Kalaloch Campground, Olympic NP, Makes the List

A recent Travel+Leisure article by Sarah L. Stewart identifies “America’s Prettiest Beach Campsites” and you’ll never guess which Washington State camping area made the list: Kalaloch in Olympic NP. Stewart’s description of Kalaloch aptly sums up this scenic Pacific Ocean-side campground. She states:

“Lose yourself in the wild beauty of the Olympic Peninsula at this 175-site outpost perched on a bluff high above the Pacific. Bald eagles and sea gulls fly overhead, whales occasionally spout offshore, and emerald-green sea urchins populate the rocky pools revealed at low tide.”

No disrespect to Kalaloch (pronounced Kah-lay-lock) – the campground is beautiful and nicely pressed up against long sandy beaches that stretch far in either direction. My only opposition to it is how quickly the campground fills up (largely by RVers) on summer weekends and long holidays. I’ve found that Mora Campground, located just an hour north of Kalaloch, doesn’t seem to attract as large of crowds (or maybe it was just when I visited?). Also Rialto Beach (a mile down the road from Mora) is just as spectacular with a little more peacefulness and ruggedness (see my photos).

Looking southward on Rialto Beach.

Lastly, another Pacific Northwestern campground made Stewart’s list too: Cape Perpetua Campground in Oregon’s Siuslaw National Forest. Cool – time for a road-trip to Oregon’s coast!

For more trail news and information from the Pacific Northwest, check out Pacific Northwest Pathfinder’s PNW Trail News and Photos section.

2 thoughts on “Kalaloch Campground, Olympic NP, Makes the List”

Kalaloch completely stole my heart! To this day, it’s been hard to replace one of the most beautiful, peaceful sunsets I’ve ever experienced at Kalaloch =)
http://ofwildestheart.com/2014/10/15/i-ran-away-to-kalaloch-beach/

But I agree…it’s a bummer it gets packed so quickly (even in the colder days, yikes!)
Thnx for sharing! I am actually hoping to finally visit Rialto this summer. Looks amazing!

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nicholasgosling

May 18, 2015 at 7:19 pm

Awesome photos – the sunset ones are great! I like Mora Campground and Rialto Beach because they feel a little more off the beaten path than Kalaloch does to me. Have you been to Ozette? The national park campground there isn’t all that spectacular; it’s small and is several miles from the coast. But if you like wilderness camping, the sites along the coast of the Ozette Triangle are amazing. The Cape Alava and Sand Point campsites are probably the nicest. It’s a beautiful coastal hiking area too.

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