Grizz Travels

Just about an hour away from our home base, we spent a long weekend at this campground for our last excursion of the year.

Getting to the park is pretty easy.  I'd recommend following the highway 20 spur into to Anacortes, taking a right on R Avenue. then right on 34th, another right on V Avenue, then finally a left on 35th/Fidalgo Bay Road.  You can drive straight on to Fidalgo Bay road from highway 20.  However, keep in mind that shoulders are non-existent, and it's a very, umm, rustic road, south of the campground.  If you are towing a vehicle (we tow a Jeep behind the Grizz), it's much easier to disconnect on 34th (or even on V avenue) than to navigate the campground with your toad still attached.  We used 34th street to both disconnect and reconnect the toad and had no issues.

Pulling in off of Fidalgo Bay road, there is not much room in front of the registration building.  Linda had made the reservation in advance, which gave us our site number.  After disconnecting the toad, I sent Linda ahead in the Jeep to verify the destination site number and pulled directly into the site after confirming.  

The main thoroughfares inside the park are pretty average, gravel roads, with a speed limit of 3.5 miles per hour.  The individual campsites are pretty closely spaced, with just enough room to put out some chairs. Our site was a pull-in site in the West Park area, with a large field directly in front of the rig, and views of the water through the trees.  So, we pulled the picnic table around to the front of the rig to enjoy the view while we were outside. 

Over in the East Park area of the campground, there are pull-in sites right behind the waterline of the beach.  

The campground plays host to a lot of full-time residents, as well as the weekenders like us.  All sites were clean and organized, and there didn't appear to be any “rustbuckets” around.  

Local Attractions, etc.:

• Anacortes Farmers Market
• Ferry to the San Juan Islands
• Swinomish Casino and Lodge
• Birdwatching
• Hiking and Biking
• Boating and Fishing

Connectivity

Internet connectivity is pretty much nonexistent.  There is free wifi available, but when you can get connected, the speed to the internet is poor.  However, we were able to get pretty good speeds out of our Verizon cell phones, from which we can tether our other devices for light email and web browsing.

Facilities

We didn't really take advantage of any of the facilities on site, other than beach access. There is a dumpster available, but it is a bit of a hike from the site we were at.  Also, make note that the sewer connection for each site is a little, umm, wonky.  There is a nice, covered hole in the ground, with a metal collar and lid.  However, the actual pipe is about six inches below the top of the opening.  This makes it a bit challenging to get your stinky slinky correctly connected.

Summary

This is a good place to overnight, spend a long weekend, or use as a “home base” for excursions.  Most folks we ran into were friendly and outgoing, there is plenty of things to do and see in the area.

Amenities

Contact Info

Fidalgo Bay Resort 
4701 Fidalgo Bay Road 
Anacortes, WA  98221

360-293-5353

Email: reserve@fidalgobay.com

Quoted rate for pull-in site in west park is $57 per night.