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Bay Center / Willapa Bay KOA
- 457 Bay Center Road
- Bay Center, WA 98527
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Directions
16 miles S of Raymond on Hwy 101, exit between mile markers 42 and 43 on Bay Center Dike Rd, drive 2 1/2 miles, turn left on Bay Center Rd, drive 1/2 mile.
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Reserve800-562-7810
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Info360-875-6344
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Welcome Message
2011 President's Award
KOA President's Award
Awarded to KOAs that meet exceptional quality standards and are recognized by their guests for outstanding service.
2011 KOA Founder's Award
KOA Founder's Award
KOA's highest service award, presented to KOA owners that achieve world class service scores from their camping guests.
Situated in a quiet, natural forest setting on picturesque Willapa Bay, this is just the place to leave your daily life behind-and hit the beach!
A scenic nature trail leads from the campground right to the beach, where you'll enjoy bird-watching and beach-combing. Your pets will love running on the beach too! Swim in the tidal bay, rake for delicious steamer clams (license required) and work up an appetite for the area's famous Willapa Bay oysters. You're close to lighthouses and the Pacific, just on the other side of the peninsula that shelters the bay. Take a ride on this KOA's three-wheel banana-peel bikes--they're a blast! Play a game of volleyball, basketball, badminton or horseshoes. Enjoy ice cream socials every weekend (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Then finish your perfect day with a beautiful sunset over the bay.
Please contact our campground for information regarding your group!
Meet Your Hosts
Get Outdoors! The kid was headed to college and it seemed a good time to hit the road. They sold the house, bought a 5th wheel and got into the Work Kamper program with KOA. Being avid fisherman, they were looking for a spot near the ocean. Kenny always said “Colorado is beautiful but it is a long cast to the ocean from there”. After spending a season in North Carolina they were fortunate enough to find a KOA of their own. They packed up and headed to the opposite side of the country, the coastline of Washington. Iris had fond memories of clam digging with her father when they lived here years ago, so when they discovered the campground had its own clam bed it was a perfect fit. Iris and Ken have found paradise in this small fishing community of Bay Center. They invite you to come share their passion for this beautiful coast & campground.
Campground Amenities
- Planned Activities Available
- Families
- Self-service, convenience foods offered
Campground Activities
Golf
You'll find great golf at Raymond and Long Beach.
Antique Shops
Antique shops located in nearby towns.
Fishing
Rake for Fresh Steamer Clams on the beach from our private six-acre clam beds daily! Rent a Rake and a bucket for minimal cost. (LICENSE REQUIRED but not available from us.) Fish the Deep-sea or neighboring rivers and streams.
Beachcombing
Enjoy exploring and locate agates, craft driftwood, glass floats and more on our beach.
Canoeing or Kayaking
You can canoe or kayak on the bay and the Palix, Bone and Niawiakum Rivers. Bring your own boat.
Birdwatching
A variety of residents and migratory waterfowl feed in the wetlands of Willapa Bay. The Bay's tide lands are an important rest stop for waterfowl and shorebirds that follow the major north-south migration route known as the Pacific Flyway. There is also a vast diversity of songbirds that reside in the area.
Local Attractions
Public Market on the Willapa - Mid-May - December
Locally produced products, handmade items, fresh produce, quilts and herbs. Open mid-May through December, Friday and Saturdays, 10-5.
Annual Loyalty Days - May
May 5-6, 2012 The longest consecutively running Loyalty Day celebration in the nation! The fun begins in local schools with the crowning of Junior and Senior Courts. Main events, including two parades, are on Saturday (Ilwaco) & Sunday (Long Beach).
World's Longest Garage Sale - May
28-miles of garage sales! (Memorial Day Weekend). Grab a copy of the Chinook Observer newspaper, or just follow the signs. There are so many sales, you can practically walk from one to the next, up and down the Peninsula.
Annual NW Garlic Festival - June
June 16-17. Garlic food and condiments, garlic games, garlic crafts, live entertainment and the Clove Brothers, all in Ocean Park.
Old Fashioned 4th of July
July 4, 2012 Traditional Parade where children are welcome to ride bicycles, adults may build a float & join in and pets can also participate. Nearby, at Sheldon Park, the Art in the Park show – open for artists of all media –features local creations.
