roadtripper8607952

OLYMPIA, WA – The time has finally come for my first trip in the Pacific Northwest in my “New-2-Me-RV” my 2018 Winnebago Travato 59g. Even though I drove my rig across the country from Wichita to Seattle, I didn’t really consider that my first trip. This is the first… Shakedown or Shakeout to see how the RV works and most importantly, how I work with the RV.

Here’s the 411 on the trip:

Three nights after taxes it worked out to be $98 dollars or $32.66 per night
I stayed in site #242… It had electric and water hook ups and it was paved and easy to get into.
Cell service was mixed, and sometimes had trouble getting a signal, however I was able to use my phone. I have AT&T.
The facilities: There are 93 standard campsites and 45 utility sites that accommodate RVs up to 60 feet long
Campsites are reservable year round. Park hours – April 1 to Sept. 30, 6:30 a.m. to dusk • Winter schedule – Oct. 1 to March 31, 8 a.m. to dusk.
I was easily able to book my reservation online at: https://washington.goingtocamp.com/
According the website:

“Millersylvania State Park is an old-growth forest camping park on the shores of Deep Lake with two swimming beaches, miles of forested hiking and biking trails, and watercraft launches.”

Here’s how you can camp for free in Washington State at Caliche Lakes with a Discover Pass. This is a great option if you’re driving on highway 90 and in my case I was coming from Pullman Washington, heading home to Seattle after a work event and thought this would be a great spot to get a quick overnight car camp in.
In addition to car camping, you can easily get a small to midsized RV in this location and if you wanted to, you can even tent camp there.

The nice part about Caliche Lakes is that it is right off of the highway and if you have a Discover Pass, then staying there is absolutely free. In fact, based on their website, I believe you can even stay there up to 21 days for free!

Here’s the 411 on the trip:
- I stayed there 1 night and with my annual Washington State Discover Pass, it was free
Based on their website it also looks like you can stay there up to 21 days for free
It’s first come first serve basis with about 5-10 places to park I would guesstimate

- Cell service was great. I have AT&T

- The facilities: There’s not a lot there. There is a “pit” toilet and most of the sites have some form of fire-ring on them. You can fish there, I saw several folks do that, most just come and fish and leave.
I found the location on https://www.campendium.com/caliche-lake

According the website:

“The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) provides active management for more than 1 million acres of publicly owned land and over 500 water access areas throughout the state. Our vision is a Washington where fish and wildlife thrive in healthy habitats, and where people experience and enjoy our state's natural gifts for generations to come.”

For a quick overnight or short amount of time, for free you can’t beat it.

There are so many great state parks in Washington to explore and I’m trying to hit up as many as I can. This time out, I decide to take a ferry and head over to Belfair Washington and Belfair State Park.
This park is located West of Seattle and you can get there by driving around the water or in this case taking the ferry over. I’ll have more on that in an upcoming video, but I will say the trip over the water was beautiful.

As for Belfair State Park once I got there, my spot was absolutely gorgeous and one I can totally recommend!

Here’s the 411 on the trip:
A short trip this time, but won’t be the next. For the 1 night after taxes it worked out to be $45.00 dollars
I stayed in site #155… The site was easy to get into, close to one of the bath houses and an amazing view at the back of the site, looking over water.
Cell service was great. I was able to use my phone all trip. I have AT&T.
The facilities: The park has 90 standard campsites, 41 full hookup sites, 2 primitive sites, a dump station, three restrooms, and 8 showers. Maximum site length is 60 feet (limited availability).
Campsites are reservable between May 15 - Sept. 15
I was easily able to book my reservation online at: https://washington.goingtocamp.com/

According the website:

“Located on Hood Canal between Shelton and Bremerton, the park's gentle breezes offer ideal conditions for kite-flying, windsurfing and kicking back on a warm summer day. Anglers can choose from fresh and saltwater fishing, and kayakers can push off onto the Cascadia Marine Trail and explore the Puget Sound waterways.”

DES MOINES, WA – The weather is so much better right now than when I was car camping earlier this year and now it’s time to really get out here and explore. So for this week, we’re back on the road, discovering another great State Park.

