Dosewallips State Park - Washington
At Dosewallips State Park you don’t have to choose between the forest or the sea, you can have both!
Dosewallips State Park on the Hood Canal is a great for a day or weekend getaway. Located on scenic Highway 101 the park has been referenced as the “Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula.” Campers can use this park as a base to explore the Hood Canal and the Olympic Peninsula.
We chose to stay and enjoy all the park has to offer. The Dosewallips River runs alongside the park and empties into a spacious saltwater shoreline. Although it was raining during our stay we enjoyed the misty waterfront.
There are also 3.5 miles of hiking trails to explore. The forest is full of mossy trees and has plenty of parking at the Maple Valley trailhead for day users.
The rear campground is closed in the off season but the main campground has room for everyone. There are 12 very cute cabins available for rent (see below for photo). Each cabin has a covered front porch, a picnic table and fire ring. This park also has three unique canvas platform tents! Website link below for more details.
Our Take: If you prefer privacy or you plan to tent camp you might want to wait for the wooded campsites in the open season. The main campground was very well laid out for RV’s, trailers and vans but there isn’t much privacy for tent campers. The campground is also accommodating for groups. A large group of about 15-20 young campers had set up tents and were learning camping skills. Picnic tables at each campsite were generously sized and each site had fire rings. Bathrooms were clean and easy to access.
We visited during the off season which is operated on a semi-first come first serve basis. If you plan your stay 24 hours in advance this campground is reservable online. You cannot book online the same day. You must go to the campground see if the site shows as available online and in person. If it shows available online you can “claim” it by setting your things up. Once you have claimed it wait for the ranger station to open and pay for the site. The Ranger Station is open but on reduced staff hours in the off season.
Fire Ring: Yes
Ranger Station: Yes
Trash on site: Yes and recycling!
Water on site: Yes but limited in the off season
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