maggie blair Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 It's six monthes away, but I am a bit of a planner. I will be traveling to the Ocena Shores, Wash. Seattle, and the San Juan Islands in June, July and August. . Could anyone suggest some inexpensive/clean RV parks in those areas? I have a 26 ft. motorhome. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Coming from where and what do you want to spend? Where in the San Juan Islands are you going? It is expensive to take a rig to the islands on the ferry. There isn't an inexpensive park in the Seattle area. There are expensive and then REALLY expensive. How long do you want to be in Seattle, what do you want to see? Are you towing a car? The few parks that are located in the metro area are quite a jaunt from downtown Seattle. The best park, for us, is Lake Pleasant, in Bothell, on the north side of Seattle. It is $44/night and they don't have a weekly or monthly rate. Next on our list would be Lakeside in Everett, WA and they do have weekly & monthly rates. It is a little awkward getting in, but once in it is easy with a car from there to get around. We stay here for week or longer stays. Several of the counties also have fairgrounds and some cities also have parks. If you want to see the coast, might I suggest Long Beach instead of Ocean Shores. Of the two, I think Long Beach is the better one to visit. Again, what do you want to see, how long do you want to stay. There are a lot of people who live/have lived/visit frequently in the PNW, so if you tell us more of what you want to do, we can come up with better suggestions. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie blair Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Coming from where and what do you want to spend? Where in the San Juan Islands are you going? It is expensive to take a rig to the islands on the ferry. There isn't an inexpensive park in the Seattle area. There are expensive and then REALLY expensive. How long do you want to be in Seattle, what do you want to see? Are you towing a car? The few parks that are located in the metro area are quite a jaunt from downtown Seattle. The best park, for us, is Lake Pleasant, in Bothell, on the north side of Seattle. It is $44/night and they don't have a weekly or monthly rate. Next on our list would be Lakeside in Everett, WA and they do have weekly & monthly rates. It is a little awkward getting in, but once in it is easy with a car from there to get around. We stay here for week or longer stays. Several of the counties also have fairgrounds and some cities also have parks. If you want to see the coast, might I suggest Long Beach instead of Ocean Shores. Of the two, I think Long Beach is the better one to visit. Again, what do you want to see, how long do you want to stay. There are a lot of people who live/have lived/visit frequently in the PNW, so if you tell us more of what you want to do, we can come up with better suggestions. Barb Thanks so much Barb for responding. I will be traveling from Redding Ca. and I would like to stay up in that area for 2 months. My son lives in downtown Seattle, but I don't want to try to take my RV into Seattle. I don't know the San Juan Island area, but would like to do some kayaking and site seeing. It sounds like it might be easier/cheaper to stay in Washington and take day trips to the islands. I will be towing my Honda Fit so I have transportation to get around. I have spent lots of time on the Calif./Oregon coast and that is why I choose Ocean shores. It would be nice to explore a new area. I will check the RV parks in Long Beach area. I am an ELKS member so the ELKS park are a good short-term choice for me. This is exciting to know that people who live/visit PNW will be able to give me ideas. I sure appreciate any and all help I can get. Happy New year and thanks again. Maggie~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2gypsies Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 You could stay at the Escapees park in Chimacum, WA. It's on the Olympic Peninsula near Olympic National Park. It's a great area to stay. Unless you want to be with your son every day, you could take the short ferry ride from Bainbridge (about 1/2 hr. from the park) and it will let you off on Seattle's waterfront at the Aquarium and Pike's Market area. You might be able to then pick up a bus to your son's, depending where he lives. From the Chimacum park it is also a 1/2 hr. drive to Port Angeles where you can get a ferry to Victoria/Vancouver Island. Also at Chimacum is Port Townsend and again, a short ferry to Whidbey Island/Oak Harbor and you can then drive to Anacortes and I-5. The ferries allow RVs or just walk-ons. Perhaps something like this would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Joyce Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 "you could take the short ferry ride from Bainbridge (about 1/2 hr. from the park)" 1/2 hour will get you to the Port Townsend ferry, it is more like an hour to an hour and 15 minutes to the Bainbridge or Kingston ferry docks. Many do stay at the Bremerton Elks and take the Bremerton ferry to Seattle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budeneighe Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Port Townsend also has a decent Elks club campground not far from the Escapees Evergreen park. Be aware that most RV parks boost their summer rates... .A LOT! Sites that were $375 in the winter per month can be $1200+ for the summer or shoulder months. Evergreen now has online reservations and it does fill up in the summer time. It was no vacancy full a lot of the weekends this past summer. I think you will find that the places that are out of the way will be priced better. Washington does have some very nice state parks, too. Fort Wordon in Port Townsend and Fort Flagler, just south of there, have some very nice sites. Again, reservations may be the only way to get in during