“Saltwater State Park” is right between Tacoma and Seattle, which makes it a great stop, if you can get out of town avoiding the traffic AND… you don’t mind airplanes, because it’s in the flight path of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Here’s the 411 on the trip:

I booked my stay for 2 night and after taxes it worked out to be $72.00 or $36.00 dollars per night
Note… I did leave later in the night on my second night. My trip was a Thursday and Friday night and on Friday night, there were a couple of very sketchy folks just outside of the camping area and a couple of more in the park near the water and I just wasn’t sure of the surroundings, so I left between 9pm-10pm
I stayed in site #12… The site was easy to get into, beautiful right next to a creek and although it’s next to the road, it didn’t feel too close to it
Warning, this park is right in the flight path of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and you WILL hear airplanes all day and all night. They stop close to 11p/11:30p it felt like, but then started up again around 5:00am the next morning.
Cell service was great. I was able to use my phone all trip. I have AT&T.
The facilities: The park has 35 campsites, one year round dump station, four restrooms, and two showers. Maximum site length is 50 feet (limited availability).
There are NO primitive sites
I was easily able to book my reservation online at: https://washington.goingtocamp.com/
According the website:

“Saltwater State Park delivers a sandy beach getaway on the edge of Washington’s largest urban area, and the park is only 2 miles from Interstate 5. Set on a stretch of shoreline between Tacoma and Seattle, Saltwater is one of the most popular Washington state parks. While you won’t often have the beach to yourself on a warm summer day, the atmosphere can’t be beat.”

Another interesting State Park, but it is very, very noisy!

I’ve been car camping in Washington for a little over a year and have hit some great places and it’s time to add another one to that list, “Birch Bay State Park.”

Located about 90 miles north of Seattle, it’s oh so close to the Canadian Border, you can see our neighbors to the north easily. This was a really good Washington State Park and one that I would recommend without a doubt.

Here’s the 411 on the trip:

This was just a quick overnight stay, but I could have easily stayed a week or longer. For the 1 night after taxes it worked out to be $70.00 which was really $40.00 dollars per night, I added my yearly Discover Pass for $30 dollars, hence the total price
I stayed in site #115… The site was easy to get into, and right across from one of the bath houses. The neighbors are a little close, but the trees and plants do provide some privacy.
Cell service was great. I was able to use my phone all trip. I have AT&T.
The facilities: The park has 147 campsites, 20 partial hookup sites, a dump station, eight restrooms, and 18 showers. Maximum site length is 60 feet (limited availability).
Campsites are reservable between May 15 – Sept. 15
I was easily able to book my reservation online at: https://washington.goingtocamp.com/
According the website:

“Staying overnight? The friendly campgrounds, basketball court and environmental education programs in summer ensure fun for the whole family. If you’re looking for a side trip, the U.S.- Canada border town of Blaine and the fascinating Peace Arch State Park are only 9 miles north, and the lively university city of Bellingham is 20 miles south. You can always spend an evening in town and return to the beachy bliss of Birch Bay.”

This is a park, you’ll want to check out for sure!

Since I’ve been in Washington, I’ve tried to really see what’s out there and one of the ways I really enjoy doing that is hitting up State Parks and this trip I’ve got a great one to share with you!

Manchester State Park is located in Port Orchard Washington. You can get there by driving and or taking the ferry, which I did this time to the park and back.

No doubt at the end of the year, this park will rank near the top of my stops in 2023!

Here’s the 411 on the trip:

One night after taxes it worked out to be $40.00 dollars
I stayed in site #47… The site was easy to get into, close to one of the bath houses and had good separation between sites
Cell service was good. I was able to use my phone all trip. I have AT&T.
The facilities: The park has 35 standard campsites, 15 partial hookup sites, a dump station, 2 restrooms, and 2 showers. Maximum site length is 60 feet (limited availability).
Campsites are reservable year round up to 9 months in advance
I was easily able to book my reservation online at: https://washington.goingtocamp.com/