twanoh state park

We've been here a few times and its always a nice stop to get a hike in. Granted you can only hike like 2 miles around the loop but its still gorgeous. You start lower and climb your way up next to the stream. The elevation changes are really fun. I have attached a picture of something funny we saw - when you get up to the top where there is a dirt road, there is a gate preventing people from driving onto the trail. Instead of a lock on the gate, someone used a stick. We thought it was pretty comical. There is also camping here and across the street, a huge parking lot and area for people to enjoy the water. Grills, boat launch, etc. Cute family getaway for the day.

Ugh! The restrooms stunk of piss and were a mess. Plug your nose if you need to use the restroom.The park otherwise is a nice stop with good views. Not sure I'd want to xamp here with a state highway bisecting the park. It was a sunny day and lots of others were enjoying the nice beach.

I like the park for ease of use for boat launch, dock, hiking, swimming, tennis, hide and seek and camping. Nice open spaces with cool hiking trails. Kids slept well and so did I.

About the best boat launch on the South shore of Hood Canal. Usually plenty of parking for vehicle and trailer. If going out for shrimp either launch the night before and have the boat on a mooring bouy or get to the ramp access area an hour before it opens (i.e. 0400). Recommend camping the night and doing one of the two options stated. The BBQ areas for parties are excellent in all types of weather. Beware of high winds as the old growth tree limbs have been known to fall with a large thud. Wouldn't be good to have a person hit by a falling limb or any personal belongings. Not sure someone would walk away from it. Excellent hiking trail and toilets for a State run camping facility.

We stopped by to see this park. From what we saw It is not a huge park. It does have some good camping although you have to cross the highway to get to the Cannal. The park is well maintained and clean. It has ample open areas for some sun and lots of tree canopies for shaded areas. This would be a great spot for the kids to play and have a picknick.

We visit at least once a summer. Plenty of beach and shade. Sometimes the oyster shells and seaweed can hamper the beach but we're used to it. Recommend for the family outing. Discover Pass required.

Nice spot , on the water with easy access for boaters and swimmers. Wind surfers can be seen zipping by on those breasy days. The camp sites close to the inlet dont have much privacy but a great view and are windy. The camps close to the highway are noisy but alot more private and not windy. So choose your side carefully depending on the weather. Very clean bathrooms and hot showers. Belfair is about 5 miles away and offers lots of restarants and grocery stores, Safeway, Albertsons,ect. Watch out for your dogs paws their are lots of broken sharp shells on the beach. For some great hikes go up into Tahyula state lands , watch out its a place full of trails some loops up to 45 miles , so take a map.And watch out for off road vehicles and horses..Lots of dust in the summer and some nice deep water in the winter...and always lots of rocks and roots.

A great park, lots of shade, lots of things for the kids to do. I was surprised to find they had switched to the reservation system and of course it's book for all weekends. Very nice and helpful rangers and the best camp host that I've seen in any park. The bathrooms were very clean when they finished cleaning them but by the end of a week it was hard to enter them without gagging from the smell - once a week is not enough in the summer! As for other reviewers: Oysters are a big attraction at Twanoh. If you don't want your kids walking on oyster shells - send them to the swimming area - Its a nice sandy beach there and one of the few places in Washington warm enough to swim in saltwater.All Washington parks require a Discover Pass. Currently $33.00 per year or $11.00 per day. This income makes the parks available to all of us. Twanoh was actually closed for awhile (a year or two?) due to state budget issues before the 'discover pass program' - you gotta pay to play. That being said, during our 6 day stay I saw several occasions where the staff was simply warning people who failed to read the adequate signage and I did not see any actual ticketing although I'm sure it does happen. The rangers and staff are not hiding in the bushes waiting to ticket you.Noisy ORV park? I don't know where they were but it could not have been Twanoh. You will hear some traffic noise as 106 (2 lane, 35MPH) does run between the beach and the campgrounds.

My best advice for this park or really any beach on the hood canal is walk carefully. We visited this park a few times as it has a nice picnic area and a beach. But my gosh, it can be dangerous for little ones to walk around. The park is chock full of razor sharp broken oyster shells and barnacles. So take great care if you have little ones horsing around as they can easily trip on the rocky beach and cut up there hands, legs, etc on the sharp shells. Especially during the oyster shucking season. Besides the warning, it really is a nice place to stop for a picnic. It has a little campground and a short little trail to hike. There are nice views of the Olympics and of the canal and the water is warm. The main problem with the place is it has limited parking and will be way overcrowded during a hot summer day. Its possible to not find parking and they do have cops waiting to write tickets.

