HOODSPORT, Wash. — When you arrive at this campground in an Olympic Peninsula forest, you won't have to put up a tent.
Or unpack a sleeping bag.
But do NOT call this glamping. For one simple reason: "We are 100 percent off grid, yet we still are able to provide a lot of the amenities that you would get if you went and stayed somewhere else,” said Marc Emmons, the owner of Olympic Wilderness Basecamp.
He has lived on this land, off-grid, with his family for 10 years.
"Every morning I step outside. I'm just blown away. Like it's such a gorgeous area," Emmons said.
He wanted to share this special place near Lake Cushman, so he started a campground with geodesic domes on platforms, already set up and fully furnished. The insulated domes have big picture windows that bring the outdoors inside.
This secluded spot may not have electricity or running water. But each of the seven private camp sites has a dome with a deck, a camp stove and a firepit for outdoor cooking, and a solar generator for keeping things charged. Some tents even have woodstoves for heat.
The bathroom situation?
"Oh yeah one of the biggest questions out there - actually every dome has its own portable toilet,” laughed Emmons. The Sanikans aren’t rustic, but they also are much easier on the environment than traditional outhouses.
This camp is dog friendly. And it has a friendly dog.
"So Vader is our black lab. He's an amazing dog. He is notorious for just showing up at your campfire and lying down,” Emmons said.
There's one resource this place has plenty of: Peace.
"The quiet is massive,” said Kai, Emmons' son. "People say they love it. They love the atmosphere of it. The seclusion is a big part for most people."
Lindsey Keller camped here recently with her husband and had high praise for the experience.
“I love that the domes have the clear open front. We actually slept with the curtains partway open so that the sunlight would come in in the morning. I love waking up and seeing the sunlight and just the way it reflects off the trees and that was really a huge treat for me,” Keller said.
Olympic Wilderness Basecamp may not have electricity. But this combination of comfort and nature has plenty of power.
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