Harbor Campground Review – Point Hudson Marina, Port Townsend, WA
A very basic, but fabulously-located campground to explore the cute, hip Victorian town of Port Townsend in NW WA.
Link to campground here: Point Hudson Marina, Port Townsend, WA
Link to map location here: Point Hudson Marina, Port Townsend, WA
- Site Quality = 2.5/5
Generally fairly poor site quality here, but there is a key upside. The sites in the marina are basically just cleared-out dirt areas, pull-through and back-in. Total 46 sites of which 44 are full hookup ($27-$52/night in summer, depending on site location) and 2 are dry-camping (#360/361, no hookups, $20/night). RV’s are separated into two general areas, the “Loop” near the entrance to the marina and the “Point” out by the end. Site separation in both areas is pretty poor and there is zero privacy or extras. Generally Point sites are tighter together than Loop but both are fairly close-knit, and only a select number of sites have picnic tables. So, where’s the attraction?? The upside here is that you are right ON the water in the marina. If you manage to book a water-view site you’ll have beautiful (gorgeous!) views of either the marina or the Sound. Also since there’s limited through-traffic at the marina the sites are generally wonderfully relaxed and quiet. The best sites, without a doubt, are the premium water-view sites (360-61, 305-306, 307, 322, 328, 332, 335) and these have the absolute best views. Sites 338-347 have very little separation, but also enjoy lovely water-views out the front as do 308-311. The other sites are “hidden” behind other RVs and do not enjoy water views. If you come here do the splurge and book a water-view site. It’s worth it. - Facilities = 3.5/5
Pretty decent facilities here. The marina has good laundry room ($2.00 per load), clean toilets and large shower stalls. Only ding is that the shower stalls are pay ($0.25 for only 1.5 minutes). NO dump station or water spigots, but RV’s in the two dry-camping sites can dump at one of the full hookup sites if they are free. - Location = 5/5
Location is the reason this place ROCKS. The Marina RV Park is located right on the point of Port Townsend and literally in the middle of everything you want to see and do in this town. Within the Marina itself there are 3 restaurants, plus you can walk to many more in downtown which is mere minutes walk away. All the historic houses are walking distance away, as are unlimited Mocha’s and entertainment. If you stay here for a week you can literally dump your toad and just walk or bike anywhere you’d like to see. Can’t imagine a better location. - Pet Friendliness = 5/5
Great location for doggie. The north side of the Marina has a lovely (long) beach area where you can take doggie for walks/swims plus you can walk pooch all around town with many more mini-beaches along the water-front. Also Fort Worden State Park is only a few miles away and provides even more trails/beaches (all dog-friendly). Poo bags on-site.
Overall Rating = 4.0
BONUS ALERT = Camp on the water and walking distance to fabulous downtown Port Townsend!
Summary: Location, location, location! If you’re looking for a basic park in a FABULOUS location with water-front views and walking distance to a cute, hip, happening downtown then this is your spot. Honestly the sites themselves are not much to write home about. Basic, dirt sites with generally poor separation, only a few picnic tables (select sites) and not much else. All sites are full hook-up except for 2 dry-camping sites. Where the place ROCKS is that you’re ON the water-front in the marina so several of the sites (esp. 360-61, 305-306, 307, 322, 328, 332, 335) have gorgeous water views. If you come here, go for the splurge and book one of the water-view sites. They far outshine the rest of the sites and you won’t regret it! Within the Marina itself you’ll have access to 3 restaurants as well as a lovely (long) beach on the north end of the park. Plus you are literally only minutes walk to lovely downtown Port Townsend and everything there is to see and do there. If you need a day “out” of town you’re only a few miles drive to lovely Fort Worden where miles of additional beach & trails await you. One word of warning. This park is POPULAR and books out fast especially if you want one of the prime view sites. We booked 5 months ago and got the last open week for one of the two dry-camping sites. So, book ahead if you plan to come. Overall we absolutely loved this place. Great views, perfect Verizon signal and walking distance to everything we could think of. We would stay here again in a heartbeat!
Extra Info: Excellent Verizon signal (5 bars of LTE from a very new-looking tower just across from the marina). In summer season sites cost $20/night (dry-camping: 2 sites only) or $27-$52/night (full hookups: 44 sites total. Price depends on location of site). ALL sites reservable and it is advised to book well ahead. On-site flush toilets, showers (paid), trash, laundry.
Extra, Extra Info – OTHER Camping: If you don’t manage to snag a spot at the Marina there are a few other good camping options around town:
- Fort Worden State Park – Fort Worden State Park lies just west of town and has lovely camping, especially in their lower campground loop. Huge sites, lots of space, beautiful surroundings. However this place is probably even more popular than the marina so you gotta book waaay ahead if you want to stay more than a few days. When I looked in Feb nothing was available.
- Port Townsend Fairgrounds – Port Townsend Fairground lies less than a mile from the State Park and has the major advantage (for those who don’t like to make reservations) of being entirely first-come-first-serve. The facilities are super basic, but the price is right. Only $20/night for full hookups, $15/night for dry camping.
Hi guys,
Been awhile since I checked in to say hi.
Sure looks different than Stewarts Pointe.
I’ve been crazy busy here in Utah, sold the farm and many of my old hotrod cars.
Time for me to started getting ready for another year on the road.
Yup, no Marina boondocking up here that’s for sure. Nice to hear you sold the farm. Your plans are coming together nicely.
