CP Campground Review – Dungeness Recreation Area, Sequim, WA

July 24, 2014 by libertatemamo 10 Comments

A wonderfully-located and inexpensive county park on the Dungeness bluff in Sequim, WA.

Link to campground here: Dungeness Recreation Area, Sequim, WA
Link to map location here: Dungeness Recreation Area, Sequim, WA

1. Site Quality = 3.5/5
   Generally good site quality here with a few dings. There are 2 main campground loops with 66 total sites, mostly back-in with a select few pull-through, NO hookups. Sites are paved, generally flat, very well-separated, mostly densely treed (a select few have sun) and plenty of privacy. A very few sites even have direct access to the bluff trail with slices of view (#8,10,12). Where the mixed-quality comes in is in terms of size of site and sitting area. Some sites are very large with extremely spacious sitting areas, whereas others are smaller/tighter/narrower and have almost no sitting area. Not sure why there is so much variation, but this is something to be aware of. Also the campground, being heavily treed is not exactly great for big rigs. Both loops are do-able by rigs up to ~40-feet, but you need to be a tad careful (be prepared to brush a few trees) and I would definitely NOT recommend anything larger. At the time of this writing sites in Loop 1 were first-come-first-serve whereas sites in Loop 2 were mostly reservation (by old-fashioned post) . The ranger told me they plan to switch to an on-line reservation system next year, so I’m not sure how that will change the distribution.
2. Facilities = 3/5
   Decent facilities. The toilets were clean and showers large/spacious. Main ding is that showers are paid ($0.25 for a meager 2 minutes) and pressure was a tad low. On-site dump station plus a few water spigots scattered around the campground (wish there were more). There are also several on-site picnic areas plus a playground (for kiddies).
3. Location = 5/5
   Location is the reason to stay here and it definitely delivers. Although none of the sites have full bluff views the entire campground is located right on the Dungeness Bluff and it takes mere minutes to walk from your site to the trail and get sweeping views of the area. Also, you can hike directly from your site to the Dungeness Spit Wildlife Refuge with the fabulous New Dungeness Lighthouse at the end. Lastly you are a only a few miles from Nash’s Organic Produce (the best store in town IMHO), easy driving (or even biking) distance to the local lavender farms and only ~9 miles from downtown Sequim. Can’t imagine a better location to visit the town.
4. Pet Friendliness = 4.5/5
   Great location for doggie. There is good space in camp, plus there are plenty of dog-friendly hiking trails around the Dungeness Recreation Area including along the top of the bluff and into the back meadows. Poo bags on-site. Only ding? You can’t take doggie into the next-door Dungeness Wildlife Refuge and down onto the beach/spit area so you can admire the beach from above, but not below. Nearest place to take doggie to the beach is in the undeveloped Miller Peninsula which is half-way between Sequim & Port Townsend.

Overall Rating = 4.0
BONUS ALERT = Camp on the edge of the gorgeous Dungeness Bluff!

Summary: I chose this park primarily due to it’s fabulous location and on that point it definitely delivered. The campground is located right on the tip of the bluff with a trail that soaks in the gorgeous views and pathways that lead to next-door Dungeness Spit (with option to hike to the gorgeous New Dungeness Lighthouse). It’s also easy reach to all the lavender farms and only ~9 miles from downtown Sequim. The campground has 2 main loops with paved sites (mostly back-in) that are densely-treed and generally very spacious and private. The only ding is that the sites can vary a bit in size, and the heavily-treed loops means big rigs will likely brush a few branches going through. Our 40-footer did OK, but I would definitely not take anything bigger. Also, although there are plenty of trails to walk doggie within the park those with dogs need to be aware that you cannot take pooch down to the beach/spit since that portion of the park belongs to the National Wildlife Refuge which prohibits dogs. Half the sites in the campground are reservation, while the other half are first-come-first sever. We booked ahead for our size which (at the time of booking) involved sending in a reservation request by old-fashioned mail and waiting 2-3 weeks to see if we got a site. The ranger told me they’re switching to an on-line reservation system next year so that should make the sites much more easy to book. Overall we found this park incredibly peaceful and really enjoyed the site privacy and gorgeous bluff trails. Plus you cannot beat the great location for seeing all of Sequim. We enjoyed our time here and would definitely come back!

Extra Info: Moderate, but stable Verizon signal (2 bars of 3G on our phone and 1-2 bars of stable LTE on our MiFi). Sites cost $22/night. No hookups. 66 total sites, half of which are reservable, the other half first-come-first-serve. On-site flush toilets, showers (paid), trash, dump and potable water.

Note/ You can see a pic of each and every campsite on Clallam County website. Just click on the individual site HERE.