This state park is located on Orcas Island. The Good: - The forest is very old and beautiful. The views from the top of Mt. Constitution are amazing and there are some small waterfalls that are an easy hike. - Orcas Island is just a great island to explore. Vern’s Bayside Restaurant in Eastsound has a one pound burger that is worth attempting. - Looking at what other folks were doing, the hiking and biking in the area are great. Most of the tent sites had couples show up with two mountain bikes and they were off riding all day. Unfortunately the roads in the park and on the island are not set up with bike lanes, so things can get a bit hairy when driving around. - Most of the camp sites are pretty private, with a decent amount of space between each site. The lakeside sites are more cramped together, but you still have room to stretch. - The Camp hosts are very friendly. - At least one of the lakes has row boats and paddle boats to rent ($11/hr). The Bad: - There appear to be limited RV sites. The ones we saw were not very level, not easy to access and were back-in. If you want a pull through, Site 104 was the only one that looked decent. We stayed in site 100, which took all of our leveling blocks and digging down the other side of the trailer to get it level. I wouldn’t take anything bigger than a 20-foot trailer into any of the sites, the access roads are steep and narrow. - Dry camping only from the looks of it, but there are plenty of water stations - The camp sites were all dirt, which means lots of mud when it rains. - The water faucet at the dump station didn’t have a hose and stuck out of the ground about 3”. It was a pain to clean things up after dumping the black and gray water tanks. - Restroom facilities at the Northend sites are tired, not very well maintained and there is only one shower in the men’s and women's restroom. I don’t think they were cleaned during our stay. It looks like there are newly remodeled restrooms at the Southend sites. - Because it is peak season, the ferry fees were $170 for just the truck and trailer. Overall it is a nice park, but we won't return with our trailer. I recommend it if you like to tent camp and hike or mountain bike. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We stayed here on Orcas Island July 16-20; we had one of the three sites that have a view of the ocean (with beautiful sunsets). These are large sites with pull through capability, tables and fire pits. They don't have much shade, but you're right on the ocean and there is plenty of cool breeze. The other 8 sites don't have the spectacular view but have some shade and are back in, not pull through. The staff at West Beach resort are very friendly and helpful. There are numerous things to do there: 5 days of the week they have various craft projects for the kids; there is a sand volley ball set up, tether ball, rope swings, and lots of opportunities for the person who wants to fish or go crabbing. They have a nightly campfire at the beach and a hot tub. There are also numerous whale watching companies in the area. Nearby is Friday Harbor on San Juan Island; we went there for the day but found it touristy and commercial but others might enjoy it. Moran State Park is on Orcas Island and we went there for a day; lots of hiking trails and a drive up to the top of Constitution Mountain. From the top of the mountain you can see all the way to Mt. Rainier on a clear day. A few things to be aware of: the toll for the ferry from Anacortes (the port for the ferries that go to the islands) can be expensive. They charge by the overall length of your vehicle and rig as well as number of passengers. We had our SUV and a 16' trailer; it came to nearly $200. Longer rigs could cost even more. Once you're on the island, travel between the other islands is free. You can even make it over to Sydney, BC on Vancouver Island and go from there down to Victoria, but be sure to bring your passport (this ferry ride isn't free). The second thing is there is no dump site at West Beach Resort; they told s the only dump site on the island is at Moran State Park, which is about a 30 minute drive. What they didn't tell us is that there is a free dump site in Anacortes at 4th and T street, so if you can wait to drain your tanks when you leave the island, you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble. We had a great time at this place and would highly recommend it. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.