Dosewallips State Park

We return to Dosepwalips every year in December. The staff is the best in the Washington State system. Love the Egle nest right outside our window.

Sadly we missed the elk herd this year but saw them down the street several times.

The Park Staff was more than happy let ship our son's IV nutrition and meds directly to the park during our stay.

The park is full of hiking trials and has close proximity to the Olympic National Forest.

Arrival and check in seamless. Friendly and helpful staff.

Easy access to Dosewallips river and level trails allow for easy walking and biking. Many people bring float tubes and float the river during hot weather. There is good clam digging at low tide at beach access site. Be prepared for a mile walk to beach if clam digging and bring shovels, hand rakes, buckets.

Dog friendly but there were no disposal site for dog waste bags which then go into general garbage. No recycling.

Beautiful area surrounded by Olympic mountains on West side and Hood Canal on the East. 25 to 30 Roosevelt Elk came through campsite in early morning hours on 2 days while we were there. Beautiful creatures to observe if you are lucky enough to see them as they pass through.

The down side to #56 is it is right next to freeway and noise at night can be irritating. Most other sites are further away from noise.

Stayed Sun-Wed, pre-holiday in May 2022. It's right off two-lane US 101, but we were about 80 yards back and road noise was never an issue. There are sites very close to the road, but other than occasional truck traffic during the day it wasn't busy anytime.

The large elk herd visited twice during our stay. They are used to people, unfortunately. But stay back at least 100 feet or you risk injury to them and you. They would graze and then lay down and rest for a few hours before moving on. No interference with movement, just keep your distance and give them right-of-way. Also, the overhead SAT shot makes it look like the open areas are dirt. They are well kept grass areas, hence the attraction to the elk. And their paddies. So look down when walking.

Lot's of trees, so if SAT use is desired LOS will be tough to 110 or 119 from many sites.( We could not hit them from ours. Darn, actually have to sit outside and enjoy nature and fresh air.) Easier if you have a portable dish of course. Cell was fine for basic data/phone.

Several good short hikes in the park. The nearby river runs moderately fast, clean and cold and is very shallow in the park area. Bottom is all river rock though, so the pup was disappointed we couldn't let him chase sticks and balls due to risk of injury on the wet rocks. Access to Hood Canal is across 101. There is a viewing platform and the view is beautiful, but If you wanna reach the water, you'll need to plan for mud walking. Regulated shell-fishing is allowed during season.

Campground is clean and well maintained. No issue with the rig access, but there are a few low branches here and there. FHU sites are well spaced, and are paved, level and wide, but no privacy. Seemed to be quite a few Boondock and power/water only sites. A few large tent platforms too. Good privacy at the non-paved sites. Everyone gets a fire pit and table. And there are several Accessible sites to the table and firepit. Haven't seen this in other parks before, and they're well done. There are two shower/bathroom buildings and a dump station. All looked to be in good order and were cleaned daily, but we didn't need any of them, so...

Wait! This just in. Wife reminds me she looked in one of the shower rooms (of course she did!) and it was very clean.

Gatehouse is not staffed full-time, or wasn't during our stay. Self-pay is available. Access is 24/7, but it's user responsibility to keep the gate closed during hours of darkness when the park is closed to day use. Seems unlikely much, if any of that occurs in the campground area anyway, as these areas are divided by the highway and have separate access points.

Ranger staff and hosts all friendly and helpful. Preferred (for disease control) local firewood for sale at host site. Check the WA State Park website for current details and reservations. Nearest "big" town is Shelton, WA. About 30-40 min drive time. A couple small ones within 10-15.

This state park campground has some amazing things to do. One of the coolest parts here is seeing the Elk heard come through the campground (they didn't come during our visit) great walking trails down to the state park where you can go oystering (depending on if its in season) and some great wide open camping. I would recommend if you were booking to get a full hookup site or one of the end spots on the cul-de-sac's as it will provide more room for recreation ( most sites have good space). Love the many ways to camp here from tents to RV's to ADA cabins, which makes camping here a lot easier if you don't have a tent or RV. Only con here is the campground does sit next to busy hwy 101 and from some of the spots you are only a stones throw away from the road (though it is elevated above the campground. We did film a couple videos here for our Youtube channel which includes a full site by site campground review. - Unique Adventurez.

Dosewallips State park was the first rv camping experience for my husband and I. We have returned after traveling cross country and experiencing many state parks. We still love Dosewallips for the variety and comfort that it provides. You can experience salt water beaches with clams and oysters galore or you can enjoy the beauty and sounds of the fresh water stream with salmon fishing. If that isn't enough, you can hike the beautiful trails which provide babbling brooks, mossy trees, and just gorgeous landscapes everywhere you look.
The rv sites are full hookup and level pavement.
If there is one negative it would be that there is some road noise....but if you just think of it as the ocean surf, then you are exported to a pleasant experience. It does quiet down at night. We really did not mind the little bit of road noise.

Camped here 03/23/2021. This site is definitely oriented more towards RVs. The sites are laid out on a flat field-like area, which would be perfect for a big group or family reunion (you could really take over a whole loop of sites and have a great time). However, we were tent camping and stopped because sun was setting and we needed a campground. We were surrounded by cabins, RVs, and just off the highway - felt like we were at a campfire in a front yard in a neighborhood! Sites are pretty close together as well - luckily it wasn't too busy this time of year. At $20 a night for tent camping, it didn't feel worth it. Add in the fact that there was construction that started around 8 am, and well....I wouldn't camp here again.

The park's saving grace is a small network of awesome hiking trails attached to the camp. We did a lovely 3.5 mile hilly hike that started and ended at our campsite.

I really like this park. It is an hour away from where I live in Poulsbo but a world away in terms of tranquility. Arrival is always easy and you can now check in on the state park website. Easy to park my 5th wheel and the hookups are nicely positioned. I use this park as a base for crabbing, shrimping and fishing. There is an Elk Herd up in the mountains that frequents the park. For the wife and I, it is a nice place to just get away.

The park does sit of Hwy 101 so the trucks can get a little noisy if you are directly off of the road. There is very little around except a Bar and a small restaurant. You a 15 minute drive to Hama Hama (great oysters and clams) and Quilcene (nice restaurant with a micro-brewery. The park is about an hour from Port Townsend which is a neat little town.

The sites are clustered into little roundabouts. Thus the sites themselves are very much like a pie slice. The area in the back is wide with lots of room and adjoins open area. Great for groups to stay together, or family activities and games that needs a little bit of space.

Great for kids to ride bikes, however the park itself offers nothing for kids other than an area to get into a fairly shallow river and make continual tubing loops.

The park is split in two by the 101 HWY. While there is an underpass in the park, the noise of logging trucks and other vehicles can be heard all hours of the day and night.

The lower numbered sites are under trees and have shade. If you don't want to bake in the sun in a no-shade site be sure to check the site map and site pictures offered by the Washington State Reservation system.