Camping at Mora Campground on the Pacific Coast in Olympic National Park
LOCATION
Mora Campground is located two miles inland from Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park. To reach this area, head west on Highway 110 (La Push Road) from Highway 101, then turn right onto Mora Road to reach the campground. The turnoff for Highway 110 is located just north of Forks, Washington.
ABOUT THE SITES
- 94 sites total.
- Campsites cost $24 per night.
- All campground fees are payable by credit or debit card only.
- Mora campground is open year round, but some loops may close in winter.
- Reserve sites up to six months in advance for the summer season, from roughly June through September. Outside of this time, all sites are first come, first served.
- There are no electrical or water hook-ups at Mora. There is a dump station along the road into the campground that also offers water. It costs $10 to use the dump station.
- Pets on leash are allowed. Please note that pets are not allowed on national park trails and have limited beach access.
- Campsite size varies. Many are spacious, but check the specifications when you reserve online. Some sites won’t accommodate a large RV or may not fit a large tent.
- The campground is forested and shady, with good privacy between most sites.
- We stayed at site #32 in the B loop. Like most sites, it felt private and secluded. We had to park our trailer right by the road, but fortunately the campground loop gets very little traffic. Our favorite part about the site was the great place to hang the hammock, tucked away in the back. See below for a full review of our experience.
AMENITIES
- Flush toilets and running water in recently renovated restrooms
- Drinkable water from spigots near the restrooms
- Dump station & water refill station for RVs
- NO electrical or water hook-ups available (although water is available at the dump station)
- NO showers
- Fire pits and picnic tables at all sites
- Firewood may be sold seasonally (we stayed during a fire ban, so no firewood was available); it’s also OK to gather dead wood for a fire when there is no fire ban
- Camp host on duty during peak season
- Amphitheater with ranger presentations during peak season
- Junior Ranger activities during peak season
- The ranger station near the campground entrance provides information about activities and events
FUN STUFF
- Go on a nature walk. There are a few short trails adjacent to Mora Campground, the James Pond Trail and the Slough Trail. They’re both nice, short walks in the woods, good for wandering if you have the time and inclination. They aren’t very well maintained, so the trail can be brushy and you may encounter blowdowns.
- Go to a ranger talk or other ranger-led activity. Check the schedule posted on the campgrounds signboards for information. Ranger talks are held in the evening at the amphitheater. Other activities, including guided tide pool hikes, may also take place at nearby Rialto Beach. These talks and activities are usually only offered in summer, often (but not always) on weekends.
- Have kids? Don’t forget to check out the Junior Ranger program! You can pick up Junior Ranger booklets and get sworn in right here at Mora Campground. Check the signboard for special Junior Ranger activities both at the campground and Rialto Beach. During our visit, the ranger passed out activity booklets after one of the evening talks and swore in the kids who had earned their badges. Kids can also participate in the Ocean Stewards program to earn a special patch.
CURRENT INFO & RESERVATIONS
- Mora Campground offers online reservations six months in advance for the summer season, from roughly June through September. Visit the recreation.gov website to reserve.
- For more information about Mora Campground, visit the Olympic National Park Mora webpage. The campground status page provides current information about which campgrounds are open. Check out the Olympic National Park website for further information about visiting the park.
WE STAYED HERE
July, 2021, 3 nights
HOW TO CLAIM A CAMPSITE AT MORA
Unlike Fairholme Campground on Lake Crescent, it’s relatively easy to score a campsite at Mora Campground. In summer, be sure to book in advance. If you’re not too picky about the site (and most sites at Mora are quite nice), you may even find sites available at the last minute. For summer weekends, I recommend booking several months in advance if possible, just to be on the safe side. Since Mora Campground started taking reservations fairly recently, there may be an increase in advance reservations over the next few years.
What about the off season, from late September through May? During this time, all campsites are first come, first served. Fortunately, visitation is much lower then, so it’s usually easy to find a site. As always, weekends are more popular, especially when sunny weather hits in the spring or fall. To secure and pay for a site, follow the directions posted on the signboards at the campground, typically located near the restrooms. If the ranger station is open, you can talk with the ranger on duty if you have questions.
NEARBY & NOTABLE
- Rialto Beach is a magical place to go for a beach hike, explore tide pools, and even camp overnight. Located only two miles down the road from Mora Campground, it’s not to be missed.
- Hike to Second or Third Beach. The names may not inspire awe, but the coastal views certainly will. Located south of the Quillayute River, the trailheads are only a 15-minute drive from Mora Campground. Check the trail status before you go, and please note that wilderness permits are required for overnight camping.
- Hungry? Try Sully’s Burgers in Forks, a classic American drive-in, on your return from a long day exploring. Also in Forks, the drive through coffee stand Mocha Motion offers hot and cold drinks, as well as breakfast sandwiches to go.
- The Hoh Rain Forest is an hour’s drive from Mora Campground. Come here to surround yourself in every imaginable shade of green and experience the serenity of a temperate rain forest. The road to Hoh can sometimes close due to flooding or mud slides, so check the status before you go.