the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trostberg Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 I believe there is an Elks Club in Ballard where you may park which is in the area of the Locks that go between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. I have been told to make summer reservations now for Chimacum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdogs Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 almost every county has a fair ground that offers cheap rates EXCEPT when the county fair is in town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasttruck Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Evergreen Coho in Chimacum pretty much needs reservations in the summer now. I would suggest calling as soon as you have plans firmed up as it is filling up fast already. Currently, phone in is the only way to make reservations. The Kingston ferry is about 40 minutes away and goes over to Edmonds. Nice thing about the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry is that you can make reservations for a crossing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie blair Posted January 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 You could stay at the Escapees park in Chimacum, WA. It's on the Olympic Peninsula near Olympic National Park. It's a great area to stay. Unless you want to be with your son every day, you could take the short ferry ride from Bainbridge (about 1/2 hr. from the park) and it will let you off on Seattle's waterfront at the Aquarium and Pike's Market area. You might be able to then pick up a bus to your son's, depending where he lives. From the Chimacum park it is also a 1/2 hr. drive to Port Angeles where you can get a ferry to Victoria/Vancouver Island. Also at Chimacum is Port Townsend and again, a short ferry to Whidbey Island/Oak Harbor and you can then drive to Anacortes and I-5. The ferries allow RVs or just walk-ons. Perhaps something like this would help. This sounds great. I will check this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Joyce Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Since my mother-in-law has a lot at Evergreen Coho, we have spent a lot of time camping there. For some reason many we know treat driving to Port Angelas or Bainbridge Island as major journeys that require advance planning, even if they are under a one hour drive. We also have family in Poulsbo and spend time camping there, at a commercial campground. For some people, that area is a slice of heaven, for others a week and they are ready to move on. Same with many other places, some love them, some don't, and others find the location great for a short stay but not a long one. My wife and I are both Washington natives and have lived in multiple locations in the state, including Eastern Washington, which we like and many hate since it is mostly high desert. Lots to learn along the Columbia River in Eastern Washington, Spokane and neighboring Coeur d'Alene Idaho are really nice, plus the there are many other places like Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick (where we lived for many years) and the neighboring university towns of Pullman WA (where I went) and Moscow Idaho. Western Washington is great, it is where I grew up and we lived for many years before fulltiming. You can't go wrong visiting the Skagit Valley north of Seattle and south of BC, Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens are very interesting as are the other national parks of North Cascades and Olympic. The areas close to salt water, along Puget Sound, Hood Canal and Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean have lots to offer. There are nice Elks lodges with camping in many places as had been mentioned, including Forks WA, now famous for the Twilight books and movies. Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho are also well worth spending time visiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie blair Posted January 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 Since my mother-in-law has a lot at Evergreen Coho, we have spent a lot of time camping there. For some reason many we know treat driving to Port Angelas or Bainbridge Island as major journeys that require advance planning, even if they are under a one hour drive. We also have family in Poulsbo and spend time camping there, at a commercial campground. For some people, that area is a slice of heaven, for others a week and they are ready to move on. Same with many other places, some love them, some don't, and others find the location great for a short stay but not a long one. My wife and I are both Washington natives and have lived in multiple locations in the state, including Eastern Washington, which we like and many hate since it is mostly high desert. Lots to learn along the Columbia River in Eastern Washington, Spokane and neighboring Coeur d'Alene Idaho are really nice, plus the there are many other places like Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick (where we lived for many years) and the neighboring university towns of Pullman WA (where I went) and Moscow Idaho. Western Washington is great, it is where I grew up and we lived for many years before fulltiming. You can't go wrong visiting the Skagit Valley north of Seattle and south of BC, Mount Rainier and Mount Saint Helens are very interesting as are the other national parks of North Cascades and Olympic. The areas close to salt water, along Puget Sound, Hood Canal and Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean have lots to offer. There are nice Elks lodges with camping in many places as had been mentioned, including Forks WA, now famous for the Twilight books and movies. Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho are also well worth spending time visiting. Great information. Thanks so much. I am filing this info. for use when I get to Washington. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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