RV Parks In Olympia, Washington

For easy big-rig access, the private parks along Interstate 5 are the go-to: American Heritage Campground is a wooded family park just off the freeway south of town with full and partial hookups, tent sites and cabins, and Olympia Campground near Tumwater has paved, big-rig-friendly full-hookup sites and an on-site store with RV parts. The Little Creek Casino Resort RV Park toward Shelton adds full hookups with resort amenities. For public camping, Millersylvania State Park 15 minutes south offers partial-hookup sites by a lake, and Capitol State Forest has rustic DNR campgrounds west of town. Choose the freeway parks for convenience, the state park or forest for scenery.

The private parks do. American Heritage Campground offers full and partial hookups, Olympia Campground has paved full-hookup big-rig sites, and the Little Creek Casino Resort RV Park provides full hookups with water, sewer and 30 or 50-amp electric. On the public side it is more limited: Millersylvania State Park has partial hookups, meaning water and electric rather than sewer at the site, with a dump station in the park, and the Washington DNR campgrounds in Capitol State Forest have no hookups at all. If you want full hookups with sewer at your site, book one of the private parks along Interstate 5.

It is moderate for the West Coast. The private full-hookup parks along Interstate 5 generally run $40 to $60 a night, with the casino RV park at the higher end for its resort features, and many offer weekly and monthly rates for longer stays. Millersylvania State Park, with partial hookups, runs at standard Washington state-park rates, roughly the $30s to mid $40s, plus a Discover Pass for day use. The DNR campgrounds in Capitol State Forest are the budget option, free or just a few dollars, though rustic with no hookups. Midweek and shoulder-season stays beat peak-summer weekend pricing everywhere.

Summer, hands down, roughly July through September. Western Washington has a short but glorious dry season then, with warm, sunny days, comfortable nights and the lowest rain chances of the year, which is why it is the busiest camping season and why you should book ahead. Spring and fall are green and pretty but wet, fine if you do not mind rain and want fewer crowds, with cherry blossoms on the Capitol campus in April. Winter is mild but very wet and gray. If you want to camp Olympia at its best, target the mid-summer dry window and reserve early.

Yes, easily, thanks to the freeway parks. American Heritage Campground and Olympia Campground both sit right off Interstate 5 with sites built for big rigs, the latter with paved big-rig pads, and the casino RV park near Shelton takes large coaches too. I-5 itself is a wide, well-graded major route, so getting a 40-foot rig here is no trouble. The exception is the rustic DNR camping in Capitol State Forest, where narrow, winding forest roads favor smaller rigs. For a guaranteed big-rig spot with full hookups, stick to the private parks along the interstate and you will have no problems.

It is one of the best, which is the underrated appeal of basing here. Olympia sits roughly two hours from both Mount Rainier National Park to the east and Olympic National Park to the northwest, so you can set up once at a comfortable full-hookup site and day-trip to two of the country's great national parks on separate days without moving the rig. US Highway 101 from Olympia leads onto the Olympic Peninsula, and the routes to Rainier are straightforward. For RVers who want national-park scenery but prefer a full-service base with grocery stores and easy freeway access, Olympia is a smart, central choice.

Partial, mostly. Millersylvania State Park, the closest, offers water and electric hookups rather than full sewer hookups at the site, with a dump station in the park, which is typical for Washington state parks. That setup works fine for most RVers: you arrive with full fresh water, run on the electric hookup, and use the dump station on the way out. If you specifically need sewer at your pad, the private parks along Interstate 5 are the better choice. Reserve Millersylvania ahead for summer weekends through the Washington State Parks system, and remember you will need a Discover Pass for day-use parking.

A surprising amount for a small capital. The Washington State Capitol offers free tours of its 287-foot domed Legislative Building, the tallest masonry dome in the country, set on a handsome campus with memorials and gardens. Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls is a free riverside walk crossing the upper, middle and lower falls, and downtown's Percival Landing has a mile-long waterfront boardwalk and one of the biggest farmers markets in the state. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge nearby offers boardwalks and great birdwatching on Puget Sound. Add day trips to Mount Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula and a stay fills quickly.

