My family was lucky enough to get to spend a couple of months camping in Washington during the summer of 2023. We had a magical time in the gorgeous state and wouldn’t hesitate to return again.
Planning to go camping in Washington yourself? Here’s what we learned during our travels.
When to Go
First, it’s important to note that camping in Washington is very much a seasonal activity. Sure, you could take your RV up there in December, but I guarantee you’d be freezing your tail off, and your RV water system would almost certainly see some damage from the trip. Instead, it is best to wait until the state thaws out a bit before you head there.
We visited during the months of June and July, and for the most part, the weather was beautiful. Even in July it was a bit chilly in northern Washington, so that is something to be aware of. Additionally, the state sees a lot of rain. Make sure your RV is well sealed before you head out!
I’d say June through August are probably the best months to spend time in this northern state unless you like colder weather.
Where to Stay
You’ll also find it worthwhile to explore the many Washington State Parks campgrounds. Camping fees at these parks are relatively affordable and the parks themselves are gorgeous.
- Little Diamond
- Mount Vernon
- Oceana
- Paradise
- Birch Bay
- Chehalis
What to Do
Once you figure out where to stay while camping in Washington, you’ll want to consider what to do during your visit. Fortunately, you won’t have any trouble at all finding fun and interesting ways to fill your time.
Here are some of our favorites.
National Parks
Washington is home to three incredible national parks that absolutely must not be missed. These include Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and North Cascades National Park.
Olympic is easily one of my favorite national parks out of the 40+ that we have visited, and North Cascades is so underrated it isn’t even funny. Take the time to visit these parks and give yourself at least a couple of days in each. Go on a hike, do some wildlife watching, and have the kids earn their Junior Ranger Badges.
Mount St. Helen’s
Mount St. Helen’s was an absolutely fantastic road schooling experience for the entire family. Our visit included a museum, a visitor center, Junior Ranger Badges, and a completely unguided and unlit hike through the Ape Cave lava tube (a totally cool experience, by the way).
This place is not only beautiful, it’s also an amazing place to learn about the science behind volcanoes, the astounding way nature recovers from huge events such as eruptions, and the importance of being prepared and responding quickly in the face of a natural disaster.
Seattle Attractions
We’ve visited Seattle a handful of times during our travels and we enjoy our time in the city every time (though I am always happy to return to the peace of our campsite outside of the city at the end of the day). The city is home to all kinds of museums, yummy food, and lovely parks.
Some of our favorite things to do in Seattle include:
- Browsing Pike Place Market
- Grabbing coffee from one of the numerous (and all excellent) local coffee shops
- Visiting Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- Playing at the “Artists at Play” playground with a view of the Space Needle
Many people also love MoPop, but we have yet to visit this well-known attraction.
Numerous Museums
Speaking of museums, Washington is full of them. We highly recommend snagging a reciprocal museum membership from Kern County Museum before you visit so you can visit ASTC and NARM museums without paying an admission fee.
In some places, it is also possible to get a visitor library card and then snag a free museum pass through the library. We did this in Bellingham in order to visit both the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention and the Mindport Exhibits.
Canada
When we ended up in northern Washington for a few weeks, we knew we had to drive over to Canada. We did it once, had a blast, and ended up driving over the border several more times before our visit was done.
Some of our favorite things to do just across the border included:
Espresso Stands
Last but not least, I must mention the coffee stands found in even the tiniest of Washington towns. These espresso shacks may not look like much, but everyone we visited served outstanding espresso. As an avid coffee fanatic, this was an incredible discovery, and my husband and I made a point of visiting as many espresso stands as we could. If you are a fellow lover of coffee, I suggest you do the same.
There you have it, my top tips for camping in Washington. I hope these suggestions help as you plan your own fantastic adventure to this spectacular place!
May contain affiliate links.
About the author: Chelsea Gonzales
Chelsea has the amazing opportunity to take part in full-time RV living and traveling with her tiny tribe. She homeschools her five-year-old son as they travel, and takes full advantage of their unique situation by using the entire world as her son’s classroom. A group of total Disney fanatics, Chelsea and her family often find themselves in the Orlando area in order to visit the Disney parks, but they have also visited over 25 of the 50 states with plans to see many more along the way. No matter where her travels take her, Chelsea enjoys riding bikes, gazing at beautiful sunsets, finding new coffee shops, Irish dancing, and sitting around a campfire with her family.
You can join her adventures through her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander.
Ray M. ~ “We’ve had a service plan with Coach-Net with 2 different RVs and we’re so glad we do. Twice in less than a month, we’ve called with tire issues. Both times your representative helped us to get back on the road in a short amount of time. Thank you from two happy campers.”