Anybody have any recommendations as to the best place to stay near Olympic NP so as to best see the park and also anything of interest on the coastline? At 37feet, my fifth wheel won't fit in the park campgrounds which is where I'd much prefer to stay.
Thanks!
lmcallis said
06:57 AM Aug 10, 2014
We spent a month at the Elwha dam RV park back in 2011. http://www.elwhadamrvpark.com/ It 's a good location just west of Port Angeles off of Hwy 101 that goes around the park. A good location for seeing the northern part of the park. You can either do long day trips to the rain forest part of the park in the south, and the ocean side to the west, or move on down the road and camp somewhere closer to those parts. We've got a 40ft 5th wheel.
Lance
Russ Ranger said
11:50 AM Aug 10, 2014
I spent the first 62 years of my life living on the Olympic Peninsula. I have camped and hiked it for decades. Where to stay? The park is so large and diverse that you will want to consider staying on all four sides. There are large RV options in each direction so it is just a matter of how long you want to stay.
My favorite side is the West side which includes two rain forests and the Pacific Ocean. The Hoh and Quinault Rain Forests are like being in another world. The hikes out to the Pacific in the Northwest corner are extraordinary. They cover all skill levels so it's a matter of just picking the right ones.
To the North are the best mountain drives. The Port Angeles area has many RV options.
To the East is Hood Canal and a dozen RV locations. This area has many entries through river valley's coming down out of the park. Great hiking and day drives. Also our favorite waterfall.
The South side of the Park is more traditional camping, rivers, streams, forests and lots of small logging towns.
Olympic National Park is an amazing jewel in our National Park system. Enjoy.
bjoyce said
12:01 PM Aug 10, 2014
I agree with Russ Ranger, the park is so large that one campsite will not allow you to see it all. Plus, there is much more to see that is not national park, including Cape Flattery. Good base camp cities are Forks and La Push in the west, Port Angelas and Sequim for the north, and Brinnon and Hoodsport to the east. The south side is harder to get to.
WestWardHo said
06:06 PM Aug 10, 2014
We also agree with RussRanger. We workcamped in Elma WA (Elma RV Park, $16.50 PA rate or just say Sherry & Jesse recommended, friendly small park to use as Southern base) last summer and met many campers who thought they could do the Olympic loop in one day. We called it "divorce prep." The state and Federal Parks, as you suggest can't take a rig your size. Do take in Quinault Lodge and the drive thru the rain forest. There are rangers near there that can recommend hikes. Poulsboro (Viking Cakes!) , Sequim (Thunder Ridge). Gig Harbor & Port Townsend were also some of our favorite places. Plus the drive up the Hood Canal. Do not miss any signs you see for OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN Ice Cream it's the best ever! As Russ and Bill indicated there is so much to see and do there hope you plan on a long visit.
Sherry
DreamerBob said
12:18 AM Aug 11, 2014
Thank you all very much! Your advice is very helpful! We're planning to head there later this week and I'll be referring to your posts.
NWescapee said
08:33 AM Aug 12, 2014
In your original post you stated that you would rather stay in the park campgrounds. I have seen large rigs in the Kalaloch campground on the Western side of the park, not sure what their max size is.
Near Port Angeles / Sequim, you might want to check out the 2 county parks. www.clallam.net/Parks/
Salt Creek had larger rigs when we drove through there one time to check it out. We loved staying on the Dungeness Spit area but had a 30 ft TT at the time, not sure if they have many sites that are big enough for a 37 ft, but would be worth checking it out.
On the East side, Dosewallips State Park might be an option.
MYLIFEISCOMEDY said
03:06 PM Aug 16, 2014
Crescent Lake is a must see! One of the clearest lakes in the world. Located between Port Angeles and the Ho Forest. The campground is right on the lake. Enjoy!! One of the most beautiful ares in the United States. Watch out for vampires around Forks.
