NF Campground Review – Kalaloch Beach, WA

July 11, 2014 by libertatemamo 13 Comments

A lovely forested campground steps from the wild & gorgeous OP Coast in Kalaloch, WA. Best suited for smaller-sized rigs.

Link to campground here: Kalaloch Beach Campground, WA
Link to map location here: Kalaloch Beach Campground, WA

1. Site Quality = 3.5/5
   Somewhat mixed site quality here. There are 6 campsite loops (labelled A through F) with a mix of back-in and pull-in sites all paved, no hookups. Sites are generally well-spaced with nice “sitting areas” containing concrete picnic table and metal fire-pit. Lots of trees and shade in the middle while beach-facing sites are more open/sunny (several even have direct beach-views!). Back-facing sites (the sites nearest 101) do have some street noise. The big variation comes in size & levelness. This is an older campground with mostly smaller sites (official recommended RV length is 21-foot, with max of 35-foot) and for that reason many sites are either very small, or uneven and/or difficult to get into for bigger rigs. Out of a total of 170 sites, only 9 (A17, A25-27, B12, B15, B16 and D27, D31) are rated 40-foot in length and having seen the lot I would agree that this is the limit. The inner roads and thick trees also require some skill to maneuver in -> we “swept” quite a few trees on the road in and had to back/forth several times to get into our site. It can be done, but I would only recommend it for those folks who are comfortable driving their big rig in tighter spots. Generally this campsite is better-rated for tenters or smaller rigs, both of whom will have lots of choice.
2. Facilities = 2.5/5
   OK facilities. There are flush toilets kept nicely clean, but no showers. Plenty of water spigots around camp plus RV dump station on-site.
3. Location = 5/5
   Location is the whole reason you come here. The campground is literally steps from the beach and what a gorgeous beach it it! The entire Kalaloch area includes ~10 miles of shore-line from the sea-stacked Ruby Beach in the north to South Beach on the southern end. No end of beach-combing & sunset viewing. Nearby Kalaloch Lodge is walking distance away and offers a restaurant and basic shopping/supplies. There is also a lovely 1-mile nature trail on the opposite side of Hwy 101. Lastly you are only ~30 miles from the Quinault rainforest and ~40 miles from Hoh for further hiking/visiting.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great location for doggie. Lots of space in camp and the entire beach section is dog-friendly (on leash).

Overall Rating = 4.0
BONUS ALERT = Camp walking distance from gorgeous Kalaloch Beach!

Summary: Kalaloch Beach is one of the primo campgrounds on the central WA Coast. It’s in a fabulous location, just steps from the beach, walking distance to Kalaloch Lodge and 30-40 miles from the Quinault & Hoh rain forests. Nature-wise you couldn’t find a nicer spot. Sites are generally well-spaced and private with nice, spacious “sitting areas” containing picnic table and fire-pit. Middle sites are heavily forested while beach-facing sites are open/sunny (several even have water views!). No hookups. The biggest issues for big-rigs are size, levelness and roads. This is an older campground with mostly smaller sites best-suited to tent/car camping or smaller rigs (official recommended RV length is 21′, with max of 35′). Out of 170 total sites, only 9 are rated 40-foot in length and having seen the lot I would agree that this is the limit. The roads/turns are negotiable for 40-footers, but it takes careful driving and you should be prepared to brush a few trees along the way. I would only recommend it for folks who are comfortable driving their rigs in tighter spots, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for anything larger than 40-foot. This is also the only OP forest service campground that takes reservations during the summer season (mid-June through Sept 1st) and they book out FAST, so it’s important to book waaaay ahead if you want to come during that time. Overall an outstanding place to stay and enjoy the Kalaloch Beach area. If we come back to the area (and are able to snag a booking), we’d definitely camp here again! Note/ Nearest “real” shopping is ~35 miles away in Forks so stock up before you come!

Extra Info: Surprisingly we had very good Verizon signal (2 bars of 3G on our phone and 2 bars of very stable LTE on our MiFi). Sites cost $18/night in summer season, $14/night in winter season. No hookups. 170 sites, all reservable during summer (walk-in rest of year). On-site flush toilets, trash and dump.

Extra, Extra Info – OTHER CAMPING: The only other camping in this area is South Beach ($10/night) which is only a few miles south of Kalaloch. This is a first-come-first-serve (no reservations) campground which is basically a large open, grassy loop (no trees) and easily accessible by just about any-sized rig. If Kalaloch is full and/or you are worried about negotiating the roads, this is the place to go.

Note/ You can see a pic of each and every campsite in this campground on campsitephoto.com