Fort Worden State Park

Beautiful park. We had our family reunion here back in 1998 and once again this year. Some things have changed since then, for the better. They have added Taps at the Guardhouse, which i really enjoyed. The new mess hall was nice and the menus were well thought out but lacked some execution, but I did not set my standards too high to begin with so I wasn’t really disappointed. The beaches and the bunkers were my favorite. Great visit overall!

The old WW1 (not II, as so many people seem to think,) batteries were beautiful. It was nice to get away from downtown and into the quiet. It’s a really beautiful park, which is part of why we took it upon ourselves to pick up trash and cigarette butts all along our walk. ‘Was pretty amazing to see a plethora of trash cans out there, and yet people throw down tissues, candy wrappers, plastic water bottles and even a beer can. The cigarette butts were what got me, though. How can people come to an area this beautiful with surroundings this compelling, and have to not only smoke, but then crush their butts out and just leave them there on the ground. Digusting, to say the least. Definitely use the bathrooms down on the beach, not inside the park. Eeek! ‘Not sure I would go in there even with a Haz-​Mat suit on! We were just really relieved to get away from the «outdoor shopping mall» of downtown and get back into some greenery. The ocean views were incredible. This was a beautiful town to look at, but we’ll be very glad to bid it adieu. Not a good town for regular folks on a lower middle class budget. Also, for people who have to count pennies, please note– there is no free parking anywhere in the park, but instead they want to sell you a pricey «Discovery Pass» for $ 30.00. Instead, we parked along a road outside the park, and walked in. I cannot imagine how people afford that kind of money, esp. for what the park offers, which is basically a beautiful stroll through some old military batteries, and some old military barracks where a film was once made. $ 30.00 for that? Ridiculous.

Interesting visit. Learned some history I previously hadn’t known. They have done a good job maintaining the premises and presenting the historical aspect. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

A very nice preserved naval base… there are house you can rent from to stay there if you want… you can also camp and have places for RVs…
We just went for a walk and to see the lighthouse… it was a nice walk to see the water and the fort… the lighthouse is closed so we can’t go inside… but i heard they open sometimes… just don’t know when… it would be nice to go up though…

I am writing specifically about the accommodations at Fort Worden. I spent two miserable nights in one of their «luxury bungalows» that had filthy rugs and upholstery, disgusting kitchen facilities, rotting windowsills and was plastered with acoustical tile that looks suspiciously toxic. I paid $ 250 a night to stay in this nightmare, and was accused of trying to get a freebie when I complained about the price. The situation was complicated, but the bottom line is, the house was disgusting, and the customer service was terrible. Avoid at all costs!

This is a really nicely preserved, impressive naval base that’s a pleasure to look on. It’s now such a great educational center for the arts and culture. The artillery museum is fascinating – history is so interesting.
But my favorite thing is to clamber down the beach and catch the views of the water and the awesome, still-​functioning Point Wilson Lighthouse.
I love doing this in winter because there’s no one there; if you can bundle up enough and brave the elements, it’s worth it to have the place practically to yourself. The lighthouse is beautiful, as is the beach… very scenic and worth the drive just for that. You could spend a lot of time exploring this park and lively nearby Port Townsend, and now that I know you can actually stay here, I will no doubt return to stay a bit and do just that.

Park — four stars, really pretty.
Accommodations: zero stars. Found bed bugs on our mattress the last day of our stay and all they said was «oh, we’re sorry, guess we’ll have to replace the mattress.» (Was in building16 b)
I think maybe camping here would be awesome, without the threat of bed bugs.

We rented a commissioned officers quarters… One of the biggest ones. The place was HUGE! Let’s just say that at one time there were 11 adults and 1 child sleeping there and you would have never know. It is a bit rustic and many creature comforts do not exist. (There is NO tv, radio, washer or dryer, or much to cook with beyond basic pot and pan. There is also no ac).
However, it was amazing! They do offer wifi to guests! We had 6 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, a large dining room, kitchen, living room, mud room, and two sets of stairs. There is so much to explore In the park and in the town of port Townsend.
Stay here!

Uniquely beautiful place. And the food options continue to grow in quality and options.
Beach canteen great burgers and fish tacos new this year
Lunch options in the commons now feature daily specialties
Rumors aplenty that a Bar and light lunch/​dinner option are in the works. Soon.

Great hikes. Large wide trails, good for kids and pets. Been here a couple times and it’s very interesting historically too!

I stayed at the castle on September 5^th, 2014. Please do not waste your money. If you need a place to sleep do not go here. The buildings are old and smell very musty. Furnishing were run down and overall appearance — TIRED. I was told it had a gourmet kitchen, I suppose because it had a stove and refrigerator. I can assure you there was nothing gourmet about it. They provide a coffee pot, no coffee or tea. Do you need coffee in the morning, then drive over to the commons (another building) and stand in line for coffee and a muffin (hope your not hungry) because that’s all they serve. A BIG disappointment.

