Kalaloch Campground

Stayed 5/1/16.  Located within Olympic National Park.  Unfortunately this was our last night to stay in the park and we were in a rush to get to our next location.  The campground has easy access to the beach via a path which we took advantage of in order to enjoy a beautiful sunset.  In addition to beach access the campground was forested.  The campground was beautiful and clean.  There was also a dump station and fresh water fill we were able to use during our stay.

Beautiful place. Even though the campground was full it was still relatively quiet. Many access points to the beach. Dogs allowed but must be on a leash.

We had a private double pull thru site sheltered from the ocean winds. Most of the oceanfront sites do not accommodate larger RVs. Although private we did have to deal with barking dogs in the next site over. Be considerate of others.

I lucked out on a weekday and got the very last site, which I booked for 5 nights because I didn’t want to try to find something on the weekend. Very busy campground wedged between the pacific and 101, which is very noisy during the day. Try to avoid sites that back up onto 101 if you can. Road noise does die down at night, but a lot of big rigs and hot rodders during the day. My site was nowhere near level and most had a pitch one way or the other from what I could see. Be prepared to level. My site was very private due to tall shrubbery but most are quite open, obviously very open if you want a site on the bluffs above the beach. Campground noise was not bad except for a group who had 4 giant schnauzers that liked to fight with each other. This is the same site that thought it was okay to bust out the bagpipes several times a day and start playing. As a dog owner, I make sure my dog is well socialized and obedient, but the aggressive, out of control dogs made me uncomfortable here. From an extremely dog aggressive Golden that the owners were barely able to control, to a lot of yapping dogs that went bonkers for 15 minutes if you happened to pass by their site. Bathrooms were very clean. No showers. You must pay extra if you want to use the dump station, whether you’re a camper or not. Beautiful area that I would have enjoyed more if it wasn’t so busy and there weren’t so many ill behaved dogs.

This National Park campground consists of two sections with several loops. Some sites are wooded and some overlook the ocean. I have a 27' trailer, and would only have been able to fit in under half of the sites. They're split about evenly between back-ins and pullouts. I arrived mid-day on a Monday in mid-September and got in one of the last sites I would have fit in. It filled up to or nearly to capacity every day, even weekdays. Each morning, current campers were scouting out the best ocean-view sites (nearby to where I was camped) and staking claim to them before the current campers had left. Some campers had resorted to putting up large signs on their posts stating when they were leaving (I assume so others would quit bothering them and asking them). Because of the funky registration system here, though, it is hard to tell when people are leaving.

Good campfire program. Water spigots, flush toilets, but no showers.

Marginal Verizon 3G. It was OK for the first few days I was there (2-3 bars, relatively slow, but workable). But by the last couple of days, I could hard load anything and couldn't even make a phone call out.

This is really of the only option in the nearby area once South Beach Campground closes for the season

We arrived in the afternoon on a Friday in early April and were able to get an oceanview site. From the other review, it sounds like other times it's not so easy! Great campground with the oceanfront sites rating as some of the most spectacular I've seen on the Pacific Coast.

Beach is easily accessed down a short path with huge drift logs washed along the bluff to explore. We loved our time here.

This a classic Northwest beach campground. Great beach and tide pools to explore. As one review noted here it can be tight and it's popular spot so don't expect to roll in on a summer weekend and score a prime spot. Some spots have awesome views of the Ocean.

There are amazing beaches to explore right from this campground and just north and south of it. Many of the spots are best for small RVs or tents, but there are some that would fit a large motorhome or trailer. Spots can be reserved in the summer and it is full most of the time then. Most of the spots are somewhat forested, but there are a few with ocean views. The campground is clean and the restrooms are good. No showers, but water is available and there is also a sewer dump at the campground.
Many of the sites are quite close to Highway 101, so those sites can be quite noisy. It is a beautiful campground though!

No cell service at the campground. It is spotty up and down the highway in that area.

Olympic National Park is one of my favorite places, and this campground puts you right in the heart of the coastal and forest portions of the park.

No other park in the United States has beaches that have the wild and remote character of those found in Olympic National Park. While Kalaloch Beach itself isn't as impressive as some of the others, it is a great walking beach, and some of the sites, including the one we stayed in, have ocean views. Ruby Beach, a few miles north, is the most photogenic of easily accessible beaches along the entire west coast of the US. Second Beach and Rialto Beach, about an hour north, are nearly as good.

Also nearby (relatively, as Olympic National Park is huge) is the Hoh Rainforest. While the Olympic rainforests do not have the biological diversity of the tropical rainforests, they have more biomass (more actually than any other place in the world). If there is an inch of space available, something green will be growing in it!

Outside of summer and even inside it, the weather can be a little temperamental in Olympic National Park but that adds to its character and appeal. Your solar panels may not agree. Especially in winter, flooding and wind can be an issue, so pay attention to the forecast.

The campground itself is small, and larger rigs could have issues navigating. With our 25' Airstream, we only had a handful of options in terms of site selection but a few of them were right along the bluff above Kalaloch Beach. We were able to get a great site on a weekday during our off-season (April) visit when the campground does not take reservations. During more popular times of the year, reservations or arriving very early is a must, especially for people with larger vehicles because of the limited sites for larger rigs. There is a dump station and water fill on site. Basic bathrooms, without showers, are also available. Verizon 3G coverage with a booster was good enough for me to work, though I imagine during summer or busy weekends access would be an issue.

There is an expensive (especially at dinner) restaurant at nearby Kalaloch Lodge. Like most park concessionaire run restaurants, the quality is hit or miss. The closest town for services and groceries is Forks about 30 miles north.

The bottom line: if you want to park your RV in Olympic National Park (and why wouldn't you?) this is the best place to do it. The other option is the South Beach Campground just a few miles south (no reservations required, but only open during peak season).

Quick tip: Kalaloch is pronounced clay-lock.

We pulled in to Kalaloch on a Saturday afternoon in April (when the park is first come, first served.) We were able to find a lovely site, but of course the ocean view spots were taken. If we could have, we would have snagged one when they were vacated the next day. Our plan is to check for an ocean view reservation periodically throughout the summer before we go back.

That said, the sites are forested and lovely. The main negative of the park is how close each site is to the next. Every site is only steps away from the beach, where leashed dogs are welcome. There are some short nature trails that are beautiful and easy for little ones to walk, but dogs are not welcome on the trails.

We had no cell signal with AT & T, even with a booster, but our solar panels were well charged despite the clouds and tree coverage. The dump station was clean and easy to use, and the traffic to and from the Olympic Peninsula was lite (at least it was in April.)

Overall, not a perfect national park, but a lovely one.