- Lake Crescent is a wonderful area to explore. It takes about an hour to drive from Mora Campground to Barnes Point, where you can visit historic Lake Crescent Lodge, the Storm King Ranger Station, and take a short hike to Marymere Falls. To learn more, visit my online guide to exploring Lake Crescent.
- Sol Duc Falls is a lovely place to hike, located in the hills about an hour’s drive east of Mora Campground.
- Sol Duc Hot Springs is the perfect place to relax and unwind after your hike to Sol Duc Falls.
THE VERDICT
Mora Campground, tucked away under towering evergreens, exudes a sense of peace and serenity. It’s a quiet place, or at least it was during our stay. While I can’t guarantee you won’t have a noisy neighbor, this doesn’t seem the kind of place that attracts the party crowd. Something about being deep in the woods encourages introspection. At least, it does for me. I can’t say the same for my kids, whom I had to ask repeatedly to keep their voices down while they played. I didn’t want us to be the noisy neighbors!
Thick vegetation creates a natural border between campsites. In many cases, you won’t even see your neighbors. The sites themselves range in size; some have barely enough room to pitch a tent, while others offer ample space to spread out. Luckily, just about any site should have a good spot to hang a hammock or two! While some sites have driveways, at others you’ll park right alongside the road. This was the case with our site (#32), but with little traffic on the road, it didn’t bother us.
Even though it was July, there were a number of open and available spots. Mora Campground isn’t as popular as some of the other Olympic National Park campgrounds, such as Fairholme or Kalaloch. Until recently, Mora, like most other campgrounds in the area, was first come, first served only. Now that it’s accepting reservations, will its popularity increase? After all, more and more people are booking campsites in advance. Time will tell, but for now Mora is a great option to check out even for a last minute trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
All in all, Mora Campground is an excellent place to camp. Beautiful campsites, amazingly clean restrooms, and easy access to Rialto Beach — what more could a happy camper want? Oh, maybe just one little thing: good weather. During our stay, we lucked out with a mix of sun and clouds, moderate temperatures, and no rain. But let’s be real: anytime you visit the Olympic coastline, you should prepare for rain. With the right equipment and clothing, you’re sure to enjoy a lovely stay no matter what the weather brings (within reason, of course)!
Our Experience
We arrived at Mora Campground in the late afternoon. The drive from Seattle was pleasant — an easy ferry crossing from Edmonds to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula, then a drive across the Hood Canal Bridge to the Olympic Peninsula, followed by the long drive west, stopping only a few miles before we reached the Pacific Ocean.
Despite the proximity of the ocean, there’s no sign of it in the mossy forests of Mora Campground. We pulled up alongside our site, #32, and began to unpack. There wasn’t much of a tent pad, but we found a suitable spot near the picnic table. Further back, a couple of sturdy trees provided the ideal place to hang the hammock.
Surrounded by so much green, it was hard to believe that a fire ban was in effect. But it was true — this region had barely seen a drop of rain for months. There would be no campfire tonight, or for the remainder of our stay on the Olympic Peninsula.
After setting up camp, we set out to explore Mora Campground. Not far past our site, a pretty trail led through the woods. It was a shortcut to the nearest restroom. And what a restroom it was! I mean, if you’ve camped much, you learn to keep your expectations low. But this restroom was immaculate, with new paint, new fixtures, and even a newly repaved walkway. Still no soap, however, so be sure to bring your own.
Over the next few days, we explored Rialto Beach, where the boys earned their Olympic National Park Junior Ranger badges and Ocean Stewards patches. An evening presentation at the campground amphitheater led us on a journey through the history of Olympic National Park. We also took a day trip to the Lyre Conservation Area, where we met with up with friends for a short hike. Back at Mora Campground, we explored the local nature trails.
Now, the nature trails at Mora are nothing to get too excited about. Still, they’re a nice diversion if you’re staying at the campground. We walked down the road from our campsite to the ranger station. Across the main road from the station, a small wooden sign said simply, “James Pond”. Pond, James Pond, I presume.
OK, now that you’ve finished rolling your eyes, here’s a look at the actual pond. James Pond turned out to be more of a marsh, and it didn’t appear that anyone had shaken or stirred its waters for a long time (sorry). It probably took us about 15 minutes to hike the trail, a short lollipop loop through a lovely forest.
Back near the ranger station, we found another small wooden sign pointing toward the Slough Trail. This trail promised to take us to the Quillayute River, and I was eager to experience what I was sure would be an enchanting view. The reality looked a bit more like this:
There was plentiful brush, but barely a glimmer of water appeared through the riot of green. Getting here was a bit of an adventure, as the trail was overgrown and several small trees had blown down across the path. It wasn’t difficult to find our way, but it was certainly more of a challenge than we expected. If you hike the full Slough Trail out and back, it’s 1.7 miles. We didn’t cover the entire trail (the end point is along Mora Road, not the river), but got a good taste of it on the mile or so we walked. As short as this trail is, it’s best for those who can easily navigate obstacles, including fallen trees, and handle some steep steps.
Back at our campsite, it was time to relax. There may be no campfire, but we still had games! And hot drinks! In other words, all we needed to be happy campers. Here’s to you, Mora Campground, and thanks for the memories!
