Going camping in Seattle area - any tips?

BroiledNotFried

Hi,

We're from South Florida. Every year, we get out of the heat for a week or so in the Summer.

This July, we're going camping in the Seattle area. I am planning on 3 days in Bogachiel State Park on the Olympic Penninsula and 3 days at Ike Kinswa State Park between Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. I have reservations at the later, but Bogachiel doesn't take them. Hoping we can score a spot as the state parks have showers.

Any help/ideas/tips would be greatly appreciated for us novices to the Seattle area.

Paraflier17

We LOVE Ike Kinswa! It is AWESOME. Another one that isn't too terribly far and is beautiful is Denny Creek. I-90 about milepost 47.

It's smaller than IK though... Plus with IK, you have the lake that's close by to go swim at. Mossyrock (in the same general ares - Morton - is another great place. )

You can never go wrong w/ Mt. Rainier... But there is an additional 15 dollar per car fee to get into the part. PLUS you have to pay to camp. Cougar Rock campground is out fav.

catrinaHwechanged

Ike Kinswa is beautiful. I camp there several times a year. July is usually relatively warm though it often still rains in July here. Just make sure to pack some warmer clothes....you will definitely need pants and a hoodie at night time.

BroiledNotFried

This may sound crazy, but do you know if we need bear cannisters? We usually use locking bins for dry food.

catrinaHwechanged

This may sound crazy, but do you know if we need bear cannisters? We usually use locking bins for dry food.

You should be perfectly fine without them

d9123

Pepper ur angus

FussyFruitbat

That is a VERY wet region that's almost constantly raining, so make sure everything is waterproof.

catrinaHwechanged

That is a VERY wet region that's almost constantly raining, so make sure everything is waterproof.

It's usually not too bad in July. Rain happens, but it's not typically torrential downpours

It's usually always hit or miss whether the beginning of July tends to be rainy, the end of July is typically always dry.

vorgas

The fruit from that area is retarded good. I was on the other side of the mountains last year in Yakima. Seriously, it ruined me for fruit from other places. It took me nearly 6 months before I enjoyed anything but florida citrus again.