at Cowichan Trading on Government St downtown. One of these will last decades. Go for the heaviest ones you can find (more wool, tighter stitches). Or drive up the Malahat to Cowichan Lake and buy them directly from the Indian ladies who make them. They're $$$ but worth it. Definitely check out Murchie's Tea & Coffee and Rogers Chocolates. Go do high tea at the Empress if you must. The downstairs bar at the Empress was where the newsies hung out but I think that got cleaned up and renovated so it may no longer have the "ink-stained wretch" atmosphere so beloved by the locals. I preferred Swans pub for the draft beverages and local-friendly atmosphere. When I lived there, Fridays after work it was the unofficial hangout for the printing trades. The food is good and the atmosphere is pretty congenial. Kokanee beer is well regarded throughout British Columbia and Alberta. The local independent weekly is called Monday Magazine and it comes out on Thursdays. That's where you'll find all the entertainment listings and other stuff to do. Chinatown is pretty cool (or at least was when I lived and worked there). Definitely go for Dim Sum on Sundays. There are also plenty of little "working class" Chinese restaurants if you're adventurous for something beyond the usual westernized dishes. If there's a pig carcass hanging in the window, by all means go inside. Follow the "Scenic Marine Drive" signs on city streets for a DIY tour. Hang out in Beacon Hill Park, and check out the beach along Dallas Road. Victoria is not just a magnet for tourists. Expect to see junkies, hookers (it's legal in Canada), and drunks passed out in parks and doorways. When I lived there, the police and public were not very motivated to prosecute "broken window" type crimes, so car burglaries were such a frequent annoyance that I gave up trying to lock my car because all the locks were trashed from junkies forcing them with a screwdriver. They don't want the car, just the coins you stashed for parking. Be careful of random muggings downtown after dark. Don't look rich or drunk and you'll be safer. "Downtown" Esquimalt is iffy any time of day or night and has a large naval base. I lived right on Esquimalt Road for a couple years and didn't need TV because real life was way more exciting, especially when the US fleet was there. I doubt things have changed all that much.Have fun!fu
Re: Olympic Campgrounds / Victoria BC Reply #19 – May 25, 2015, 02:31:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153005You forgot the two most important places for us when we visit there. The Butchart Gardens, and the Royal BC Museum. We never lived there, but living in Spokane Washington for many years, we made frequent trips to Victoria. By LD, car, truck and motorcycle. Be sure you take a Canadian ferry, and not one out of Washington. The Canadian ferries are much nicer, and the trip is more scenic. Plus you will already have been through customs if coming from the U.S. I recommend the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry. The best way to get the current exchange rate is to use a U.S. credit card for purchases. If you want a little Canadian money for your pocket, go to a Canadian bank. Definitely do not go to a U.S. bank.Dick
Re: Olympic Campgrounds / Victoria BC Reply #20 – May 25, 2015, 03:22:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153006Butchart Gardens is nice, but has seen better days. The next generation of the family tried to turn it into more of a theme park, jacked the prices way up, and made it far less attractive for the locals who used to buy a season pass and visit regularly. It's strictly for tourists these days. If you're into botanical gardens there are better curated and less touristy ones than Butchart. Vancouver has some lovely ones for example. The provincial museum is fine, I went a few times. It's a great place to see lots of other tourists. Re the ferries -- the Coho (Port Angeles to Victoria) is convenient because it docks right downtown in the Inner Harbor. The Victoria Clipper docks near downtown and is passenger-only to Seattle but takes hours off that trip versus driving, and of course leaves you without a car at the destination. The BC ferry terminal is in Sidney, about 17 miles north of Victoria, so not as practical for a day trip or if you're walking aboard. There's also a ferry from Sidney to Anacortes, WA. BC ferry service is more frequent than the PA or Anacortes routes, so if you miss a sailing it's not an overnight wait for the next one. Unless there's a storm, or they're on strike which used to happen frequently (the strikes, that is). Yes, the trip from Tsawwassen to Sidney is very scenic during daylight, not so much after dark, and darned hair-raising in the winter during a storm crossing Georgia Strait at least until it gets into Active Pass. I also lived in Vancouver for about five years in the 70s and "commuted" to Victoria to visit family many weekends during that time. The BC fleet went a bit downhill in the 80s and went to vending machines instead of the restaurants which were very good. They must have poured some money back into the system since I left if they're considered "nice" nowadays.Too bad the Princess Marguerite is long gone. US Customs is friendlier in Port Angeles than Blaine and far less crowded. But even PA customs caught a terrorist trying to sneak in once, so they're definitely not sleeping on the job. US customs in Seattle is an interesting experience. Both Canada and US customs at Vancouver airport are downright nasty so avoid flying into Vancouver if you can.
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #21 – May 25, 2015, 06:46:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153012I'm late to the party on this thread, but I'd like to put my vote in for the Hoh Rain Forest campground as being one of the most scenic areas we visited. Our second night there (this was in October) we were the sole campers. Great site right on the river as it makes a bend. I blogged on it at the time: Houn's Journal: HOH HOH HOH!
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #22 – May 25, 2015, 08:46:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153018Judy wrote:There are many ferries that go to the San Juan Islands, and these are very worthwhile trips. Friday Harbor is a very touristy place, but fun to spend a few hours there. You can rent bicycles/scooters for exploring further afield, but walking around the town and having lunch (we ate at Basil's) is quite a nice experience in itself. The last ferry out gets you home in the dark, but the crossing itself is at dusk, and there were many sea creatures spotted along the way. We left from Anacortes, which is actually on the Washington mainland.Being naturally nitpicky, Anacortes is not really on the mainland, but on Fidalgo Island. Tom
Re: Olympic Campgrounds Reply #23 – May 25, 2015, 09:24:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 153019This is definitely true, Tom, but I was just differentiating between the Olympic Peninsula and the "Mainland". There are a lot of islands in the area - Whidbey being one of the, yah?Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Olympic Campgrounds / Victoria BC Reply #24 – May 26, 2015, 07:13:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 153026QuoteI lived in Victoria BC from 1984 to 1991, so I can offer a bit of first hand experience Very timely discussion, as I'll be up there the 2nd & 3rd week of June, visiting The San Juan channel island and Vancouver islands.Any not to be missed hikes? What about the islands on the way to Vancouver (city), worth a stop?
Topic: Olympic Campgrounds (Read 42 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Olympic Campgrounds (Read 42 times)
previous topic - next topic