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    Old Fort Townsend State Park

    4.2 (20 reviews)

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    Paved road into the park
    Sheri H.

    Cool park that feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, a short drive-in from the main highway. Amphitheater facing the water. Fire pits with grills next to picnic tables. Over 6 miles of trails, and bikes are allowed on some of them. 40 reservable campsites. There's a dump station if your RV needs it, along with a shower and restrooms. There's one group area that holds up to 50 people that requires reservations. Boat moorage available. The road into the park needs work. Park is open from 8 am-dusk during the summertime and any camping is closed for the winter, Oct. 1-April 15. Can be used during the daytime year round. The water supply is closed in the winter.

    Several areas for tents
    Carlos B.

    We arrived here sight unseen. Site 16 was perfect albeit it was the last spot. Nearby the bathroom and showers, the water spicket and one of the trailheads (Trillium Trail) for some Geocaching. Easy access to the park, and each of the camping sites. I would recommend this to anyone.

    Sites are about 15’ wide. My neighbors TILT OUT EXTENDED over our picnic table.
    Kurt B.

    AVOID THIS PARK FOR RV'S. The sites are barely 15' wide. Pit toilets, even though they advertise Flush. Coin Operated Showers advertised we're PAD LOCKED. RATES ARE HIGH. We had reserved for 3 days and COULD NOT CANCEL the last 2. We moved to Sequim State Park a little farther up, but MUCH nicer and cheaper.

    View of the shore
    Jordan M.

    If you're looking for a serene woodsy place to tent camp this is it! There are RV/trailer sites which are what you would expect - all in a line with no privacy between them. The tent sites all have moderate to high privacy, especially the perimeter sites. If you're in the middle of the loop then unfortunately you have people 360 degrees around you but still not terrible. I noticed that all the sites have fire pits with grills except for #2 for some reason. I would also avoid #2 and #3 as they are literally directly next to the bathrooms and there is a bright metal halide light outside the bathroom. The pull-through sites generally are more secluded and offer more natural buffers than the back-in sites do. Within walking distance of the tent sites are large grassy fields with plenty of room for activities and games and there are several miles of easy walking trails that parallel the shore line with beautiful vistas overlooking Port Townsend Bay. One of the trails leads down to the shore which has a nice picnic table right on the shore. An added bonus for history buffs are the placards on one of the walking trails that tells the history of the park when it was an active Army base in the late 1800's. The trails are all wide and well-maintained as well as heavily shaded which is nice in the hot summer. Only of a few of the lesser used trails were quite narrow (shoulder width wide). All in all my wife, daughter and I fell in love with this park and will definitely be reserving #1 again!

    Liz D.

    Smaller campground. There is a men's "outhouse" and a women's "outhouse" fairly close to the sites (which are pretty small) and if you take a 5 minute walk they have a more typical restroom, 4 stalls, but no showers, two sinks & mirrors. Having a mirror in the bathroom is a bonus for me, I know it shouldn't matter but it's something I like to have! There are two really big grassy fields that are kept short and plenty of picnic tables. The kids had fun playing there and it was a great spot to play fetch with our puppy. The campsites don't have fire pits but they have the raised smaller contained fire pits made for bbq'ing in. We had a small campfire in it at night and in the morning. Plenty of water spickets scattered around close to the sites. And a gravelly trail will take you down to the waterfront. It's about a 10 minute walk and it's gorgeous down there!

    Margie A.

    Gorgeous! Lots of trails & tall trees. Bring hiking/walking shoes and your dog. But, don't forget his/her leash!! Numerous picnic tables & camp sites too.

    View of Pt. Townsend from beach
    Becky G.

    We stopped by here on our way to Pt. Townsend. The drive back to the park was really nice, with snow covering the ground and trees. We parked and walked down to the beach area. The cliff overlooking the beach offers great water views. The beach itself wasn't that big, but I think it was high tide. We were the only ones there, so it was really relaxing. The girls had a great time lifting up rocks. There were so many crabs and snails! The views of downtown Pt. Townsend are awesome. The only negative was there were not any stairs leading from the viewing area down to the beach. The drop-off was about ten feet, and it was surrounded by big rocks. It wasn't that hard maneuvering our way down, but we had to carry our three year old down, so it was a little tricky. On our way back up we noticed some broken steps (completely unusable). Worth stopping to see if you are in the area.

    Morning view from the tent

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    7 years ago

    I love camping here, so peaceful and well maintained.

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    Review Highlights - Old Fort Townsend State Park

    While ours was relatively flat and worked great for our camper van, many looked much more suited to tent camping.

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    Fort Worden State Park - Lighthouse

    Fort Worden State Park

    4.4(136 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    When I originally wrote this my wife and I did not have an innerstanding regarding ADA laws and…read moreservice animals. Since than we have become educated so as to protect the laws set in motion by the ADA. There are 2 questions that can be asked regarding an animal that may be in question: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability. [Source: https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/) These questions were not addressed by the Park employee and the Park should have in place a plan on how to address an animal that isn't showing behavioral issues (ie: zero training, aggressive towards people/animals, etc.). There is a need for an awareness of the importance of being respectful to service animals. There is sadly many who claim their dogs as service animals when they're clearly not trained for any tasks and therefore should be labeled as ESA (Emotional Support Animal).