Independence Day Fireworks at the Port
July 7, 2012 Seating for fireworks over the marina at the Port of Ilwaco is on the lawn in front of the harbor, next to port restaurants and shops. Fireworks at dusk.
Annual Booming Bay Fireworks display
4th of July - West Port. The Booming Bay Fireworks Display is presented at dusk by the Westport Volunteer Fire Department.
Annual Sandsations (sand castle building contest)
July 25-29 Professional sand sculptors build in downtown Long Beach for 3 days, followed by the traditional contest on the beach on Saturday.
Annual NPRA Sanctioned Rodeo
July 27-29. Events include: Bareback riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, Calf Roping, Barrel Racing, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Stick Horse Race. Enjoy the Drill Team, Cowboy Breakfast, Vendors & Concessions.
Annual Washington State International Kite Festival
Aug 20 - 26th. Voted ‘Best Kite Festival in the World’ by Kite Trade Association International. The week includes competitions by professional and amateur kite flyers, choreographed kite flies, mass ascensions, fireworks, lighted night kite flies, vendors & more.
Rod Run to the End of the World
Sept 7,2012 - Slow Drag at the Port -Kick off the weekend with this slow-paced competition at the Port of Ilwaco. Hot Rods line up to compete in a coasting competition. Cars have approximately 15 feet in which to accelerate and then coast for 200 yards. To win, a car must cross the finish line and stop closest to the line.
Sept 8-9, 2012 -Annual classic car show features thousands of automobiles, from Model As to the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s. Main events are held at Wilson Field in Ocean Park, but the cars will be seen all over the peninsula.
Annual Cranberrian Fair
Oct 13 - 14. During the local cranberry harvest, the Fair celebrates cranberry foods and traditions with craft demonstrations, vendors, the Cranberry Trolley to bog tours and more.
Water Music Festival XXVII
Oct 12-14th. A series of chamber music performances featuring top-rated professional musicians playing Baroque, light classical music and jazz. The festival includes 5 ticketed concerts, a free concert, and performances for students.
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Campground Description
Our campground can best be described as quiet and natural. Deer and many varieties of songbirds and seabirds live here. Herds of wild Roosevelt elk roam the nearby woods and black bear (though seldom seen) are abundant. Our beach is strewn with living shellfish (dungeness crab, hard-shell clams and oysters) intermingled with century old seashells. The sand on our beach is mixed with seaweed, dune grass, agates, clay structures, drift-wood and an occasional glass net-float. You can walk miles in either direction and out from shore a mile at low tide.
Ocean Beaches
You'll find great ocean beaches south to Long Beach or north to Grayland.
Lighthouses
There are lighthouses at Cape Disappointment and North Head at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse
Grays Harbor Lighthouse is located north in Westport, Washington.
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria Oregon is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies.
South Bend, Washington
Pacific County Historical Courthouse
Museums
- South Bend, Washington
Pacific county Historical Society Museum - Raymond, Washington
Willapa Seaport Museum and Public Market
Northwest Carriage Museum - Westport, Washington
Maritime Museum - Westport, Washington
Furford Cranberry Museum - Long Beach, Washington
Cranberry Museum
- Astoria, Oregon
Columbia River Maritime Museum
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center overlooks the mouth of the Columbia River.
Deep Sea Fishing
Ports of Ilwaco www.funbeach.com/attractions/fishing/index.html and Westport http://westportwa.com/business/charter.html. Enjoy catching salmon, sturgeon, tuna and halibut.
Doggie Olympic Games
June 15 - 16th.Fun for dogs of all ages, sizes, shapes and abilities. Let your pup compete in ‘Dunking for Dogs,’ ‘Peanut Butter Lick,’ Shedding Contest and more. Some contests involve participation of handler.
Independence Day Fireworks on the Beach
July 4 Fireworks explode over the ocean in front of the Long Beach boardwalk. With thousands of vacationers enjoying personal fireworks along 28-miles of public beach, the displays go on for hours before and after the official show at dusk.
Clamshell Railroad Days
July 14 - 15 th. Celebrate the history of the only railroad that ran with the tides, the IR&N, which served the peninsula from 1889-1930. Visitors can enjoy model railroad layouts from regional train clubs, historical presentations, vendors and bus tour.