Nina
Hi, thanks a million for your emails, I dream of living in our motor home but I have yet to solve getting my meds while traveling. I have figured out how to get the VA meds as they mail them and can be ordered online, however the problem lies with the narcotic drugs that I need to kill the chronic pain from failed back syndrome. They can’t be mailed, the VA refuses to deal with Narcotics as the new policy is that no vet should need them I guess, at least that’s what my va doc says. So at this time I am trying to get off them and see how that goes, having been on them for over 15 years, it is rather a difficult task, but perhaps by next spring I can be rid of them, I only hope the pain is gone as well by then.
At any rate I live vicariously through you two, keep the photo’s and wonderful descriptions a coming.
We traded our travel trailer off for an older Holiday Rambler LE last year following a devastating hail storm that basically hailed it out for the third time in the three years since we purchased it new. So now we have an old 96 36 footer in nice shape with 76 thousand miles on her. Only problem is an exhaust manifold leak that I will try and get fixed over winter if I can find a will mechanic. I am having the stool fixed this week hopefully and we can at least get back to some local traveling with her to practice a bit and have some fun in what is left of the summer, fall comes early up here in the Dakota’s so we must drive while the sun shines and it rains instead of snows.
Wish I had some good advice to offer on the narcotics, but sadly I don’t. Sure hope you’re able to ditch them and start on your RVing dream. You’ve found yourself a sweet old rig with fabulous mileage. The best of luck to you in everything!
Nina
We stayed at the Escapees park when we were in that area. We thought it was very nice and friendly.
Howdy! Holy Moly, do we envy you. We just returned home from a quick trip to the Mammoth area and the “Green Church”, scouting out sites for a future fishing trip. Read your blog of the area regarding “boondocking”. Very informative.
Having read your most recent post up there in Port Townsend, I’d like to ask whether you have run into RV campgrounds that restrict admission based on the age of the vehicle. We have a 90 1/2 Bounder that we have owned since new…and even today it looks new. It was garaged for 20 years. But recently, we were informed that our rig was too old, regardless as to how it looked and the fact that it has less than 40,000 original miles.
Maybe we will be boondocking a bit more than planned. 🙂
Ed,
I’m thinking that if you are reading Nina’s blog you would have little interest in staying at such discriminatory campgrounds. (compliment to you, Nina!)
I understand the campground’s reasoning and their legal ability to do so but, to me, there is something unseemly in this practice.
Pat H
Indeed you know us well. We’re not exactly resort-type RVers 🙂
Nina
Yes, we’ve run into that restriction but mostly at private campgrounds especially the more upscale ones. We’ve never seen an age restriction at public parks (which is where we stay 90% of the time) nor at most of the more relaxed private parks (which is our 2nd choice…we rarely, if ever, stay at upscale places). The harbor at Port Townsend has no such restrictions.
If your rig is well cared for you shouldn’t have too many issues. Even the parks that restrict age will *usually* allow older rigs in if you send in a pic and show the condition of the rig is good. There are exceptions of course, and those are the places I would avoid 🙂
Nina
Thank you for the reply Nina. What you have suggested is about what we thought would be the case. Once we are on the road, we will “screen” campgrounds to determine there “age” requirements, avoiding the snooty ones. We love our rig and, using your experiences posted here, I’m sure we’ll be just fine. We’re about 2 1/2 years from full-timing it and the whole Seattle and surrounding areas are on our bucket list…including Port Townsend.
Your usual in-depth review—plus the encore performance of Taggert doing what cats do best—has inspired me to give Port Townsend a second chance when I visit friends in Victoria next summer. I think instead of paying over $400 just to ferry my rig to and fro, simply leave it in one of the two $20/night boondocking sites and spend 2-3 days biking Vancouver Island. What do you think?
Oh yeah, that would definitely be my preference. The ferry ride is easy, and cheap if you just do walk-on with a bike.
Nina
Yep, back in ’05 did the rig ferry from Anacortes and the Coho from Victoria. MUCH simpler without a rig. Can’t wait to read about The Beast’s first ferry adventure today!
There’s a cool little park across the sound via Ferry on Whidbey Island. It’s right next to the ferry docking station. Great views, great tidal currents, etc.
Hi Nina, we are in the area, at Staysail in Oak Harbor. Really great weather. We were in Port Townsend when you were, but at the fairgrounds. We had been there before, but this time 30-40 rigs came in at one time. They were part of a singles club that travels together. Very nice people but it almost completely filled up that campground. I enjoyed the ferry ride over with the truck and trailer, much simpler than driving 200 miles around through Seattle. Also, nice light house at Fort Worton. We hiked their from North beach at low tide, nice hike. We were going to camp at Dungeness spit but it was really rainy that Sunday and I was worried it would be full from the festival, so came into the fairgrounds where we thought we could likely get a site. We went to Dungeness and saw you could reserve a site in advance, but with a mail in form. Did that work ok with you folks?
Just missed you two! Researching and it would have been great bumping into you here in PT. Enjoy your travels in WA and hopefully we’ll see you at some wild place once we’re out full timing.
Cheers!
Wow! Someone else who likes Port Townsend and can appreciate teh location. We stayed there (site 335) in our Lance travel trailer in October 2015. Woke at 4 am to a loud BANG and a machine gun sound. I thought we were under attack! So went to the door to peek outside and I could barely open it. The wind was coming in off the sound at a furious rate (I’m guessing over 50–maybe 70 knots) and whipping our slideout cover up and down so that it sounded like a machine gun. The bang was a forward storage compartment door that, though sideways to the wind, opened and closed with great gusto. And it’s a good thing our door opened against the wind. If the other way, I’m not sure I had the strength to hold it from being just ripped off it’s hinges.
Regarding Port Townsend, both my wife and I love the place. Our favorite restaurant is a sandwich shop on a side street several blocks from the marina in a yellow house. I love the Marine Museum as well.