Just completed a trip around the Olympic Peninsula doing the 101 route and thought I would mention there are so many places to camp free. Several great campgrounds run by Dept. of Natural Resources. But, most of them are for the smaller RV. We have a Roadtrek and they were perfect. There are even two small free campgrounds on the road going into the Hoh Rain Forest.
Also, in Forks, Washington, you can stay overnight in the middle of town on an empty lot and can even get free wi-fi there. And a free dump(I think-we spent over $100.00 on gas) at the gas station on the north end of town.
I could spend a lot of time mentioning locations but it's too time consuming. So, if anybody's going, I can tell you where they are. It is so easy to just drive by them if you're not looking.
We have lived and boondocked around the Olympic Peninsula for about 16 years now. MANY of the places that aren't free are only between $5 - $10 per night and there are SO MANY to choose from we never get tired of camping in our local area. Most of our very favorite campgrounds are within two hours of our house, which I am especially grateful for now that fuel prices are what they are. We've only stayed IN the Olympic National Park a couple of times as we prefer the USNF campgrounds along the outskirts of the park.
Nelda is right, there are so many neat places to stay around here it would be too time consuming to list them all. Many do require a smaller RV though, we even lost a couple of our favorite sites when we moved from our 18' TT to our 24' FW.
Happy Camping!
Teri--the RV.net addict!
DEAR and WONDERFUL husband Eric (& furry faced Angus!) Western Washington
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I agree, the Olympic Loop has a lot to offer, particularly in the way of free. Since Nelda and Swann didn't spill the beans with any specifics, I won't either. But I will say that most of the free campgrounds (no cost) are run by the Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR). A determined search will get you a detailed map of them. I know there are others run by logging companies, "Rayonnier" comes to mind. I would not recommend these sight-unseen. I had a look at one of them and it had a definite odor.
Nelda--
You mentioned Forks allowed free boondocking on their grassy vacant lots. I didn't realize this. I know exactly the spots you're talking about, they're VERY nice, but since they're in the center of town, who do I call to verify this so I don't get run out on a rail?
2Oldman--
Any chance you know whether there's VZ cell service down at South Beach?
Well, regarding Forks, WA. The empty city block in the middle of town (West side) is not grassy-just dirt but there is a coffee place on it and a sign that says-rver's and truckers welcome, or something like that. There's a cool little thrift store in town too that's only open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Rayonnier (I think it's a private lumber co.) has some great campsites (absolutely free) and they even stock them with free firewood. A great one is just north of Aberdeen on hwy 101 just around Humptulips called Promise Land (catchy, huh?). And two more free ones close to the intersection of hwy 101 and hwy 113.
In regards to campground bathrooms-that's one of the reasons I have my own in my little motorhome. If it doesn't flush, I don't go near it!
Hey, folks, we are traveling this route in a couple days (counterclockwise from Sequim to Copalis on 101) and looking for a place to break it up along the way. Doesn't have to be free, but does have to accommodate a 38' 5er with 4 slides (we FT). Since DH still has a bad back (boy, is that getting old!), I'll be doing the backing in and would prefer someplace that does not resemble a cattle chute.
Does the Quileute Ind. Res. allow RVers? If I don't hear back from anyone, I'll probably go with the private CG called Hard Rain Cafe near the entrance to Hoh that I located thru rvreviews.com. Would appreciate any comments. Thanks all.
We really liked Hard Rain -- it is NOT a real RV park, although it has full hookups. It is just a big grassy area behind a cafe near the Hoh Rain Forest. Plenty of room for a big rig, but no pull throughs, I think. Very, very quiet area.
The bathrooms are kind of funky -- clean but sort of old and patched up. The food at the cafe is excellent -- gourmet stuff, not just burgers. The folks running the place are great. There are elk that roam through the area in the mornings and evenings. There is an amazing dog that lives nearby who crosses the street to play fetch -- he practically throws the stick himself. He will bring his own stick, that's for sure. He is owned by the lady who owns the gas station/gift shop across the street.
brauneyz wrote: Hey, folks, we are traveling this route in a couple days (counterclockwise from Sequim to Copalis on 101) and looking for a place to break it up along the way. Doesn't have to be free, but does have to accommodate a 38' 5er with 4 slides (we FT). Since DH still has a bad back (boy, is that getting old!), I'll be doing the backing in and would prefer someplace that does not resemble a cattle chute.
Does the Quileute Ind. Res. allow RVers? If I don't hear back from anyone, I'll probably go with the private CG called Hard Rain Cafe near the entrance to Hoh that I located thru rvreviews.com. Would appreciate any comments. Thanks all.
If you want full hookups and pull-thru sites, there's a decent sized RV Park right off Hwy 101 in the town of Forks. It's called the Forks 101 RV Park. I have to be honest, I've never actually stayed there but it's directly across the road from the main grocery store in Forks and it looks very decent from the outside. They've got wi-fi and satellite tv and all that stuff too.
If you're going for a more rural atmosphere you could try Bogachiel State Park which is a really pretty state park that's also right off of Hwy 101.
The Forks area would be a nice "halfway" point between Sequim and Copalis and it's a cute little town with lots of other parks and pretty sights nearby.
Hope you have FUN!!
* This post was
edited 09/08/08 02:03pm by SwanInWA *
Thanks all. I think we'll try Hard Rain ($19), as the big grassy area sounds fine, and use 101 RV park as backup ($33). Did the Hoh Rain Forest years ago as tent-campers (when we were younger!) and have been wanting to get back for some time now.
Dan, loved your blog. We've done many of the same trips. You have some great pics! Thanks for sharing.
We arrived @ Hard Rain Cafe/RV park today and it's perfect for touring ONP & Hoh tomorrow. Partial HU are $16 (incl tax) and FHU $19. About 5 mi. off 101 on the Rain Forest road (Upper Hoh). The owner/operator helped us move aside/rip down a good size branch that would have been problematic. Nice guy. I know this is a boondocking thread, but I wanted to follow up and keep the info current. I would recommend this highly as a base camp. Thanks again for all your help.
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