BiggarView said
03:30 PM Aug 16, 2014
Presume you mean bats.
bjoyce said
05:09 PM Aug 16, 2014
Forks is where the Twilight books and movies are based. They have tourists who come to see the vampire and werewolf locations, etc. A big change from an old lumber town that was most famous for beating up the Hells Angels a few decades ago.
Neil and Connie said
11:19 AM Aug 20, 2014
Elwa Dam as noted is nice. We ended up needing a spot for 2 months as I broke a bone in my foot while we were out there. We checked out another place over near the Indian Casino named Elma something or other…but the nice spots in front were only for daily or weekly rates; if you wanted a monthly rate as we did (broke bone in foot so we needed 2 months) you had to go back into the not so nice area of the park.
We ended up at Ravier View RV Park in Graham. A little longer drive but still headed over Olympia way for a few sightseeing trips.
soos said
01:01 AM Aug 25, 2014
wow, reading this is making me think we will need to spend some time there too. We are headed down from Alaska and if the weather holds over there, we'd love to spend a week or so hiking there.
we are in a truck camper, so it may be easier for us to find spots.
Sue
NWescapee said
07:17 PM Sep 4, 2014
Sue - usually the area has reasonable weather until mid-Sept but you never know when the rainy season will start. The area around Sequim is part of the "banana belt" and gets less rain than anywhere else on the Peninsula due to the rain shadow effect of the Olympic Mountains.
Bill and Jodee said
04:57 PM Sep 6, 2014
I loved the places this couple stayed the last few months - metamorphosisroad.blogspot.com They have a large rig and love to hike.
Anybody have any recommendations as to the best place to stay near Olympic NP so as to best see the park and also anything of interest on the coastline? At 37feet, my fifth wheel won't fit in the park campgrounds which is where I'd much prefer to stay.
Thanks!
We spent a month at the Elwha dam RV park back in 2011. http://www.elwhadamrvpark.com/ It 's a good location just west of Port Angeles off of Hwy 101 that goes around the park. A good location for seeing the northern part of the park. You can either do long day trips to the rain forest part of the park in the south, and the ocean side to the west, or move on down the road and camp somewhere closer to those parts. We've got a 40ft 5th wheel.
Lance
My favorite side is the West side which includes two rain forests and the Pacific Ocean. The Hoh and Quinault Rain Forests are like being in another world. The hikes out to the Pacific in the Northwest corner are extraordinary. They cover all skill levels so it's a matter of just picking the right ones.
To the North are the best mountain drives. The Port Angeles area has many RV options.
To the East is Hood Canal and a dozen RV locations. This area has many entries through river valley's coming down out of the park. Great hiking and day drives. Also our favorite waterfall.
The South side of the Park is more traditional camping, rivers, streams, forests and lots of small logging towns.
Olympic National Park is an amazing jewel in our National Park system. Enjoy.
Sherry
Thank you all very much! Your advice is very helpful! We're planning to head there later this week and I'll be referring to your posts.
Near Port Angeles / Sequim, you might want to check out the 2 county parks. www.clallam.net/Parks/
Salt Creek had larger rigs when we drove through there one time to check it out. We loved staying on the Dungeness Spit area but had a 30 ft TT at the time, not sure if they have many sites that are big enough for a 37 ft, but would be worth checking it out.
On the East side, Dosewallips State Park might be an option.
Presume you mean bats.
Elwa Dam as noted is nice. We ended up needing a spot for 2 months as I broke a bone in my foot while we were out there. We checked out another place over near the Indian Casino named Elma something or other…but the nice spots in front were only for daily or weekly rates; if you wanted a monthly rate as we did (broke bone in foot so we needed 2 months) you had to go back into the not so nice area of the park.
We ended up at Ravier View RV Park in Graham. A little longer drive but still headed over Olympia way for a few sightseeing trips.
we are in a truck camper, so it may be easier for us to find spots.
Sue
Jodee