Salt Creek Recreation Area

We visited Salt Creek Rec Area in early October just as the busy season was winding down. We enjoyed listening to the wind and crashing waves just a few feet from our site. Coming from Eastern Washington where there were drought like conditions, we actually enjoyed the moist air and rain during our stay. We also liked watching the shipping traffic in the strait. There are several good hikes right from the campground. The hike to Striped Peak follows a lushly forested trail along the water until it turns up the hill. A shorter hike to the old gun battery position follows the bluff from the campground. It was well worth the effort!

Arrival to our pre-paid site went smoothly. We got a reminder email a few days before giving us details about the park. The park manager responded quickly to a question I had about water by email.

The park looked about 70% full during the time we were there. We stayed on the western, wooded side of the campground in the non-hook-up area. The sites in this part of the park are just a few steps away from a cliff above the water and most have a great view of the strait. The non-hook-up/tent sites provide more privacy and are closer to the water. The sites are still packed pretty close together but the layout is more relaxed we didn't feel too close to our next door neighbors. The non-hookup sites are limited to RVs of about 25 feet. One of our neighbors in a travel trailer didn't have enough room to extend her slide outs on both sides because of trees in the site. On the other side of the park the hook-up sites are larger, paved and able to suite bigger rigs. We saw motorhomes and 5th wheels 35+ feet in length. These sites also had decent views of the water. But for us it looked too much like an RV parking lot.

The entire park was well maintained and friendly. Although there were lots of dogs and children around we did not have any issues with noise. We were surprised to find good 4G Verizon service at our site.

Not many negatives to report. This park is very popular and it apparently gets much busier and louder during peak season.

I've camped here before in the autumn and it was wonderful. My grandson and I stayed three nights this week and it was very crowded. I would camp in all seasons EXCEPT summer unless you like crowds, dogs barking, etc. Kids are all over, including our site, with minimal to no supervision. Very frustrating. Hosts came round in the evening selling firewood for $5/bundle.

The site: The utility sites are in a wide open space. The tents sites are in a forested area. Our site was quite level with plenty for space fore and aft for our little camper and TV. We could have easily fit another vehicle in the site. The site was approximately 85' long. We had a nice grassy area about 7' wide that ran the length of the site. Our views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca were partially obstructed by trees for the first two days then a big motor home for the remainder of time. Site 37 is in an area slightly away from the majority of the utility sites. There was a little bit of trash left over from previous campers; small things like bottle caps and pull tabs that we picked up. Nobody ever checked on us to make sure we were who was supposed to be in the site.

Cell Service: The Canadian towers will grab your phone! After receiving texts from AT&T that I had over $300 in international charges, I ended up texting my husband so he could contact AT&T to let them know I was in the USA. Service was 80% iffy. Near the play ground, there was a bit of service. In our campsite, it was hit or miss, mostly miss.

Restrooms: Clean and tidy. Extra Porta Potties to help minimize exposure to others. Signs on the doors asking people to limit to 2-3 in the restroom at one time and to wear masks per the current requirements in Washington. Pay showers. The Camp Host was there each morning cleaning, which was much appreciated.

We discovered this park by accident almost 30 years ago and I was happy to find that it is still a great place to camp. Close to Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, it is located on the banks of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. The sites that have water views are reservable; when we arrived on a Thursday in June, these had all been reserved (although not all were occupied). Many of the non-reservable sites were available. No hookups in the loop but there are three tiers of 39 RV sites that have decent water views. Each of these has an electrical and water hookup and a paved pad but you are stacked up as you would be in a typical RV park. Restrooms are reasonably clean (but no garbage receptacle) and there are showers but there is a fee. If you have a water view site and the weather cooperates, you will enjoy a glorious sunset. There is a playground for children, but the best feature are the tidepools that area accessible at low tide; our girls had a blast exploring these when they were young.

Stayed the second week of March 2019. All the winter maintenance has been done. On this Tuesday night there are only four sites taken, one being the camp host. We are in the area with trees and no utilities. Excellent day view of the Juan de Fuca, and Vancouver Island. Ptich black at night with only the sound of the waves. Heavy cedar smell due to the trees. Clean bathrooms, quarter operated hot showers available.

Receiving decent T-Mobile LTE service from Canada.

Receiving excellent 5 bar AT&T hotspot service.

