Pacific Beach State Park — Attraction in Hoquiam

If Google would allow half stars, my rating would actually be a 3.5 . We stayed in a yurt recently, and though we experienced no issues and generally enjoyed our stay, we likely would not return unless it was the off-season again.

The biggest issue is lack of privacy. The sites are very small, and the picnic tables back up right to the trailer next door. With the yurts, there are somehow 2 other sites squeezed in, with a shared "driveway" to park on. Even in early October, about 1/3 of the RV sites were filled, and areas near the water were very crowded. If tenting, note in the off-season the grass gets very saturated and some sites had standing water.

There are also no firepits in the campsites, which to some people is an essential part of camping. Aside from the beach, there are not many kid activities...no playground, not a very big campground for bike riding, etc.

Restrooms were clean and up-to-date. The token machine at the ranger station says it is 1 token for 3 minutes in the showers, but in the shower, the sign says 2 tokens for 3 minutes. Each time I showered, I timed it at almost exactly 5 minutes with 2 tokens, however, the first 45 seconds is brutally cold.

The yurt was spacious, and having a heater and light was wonderful on a stormy weekend. The small covered "porch" out front is handy too. I would recommend bringing a towel or mat for the inside, as our shoes tracked water everywhere unless we removed them right away. I also suggest bringing a clothesline or somewhere to hang wet towels or clothing.

The location is great...directly on the beach. The town of Pacific Beach doesn't have much, but Seabrook is literally a 2-minute drive south on the highway, and offers a bakery, pizza, a pub, and a small grocery. The campground was generally quiet, with practically no noise from...

Getting into the Park can be a slight bit frustrating. There's a scarcity of signs showing directions from Pacific Beach town proper. You'll need to make a left at the You and I gas station/ market. There's no sign pointing that out.

The Volunteer Camp Hosts were extremely helpful, but there was absolutely zero park employee presence at the parks check in cabin. Phone calls to that office go to voice mail and do not get answered.

We used this park to access Joe Creek to go fishing just before the afternoon incoming tide. It's easy to do, and the path is well marked. At low tide, access is mostly hard packed wet sand. Make sure you have a copy of the local tide schedule.

This is a tent and RV site. For me, I'd like to see more trees there, but people seemed to be happy. So, if you're looking for mega sun exposure and wide open beach, this might be a good choice for you.

A few words of caution; While we were fishing Joe Creek, a group of about six horses and riders showed up down beach /closer to the river mouth. (low tide starting the upswing).

It grew into a larger group of about 12 or so. The riders took their mounts into the river, crossing back and forth just above a family with children under age 8 who were playing in the water. You could see the anger on the faces of the parents as they had to suddenly haul their children out of the water, as the horses had relieved themselves as soon as they got mid stream.

Folks, that's not being respectful of others.

Then, to make things worse, that same group, mostly late teens to early twenties, came upriver enmasse towards the 109 bridge at a trot, disregarding the signs marking private property (we were there with permission). Generally this group was not representing their lifestyle in a good way.

Don't be...

I just want to take the time to clarify something............the reviews here are (or should be) for Pacific Beach STATE PARK. Pacific Beach State Park & the Pacific Beach Conference Center (owned & managed by the U.S. Navy) are two entirely different places. There are NO rooms at Pacific Beach State Park, and there are NO restaurants, bowling alleys, or hot tubs. You do NOT have to be associated with the military in any respect to stay at Pacific Beach State Park. With that being said, Pacific Beach State Park is a very nice, small, mainly RV park that's within walking distance of the city of Pacific Beach, and is right on the water. The sites are very nice, with great views of the ocean, and oft times AMAZING sunsets. :) We stayed here in our motorhome and had a really nice time, and plan to stay there again in the near future. As far as the older retirees living here, this park may be frequented by older folks, which for me is a good thing, since I am one of those, but there are length-of-stay time limits at all Washington State Parks, so it's not actually possible to be a permanent resident, even if you wanted to. I give this place 4 stars, and the only reason that it isn't 5 stars is because check-in was a little bit of a hassle, since the booth was unmanned & there is a hotline type phone that you have to use to check in, and it's functionality left something...