Campgrounds of the Pacific Coast: Washington

Camping in Washington is a bit of a different experience than it is in California or Oregon. The average campground is more similar to California in terms of facilities, although like in Oregon, food lockers are highly unusual. But the main difference comes out of the fact that there is no single near-universal route through Washington. Virtually everyone who bikes the coasts of California and Oregon sticks to Highway 1 and US 101 outside of short deviations. But in Washington, Adventure Cycling routes you through the I-5 corridor and the Puget Sound, while many people choose to ride around the Olympic Peninsula or cut across it. Hiker/biker campgrounds are fewer and farther between as a result, and those that do exist tend to be much smaller than their equivalents in Oregon or California.

County Line Park, Cathlamet, WA
Rating: 2/5
Distance to nearest town: 10 miles
The good news is that camping here is free for cyclists. I'm not sure if that's a formal thing or not, but when we tried to pay, the campground host walked up and told us that they don't charge cyclists. The bad news is pretty much everything else. This is a county park, not a state park, and the facilities are about what you would expect from that. There are no showers and the water in the restroom taps is a strange orange color (very high iron, I assume). The tent camping area is at the far end of the park from the entrance, right on the Columbia River. And when I say right on, I mean don't pitch your tent too close to the water or ship wakes might get you wet. Unfortunately, Highway 4 is equally close, so you'll be dreaming to the wonderful sounds of engine brakes on lumber trucks. Really, this place would get a 1 if it didn't have nice views or wasn't free. That being said, if you're on the Adventure Cycling route, this is the only place to camp other than RV parks between Toledo and past Astoria. That's why we stayed here, and although it wasn't great, you can't complain about free.

Lewis and Clark State Park, Toledo, WA
Rating: 1/5
Distance to nearest town: 5 miles
If you're going northbound, this will be the first real hiker/biker you'll hit in Washington. And you'll be surprised. Remember those large areas they had set out in California and Oregon? That's not how it works here. There's a single, very small campsite, and instead of paying per person, you pay a flat rate no matter how many people are occupying it. You're also right across from the campground host, so despite the campground being virtually empty, you've still got others right on top of you. Showers, like everywhere else in Washington, are not free, and you can't even use normal cash. You have to buy tokens at a machine outside, which frankly was the reason why I never used a Washington State Park shower. It's not about the money, it's about the inconvenience factor, and I got frequent enough showers elsewhere that I didn't feel like dealing with it. The only saving grace here is that there's a picnic shelter very close to the hiker/biker site, and you can hang your food from the beams. Again though, if you're following Adventure Cycling and want to stay in public campgrounds, you're pretty much stuck with this one.

Grays Harbor Hostel, Elma, WA
Rating: N/A
Distance to nearest town: 1 mile
This isn't a campground as such, although the owner, Jay, does allow you to pitch your tent in his yard for a fee ($15, I think). We stayed in the hostel itself though, which is really just a wing of his house. It's $20 per bed, which is very reasonable for a place that has all the amenities of a standard hostel plus an 18-hole disc golf course (you will be giving it a try if you stay here, by the way). Just note that you can't get in before 5 PM and you have to be out by 9 or 9:30 in the morning.

Belfair State Park, Belfair, WA
Rating: 1/5
Distance to nearest town: 3 miles
This isn't much better than Lewis and Clark, although there are three hiker/biker sites instead of just one. Pretty much all of the other problems apply though. You're on a short spur off of one of the main RV loops, so privacy is basically nonexistent, and the sites are tiny. More annoyingly, that spur is actually a service road that connects to the highway less than 20 yards away from your tent, so not only do you get traffic noise from close in at night, you'll get park maintenance staff driving within feet of you starting early in the morning. There's not all that much to see in the park either. It's located on the shore of the Hood Canal, but unless you like windsurfing, that's not really an advantage in any way. There's not really a beach or anything either, because the tidal zone is just a bunch of mudflats.

Kitsap Memorial State Park, Poulsbo, WA
Rating: 3/5
Distance to nearest town: 7 miles, but there's a small store about half a mile away
This place is small and really feels like a community park, but I don't really have anything bad to say about it. It's pretty quiet, and the hiker/biker sites are very isolated (to the point that they're difficult to find) in the woods on the south side of the park. You're somewhat close to houses, but not right next to them, and I honestly didn't really feel like they were an issue. Restrooms are within a couple minute walk during the day, but the problem is that they're the day-use facilities and are not open at night. After dark and before about 8 AM, you'll have to walk a quarter mile or so to the campground restrooms across the park. What really makes this place is the views. If it's not socked in, you can go down to the water and see the Olympic Mountains to the east. Make sure to head down in the morning when the light is behind you.

Deception Pass State Park, Oak Harbor, WA
Rating: 3/5
Distance to nearest town: 9 miles, but there's a small store right across the street
The campground is located on the Whidbey Island side of the park (although I believe there is another one, albeit without hiker/biker sites, across the bridge on Fidalgo Island). The entrance is about a mile and a half south of the Deception Pass Bridge, and once on the access road, you'll be doing a little bit of climbing and dropping. The hiker/biker sites are extremely secluded here, and a bit hard to find. They're tucked in the woods up a narrow dirt path not far from the campground entrance. Water and restrooms are relatively far away, but not prohibitively so, and noise from the road and the other campers is minimal. That being said, from roughly 8 AM to 8 PM you will hear deafening jets from the nearby Naval Air Station every few minutes. A local told me that it's a great place to spend time and explore, but we got in too late for me to be able to attest to that.

Other relevant information:
Seaquest State Park, Castle Rock, WA - It's 5 miles east of town/off route. And there is a hiker/biker. That's all I can tell you.

Millersylvania State Park, between Centralia and Olympia, WA - If you're following Adventure Cycling, there's no reason that you'll ever hit this park. However, it does have a brand new hiker/biker campground/site.

Fort Worden/Old Fort Townsend State Parks, Port Townsend, WA - The former is north of town and the latter is south of it. If you're looking for a rest day, Port Townsend is one of the best towns we passed through. It's worth noting, however, that there is a paper mill on the south side of Port Townsend, so I'd lean toward Fort Worden. Because if you haven't been downwind of a paper mill yet, I can tell you that it would not make for pleasant camping.

Fort Casey State Park, Coupeville/Keystone, WA - This is pretty much right at the Whidbey Island ferry dock.

Fort Ebey State Park, Coupeville, WA - On the west side of Whidbey Island between Coupeville and the Naval Air Station. It probably gets just as much jet noise during daylight as Deception Pass.

Larrabee State Park, Bellingham, WA - No hiker/bikers here, but there are walk-in sites. This is at the northern end of the Chuckanuts, several miles south of Bellingham proper. Can't say anything about the park, but I wouldn't have minded exploring the mountains there a bit more. Worth noting: I wouldn't try to make it all the way to/from Vancouver. It's theoretically doable with a long day, but between the border crossing and the fact that it's difficult to make good time through the Vancouver suburbs, don't expect it to be easy.

Birch Bay State Park, Birch Bay, WA - No hiker/biker or walk-in sites, but it is the closest park to the Canadian border.

Birch Bay Hostel, Birch Bay, WA - $30/night for a dorm bed. Sorry guys, I paid less in both Vancouver and Seattle.