Our travels through the state of Washington continued with similar troubles that we encountered in Montana. But God saw us through and we had a great time at two National Parks! Read about where we stayed and what we did below.
Silver Springs Campground, Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest
After leaving Montana, our first stop for the night was at Silver Springs Campground in the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest, just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. We had reserved a dry camping spot, but the campground had both dry camping and electric/water hookups. It is a beautiful campground and we enjoyed our stay there. The kids especially enjoyed the flowing water in the middle of the campground.
The campground wasn’t full by any means while we were there, and we only saw the camp hosts a couple times. Everyone was very quite here and we never heard a generator run.
The one full day we stayed was spent driving to Enumclaw, the closest city, to purchase and replace the truck’s battery and the house battery in our RV. That afternoon we drove up to the Sunrise Visitor Center in Mt. Rainier National Park where we took a short hike and the kids earned their Junior Ranger badges.
How to get there
From Enumclaw, take Hwy 410 for about 30 miles. The campground’s entrance will be on your right.
Amenities
Silver Springs Campground has both dry camping and electric/water sites. For those dry camping, there is a restroom with flush toilets and a vault toilet building, along with water spigots placed every few campsites. We did not need to empty our holding tanks here but there is a dump station in Enumclaw if needed.
What to do
Mt. Rainier National Park is definitely the main attraction here. The Sunrise Visitor Center is quite a drive into the park and up the mountain and there are plenty of pull-outs along the way to stop and take in the beauty of the area. Hiking, fishing, camping, and sight-seeing are poplar here.
HOH Campground, Olympic National Park
After our stay at Silver Springs Campground, we moved on to Olympic National Park. We did not make any reservations here but knew there were several dry camping locations along Highway 101 that we could stay at. Our destination, though, was HOH Rainforest within Olympic National Park, so we decided to take a chance and check out the HOH Campground. When we arrived Thursday afternoon there were plenty of spots large enough for our 32′ fifth wheel and ended up staying for two nights at Site 8 in Loop A. This site had a path straight back to the flush toilets and the parking lot, which also had trails leading to the visitor center.
All sites had a picnic table and fire ring. The entire campground is on a first come basis, so arrive early, especially on the weekends, to get the best spot (or any spot!). There is water available at the restrooms and the dump station looks to be permanently closed. The road into the park is not very wide and we had to hug the centerline the entire time while driving in and out to keep our trailer on the road. Lucky for us, the road wasn’t real busy since it was a weekday when we arrived.
Forks, WA is the closest town to HOH Campground. It took us 45 minutes to get there, and we had to take the trip more times than we wanted to. We ended up needing a new propane regulator during our stay and also caught up on laundry during one of days there.
We absolutely loved our stay in the HOH Rainforest and definitely didn’t stay long enough. The Hall of Mosses Trail and the HOH River Trail were just gorgeous; our pictures do not do it justice. There was plenty of wildlife to be seen, and during our stay we saw a deer, rabbits, all kinds of birds, squirrels, and numerous banana slugs.
How to get there
South of Forks, WA on Highway 101, the entrance is about a 30 minute drive and then another 15-20 minute drive up to the campground and visitor center.
Amenities
The HOH Campground has three loops (A, B and C). Each loop has a restroom with flush toilets and each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. The dump station between Loops B and C has been closed for a while and it didn’t seem likely it would be re-opening. Water was available at the restrooms and dumpsters for trash were nearby as well.
What to do
Where do I start? Oh yeah, the hiking! There are several trails throughout the park and all of them are worth exploring. The Hall of Mosses Trail is a must see in any season.
We didn’t stay in Washington long enough t enjoy all the state had to offer and are planning another trip to Olympic National Park in the next couple of years. Have you been to any of the areas I mentioned? What did you think? Do you live in Washington and have recommendations for our next visit? Let us know in the comments below! We would love to hear from you! And don’t forget to subscribe to this blog and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @simplejoyfuljourney.
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