This place is a dream come true. I love history so this place is of the most fascinating! You get to see a REAL and once functioning World War 2 bunker. You can squeeze through secret crawl spaces and get inside the walls, it’s a great experience. It’s also right on the beach so you can walk the coast and get some breeze.

Great camping and gorgeous views, close to town and great restaurants and the Rose theatre! Have to say I’m not thrilled the new system for online reservations, can’t even bring it up, and when you can, you cannot pick your sites anymore. I just called and the recording said there were plenty of sites this weekend, then I was told only one site in the upper campground, hope they get their stuff together soon.

Incredible park with some cool history and great views. The rangers are awesome. When our dog got loose, the ranger helped grab him and didn’t admonish us or kick us out and even gave us a history lesson. The walk to the light house is wonderful and nice along the water. Great place for a walk or dog walk.

An awesome park for a hike, a bike ride, a day at the beach, or to spend a few nights camping. The bunkers and garrisons are awesome to explore and the park does a great job at keeping them open and clean. Port Townsend also has a great city bus system that picks up near the commons in the park and just outside the park near the cemetery. The bus can get you easily to town if you are camping and don’t want to drive. An even better option to getting to the city is via a walk on the beach, but this is only possible when the tide is out. If you aren’t camping, you have to hike to each of the bunkers before you leave… each is unique and the views are beautiful!

I came here on a foggy fall day, and even though much was closed for the season, I had an amazing time. The park is beautiful, especially with the changing autumn leaves all around. I could have stayed for days.
The guard house and museum were both open, and I really enjoyed my time at both. So much incredible history to absorb, this is truly not a place you can take in with one visit. Very anxious to return in the warmer months to see the lighthouse and captain’s quarters.
For you paranormal enthusiasts, there are lots of claims of activity here. Not sure what kind of permission is needed, but I’d love to come back after hours with some equipment! Very interesting place.

Awesome, Awesome Park — Campground — Get-​a-​way Place !!! Very Cool place to Visit !
I have to get this part right, My Buddy is a Historian !! Fort Worden, along with the heavy batteries of Fort Flagler and Fort Casey, once guarded nautical entrance to Puget Sound. These posts, established in the late 1890s, became the first line of a fortification system designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching such targets as the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett. Construction began in 1897 and continued in one form or another until the fort was closed in 1953. The property was purchased as a state park in 1955. Fort Worden is named after Rear Admiral John L. Worden. Okay, Hope that sounds okay… A little history, out of the way.
Walking around this park takes you back to another time. It Seems like most of the «Fort» buildings are still there. Near the Campgrounds is the old «Battery Kinzie», at one time it held two 12-​inch cannons on modern versions of the disappearing carriage. Construction began in 1908, once competed it took a gun crew of 51 men to load, aim & fire the gun. They could fire a half-​ton armor-​piercing Projectile almost eight miles !! Running around exploring the empty floors, some rooms still having the huge metal doors attached. Fun, Fun, Fun… The view on top from where the huge guns once were is just awesome. A great view of the Puget Sound, Whidbey Island, & Ships traveling in the waterways heading to Seattle & Tacoma. Point Wilson lighthouse just down on Point Wilson. (Where the tower first exhibited its fixed white light, which could be seen for up to thirteen miles, on December 15, 1879.)
There is Beach access to the Very Cold Puget Sound. All in All, this is a great place to spend the day.

VERY cool state park with lots to see and do. I am a huge lighthouse and military buff, so I enjoyed walking out to the end of the point and looking at the lighthouse and then exploring the ruins of the old artillery emplacements. If you are tent camping, then I wouldn’t bother. The sites are wide open and offer little to no privacy at all. RV camping is probably A-​OK.

*Beach and bunker review*
We drove the initial area admiring the architecture of times past and checked out the bunkers and beach…
Lots of concrete, lots of corroded and rusty doors… eaten away by time and Mother Nature… definitely interesting walking through the area and enjoying the views, the surroundings.
Also, I totally caught a sting-​ray ghost thingie on my phone camera! It looked like, «Oh, la la la, don’t mind me floating through the area.»
«Yeah, ok buddy.»

If you’re a girl and a movie fan, and this place looks familiar, that’s because they filmed An Officer and a Gentleman here. The visitor centre has a map detailing locations where the movie was shot, both in the park and around Port Townsend.
Fort Worden was an army base up until the 1950s and became a state park in the 1970s, so has a great collection of preserved buildings and houses in the centre (a couple of them house museums, a visitor centre, and arts and conference facilities), and old bunkers out on the beach and up on Artillery Hill. We had a great time exploring the bunkers, and a flashlight is recommended if you want to go down into the works of them (we forgot ours, so just peered into the scary darkness and dared each other to go in). It’s funny how hopping around on concrete and running through tunnels can make you feel like a kid again.
There is a $ 10 daily fee, but I think it might be worth it to go for the $ 30 annual state park fee, as Washington has so many different and scenic state parks to visit. And this one I plan to return to the next time I’m in Port Townsend — with flashlight. And perhaps with my dog too.