Obstruction Pass State Park — Attraction in Orcas Island

Lovely, secluded campsites right on the cliff. There is a 0.6 mile trail down to from where the gravel road ends. There is a bike rack in the parking lot, but if you’re like me and aren’t willing to be so far away from your bike overnight the trail is walkable with a fully loaded setup, though rather inconvenient. The composting toilets are great, much better odor-wise than a traditional pit toilet, and they were fully stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer the night I was there. No water or garbages, so obviously pack in everything.

Despite being secluded, if there are boaters out on the water, know that boaters are loud and sound travels quite efficiently over water. It was $12 for the night, pay via an honor system box with either cash or check. Don’t pay at the pay station in the parking lot, there is another at the...

Fantastic spot for short day hike or really short backpacking. The camp spots are accessible after a mild .6 mile hike one way. There are like 11 spots. Only about 3 have decent puget sound views so I would get down there early and set up camp. Most have a table and campfire ring. They don’t allow collection of wood from the forest but you ARE allowed to collect driftwood which we found plenty. Only 3-4 groups down there on a Thursday evening. Since most the area is covered in noisy bushes, you hear every little critter or animal that moves about in the night. Kinda creepy but part of the experience! There is a toilet down near the campsites to use too which is nice but no clean water available even at the parking lot so bring plenty! Highly recommend camping here if you get one of the good spots! We paid 12$...

Only two stars are from a boater's perspective. From a land camper's view, it is probably five stars.

Obstruction Pass Park is somewhat unique in the fact that it is accessible by land or water. It is tucked away at the southeast corner of Orcas Island at the end of a short half-mile or so trail. The small campground is open to boaters, hikers alike. A single buoy is in the small bay, plus room to anchor. The beach is dinghy-friendly, however, being open to the pass and resulting traffic makes for lots of wake action. I would not anchor for the evening here or any lee shore that has big piles of driftwood. There are trails to hike and great views. Bring your camera and lunch, but move around the corner to Olga for the evening. More at...