Jazz & Oysters in Oysterville
Aug 19th. Live jazz event in Ocean Park. Offerings include grilled oysters, fruit & cheese plates & desserts, beverages and libations. Single ticket or Combo with Blues & Seafood are available.
Upcoming Events
Come Camp & Care With Us Weekend
Stay Friday May 11 and get Sat may 12 free
Help us raise money to send children with cancer to camp
Events for the weekend will include:
- Scavenger Hunt
- Root Beer Ice Cream Social
- Longest Putt Contest
- Campfire Cooking Demonstration
Memorial Day Weekend
May 25 - 27
Events will include: Campfire cooking demonstration, Red,White & Blue campsite decorating contest, crafts, Help us plant a tree in memory of those who served & a Red, White & Blue ice cream social.
May 25-28
28-miles of garage sales! Grab a copy of the local paper or just follow the signs. There are so many sales, you can practically walk from one to the next up and down the Long Beach Peninsula
Free Fishing Weekend / Fish theme weekend
Washington State has declared June 9th & 10th as free fishing days & in celebration we are having
Fish Theme Weekend. Events will include: campfire cooking demonstrations, fish games, fish crafts & root beer float social. Bring a picture of fish you have caught past or present to put on the fish wall of fame.
Fathers Day Weekend / 1st annual clam chowder cookoff
June 15 - June 17
It's Fathers day weekend ! Kids 17 & under stay free
Events will include: campfire cooking demonstration, make a surprise gift for dad, a root beer float social &....
Saturday is our first annual clam chowder cook off.
You can even dig for your own fresh clams on the KOA clam bed.
July 4th Carnival Days
7/3 -7/5 Celebrate the 4th of July with Carnival Days. Events will include: Campfire cooking demonstration, carnival games, magic show, Red White & Blue Ice Cream Social, & a 4th of July campsite decorating contest. Bring along your favorite side dish to share at our potluck picnic lunch.
Christmas in July
July 6 - 8th we're having Xmas in July at the campground. Events will include: Learn to bake cookies in a cardboard box , hot cocoa & cookies by the campfire, marshmallow snowman crafts, Don't forget to bring your ugliest Xmas sweater for the ugliest Xmas sweater contest.
Wild West Rodeo Days
July 27 - 29th. Join us for Wild West Rodeo Days. Events will include: Dutch oven cooking demonstration, Stick horse races, lasso contest, line dancing, create a wanted poster & a Root Beer Social . Bring along your best western duds for the John Wayne look-alike contest. Just 35 minutes away you can catch the 67th NPRA Rodeo at Long Beach
Sandsations
July 25-29 stay with us and you are only 35 minutes away from Long Beach where they will be hosting
the 28th.annual Sandsations. Professional sand sculptors build downtown for 3 days, followed by the traditional contest on the beach on Saturday. Free lessons for kids, free hot dogs and Sand Flea Pet Parade. Come back to the campground and make your own playdough sandsation - best sculpture wins a prize
WA State International Kite Festival
Aug 20-26
Slow drag at the Port of Ilwaco
Sept 7
Hot Rods line up to compete in a coasting competition. Cars have approximately 15 feet in which to accelerate and then coast for 200 yards. To win, a car must cross the finish line and stop closest to the line
May - September:
Ilwaco, WA. Saturday Markets at the Port - There are vendors selling arts, crafts, housewares, plants, foods, hand-sewn items, beauty makeovers, weekly entertainment & more!
May - December:
Raymond, WA. Public Market on the Willapa - There are locally produced products, handmade items, fresh produce, quilts and herbs. It is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
October 8 - 9:
One Sky, One World Kite Festival in Long Beach, WA.
Solar Eclipse viewing / star gazing weekend
May 19th & 20th. Join us in the evening to view Venus as it prepares for the rare transit of the sun on 6/5, See Saturn's rings and learn the constellations under a dark sky. On Sunday join us for an afternoon of safe solar observing as the moon slowly blocks 90% of the sun before sunset. Other events will include Create an Alien Craft, Out of this World Ice Cream Social (Pop Rock Science), Flashlight Candy Bar Hunt & Campfire Cooking Demonstration
