Lyre River Campground

We arrived on a Wednesday to a nearly empty campground. We were greeted by a friendly and helpful park host while we scoped out the sites. We found several sites that would fit our 23’ Airstream and selected site 11 which is very private and on the river. Site 11 is great, arguably one of the best sites, but has a tricky turnaround that might make it difficult for folks with a trailer and a longer TV. Definitely scope it out before giving it a try or risk getting stuck.

Lots of beautiful mostly second growth trees with a few short and well maintained trails extending from the campground including one that leads to the Strait of Juan de Fuca,

Our stay was quiet and peaceful. Another reviewer noted there was a dumpster on site but we didn’t see one. Drop toilet bathrooms appear well maintained, campground is clean and clearly loved well by those who maintain it.

Sites range from spacious to moderate in size and can be a bit muddy if there’s been recent rain.

Cell coverage for Site 11 was 1 - 2 bars of 4G on Verizon and AT&T. You’re not going to be doing any work here, but it’s good enough for loading webpages (slowly) and texting.

This spot was beautiful! There is a Steep drive down with a few potholes. It was okay coming up, even though it was rainy. Spot #6 has a slab to park on, but those parking in #5 might block drive in access. Need Discover Pass ($30/yr). I had to leave because I couldn't work here on Verizon. There were plenty of bars (I have a booster), but it took hours to send a text. I would come back when I don't need service. Has a dumpster, bathrooms and trails. The Lyre river was pretty and soothing. Not much solar. A couple characters driving around loudly, but otherwise quiet.

Ok, it’s all been said before, but this place is one of the very few remaining unicorn campsites. I have no cons, so I’ll jump straight into the pros:

Free, large sites with good tree/brush/foliage for privacy, at least when I was there. Spotless vault toilets. Safe, police cruising through when I arrived and the warden was there daily thereafter. Mostly level sites. Quiet. Potable water. I was in site 5 and had a lot of riverside “acreage.” Some sites get more sun than others. I originally chose #11 because it was at the very end and I’d have no neighbor on one side, but the canopy is quite dense there, so I moved to #5 when I saw it was available. Great riverside wildlife activity, if you’re so inclined. Bring binoculars. Watched a pair or American Dippers for almost 2 hours one day, and another day, a trio of river otters appeared. Totally made the entire trip! I rearranged my travel plans so I could stay the entire 7 days allowed. There is gas, laundry, and (expensive) food supplies just down the road in Joyce, the no stop light town I grew to love while I was there. A fabulous hike out to the Strait of about 3 miles round trip. Cougars, coyote, bobcat, bear have all been sighted nearby, so you might want to bring bear spray. All together, a lovely spot! Places like this are disappearing fast, sad to say. I hope I can get back there again. All this being said, if you have an irresponsible neighbor, one that doesn’t leash their dog and lets their 3 kids under 5 y/o wander all over your campsite, screeching and throwing rocks all over, it might be a less than stellar stay. I had to ask them twice to leash their dog.
As far as the screeching kids are concerned, my dog loves children enthusiastically, and when they came over to my campsite, I let my dog show them lots of love with tail wagging and kisses, which mom seemed to object to. The kids were removed from my campsite and they all left that day! 😀

The only negative is virtually no service for AT&T users. If you drive towards town a bit, no problem. This lack of connectivity may be viewed as a “pro” by many, so there’s that…

This campsite is free with a Discover Pass ($30/year for all WA state parks).

Pros: absolutely beautiful rainforest setting right next to the Lyre River
Nice amenities (two clean vault toilets, well-constructed boardwalk, fire pit and picnic table at each campsite)
Decent amount of privacy between sites
Reasonably close to Port Angeles and Olympic National Park

Cons: no T-mobile cell signal
A bit challenging to maneuver with a 17’ foot trailer (there was a sign indicating there should be no trailers above 20’)
Limited spots that are accessible to RVs

Verdict: will definitely return for an unplugged weekend in a fairytale forest