    Steve and I returned to Fort Worden State Park after coming here for the first time several years…read moreago. We came here with a relative who recently moved here and it was wonderful to walk around and talk along the beach... visit and catch up as we strolled up towards the lighthouse. It is spring so it was windy and a bit cold but with enough layers we were pretty comfortable on our short walk. Such a beautiful state park and definitely a "must" to visit while in Port Townsend!

    Photos
    Fort Worden State Park
    Fort Worden State Park - Katie Karin Kimberly Rachel and Katie

    Katie Karin Kimberly Rachel and Katie

    Fort Worden State Park - Thomas Vicars

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    Thomas Vicars

    Fort Flagler State Park - Amazing view all the way to Mt. Baker!

    Fort Flagler State Park

    4.5(30 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    I think I was a small child the last time I visited Fort Flagler, so I don't remember much. It was…read moregreat to come back and experience again as an adult. Campsites go quickly at this place, especially in the coveted Lower Campground, which is so close to the beach there are tsunami warning signs throughout. The sites are large here, and although tents are allowed, they are most coveted by the RV crowd as all sites have power, water, and sewer hookups. (We also drove through the more rustic Upper Campground, which sits high on the bluff and is more sheltered. There were plenty of tents here, but weren't RV friendly except for the smallest units.) We spent three nights total, spending most of our time at the park enjoying the beach, bike trails, and (of course) the many historic gun batteries that protected the Strait during WWI and WWII. It's also about a 35 minute drive from Port Townsend, home to cute shops and restaurants. Reservations are a must if you want to camp at Fort Flagler. You can make them exactly 9 months ahead and they do fill up quickly.

    I haven't ever been to Marrowstone Island before until quite recently and it was a great trip! The…read moremain purpose was to go to Fort Flagler and look at the fort remains and take in the scenic views which there was plenty of! The state park is also a retreat and there is quite a set up for anyone signing up for that and I can see why as the whole area is so peaceful and tranquil. The fort itself is quite a bit smaller as far as seeing structures go compared to Fort Casey on Whidby Island but this state park and it's history has it's own personality and charm. In some ways I like Fort Flagler better as far as peace and quiet goes as Fort Casey can get very crazy with visitors. The walking paths are quite manageable to take in the different batteries or what makes up Battery Row but they are dirt paths so if you go in the winter or spring be prepared for mud. Our Discovery State Park Pass came in handy for this stop and felt like it was put to good use for visiting this particular state park!

    Photos
    Fort Flagler State Park - Beautiful mountain views!

    Beautiful mountain views!

    Fort Flagler State Park
    Fort Flagler State Park - View of Alaska cruise ships on their way north.

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    View of Alaska cruise ships on their way north.

    Western Prince Whale Watching - Orca family

    Western Prince Whale Watching

    4.9(374 reviews)
    33.5 mi

    This was the first experience that my wife and I have had whale watching. We decided to arrange a…read moretrip with Western Prince and stay on San Juan Island for a couple of nights in conjunction with it. Our guide was Allison on the boat piloted by Captain Ivan. They offered gear for the trip, including weather bibs, jacket, gloves and knitted caps, which were definitely needed for the trip. Allison provided excellent information on the wildlife in the area, of which we saw (and heard in many cases) sea lions, a sea otter, a blue heron, bald eagle, and of course, whales. Captain Ivan provided a great deal of information to our tour also, describing the interface with other tours in the area, such as how they communicate sightings and limiting time in the area in concern for the wildlife. Several aspects of the experience stood out to me: -Everyone was very welcoming, making sure everyone was prepared for the trip (gear, preparation for limited restroom access, safety, etc.) -The boat is an open design, with nearly 360-degree views, with the seating being bench style seats for very comfortable for the approximate 3-hour tour. Viewing other tour boats in the area, I was glad we chose Western Prince if only for the boat environment/atmosphere alone. -The size of the tour was approximately 20 people, which made the tour more personal. -Captain Ivan demonstrated his experience with tracking the behavior of the pod that had been sighted, with the final surfacing of the family (Orcas) approximately 75 feet from the bow on the port side of the boat, which he had only minutes prior had killed the engine expecting them to show, which they did. He didn't "chase" the whales and location, he just acted on his knowledge of their behavior to position the tour accordingly. Also, a lone sea otter had been spotted in the area recently, and as we headed back to port, he recognized him playing near a buoy, and we slowed down to watch him for a little bit. It was very impressive. -Allison demonstrated her knowledge and experience describing the behavior and environment of the wildlife. Her longevity with the company demonstrated her commitment to share and inform others of this amazing area of the world. I really can't say enough good things about the experience.

    Katy (our naturalist) and Bethany (our captain) were both extremely knowledgeable and attentative,…read moretaking time to take care of other passengers who were feeling a little under the weather, pointing out each animal with contagious enthusiasm. Our daughter was made to feel both special and grown-up. We got to see a number of whales pretry close-up while Katy described in detail their behaviors, habits, etc. Absolutely would book again.

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    Western Prince Whale Watching
    Western Prince Whale Watching - Orca with Mt Baker in the background

    Orca with Mt Baker in the background

    Western Prince Whale Watching

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    Old Fort Townsend State Park - parks - Updated June 2026

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