Puget Sound in May

K

kennharriet

Member
My wife and I and another couple are planning a trip somewhere in PS in May. They have a 5th wheel so ideally we are looking for a state campground or RV park to base from. We will bring our C-Dory and would hope to do some salmon fishing, but stay in our camper initially. So ideally, we are looking for a place to camp close to where the boat will be moored or launched and hopefully near some reasonable fishing. Any suggestions?

After they leave, the two of us may head to Princess Louisa Inlet. We have only been in the salt water once before to the Friday Harbor gathering a few years ago. Thanks, Ken
 
Ken,

Deception Pass State Park between Anacortes & Oak Harbor would make a good base camp. And nearby Cornet Bay is a really nice place to launch from to get quickly into the San Juans and salmon fishing.

Plus you'd be right by Les Lampman and his Marinaut boatworks.

jd
 
I always thought that if I had an RV, the RV park at Port Hudson on Admiralty Inlet would be great. It's in Port Townsend. Port Hudson Marina is a few hundred feet away. A great combo in my estimation. Every ship coming to Seattle or Tacoma would come by your window!
 
Hi, there are several places in the area that you could stay. There is a Rv park in la conner just across the road from the north boat basin and visitors dock link

Nice place , centrally located in the north sound. Great jump off place for the San Juan's or points north and out of the wind that we can have in may. short walk to town and restaurants, art galleries etc. Would be my first choice.

Second choice is the state park on Lopez island near Spencer spit. No dock but you could anchor the boat out. There is also Washington state park in Anacortes but you would have to keep the boat on the trailer or anchored out. That's the only chooses I know of in the north sound. The hard part is finding camping and docks together.
 
I agree with the Deception Pass state park/Cornet Bay suggestion. A beautiful park, good launch and good fishing, so I'm told. You are a little over an hour from Friday Harbor in the San Juans, 45 minutes from Anacortes. The Point Hudson area is also very nice with the town of Port Townsend right there. From that point you can head south down toward Seattle, north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria BC or the San Juans. La Conner is nice too but a little less flexible I think.
 
How about Shaw Park, a county park on the south side of Shaw Island. I've spent several nights anchored in Indian Cove and dingyed to the camp for a hike. You could also anchor in Blind Bay as it not that much of a walk across the island from the campground. The Ferry fee for the RV might be high thou.
Chuck
 
Ken, I agree with Roger that Port Hudson at Port Townsend would be "primo". Your boat could be placed in a slip practically in sight of your campsite that would have a superb view of Admiralty Inlet. You would be located on the end of town which would place you in convenient walking distance of the whole town. Rather than my "singing" the towns attributes, you should just "google" Port Townsend and see all it has to offer. (The movie Officer and a Gentleman was filmed there so you will recognize some of the scenary eg. Fort Worden State Park that you saw in the movie.....assuming you saw the movie). ("Google" "Officer and a Gentleman Where Filmed", "Port Townsend", and "Port Hudson Marina and RV Park")
Another option would be to park your RV's at Fidalgo Bay Resort off State Route 20 as you approach Anacortes from I-5. Beautiful views of Fidalgo Bay and beyond. While there you could berth your C-Dory at the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes. In this scenario your C-Dory and your RV's would be seperated by a couple of miles but it would certainly be a super consideration. (Again "google" is your best friend for getting a "lay of the land" and the amenities).
Hope this helps in the planning of your adventure.
 
The Whidbey Island end of the Port Townsend/Coupeville ferry run is Keystone which has a very popular state RV park (Fort Casey) also with an excellent boat launch, salmon fishing form the beach and salmon/halibut from boat on your doorstep.
If you have dogs then you have many miles of trails and the fort to explore, we walk there just about every day.

M
 
Sequim Bay State Park. We have stayed there and launched there. Also there is an RV park near John Wayne Marina. I don't know about the Salmon fishing in that area in May. We prawned out of Sequim Bay ( near Dungeness Spit ), and bottom fished mainly.
 
I concure with Roger and Barry.

Port Townsend and there are several places close there, depending on if you want to be close to town or father away, Look at Fort Worden, or Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island.

Or Sequim Bay State Park, Pretty quiet there. See my Album, "Sequim Bay State Park" to row right on page one of SleepyC album.

Or there is Twanoh State Park farther south on Hood Canal, Twanoh State Park is a 182-acre marine, camping park with 3,167 feet of saltwater shoreline on Hood Canal. The park has 25 tent spaces, 22 full hookup spaces, six restrooms and one shower. Maximum site length is 35 feet (may have limited availability).The park offers one watercraft launch ramp and 100 feet of dock.The park also provides 200 feet of moorage. Located on the south shore of Hood Canal, eight miles west of Belfair, Wash.

See this for more:

http://www.stateparks.com/twanoh.html

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
While the suggestions above are great for camping and boating, I'd note that salmon fishing in May is closed in most of the Puget sound. While the regs for 2013 may be slightly different than in recent years, it's highly likely the seasons for salmon won't change. In such a case, the only place open in the Puget Sound for salmon fishing in May is area 13 (the South sound area near Olympia).

If you want to salmon fish in May, you need to be either in the south sound (and fishing will be marginal then) or in Canada or in certain parts of the Columbia River (in early May the spring king fishing in Drano Lake and near the Wind River is EXCELLENT). Of you don't want to fish in those areas, my suggestion is that you plan your salmon fishing for in Canada on the way up to Princess Louisa. There should be some kings to be found around the Frasier river and on the way up.
 
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