Campground · Olympic National Park
Five walk-in tent sites beside Lake Quinault.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this area
Quinault Big Sitka Spruce: Nearly Sixty Feet Around“The trail to Quinault's Big Sitka Spruce is coming up beside Rain Forest Resort Village. Allow about half an hour for the short, nearly level walk and a look around the tree's broad roots.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from Gatton Creek Campground in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Gatton Creek Campground is a U.S. Forest Service campground and day-use area on Lake Quinault’s south shore, beside a small rainforest stream. Its five walk-in tent sites and three picnic units sit along the water, looking across to the forested slopes of Olympic National Park. The campground is in Olympic National Forest, just outside the national park.
Sites are walk-in from the day-use parking lot, so plan to carry your gear from the car. This is a simple tent campground, not an RV setup. Vault toilets are available, but there’s no potable water; bring drinking water. The operating season runs from May through September.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyQuinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayA short forest path leads to a towering Sitka spruce.
EasyQuinault Loop Trail #8544 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayA boardwalked bog, cascading falls, and Lake Quinault in one loop.
EasyMaple Glade Rain Forest Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 2.3 mi awayMoss-draped maples and nurse logs in a gentle half-mile loop.
EasyKestner Homestead Trail1.3 mi · 45 min · 2.4 mi awayAn easy forest loop to an old homestead and orchard.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayFalls Creek CampgroundRainforest campsites with lakeshore access and a CCC-built shelter.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayQuinault Big Sitka Spruce TreeA short walk to a 191-foot spruce with a 59-foot girth.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayLake Quinault MuseumTwo 20-plus-foot cedar canoes anchor this small local museum.
Ranger station · 0.6 mi awaySouth Shore Quinault Ranger StationA useful stop for maps, trail advice, and wilderness permits.
Lodging · 0.6 mi awayLake Quinault LodgeStay or eat at the 1926 lodge on Lake Quinault's south shore.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayWillaby CampgroundRainforest camping, lake access and short walks around Quinault.
Picnic area · 1.8 mi awayJuly Creek Picnic AreaA short loop to huge Douglas-firs and Lake Quinault views.
Ranger station · 2.3 mi awayQuinault Rain Forest Ranger StationA useful base for two short rainforest walks by Lake Quinault.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
