Camping at Kayak Point Campground in Snohomish County

Looking for more fun things to do during your stay at Kayak Point Campground?
Head out for a paddle on Port Susan, take a hike at Barnum Point Preserve, or explore Cama Beach on Camano Island.

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets
• Drinkable water from pumps located at each campsite
• Electrical and water hook-ups at all campsites
• Pay showers — a machine located outside the restrooms allows you to exchange cash for shower tokens
• Fire pits and picnic tables at all sites
• Firewood for sale seasonally at the park entrance station
• Good cell service

ABOUT THE SITES

• Kayak Point Campground has a total of 30 campsites plus 10 yurts.
• All 30 campsites include electrical and water hookups.
• Campsites cost $42 per night. Yurts cost $85 per night.
• The campground has an overflow parking lot where additional cars can park for a $10 fee.
• Campsites can be reserved up to 270 days in advance. I recommend booking well in advance for summer camping, especially weekends. First come, first served camping is possible if there are any unreserved sites.
• Kayak Point Campground is open year round.

• A few campsites, like #7 pictured below, have partial water views.
• All sites are shady and wooded, and there is good privacy between most sites.
• We stayed at site #20, a spacious pull through site not far from the restrooms on the east side of the loop. It was a nice site, but some of the sites on the outside of the west side of the loop are even bigger.

FUN STUFF

• Important Update: The Kayak Point County Park day use area is expected to remain closed through October 2024 for renovations. The campground will remain open, but the beach will not be accessible during that time. Find more information about the renovation project on the Snohomish County website. Previously, the day use fee was $10 for those not camping at Kayak Point Campground.
• Go for a swim or paddle in Port Susan. The calm waters of Port Susan are an excellent place to explore in a small boat.
• Play on the beach or at the playground. Although the beach will be closed to the public in 2024, you may be able to access the water from the nearby community of Warm Beach, or you can head to Camano Island.
• Enjoy a picnic.
• Go on a nature walk.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Camano Island is a great place for short hikes, beautiful beaches, and tasty food. On the north end, check out Barnum Point Preserve and English Boom County Park, which also serves as an off-leash dog park. For food and drink, we enjoy Tapped Camano and The Baked Cafe.
• Cama Beach State Park, located further south on Camano Island, offers simple cabins right on the beach. Do some beachcombing, try a scavenger hunt along the trails, or build your own toy boat at the Center for Wooden Boats. Cama Beach is also home to Cama Beach Cafe, a beautiful place to enjoy a delicious meal.
• Camano Island State Park lies just south of Cama Beach, and features a beautiful windswept beach, picnic shelters, and a boat launch. It also hosts a forested campground with tiny cabins.
• Whistle Lake on Fidalgo Island is a little further afield from Kayak Point, but is a great place to hike and swim on a hot summer day.

THE VERDICT

Kayak Point Campground is a great easy getaway for families. Expect gaggles of kids scootering around the paved campground loop throughout the day, and marshmallow roasts over the campfire every night. Spacious, wooded campsites help ensure privacy, and it feels surprisingly secluded considering how close it is to the city. The campground has good restrooms, and the yurts are a great alternative to tent camping for those wanting a little more comfort.

One downside to Kayak Point Campground is that at $42 per night, it’s on the pricey side. This includes electrical and water hookups, but if you’re a tent camper who has no need of those amenities, you’ll have to pay for them anyway. Still, for an easy escape from the Seattle urban area it beats paying for an Airbnb. This isn’t someplace I would camp for a week, but it’s ideal for two or three nights.

I expect that Kayak Point Campground will be quieter in 2024 due to the closure of the day use area. Easy access to the water and beach are one of the highlights of camping here, and also a big draw for locals looking for a place to picnic. If you don’t mind driving to Camano Island to get to the beach, Kayak Point would still be a fun place to camp in 2024. As for me, I’m really looking forward to seeing what the new day use area has to offer in 2025. We may have to plan another weekend camping getaway to check it out!

Looking for a place to camp near Seattle over Labor Day, I stumbled across Kayak Point Campground. As a county campground, it seems to fly under the radar for many campers. Considering how close it is to Seattle, this is something of a surprise, but hey, I’m not complaining.

I will complain (just a little bit) about the traffic getting to Kayak Point, however. We left after school was released on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, and as you would expect, I-5 was jammed. After nearly two hours on the road, we finally arrived at Kayak Point and set up camp. Our friends met us there, occupying the site just across the road from ours. It was a beautiful spot, although we were surprised by the number of bugs swarming the campsite as we ate our dinner. Fortunately, the bugs died down after our first evening, and never really bothered us again.

One nice thing about a weekend camping trip near home is that the agenda tends to be very relaxed. On longer trips to far-off places, I strive to get out early (aka 9am when it’s my family we’re talking about) to take in the sights. At Kayak Point Campground, there was no need to rush. It was the perfect place for blueberry oatmeal baked over the campfire in the Dutch oven for breakfast. Sure, it was a little dark on the edges, but still oh-so-satisfying.

Saturday was out day to hang out at the day use area. Picnicking, paddling, and lazing in the hammock were the primary activities. And playing on the playground for the kids, of course. Back at the campground, the kids zipped around on their scooters while the adults prepared dinner. T made fast friends with a group of boys staying a few sites down from us, and even met up unexpectedly with a classmate whose family was staying in one of the yurts.

The next day took us to the north end of Camano Island, where we hiked the short trails at Barnum Point Preserve and English Boom County Park. English Boom was definitely the high point for our dog, Buddy, who reveled in the chance to run off leash at the beach.

More of our friends met up with us at English Boom before we all headed back to the campground for another massive meal. It takes a lot to feed so many, but fortunately many hands make (mostly) light work. Hot dogs, corn on the cob, chickpea salad, and surprisingly popular roasted green beans (everything tastes better cooked over a fire, right?) — it was a feast.

The next morning we had plenty of time to pack up before taking the short drive home to Seattle. Traffic, while still a little congested at times, was a breeze compared with Friday evening. At home, school and work were waiting, but I tried not to think about that for the moment. Knowing reality would set in soon enough, I let the memories of our wonderful weekend away linger for just a little longer.