The beach is wonderful here. You can't beat the view of the Olympics.The water is warm in the summer and nice to swim in. The park itself needs some work (fences etc.) and the campground is small and dark. The hiking trails are short but nice. I recommend going during the week on a nice day as the beach is very crowded on a sunny weekend.

This park can get packed in the summer. Especialy during Oyster season. They have policeman to escort cars because the campground is full and the parking lot for day visitors is overcrowded. So avoid these days if possible. The park is wooded and prety but really is not that interesting. Has a short trail to hike. The trail loops around but offers basically no views. Partial views of the canal if you stand in the right spot. Has a beach that is a landmine of broken and razor sharp oyster shells and barnacles. Other than this, its not a destination type place. Its a place to camp for the sake of camping or a picnic type place.

Twanoh State Park has been one of our family's favorite parks for day use for over 50 years. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in the state, located the pristine Hood Canal waters. It has some of the warmest water on the sound. It faces directly to the West with fantastic views of the Olympic Mountains.It is a wonderful location for family picnics, swimming, oysters and clams, hiking, and boating. This is truly one of the northwest’s best family day use facilities. There is also a nice little campground, which we have not used, as we live locally.Unfortunately, a few of the reviews listed here are totally off base:First, this is NOT an ORV park! There is no ORV noise or other activity allowed anywhere in the park. It is rare to hear anything other than the breeze off the canal, birds, and children playing.Second, EVERY state park requires a Discover Pass for use. Use includes parking. If you can’t follow the rules, don’t use the park! If you get a ticket because you ignore the large signs stating that a pass is required, then you deserve a ticket. If you are disabled or have some other exemption, you may not need a Discover Pass. However, you still need educate yourself, obtain the proper passes and permits, and follow the rules and laws related to use of parks. Don’t give the park a bad rating just because you got caught breaking the law!

We ended up at this state park sort of spontaneously as it was near the resort we were going to stay at. It ended up surprisingly pleasant...although smell was not to great.This park had creek and was part of Salmon run...as it was post-Salmon season, we saw bunch of dead Salmon who had finished the Salmon run season. Although smell was not the best, it was interesting to see the Salmon interspersed throughout the creek.The hike was very easy...only 2 miles or so total loop. It was pretty, but I wouldn't was it was spectacular hike.

Circumstances of review: Saturday visit in mid-October, 10 AM-Noon, overcast/ light fog, cool (temperature in 40s). The "summer experience" may be completely different than my off-peak experience, so please see some other reviews.Overall impression: Nothing "bad" about this park, but it just does not measure up to some of the other places you can go explore in the Pacific Northwest. I would not prioritize or go out of the way to visit, but if you're in the area, you may enjoy stopping to do the 1-hour hike and walk along the water, and maybe have a picnic lunch. No need to budget more than 2 hours.Specific Impressions:Hood Canal waterfront: Spacious beach, but pebbly as opposed to sandy . . .and away from the beach, you're mainly walking on shells. The water was crystal clear . . . there is a public pier where the water depth at the end is probably 10-12 feet, but you can see the bottom clearly. Nice views across the water.Hiking: There is a 2.5-mile loop trail with about 400 feet of elevation gain; the first part of it goes along a creek. It is nice, but not spectacular by the standards of the Pacific Northwest. It's in thick woods, so there are no views, but you can enjoy the lushness, moss, moisture, and solitude. I saw nobody on the trail except within 1/4 mile of the trailhead. When you are at about the midpoint of the loop, the "mood" of being in a somewhat remote location is kind of spoiled when you come across a service road (which for a brief time is actually the trail) and several man-made structures associated with a group camp.Camping: I did not camp but walked through the campground. Seems nice. Heavily wooded.Picnic Area: Nice. Most picnic tables in heavy shade. Shelters are available.Dog friendliness: We brought our dog. Did not see any signage addressing pets, so we assumed the rule was "pets allowed so long as on a leash". Dog enjoyed the hike.

Turns out, if you go to a Washington state park without a permit -- say, you're just driving through -- and park, it will cost you $105. The park itself has waterfront, a nice camping area and an OK hike up the ridge in deep forest. Very pleasant.Services were all closed when we were there.