Gorgeous location! On waterfront of the Hood Canal waters and apparently a spot to get oysters. See photos of all the shells. I was here for a day visit, NOT camping, lol, so my review is focused on this park's day use areas. Parking was extremely limited in my opinion. Maybe there is another parking lot across the street (?). I read about an overflow lot in another review but on my visit it was fairly empty so I was able to park in the main lot. The regular bathrooms are closed and they have portable bathrooms available. This park has limited to no shady areas. A few picnic tables under a forested area but not sure if they were camp sites. Walking on the shoreline was amazing! So peaceful and relaxing and I was able to put my feet in the water. It was so cold! I also took the opportunity to sit at a bench and "ground" myself in the grass. Super gorgeous and felt amazing to be here. The Hood Canal waters are stunning. Get out there and enjoy life! SYOY! read more

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The campsites design is terrible. Roots under tent spots make use difficult. In my visit in August 2025, I saw the campgrounds empty despite the website showing all sites as booked. Then, rangers tried to frame me for stealing the toilet paper in the night. I had brought my own, so was not without. read more

Pretty busy park and known for it's "clams". We got there at 1230pm so the overflow and regular lot was full. The state worker manning the lot said to check out Eagle Creek or Lillawap instead. Not too many shady spots. I saw a built shelter area with 3 lunch benches. Perhaps you have to rent ahead or claim the area early on? Porta potty only because the flush toilets got flooded. read more

Potlatch State Park, just south of Hoodsport, is one of the many public access points along the Hood Canal. This park provides a great vantage point for looking up the Hood Canal. The Canal is straight enough to see a long way, but the shoreline movement displays the different layers of tree growth. There isn't much to the park besides the campground across the street and Hood Canal access, but it's nice that the access is there. The water has always been smooth while driving by and would be a great place to put in a paddleboard or kayak or even attempt a little shore fishing. There appears to be steep dropoff when casting from the point, but I'm unsure if a cast would make it. Better yet, a small fishing boat could easily find it, and one fisherman had, with salmon to show for it. Although, it was unclear how he was going to get his boat out of the water with no boat landing in sight. read more

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Very cute little campground. Very shady. CLEAN bathrooms. A little amphitheater and trail loop.

The water here is trash. We went here because apparently there's bacteria in the lakes at high temperatures but I'd rather be in said lakes than in here. I tried to wash my hand at some point and my hand came out of the water dirtier then it came in. I washing my hand a few times just in case it would clean my hand but it was still dirty. Luckily, there was a water fountain/pipe nearby and the water there was very clean so I managed to clean my hand, but other than the water pipe, there is nothing good about this place. Also, it isn't the kind of water fountain, you drink out of so I'll include a picture of it. Oh, and the toilets were out of service so I had to use the honey buckets nearby. read more

Potlatch State Park - The water fountain/pipe I talked about in my review of this place. I don't actually know what it's called though. - Parks Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Beautiful quiet spot with crickets chirping at dusk. Tables along the water and lots of rocks to skip at the shoreline. I'd give it 5 stars but I did find human excrements while walking along the water. So... watch your step. it's a discover pass fee area and there's a stand to pay if you feel so inclined. Bathrooms are open and clean. read more

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Had a great time with my family. It was a last minute trip from Lakewood, about 1 hour drive. We bbq'd with no issue, easily had an area of our own, &just made sure to pay $10 for our discovery pass for parking for the day. It is worth paying for either the discovery pass for the day or $30 for the year because about an hour into our arrival a park ranger begin putting tickets on the cars who did not have a pass in the dash board. You can purchase a pass online or over phone at the park if you are a last minute tripper like us. Other than that its a pretty easy and beautiful family day trip. We also brought our dog, she stayed on leash unfortunately but still had a great time. They have park bbq pitts, although we brought our own, outside water spouts,many available tables &VERY clean bathrooms. read more