Quite rainy outside summer, so plan around it. Western Washington gets most of its precipitation from fall through spring, with gray, drizzly stretches common from October into June, though the rain is usually light and steady rather than heavy. The reward is the deep green, mossy forests the region is famous for. The flip side is a genuinely dry, sunny summer, roughly July through September, which is why that window is the prime camping season. If you visit outside summer, bring quality rain gear, an awning, and a way to keep muddy boots out of the rig, and you can still enjoy it.

Some are. The private parks like Olympia Campground and the casino RV park, plus Millersylvania State Park, generally operate year-round, since the climate here is mild and rarely sees hard freezes, so winter camping is possible if you do not mind the rain. American Heritage and the rustic DNR forest campgrounds are more seasonal, typically running spring through fall. Winter campers should call ahead to confirm a park is open and which hookups are running, and be ready for wet, gray conditions rather than snow at this low elevation. For most visitors, though, summer is the season worth planning around.

Yes, in Capitol State Forest west of town, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Campgrounds like Margaret McKenny and Middle Waddell offer rustic, low-cost or free sites with vault toilets and trailheads right into the forest, with most run first-come. They have no hookups, so you camp self-contained with your own water and power, and the access roads are narrow and winding, which makes them better for smaller rigs than big coaches. For RVers who want quiet, inexpensive forest camping and do not need hookups, the DNR sites are a great option, just come prepared for a rustic, off-grid stay.

It helps a lot. The campgrounds sit off Interstate 5 or out in the forest, and downtown Olympia, the Capitol campus and the waterfront are best explored on foot after parking a smaller vehicle, since rig parking near them is tight. We recommend setting up at a full-hookup site, unhitching, and taking the tow vehicle into the city, which is only minutes away by freeway. The same goes for day trips to Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and Nisqually refuge, where a car is far easier to maneuver and park than a motorhome. If you are in a smaller van you can manage more, but a tow vehicle makes the area much easier.

For summer weekends, a few weeks to a couple of months is wise, especially at Millersylvania State Park and the popular full-hookup private parks, because the short dry season concentrates demand into July, August and September. The private parks take direct reservations year-round and are easier midweek and in the off-season. Millersylvania books through the Washington State Parks system, where summer weekend sites go early. The DNR forest campgrounds are first-come, so for those you just show up, ideally early in the day, with a backup plan. Outside summer, availability opens up considerably and you can often book on shorter notice.

For easy big-rig access, the private parks along Interstate 5 are the go-to: American Heritage Campground is a wooded family park just off the freeway south of town with full and partial hookups, tent sites and cabins, and Olympia Campground near Tumwater has paved, big-rig-friendly full-hookup sites and an on-site store with RV parts. The Little Creek Casino Resort RV Park toward Shelton adds full hookups with resort amenities. For public camping, Millersylvania State Park 15 minutes south offers partial-hookup sites by a lake, and Capitol State Forest has rustic DNR campgrounds west of town. Choose the freeway parks for convenience, the state park or forest for scenery.

The private parks do. American Heritage Campground offers full and partial hookups, Olympia Campground has paved full-hookup big-rig sites, and the Little Creek Casino Resort RV Park provides full hookups with water, sewer and 30 or 50-amp electric. On the public side it is more limited: Millersylvania State Park has partial hookups, meaning water and electric rather than sewer at the site, with a dump station in the park, and the Washington DNR campgrounds in Capitol State Forest have no hookups at all. If you want full hookups with sewer at your site, book one of the private parks along Interstate 5.

It is moderate for the West Coast. The private full-hookup parks along Interstate 5 generally run $40 to $60 a night, with the casino RV park at the higher end for its resort features, and many offer weekly and monthly rates for longer stays. Millersylvania State Park, with partial hookups, runs at standard Washington state-park rates, roughly the $30s to mid $40s, plus a Discover Pass for day use. The DNR campgrounds in Capitol State Forest are the budget option, free or just a few dollars, though rustic with no hookups. Midweek and shoulder-season stays beat peak-summer weekend pricing everywhere.

Summer, hands down, roughly July through September. Western Washington has a short but glorious dry season then, with warm, sunny days, comfortable nights and the lowest rain chances of the year, which is why it is the busiest camping season and why you should book ahead. Spring and fall are green and pretty but wet, fine if you do not mind rain and want fewer crowds, with cherry blossoms on the Capitol campus in April. Winter is mild but very wet and gray. If you want to camp Olympia at its best, target the mid-summer dry window and reserve early.

