Kitsap Memorial State Park Campground on Washington’s Hood Canal

LOCATION

Kitsap Memorial State Park is located, naturally, on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. This small park sits on the northern shore of Hood Canal, about three miles south of the Hood Canal Bridge. If you’re coming from the Seattle area, the most direct route to the Kitsap Peninsula is by Washington State Ferry. For north Seattle and Snohomish County, the Edmonds / Kingston route is best. From further south, the Seattle / Bainbridge Island, Seattle / Bremerton, or possibly even the West Seattle (Fauntleroy) / Southworth ferries are the best bets.

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ABOUT THE SITES

• Kitsap Memorial Campground is open year round and offers 30 campsites, plus four ADA accessible cabins. There is also a group campsite in a different area of the park, which may be closed in winter.
• Standard campsites (no hook-ups) cost between $20 and $37 per night, depending on the season. The larger sites are “premium” and cost a little more than smaller sites.
• Campsites with hook-ups cost between $30 and $50 per night, depending on season and whether they are full or partial hook-ups.
• Campsites that back up to the fence along the park border may see the rooftops of neighboring houses or barns outside the park. This affects sites #27 through #36 (except for #31). Fortunately, trees and tall bushes maintain privacy, so this is a minor issue. But if you aim to feel separated form the outside world, you may prefer another site.
• Many of the standard sites are small and may not be suitable for RVs or even small trailers. Read the site description when you book to make sure it meets your needs.
• Standard sites are shady and reasonably private, while the hook-up sites are located on an open meadow with no foliage. Since they offer little privacy, the hook-up sites really are best for RVs.
• We stayed in cabin C1. Cabins cost between $55 and $79 per night, depending on the season. All four cabins are identical, but C1 is the only one that allows pets. There is an additional $15 nightly fee for pets. Cabins are heated and include electricity, but no plumbing. Like the tent campers, you’ll need to get your water from the spigot and use the public restrooms. The cabins are a great option any time of year, but especially in winter. I was happy not to have to set up a tent in the snow and to keep all our food and gear indoors! Read about “Our Experience” below for more details.

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FUN STUFF

• Visit the Beach. The beach on Hood Canal is only a couple minutes’ walk from Kitsap Memorial Campground. A sloped path leads down to the water, with a short staircase just before the beach. It’s more rocky than sandy, but definitely fun to explore. Check the tide tables for low tide if you plan to visit — at high tide, you may find the beach is completely submerged!
• Play in the field. Kitsap Memorial has a wonderful large playfield between the cabins and the beach, perfect for lawn games or just running around (or, if you visit during a snowstorm, for snowballs and snowmen!).
• Be a kid on the playground. The playfield also features an impressive playground, sure to please little ones. When we were there it was off limits, but hopefully it will reopen once the weather is warmer, provided coronavirus rates continue to decrease.
• Enjoy a picnic. Kitsap Memorial has a day use area for all to enjoy, even if you’re not camping. Pick your favorite picnic table, whether under the trees overlooking Hood Canal or out on the field. The park also boasts a beautiful Log Hall and other historic structures, which can be rented for events. It’s a gorgeous spot for a wedding!

CURRENT INFO & RESERVATIONS

• For reservations and additional campground info, go to the Washington State Parks reservation webpage. Reservations can be made nine months in advance, and booking early is strongly recommended for peak summer season weekends. At other times of the year, you may find sites available even at the last minute. In any case, if you don’t already have reservations, I recommend checking the status online before you go.
• Kitsap Memorial also has a lovely day use area with its own parking and access to picnic tables, the beach, the playfield, and playground. Since it’s a Washington State Park, don’t forget your Discover Pass to cover the parking fee!

WE STAYED HERE

• February 2021, 2 nights

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AMENITIES

• Flush toilets in private, gender-neutral restrooms (rather than the typical large group restrooms).
• Drinkable water
• Sites one through 11 offer hook-ups or partial hook-ups for RVs. The remaining sites do not.
• Coin-op showers are available in private shower rooms.
• Fire pits and picnic tables at all sites, including the cabins
• Firewood for sale seasonally from camp host (if not available during your visit, you can buy it elsewhere in the area).

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NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Take your boat to the boat launch at Salisbury County Park, four miles north of Kitsap Memorial. Salisbury Park also includes a beautiful beach, picnic area, and playground.
• Poulsbo, a charming small town with Norwegian roots, is only a 10 to 15 minute drive from Kitsap Memorial. Come to Poulsbo to stroll the waterfront, grab a pastry from Sluys Bakery, or just make a quick grocery run if you forgot the marshmallows.
• Port Gamble is just five miles north of Kitsap Memorial State Park. Once a company town for the local sawmill, Port Gamble is now a National Historic Landmark, with quaint shops, great local food, and sweeping views.
• Point No Point Lighthouse and Park, thirty minutes north of Kitsap Memorial, features a wonderful sandy beach, historic lighthouse, and a short trail. On our visit, we even saw seals and otters! Check out my full review here.
• Hood Canal is the body of water that separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula. It’s actually a fjord, and the drive along Highway 101 on Hood Canal’s western shore is one of my favorites in Washington State. There is much to do along this gorgeous stretch of water, so I’ll just mention a couple of ideas to get you started. On Kitsap Peninsula, head south to Scenic Beach State Park or take a short hike to Guillemot Cove. Over on the Olympic Peninsula, check out Dosewallips State Park or hike to Ranger Hole or Murhut Falls. (Psst! Here’s a bit of My Backyard and Beyond trivia: the photo at the top of the homepage was taken on the trail to Murhut Falls!) These sights are all near the tiny town of Brinnon.
• Port Townsend is about a 45-minute drive from Kitsap Memorial. Founded as a Victorian seaport, Port Townsend has character and history to spare. Come for the ornate Victorian architecture, or for the burgeoning food and drink scene. We didn’t make it all the way to Port Townsend on this trip, but did stop by Finnriver Farm and Cidery in nearby Chimacum. Take a look at their extensive (and delicious) selection of ciders below.
• The Olympic Peninsula is home to Olympic National Park. The landscape here is incredibly diverse, and you could spend weeks exploring it. While Kitsap Memorial isn’t the best base from which to explore the Olympic Peninsula (I recommend overnighting on the Peninsula itself if you want to focus your time there), it’s close enough to day trip to places like Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, and Staircase.