Potlatch State Park - Parks Near Me - Olympia, Washington

This is an adorable state camp right next to the beach. We took sites 6, 8 & 9. Site 6 was pretty small, I'd avoid that one.. But they are all right next to the bathrooms which made it convenient with the 5 kids we brought along. There is an area about the size of 3 campgrounds between the sites we stayed in & the restrooms so plenty of rooms for kids to play. We brought an extra tent just for kids to play in, that was a great idea, no kids jumping on my air mattress... Showers are 50 cents for 3 minutes. You can use $1 or $5 to get your tokens right outside the bathrooms. Friends with T-Mobile had no wireless service, but we had excellent service with AT&T. There is not much sand on the beach, but it's completely awesome for beach combing at low tide. The kids loved it every early afternoon. Fireworks were amazing here, we had no clue. Walk over to the beach the night before and the night of and enjoy everyone's home fireworks shows along & all across the water. At midnight I believe it was the Skokomish Indian Tribe that let off a huge display of fireworks that went on and on and on and then they did their finale right at 1am. I was awestruck. Some good trails above the campground. Firewood available at the office, $5/bundle. Would love to come back here. Also, for the grown-ups, there is a cute winery, a distillery and from what I've heard a pretty mediocre casino all within a 5 minute drive of the campground. read more

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Potlatch is a sweet little park! We spent the weekend there to celebrate a birthday and it was probably the perfect choice for that! Unfortunately for other campers, when we celebrate it tends to get a little loud at times and this park doesn't appear to have any "policing". Now mind you, if we are told to quiet down or settle down we do immediately but if let run wild... well... sometimes even grown ups need adults around!! Potlatch is right off the highway so it can get a bit noisy, especially during motorcycle riding weather! It quiets down later at night though so sleeping isn't generally a problem. You also have to cross the busy highway to get to the beach and day use park which can be unsafe with small children (or stumbling adults)! The bathrooms are old and have that "bathroom" smell to them that is definitely unpleasant! There is only one shower and again, it's on the old side! It's 50 cents for a 3 minute shower, which is about standard for campgrounds. The towel dispenser was out of paper towels most of the weekend so it definitely wasn't being attended to regularly. The sites are a bit tight but once we got settled we seemed to have enough space. There wasn't any privacy but again, we received no complaints so maybe sound doesn't travel as bad as we thought in the dense trees. We'll definitely return to this sweet little park, mostly because of the Lucky Dog Casino just a little over a mile up the road!! read more

I was beyond flabbergasted at how beautiful this park is. I think since the leaves had just fallen and it had just rain and there wasn't hardly anyone there. I went on Thanksgiving and I almost lose my breath as I write this but the view is just so darn beautiful. One of the few parks where you can just walk right up the the water's edge. I'm pretty sure you could go swimming. Just step right into the water. It doesn't look scummy and the water isn't cloudy or smelly like sewage. It's just about perfect. Don't quote me on the swimming part because there probably is some rule or regulation on swimming or some sort of invasive specie that could harm you or swim up in your crannies and make you sick, but I really do know. There are public restrooms, barbecue sites, benches, an RV or camper potty empty station, and a camping area. This park does require the Discovery Pass but it doesn't seem to be anyone there to enforce it if you're only staying for a short time. There is ample parking and places to watch the ducks. It's right across the street from the reservation or it might be the native reservation water treatment plant or whatever. This place is super major and I will definitely be going back. Definitely in the summer too. read more

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This spot is easy to find, a decent amount of parking, the bathrooms are nice and it's kid friendly. Saw lots of people launching kayaks and setting up for the day. There are a ton of whole and broken shells all over the beach. It's easy to get down to the beach. Definitely a nice stop to stretch your legs, or have a picnic. read more

The Park is well-located and easy to find. The spaces are certainly roomy enough for the 18-ft trailer I was towing. Most of the spaces were reserved and it was a bit crowded, so I'd like to return after mid-September. Eric, the Park Ranger, was very pleasant and helpful. The electrical and water hookups for our trailer served us well. The Park lacks the views one would hope for, and the beach is soil, not sand, but better views and photo ops are nearby. I would certainly return when the Park is less crowded. read more

Potlatch State Park - The office is on the west side of Hwy 101 and the park is easy to find. - Parks Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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The day-use area at Potlatch State Park is a long stretch of Hood Canal beach with a grassy picnic area (several tables and grills available), a sheltered group picnic area, restrooms w/ outdoor showers, parking... and its all FREE! There are often eagles, seals, and other wildlife around, too. This is a perfect place to take a rest while travelling on Highway 101 or can be a destination in itself for an hour or a whole day. Then there's the camping area on the other side of the highway if you need more time! *UPDATE* It's no longer free to spend the day at this park; a Washington State Discover Pass is required to park here. There are a couple of 15-minute 'no fee required' parking spots available, however, so that travelers can still relieve themselves at no cost. read more