Good location for proximity to the Port Angeles- Victoria Ferry and the Park itself is lovley. But the RV sites are jammed up right against each other, three rows deep. Lots of children on bicycles and scooters in close proximity mean thst it is pretty noisy. I preferred payong the extra $25 a noght amd staying mext door at the Crescent Beach RV Park. However, at least site 24 was at the end of the row. That helped a bit.

We were pleasantly surprised of how beautiful and clean this campground was. Although our site was long enough to fit our travel trailer and truck, it was pretty close to our neighbors. And by early evening all the sites were occupied. We were told by the camp host that this is a extremely popular park for locals. Even though the park was full, it was very quiet at night...probably due to the no alcohol beverage regulation.
We had plenty to do see and do during our stay without even leaving the park. We walked down to the cool tide pools and beaches at Tongue Point Marine Sanctuary, hiked up toward Striped Peak and explored the remnants of World War II Camp Hayden.
There are 92 campsites here, which include two camp host sites, located on a bluff above the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are 2 restrooms buildings with fee showers. There is also a dump station.
The campground is divided into two distinct camping areas. Campsites 1 through 49 are on the exposed bluff just as you enter the recreation area. Each row of camp sites are tiered higher than the row below and thus provide wonderful views of the Strait. This section of the campground feature both pull through and back-in sites large enough for big rigs and offer water and electric hook-ups.
Sites 50 through 92 are located in a forested area loop. The sites are smaller, but will accommodate not only tents, but small trailers or truck campers. We noted that the forest sites can be pretty dark during cloudy or rainy days.
We did not turn on our phones as they picked up the Canadian cellular towers, which were a clear shot to Vancouver Island across the strait. However we did notice that we picked up 2 bars from Verizon.

The campground itself is just as you would imagine any State Park. It does the trick, has the amenities, but comes with crowds and tons of restrictions, regulations, and rules. For example, in Washington it is illegal to open or consume any alcoholic beverage, including within the privacy of your own RV. Nevertheless, the park was as expected of any wilderness in the Pacific North West – especially considering we were only a few dozen feet from the Strait of Juan De Fuca – wet, cool, and lots of overgrowth. It made for some nice photos at times, but I could easily grow tires of being cold to the bone all the time. Be sure to take the time to hike to the Bunkers, the beach below, and the tide pools during low tides.

Staying at the Westernmost side of the campground (non-hookups area) you can get a good Verizon signal. In the hookups section there is little to no signal.

However... on the weekend we were leaving the park there was a running competition coming in. For some reason the organizers chose a weekend to host a running competition in a State Park and even planned the running route to go directly through the one and only dump station (and this was somehow OK with the State Park and the runners?). When we went to dump on our way out, we were hassled by the event organizers to move out of their way. The organizers, and especially the State Park Officials, need to use some more common sense here.

There are two distinct places to stay here. There is a "campground" which is wooded and serene, intended for tents and small campers. There is are "RV sites" with concrete pads and 50A+Water hookups, and a stellar view across the strait. The sites are pretty close together, which normally I don't like, but when we were here, it seemed to be one big roving social hour with lots of families and activity going on all weekend.

The kids had plenty of fun exploring in the tide pools, and hiking through the old WW2 fort. There are also DNR trails accessed directly from here which we did not explore.

Port Angeles is 30 minutes away, making it a quick hop if you're yearning for a bit more civilization. This is also an excellent place to overnight before jumping on the ferry to Victoria.

Sites 1-5 are the best hookup sites, as they are a little away from the main area, and a bit more shaded. Plus, they're close to the playground which is good for us. Unfortunately, they are not available for reservations.

Sites 50-51 are the best dry camping sites, especially for motorhomes. You can fit a 36-footer, yet they're completely private and enclosed.
http://websrv7.clallam.net/parks/campsite.php?campground=Salt&siteno=50
http://websrv7.clallam.net/parks/campsite.php?campground=Salt&siteno=51

We are a family of four traveling in a 33-foot motorhome. Here's what we're looking for: A playground, stuff for the kids to do, somewhere to ride my mountain bike, beautiful scenery, fire rings, plenty of separation between us and neighbors, shaded and private sites, easy to get in and get level, electric hookups, water and dump station on site, clean showers, and not terribly expensive.

This park delivered most everything we're looking for, I just wish the reservable sites had more privacy.