The state of Washington holds three national parks: Mt. Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades. The parks offer a wealth of hiking, fishing and boating opportunities, along with campgrounds that can accommodate RVers and tenters.
Description
Olympic National Park is located on the mountainous Olympic Peninsula. The park includes Pacific Ocean coastline and lush, green rain forests that offer great hiking opportunities. North Cascades National Park is situated in northern Washington near the Canadian border. The park offers lots of mountain-oriented activities such as hiking and boating. Mt. Rainier National Park lies southeast of Seattle and offers great hiking trails on gigantic Mount Rainier, a dormant volcano.
Mt. Rainier National Park
Mt. Rainier offers campgrounds in five developed areas of the park, including Longmire, Ohanapecosh, White River and Carbon/Mowich. A few of the lower-elevation campgrounds stay open all year. Hiking opportunities near the Paradise and Longmire areas of the park make Cougar Rock Campground a good location to camp. The campground caters to both RVers and tenters, offering water, flush toilets and a dump station but no hookups. To reach the trails at Paradise, keep driving up the road from the campground. At the top, several trails ranging from easy to strenuous leave the Paradise parking lot, taking you through meadows filled with wildflowers and close-up views of Mt. Rainier’s glaciers. A variety of trails also start at Longmire, 2 miles away from the campground.
North Cascades National Park
Most of North Cascades National Park’s seven campgrounds are located along Route 20, the main road that runs through the park. The campgrounds provide RV and tent campers with sites open from spring to fall. The three areas of the park include the North Cascade Mountains as well as Lake Chelan and Ross Lake. Colonial Creek, a centrally-located campground, offers great access to Thunder Creek Trailhead, a 19.6-mile trail that takes you along an easy forest path that gradually increases in difficulty as it winds its way to Fourth of July Pass. You’ll also be near the fishing piers and boat launches on nearby Diablo and Ross lakes where you can cast your line for trout. The campground offers vault toilets and running water.
Olympic National Park
Olympic provides 16 campgrounds for RVs and trailers up to 21 feet in length. Some of the campgrounds stay open year-round, although a few such as Deer Park and Fairholme open in the summer only. The campgrounds are scattered around the park, with some in the rain forest, such as Hoh and North Fork campgrounds. You’ll also find some campgrounds close to the ocean, including Mora and South Beach. For hiking that starts at the top of the mountain, head to Hurricane Ridge for several trails filled with wildlife and scenic views of the nearby mountains. Camp at Heart O’ the Hills for the quickest access to Hurricane Ridge. The campground offers sites with running water and vault toilets.
Backcountry Camping
Wilderness camping is allowed in all three parks. Mt. Rainier limits the number of permits it gives out each year, with reservations recommended for the busiest months of July and August. The parks require that you obtain a wilderness camping permit from the appropriate ranger stations or visitor center before you head out on your hike. All three parks are home to black bears, so you’ll need to store your food properly. Plus, plan on packing out all trash.
Preparation
Most of the campgrounds do not offer electricity, so you may need a generator if you’re driving an RV.
If you plan to fish in North Cascades, you’ll need to obtain a Washington State fishing license from any sporting goods store in nearby towns.
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