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Came here in April for clamming & oyster harvesting, first time doing this on our own and I was surprised by the amount of oysters all over the beach, heading over to the Potlatch DNR section. Enter on the picnic side that borders Hood Canal, there are a few picnic tables around, facilities are old but functional. Just start heading south near low tide and make your way to the clamming site. Once we started digging it was about 30 minutes til we hit the daily limit. read more

We stayed here one evening, but decided to find a new place the next night. If you are an RVer, it is probably great, but as a tent camper, it's a bit crowded and smooshed. It was also pretty loud as we were next to a huge family that stayed up until like 2 am. You probably need a reservation if going in the summer time, we were lucky to get a spot without one. Go up the highway to Dosewallips or Seal Rock for a more authentic nature experience. There is good oyster bed at the picnic area and the season is open for a large part of the year. They have showers and laundry facilities, if you are into that kind of thing. Tent sites $21, Firewood $4 read more

Trying to get an RV in here was almost impossible. Two hours later, we were backed in our spot-which really should be a tent spot. This place is really for small trailers and tents. Bathrooms were dirty, and only cleaned once during the entire weekend. Dumpsters were overflowing on the ground. Take you life in your hands crossing the busy highway to get tp the waterfront park area. read more

The state park is beautiful! Plenty of beach to walk along, and in the summer during clam season you see families out digging. There are plenty of mature trees, grass suitable for picnics, and a lot of parking! The bathrooms are well maintained, and the camping sites are a quick walk across the highway (which has a cross walk for safety). read more

Campgrounds are just beautiful. I definitely recommend splurging for one of the RV sites with hookups even if you dont intend to use them. The spots are much nicer than some of the others here. There are a few downsides to this campground. While the bathrooms are pretty clean the showers here suck. I had to use a knife just to get my quarters to go into the coin slot and then the water barely came out at all. Its right across from the day use area and its just a beautiful clean park area. Sunsets and night skies are great here. Horse-shoe area, plenty of open fields to play games in and bbq pits to grill with. Not far from crabbing, boat launches, fishing, clamming, and oyster gathering spots. Staircase + Olympic National Park are just 20 minutes or less away. read more

Average camping place, the campsites were pretty small. The site is close to the beach though which is quite nice. Other than that, it's a pretty average camp site that is pretty easy to access. They only have one shower in each restroom though, and you need to pay in order to get warm water read more

I wish I could give two separate reviews: one for the campground and one for the public access area. The Campground--3 stars: The host was very helpful and kind, which was a plus as it was our first time taking our trailer out camping. I made a reservation, and although I knew we were near the highway since we wanted a pull-through site, had I known just how noisy it would be, I would have chosen something else. The site was large (site #5) but way too noisy and a bit nerve-racking when you have a three year old. My kids had a blast though, and everyone in the park was kind and friendly. I would camp here again, just not near the highway. The Beach Access Area--4.5 stars: What a fantastic beach area! A grassy area for picnics with picnic tables, and then a great beach for clams and oysters; and in between was a sand/gravel area great for kids to play. We found more success by walking to the right of the main area, as it had been very picked over. I would definitely go back here for a family outing for the day, especially because we only live an hour away. Just remember, you do need shellfish licenses, and you need to know the regulations. At this time, it was 18 oysters and 40 steamers per person. Overall, we had a great trip. Before we go back to Potlatch, we plan to try Dosiwallops, which is up the road from Potlatch. read more

Park is gorgeous and is a wonderful place to paddleboard, kayak, picnic, or go crabbing/oystering whatever. The lots are really jammed in close - to the extent that it was hard to even park in there. But the costs were very reasonable, lots of nice, pretty trees for shade, and right across the street is such a heavenly, spacious park with such lovely views! I really love it. So, for camping it might not be my favorite ever but for visiting, this place is the tops! read more

Very satisfied with our stay! The ranger was very helpful with assisting us for first time campers!

