If you go to Hood Canal

Hood Canal: State-park camping and cabins

A basic campsite is $15 per night at all state parks. To make a reservation for Washington State Parks, go online to www.camis.com/wa, or call toll-free, 888-226-7688. Campsite availability maps are available on the Web site. A reservation fee of $7 is charged in addition to the camping fees.

Kitsap Memorial State Park cabins can't be rented through the state Parks and Recreation reservation system, although eventually that may change. Instead, contact the park directly at 360-779-3205. Most likely you'll end up leaving a message and waiting for a return call. Once you receive your confirmation, you're asked to call one of three numbers when you arrive to receive a code number to get into your cabin. The cabins rent for $55.30 a night, with a maximum rental of 10 days.

Dosewallips State Park platform tents measure 14 feet by 16 feet and are made of white canvas and outfitted with a bunk that sleeps three, a futon for two, lights, table and a heater. Outside are a deck, picnic table, fire grill and utility hookup, with bathrooms and showers nearby. Rental fee is $40 per night for up to five people. See www.camis.com/waFor more information on Washington State Parks, see www.parks.wa.gov.

Other Hood Canal attractions

Fallsview Campground. This Olympic National Forest campground is 3.5 miles south of Quilcene, Jefferson County, on Highway 101. It's not on the water but is high above the Big Quilcene River. It offers 14 trailer sites and 16 tent sites and is located in a forest of conifers and rhododendrons. There's a short scenic loop trail that offers visitors a view of a cascading waterfall 100 feet into the river. The camping fee is $10.

Seal Rock Campground. This Forest Service campground is one of the few in the nation's national forests on saltwater. It has 41 tent and trailer sites set among trees, with several along the waterfront. It has beach access for oyster and clam harvesting, nature trails and a picnic area. Interpretive trails show the natural and cultural history of the area. Campsites are $12.

Whitney Gardens. Located in Brinnon, Jefferson County, this nursery is a seven-acre garden with canopies of rhododendrons. Trails, filled with a kaleidoscope of plants, traverse the garden. Admission: $1.

Hamma Hamma Recreation Area. This state forest area on Highway 101 is where travelers turn off to get to the Hamma Hamma Campground, a 6.5-mile drive. It's also where hikers leave for the Lena Lake Trail. Near the Hamma Hamma Campground is the Hamma Hamma cabin, with a living room, two bedrooms, bathroom and a kitchen. It can be rented for $40 a night. Built in 1936, it was used as a forest guard station and was later used by Forest Service fire crews. To rent the cabin, call 877-444-6777, or reservations can be made online through www.reserveusa.com.

Theler Wetlands. This 135-acre preserve in Belfair, Mason County, lies where the Union River empties into the end of Hood Canal. It has four miles of trails, viewing platforms and a floating boardwalk. The Mary E. Theler Exhibit Building, at the Hood Canal Watershed Project Center near the trailhead, offers hands-on educational exhibits. Sam Theler intended the wetlands to be ballfields for the children of Mason County, but environmental concerns turned it into a wetlands preserve. More than 100 different types of birds have visited the wetlands.