Best Camping in Washington State

Washington's camping ranges from Puget Sound island tent sites to North Cascades glacier-edge camps. The combination of national parks, national forests, state parks, and wilderness areas provides exceptional variety.

Olympic National Park: Kalaloch and Mora
Kalaloch Campground on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula is the finest beachfront national park campground in Washington — sites perched on the coastal bluff above Ruby Beach give oceanfront camping rarely available in a national park. Mora Campground, near Rialto Beach, is set in old-growth Sitka spruce with beach access a short walk away. Reserve months in advance.

North Cascades: Colonial Creek Campground
On the shore of Diablo Lake (turquoise from glacial flour) in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area — the campground puts you directly on one of the most spectacular lakes in the Cascades. Kayaking and paddling across the lake to explore the drowned forest shoreline is extraordinary.

Mount Rainier: Cougar Rock and Ohanapecosh
Cougar Rock Campground near Paradise puts campers within striking distance of the Paradise meadows and the trails to the Nisqually Glacier viewpoints. Ohanapecosh, in the old-growth forest on the park's southeast side, is quieter and cooler. Both are heavily booked.

San Juan Islands: Moran State Park
Camping on Orcas Island in Moran State Park — below Mount Constitution, near Cascade Lake, surrounded by Douglas fir. The island's compact scale means the campground is within biking distance of Eastsound village and the ferry terminal. Island camping with mountain access is rare anywhere.

Palouse Falls State Park
Primitive camping at the dramatic Palouse Falls in southeastern Washington — remote, in the channeled scablands landscape. A true off-the-beaten-path Washington camping experience, far from the Cascade crowds.