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Potlatch State Park
Potlach State Park lies along beautiful Hood Canal, 40 miles from Olympia. This unassuming park has a welcoming campground in a thicket of trees, and its forested creek was recently restored for salmon health. Local elk herds roam through the area, and pileated woodpeckers are busy with their beaks, tapping out rhythms on the trees.
And then there's the beach. Before you head to Potlach, be sure to pack pails, duck-boots, crab pots, boats and the right licenses. For shellfish harvesting, this park is truly where it's at! Whether it's oysters, crabs or clams that whet your appetite, you'll find them here.
At high tide or on windy days, visitors may also opt to wind surf, fly kites or kick back and watch others create a colorful show. Featuring clear, often calm waters, Potlach is a favorite with divers and kayakers too. Seasonal Junior Ranger and kids' educational programs make the park a magnet for families. Hikers, take note: some of the lushest hiking in the region can be found within a half hour's drive, on four neighboring rivers.
Plan an Olympic Peninsula adventure, and enjoy the fun and uniquely northwest experience that Potlatch has to offer.
Park features
Potlatch State Park is an 84-acre camping park with 5,700 feet of saltwater shoreline on Hood Canal.
ADA amenities/facilities
- Campground
Use our interactive ADA recreation map to search for other state parks with ADA amenities and facilities.
Picnic & day-use facilities
The park offers one reservable picnic shelter and several unsheltered picnic tables. The picnic shelter may be reserved by visiting online or calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
Activities
Trails
- 0.5 miles of hiking trails
Water activities & features
- Boating
- Clamming
- Crabbing
- Diving
- Fishing (saltwater)
- Moorage buoys (4)
- Oyster harvesting
Other activities & features
- Amphitheater
- Beach exploration
- Bird watching
- Fire circles (6)
- Sailboarding
Interpretive opportunities
The park offers summer amphitheater programs and Junior Ranger activities.
Additional information
- Four major rivers lie within a 30-mile radius of Potlatch. These include the Skokomish, Hamma Hamma, Duckabush and Dosewallips.
- A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information, or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- Printable park brochure (PDF).
Boating features
Located in Mason County on Hood Canal, Potlatch has four mooring buoys.
Boat moorage
Moorage fees are charged year round for mooring at docks, floats, and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. Daily and annual permits are available.
Latitude: 47º 21' 35" N (47.3597)
Longitude: 123º 9' 22.99" W (-123.1563)
Campsite information
The park has 38 standard campsites, 35 partial-hookup sites (water is turned off Nov. 15 to March 1), two hiker/biker sites, one dump station, and two restrooms with showers in the campground area. Maximum site length is 60 feet (limited availability). There is one Cascadia Marine Trail (PDF) site available to those arriving by wind- and human-powered watercraft. The site is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Camping areas are subject to availability, and reservations are in effect May 15 through September 15.
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time is 1 p.m.
Reservations & fees
Reservations can be made online or by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688. For fee information, check out our camping rates page.
Historical information
Potlatch State Park lies within the traditional territory of the Skokomish Indian Tribe and was a principal settlement of the Skokomish peoples during the 1860s.
In 1792, British Explorer Captain George Vancouver and his crew were the first Euro-Americans to explore Hood Canal (a name assigned by Vancouver during the voyage), sailing past current-day Potlatch to the Skokomish River delta.
During the mid-1800s, the budding timber industry began harvesting the tall, straight fir trees that grew throughout the Hood Canal area, which were valuable as ship masts. Potlatch was the site of at least two lumber mills in the early- to mid-20th century. The Minerva Resort and Mercantile, a cluster of cabins and a store also sat on the park site during that time.
Washington State Parks began purchasing the land for a park in 1960. The last parcel, now the North Loop Campground, was purchased from the Minerva Beach Association in 2007.