the day-use beach park across the street is fantastic! this deserves 4 stars. also, the employees working in the "office" where you register/check in were super nice and professional/helpful. as far as the actual overnight-camping area... 2 stars at best. first off, why is there no soap in the restrooms? that is reprehensible and inexcusable. also, there are very few garbage cans at this place. there needs to be garbage receptacles all over the place at campgrounds. again - we are all PAYING to stay here. (?) (same with the day-use beach area - no garbage cans....) also, there is no privacy at this place. picture a cookie-cutter housing community of Quadrant homes all butted up next to each other where everyone can see everyone else's business... that is how this place feels. lastly, do NOT stay in site 37--- this is where we stayed, never again. it's surrounded by walking trails, there are constant people walking near us to get to the beach area and bathroom, and also it is WAY too close for comfort to the bathrooms which smelled like an outhouse all the way over at our camping area all weekend, no exaggeration. (plumping/septic issues that need to be addressed maybe?) also, that site was way too close to the VERY very loud highway. i just think there is WAY better camping in the area for the price, I can't see myself returning here. read more

Went camping here for this past 4th of July weekend. Campsite was smaller than what I'm used to and the area was not well kept. Headed to the "beach" where my dog was harassed by multiple dogs off their leash. Also, the beach area is not a beach at all but rather mud and old shells clumped together. Needless to say I was not impressed and can understand why this still had campsites available the weekend of. read more

Park Ranger Constantine was very helpful and was very accommodating as my group ended up one site off and had to do some switching with our neighboring sites. The restrooms and showers were very clean and had hand soap and paper towels. Our group had a good time with clamming and harvesting oysters. The camp site parking pass was also good in the day use area so no need to cross over Hwy 101. read more

Nice grassy area with picnic tables, also big beach and lots of mud at low tide. It is a washington beach, so sand is scarce. Crabbing is open now, so the boat launch and water is crazy busy and little loud with boats. During off season is much quieter. Park ranger is helpful and tries to give people a heads up on any violations before she has to ticket them. read more

We visited again this weekend... the laundromat has been closed. Also, they have added a new trail... still not very long, but it gives you something else to do while you are camping there. read more

This is a busy campground. Be sure to visit the Day Use area on opposite site of Hwy 101. Very nice to be close to Hood Canal shoreline.

This park on Hood Canal is so beautiful. It has flush toilets, BBQ grills and a great beach for swimming. Plus crabbing here is really good too. read more

If you want a pull through spot for your trailer, BE AWARE that Hwy 101 is approximately 40 feet from the camp site. We stayed in camp site 7. The parking of our 27 ft 5th wheel was extremely tight due to the large trees and large rock boulders right next to the pull through spot along with the boulders being throughout our campsite. We had to leave the truck hitched as there was no way we would have been able to re-hitch it due to the location of the boulders and trees. IMPOSSIBLE to get the trailer level due to the severe slant of the pull through. And if that is not enough to give this a 1 star, the highway noise was so intense, we had to shout at each other just sitting a couple of feet away in order to be heard. We would go into the trailer for a break from the high level decibels of the road noise, 100+, I am a certified hearing conservationist so please take this estimate as fairly right on. We came home not relaxed or refreshed but more stress than we had gone camping to get away from due to the intense noise. The bathrooms were not clean and ran out of toilet paper or was just never replaced. We took our TP with us to the bathroom. I could go on and on as there were many more examples but please head the warning. DO NOT stay in the pull-throughs. We were told the spots further away from the highway were "okay" but nothing to write home about. Sorry for the bad review, just keeping it real. read more

Noisy, Noisy, NOISY! This park is located just across the ditch from Hwy 101. We were there over a Friday / Saturday night in August. I don't think I got more than three hours of sleep total over the two nights that we were there and my wife got even less. As a day use park it might be great, but I will NEVER stay here again. (Even my brother & his wife in their camper said that is was so noisy that they couldn't sleep.) The men's restroom was old but servicable. However, my wife said that the women's restroom was "Yukky!". The only plus to this park is the location. Just down the road from Hoodsport which is a cute little wide spot. Also, there is a marina there where you can moor your boat overnight for $10 / night. There is also a boat launch about a half mile up the road, so that was nice. The crabbing was good, the fishing less so. If you stay here, bring your ear plugs. read more

Very tight campsites, little privacy. Rangers were extremely helpful, but since people were ignoring park rules, dogs off leash, fires despite burn restrictions, huge numbers of people and cars crammed into five sites partying past midnight, we won't be returning. read more

I stayed at Potlatch mid-week July 2013, in the North Loop site 93. First thing I said to myself driving in was, "This is different..." The sites themselves are nice. The "hiking trail" is very poorly marked and very poorly maintained. While I was in the campground, I don't think I saw another person the entire time, including any park staff. The upside here was going across the highway to the day-use area. Beautiful views. Not a horrible campsite, but I probably won't be back. read more