The secret’s out: Washington is ranked one of the best states for camping

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By Jared Gendron, The News Tribune

Washington state is being touted as one of the best states in the U.S. for camping, according to a new ranking.

The company Lawn Love recently released its roundup of the best states for camping in the U.S. The Evergreen State topped the list as the second-best state for camping in America, just behind first-place California.

The company produced their list using data from a variety of sources, including the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, the National Parks Service, REI and AllTrails, reviewing all 50 U.S. states based on 25 metrics, split into five categories: access, quality, supplies, safety and affordability. Metrics in categories with the highest weight included each state’s total number of campgrounds, its share of highly rated campgrounds, natural hazards index, nightly rates at campgrounds and park deaths.

Washington ranked highest on the following criteria:

Variety of campsite activities – first
Number of campsites with toilets – second
Number of attractions – third
Number of camping supply stores – fifth
Average limited-time pass price (income-adjusted) – ninth
Natural hazards index – 14th

Washington also placed fifth for highest total acreage of national and state parks. The Evergreen State is home to 124 state-managed parks across 123,000 acres and three national parks.

In April 2022, TripAdvisor ranked Mount Rainier as one of the best national parks in the U.S. for kids.

Activities and Washington campsites

Campers can find more than 5,600 utility and standards campsites in a state-managed park, says Sarah Dettmer, communications manager with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Many parks also operate during winter, she adds.

If you’re not into camping in a tent, there are plenty of alternatives. Campsites managed by the state parks agency contain more than 200 cabins, 60 vacation homes and eight retreat centres.

In terms of activities, campgrounds across Washington are incredibly diverse, Dettmer says.

“You can go bird and wildlife watching, explore miles of trail, try to identify the trees and plants around you, visit our museums, explore the shorelines of fresh and saltwater beaches – and take a dip when the weather is warm, investigate tide pools, go on a ranger-led walk to learn more about the area, explore our interpretive centres, crawl around historic military bunkers – and so much more.”

Park safety hazards

Although Washington is well-regarded for its breadth of outdoor opportunities, some of its most famous national parks are notorious for visitor deaths. According to a recent NBC News report on the nation’s 10 national parks with the highest death rates from 2007 to 2021, Mount Rainier National Park was listed in 10th place. The same report noted that the North Cascades National Park had the highest death rate by far, at three times higher than the next closest, Wrangell-St Elias National Park in Alaska.

In September 2022, a 34-year-old man was killed at Olympic National Park when a tree fell on his tent. Several hikers have also died in parks over the years, such as a 29-year-old man who fell through a snow bridge at Mount Rainier National Park in 2021.

The bottom three places to camp in America on the list were Rhode Island and Louisiana at 49th and 48th. North Dakota came in last.

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