Yes, easily, thanks to the freeway parks. American Heritage Campground and Olympia Campground both sit right off Interstate 5 with sites built for big rigs, the latter with paved big-rig pads, and the casino RV park near Shelton takes large coaches too. I-5 itself is a wide, well-graded major route, so getting a 40-foot rig here is no trouble. The exception is the rustic DNR camping in Capitol State Forest, where narrow, winding forest roads favor smaller rigs. For a guaranteed big-rig spot with full hookups, stick to the private parks along the interstate and you will have no problems.

It is one of the best, which is the underrated appeal of basing here. Olympia sits roughly two hours from both Mount Rainier National Park to the east and Olympic National Park to the northwest, so you can set up once at a comfortable full-hookup site and day-trip to two of the country's great national parks on separate days without moving the rig. US Highway 101 from Olympia leads onto the Olympic Peninsula, and the routes to Rainier are straightforward. For RVers who want national-park scenery but prefer a full-service base with grocery stores and easy freeway access, Olympia is a smart, central choice.

Partial, mostly. Millersylvania State Park, the closest, offers water and electric hookups rather than full sewer hookups at the site, with a dump station in the park, which is typical for Washington state parks. That setup works fine for most RVers: you arrive with full fresh water, run on the electric hookup, and use the dump station on the way out. If you specifically need sewer at your pad, the private parks along Interstate 5 are the better choice. Reserve Millersylvania ahead for summer weekends through the Washington State Parks system, and remember you will need a Discover Pass for day-use parking.

A surprising amount for a small capital. The Washington State Capitol offers free tours of its 287-foot domed Legislative Building, the tallest masonry dome in the country, set on a handsome campus with memorials and gardens. Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls is a free riverside walk crossing the upper, middle and lower falls, and downtown's Percival Landing has a mile-long waterfront boardwalk and one of the biggest farmers markets in the state. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge nearby offers boardwalks and great birdwatching on Puget Sound. Add day trips to Mount Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula and a stay fills quickly.

Quite rainy outside summer, so plan around it. Western Washington gets most of its precipitation from fall through spring, with gray, drizzly stretches common from October into June, though the rain is usually light and steady rather than heavy. The reward is the deep green, mossy forests the region is famous for. The flip side is a genuinely dry, sunny summer, roughly July through September, which is why that window is the prime camping season. If you visit outside summer, bring quality rain gear, an awning, and a way to keep muddy boots out of the rig, and you can still enjoy it.

Some are. The private parks like Olympia Campground and the casino RV park, plus Millersylvania State Park, generally operate year-round, since the climate here is mild and rarely sees hard freezes, so winter camping is possible if you do not mind the rain. American Heritage and the rustic DNR forest campgrounds are more seasonal, typically running spring through fall. Winter campers should call ahead to confirm a park is open and which hookups are running, and be ready for wet, gray conditions rather than snow at this low elevation. For most visitors, though, summer is the season worth planning around.

Yes, in Capitol State Forest west of town, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Campgrounds like Margaret McKenny and Middle Waddell offer rustic, low-cost or free sites with vault toilets and trailheads right into the forest, with most run first-come. They have no hookups, so you camp self-contained with your own water and power, and the access roads are narrow and winding, which makes them better for smaller rigs than big coaches. For RVers who want quiet, inexpensive forest camping and do not need hookups, the DNR sites are a great option, just come prepared for a rustic, off-grid stay.

It helps a lot. The campgrounds sit off Interstate 5 or out in the forest, and downtown Olympia, the Capitol campus and the waterfront are best explored on foot after parking a smaller vehicle, since rig parking near them is tight. We recommend setting up at a full-hookup site, unhitching, and taking the tow vehicle into the city, which is only minutes away by freeway. The same goes for day trips to Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and Nisqually refuge, where a car is far easier to maneuver and park than a motorhome. If you are in a smaller van you can manage more, but a tow vehicle makes the area much easier.

For summer weekends, a few weeks to a couple of months is wise, especially at Millersylvania State Park and the popular full-hookup private parks, because the short dry season concentrates demand into July, August and September. The private parks take direct reservations year-round and are easier midweek and in the off-season. Millersylvania books through the Washington State Parks system, where summer weekend sites go early. The DNR forest campgrounds are first-come, so for those you just show up, ideally early in the day, with a backup plan. Outside summer, availability opens up considerably and you can often book on shorter notice.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Olympia.