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If you’re a Thousand Trails member like we are, you probably try using the membership as often as possible to save money on nightly fees. After we visited Olympic National Park, we headed down the Pacific coastline and stayed at Thousand Trails Oceana.
If you haven’t seen the Pacific Northwest yet, we want to give you the good, bad, and ugly of this campground so you can know what to expect. It’s a small Thousands Trails location, but with private beach access, its location is ideal. Let’s dive in!
Pro Tip: Be sure to read Is Ocean Shores in Washington Worth Visiting? before planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest!
What Is Thousand Trails?
Thousand Trails is a network of campgrounds nationwide that offers memberships. These different levels of memberships come with varying perks, but all of them allow members to stay at campgrounds without paying a nightly fee. Combined with the optional add-on Trails Collection, this network has over 200 locations.
Can Anyone Stay At A Thousand Trails Campground?
Even though members can stay without paying the nightly rate, anyone can book a reservation. You can pay the retail rate if you’re not a Thousand Trails member but want to stay at a Thousand Trails or Encore RV park.
However, buying the camping pass could be cheaper if you plan on camping for more than a week during the year at a Thousand Trails campground. The pass is $670. If the nightly rate is $50, the pass pays for itself after two weeks. With the ability to stay for two weeks at a time, you could visit one location for two weeks during the summer and the same or another location for two weeks during the fall and never pay the nightly rate. That’s four weeks of camping for $670.
But if you’re just passing through an area and want to book a reservation for two or three nights, go to ThousandTrails.com to search and complete your booking.
Where Is Thousand Trails Oceana?
Thousand Trails Oceana is in Washington State, off State Route 109 in Ocean City. It’s southwest of Olympic National Park along the western shoreline of Washington. Tacoma is less than two hours east of the campground, and the border of Oregon is about two hours south.
How Many Thousand Trails Campgrounds Are In Washington?
There are 12 Thousand Trails campgrounds in Washington. They’re part of the Northwest region, which you can select when you purchase a Camping Pass. Thousand Trails Long Beach is at the Washington-Oregon border south of Thousand Trails Oceana. They’re the only two Washington Thousand Trails campgrounds on the western coastline.
The Reasons We Liked Thousand Trails Oceana
We didn’t stay long at Thousand Trails Oceana as we were just passing through the area after visiting Olympic National Park. But we wanted to give our review of the campground for anyone who is planning a Pacific Northwest trip.
Beach Access
There’s a trail from the campground that leads to the beach. Thousand Trails Oceana is one of the few Thousand Trails campgrounds with this amenity. It’s a huge perk to pack your beach bag and cooler and head to the sandy shoreline without having to load up the car or worry about parking.
Well-Maintained Facilities
We were impressed at how well-kept the restrooms, laundry, and clubhouse were. They were very clean and well-maintained. Many Thousand Trails locations are run-down or outdated, and the owners at Thousand Trails Oceana seem to really care about the property’s appearance. The grass was mowed, and the landscaping with the flowers was beautiful.
New Owners Are Updating the Park
The staff is very accommodating and welcoming. We could tell that the new owners are trying to make Thousand Trails Oceana a place campers want to visit.
The laundry had new machines, and they were renovating the west restroom facilities while we were there. That made it inconvenient for anyone who wanted to use the bathhouse, but it was a great sign that the new owners were caring for this campground.
The Reasons We Disliked Thousand Trails Oceana
However, there were a couple of things we didn’t like about Thousand Trails Oceana. It’s a small campground, so when you arrive, you don’t have many campsites to choose from, especially if you want to be in a particular area in the RV park or have a large RV and need a long campsite. Here are two of the biggest complaints we have.
Tight Sites
You are close to your neighbors. It feels pretty crowded when you’re at the campground. If you spend most of your time enjoying the beach or driving into Ocean Shores, then it might not be too big of a deal. But if you like to spend time outside at your campsite, you might not like being so close to other campers.
Very Few Full Hook-Up Sites
I don’t know if any sites have sewer hookups at Thousand Trails Oceana. Most of them have water and 30-amp electric. You can cross your fingers that a 50-amp site is available when you arrive, but there aren’t many.
There’s also a $3/day upcharge for 50-amp service. Having few full hook-up sites is definitely a drawback for RVers looking to stay a week or two at this campground.
Is Thousand Trails Oceana Worth Visiting?
The location and staff make staying at Thousand Trails Oceana worth it. We can’t rave enough about how hospitable the staff was. And the proximity to the beach is fantastic! We also loved that the campground is just ten minutes to Ocean Shores and 30 minutes to Aberdeen if you need groceries or supplies.
If we’re in western Washington again, we won’t hesitate to stay at Thousand Trails Oceana. Does it sound like a place that you’d want to visit?
