State Park
~1 hr 45 min from Seattle
Larrabee State Park
Washington's first state park, with 26 water-and-electric utility sites near Samish Bay, tide pools, and Chuckanut Mountain trails.
Washington's first state park, with 26 water-and-electric utility sites near Samish Bay, tide pools, and Chuckanut Mountain trails.
Larrabee is Washington's first state park, set between Chuckanut Mountain and Samish Bay. The campground has 51 standard tent sites, 26 utility sites with water and electricity, and eight primitive sites, plus restrooms, showers, and a trailer dump. Highway 11 and active railroad tracks border the campground, and the state specifically warns that train noise occurs day and night.
Larrabee State Park clings to the Chuckanut sandstone bluffs above Samish Bay, where wave erosion has carved remarkable honeycomb formations into the cliff faces and tide pools reveal some of the richest intertidal communities on the Salish Sea. The park sits at the southern end of the Chuckanut Mountain trail network, a 25-mile system of forested ridges connecting Larrabee to Bellingham and offering sweeping views of the San Juan Islands from rocky outcrops above the bay. Directly offshore, Samish Bay's extensive eelgrass beds are critical habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon, Dungeness crab, and the bay is a recognized staging area for Pacific shorebird migration each spring and fall.
Practical guidance assembled from current operator maps, park pages, and clearly identified community observations.
Lower sites near the Chuckanut Bay beach fill first and offer the best sunset views — book early. Upper hillside sites (60+) are quieter and more private with dense salal understory. RV sites are concentrated in the upper campground; the road in is narrow with some tight turns — rigs over 30 ft should call ahead. Walk to Clayton Beach via the trail directly from camp for the best tide pool access.
| 📍 Nearest Town | Bellingham, WA |
| ⛽ Gas Station | 6 mi |
| 🛒 Grocery Store | 6 mi |
| 🏪 Costco | 15 mi |
| ☕ Starbucks | 8 mi |
| 🏕️ Nearest State Park | 25 mi |
Stock up in Bellingham, WA before heading out — services get limited near the campground.
Ready to book?
Reservable up to 9 months ahead for May 15–September 15 arrivals; first-come outside that period. Confirm current rules, site dimensions, and conditions with the operator. Booking and availability are handled externally.