THE VERDICT

Kitsap Memorial State Park Campground makes a great little getaway from the urban areas of Seattle and Tacoma. From Seattle, taking the ferry to the Kitsap Peninsula makes it feel like you’re really heading off for an adventure, even though the drive itself isn’t long. It’s so nice to leave the urban side of Puget Sound for the calm of Hood Canal. The grounds at Kitsap Memorial are beautiful and well-kept, and access to the beach is easy.

With that said, the Kitsap Peninsula has become an increasingly popular place to live, so you won’t be in the wilderness here. In fact, you can see the rooftops of nearby houses just over the fence from some of the campsites. And that noise in the background? Yes, it’s Highway 3, where cars shuttle between Poulsbo and the Hood Canal Bridge. Don’t let that deter you, however; it really isn’t that loud (and much less disturbing than camping near train tracks). Instead, enjoy Kitsap Memorial State Park for what it is: a beautiful, family friendly park with a lovely beach that makes a good home base for exploring the many parks and small towns of the Kitsap Peninsula.

Once a year, sometime in the winter, it snows in Seattle. It’s hard to say when the snow might arrive; some years, it’s December. Other times, January. In 2021, it was February.

Flakes began to fall Friday evening, and we awoke on Saturday to find our north Seattle street blanketed in spotless white at least half a foot deep. The plan had been to leave late that morning to catch the ferry from Edmonds to the Kitsap Peninsula. But as we all know, plans change, and instead we enjoyed a snow day from home, with friends and neighbors gathering in the street for sledding and snowballs.

Sunday morning, the snow was still there. We called our friends, who were traveling with us, to discuss whether road conditions might have improved enough to make the drive. A call to Kitsap Memorial Park confirmed that roads on the Peninsula were indeed in much better shape than the day before. In a hurry to head out, we finished packing the car and were on our way.

We were in luck. The hardest part, as many Seattleites know well, was getting out of our neighborhood. After a smooth crossing on a half-empty ferry (now there’s something I never expected to see!), it was only a twenty-five minute drive to Kitsap Memorial Park on clear roads. We pulled up to our cabins and unloaded the cars while the boys started the first of many snowball fights.

The heat was already on when we entered our cabin, making us feel warm and welcome. Each cabin includes a bunk bed with a double mattress on the bottom and a twin bed on top. Across from the bed was a small round dining table and four chairs, while a futon provided a more relaxing place to sit and an extra bed option. There was just enough room to set up the crate for our dog, Buddy, between the bed and futon. A coffee table opposite the futon provided a good place to stash our supplies. In one corner sat a mini-fridge with a microwave above it. This is the “kitchenette” referred to on the Kitsap Memorial State Park website. True, it isn’t much, but having a small refrigerator was definitely a step up from using the cooler.

Electrical outlets in the cabin made it easy for my husband to use his CPAP machine and to charge our phones. The other great advantage is that this allows you to plug in an electric kettle. Bring one if you can! We used ours to make tea, instant oatmeal, and instant coffee (I know, I know, but I’ll take instant over no coffee any morning!). I was also happy to discover we had T-Mobile coverage; while I limit my time online when traveling, especially when camping or hiking, this made it easy to check weather conditions and look up business hours for places we wanted to visit. But while the cabins have electricity, they have no plumbing. Instead, a pump outside each cabin provides fresh water, and it’s a mere one-minute walk to the restrooms.

We had just two minor issues with our cabin. Small quibbles, really. First, most adults (and some children) will find they cannot sit up on the lower bunk bed; there is too little clearance. It’s not a big deal, unless you wake up in the middle of the night, forget, and smack your head on the beams above you! Second, we really could have used an indoor mat to help keep mud off the floor, especially with our dog. There is a doormat outside, which helps a little. I imagine it would be hard to keep the indoor mats clean, which may be why they aren’t provided. Instead, we used an old blanket to wipe up any tracks. Be sure to pack one of your own if you stay here.

Being winter, the park was unsurprisingly quiet. Several sites were claimed by RVs, and at one site some especially bold campers had pitched a tent in the midst of the snow. In the mornings, I took Buddy on short walks around the grounds, enjoying the view across the water and admiring how Log Hall, the park’s event space, blended seamlessly with the environment. One evening, we lit a campfire and roasted marshmallows, a camp classic at any time of year.

The weather was chilly throughout our visit, but rose into the upper thirties. Each morning, we awoke to less snow on the ground, much to the chagrin of the children. To make up for it, we took them sledding at Heart O’ the Hills Campground on the Olympic Peninsula. By the time we left on Tuesday morning, only small patches of white remained, revealing the green grass below. With all the recent snowmelt and rain, the playfield was like an oversaturated sponge, the water squelching beneath our feet when we walked.

On Tuesday morning, we packed up and loaded both kids and dog into the car. It was a tight squeeze! From there, we headed to Point No Point for beach time and a short hike before taking the ferry home from Kingston. With so much to explore, it felt like we were just getting started, and I was a bit sad to go. Maybe I was just thinking of the mounds of dirty laundry that would need my attention… But in all seriousness, our stay at Kitsap Memorial was a welcome break. Sometimes, a ferry ride and a change of scenery is all we really need.