Deception Pass is one of the Seattle area’s most iconic campgrounds, and sites fill up fast—usually months in advance—although some first-come, first-served sites are set aside for people arriving by bike, foot, or boat. It’s lined by a few different bodies of water: The pass itself separates Skagit Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the park also contains Cranberry Lake for fishing and swimming.

For a full waterfront experience, the Ben Ure cabin is on the coastline of a small island only accessible by human-powered watercraft.

Washington has a few state parks built around former military bases, but Fort Casey is the closest to Seattle out of the “Triangle of Fire” (that’s Casey, along with Fort Worden and Fort Flagler). These parks have plenty of former military buildings to explore, like old bunkers and gunnery stations. A small selection of campsites at Casey include a few pull-through beachfront sites and others tucked back in the woods.

In addition to some adorable cabins (like its neighbor, the ever-popular Cama Beach State Park), Camano Island State Park has 88 standard campsites, plus a couple set aside for hikers and bikers, situated, like many state park campsites, on a bluff above the water. All of the campsites are first-come, first-served.

Dosewallips State Park has plenty of shoreline for everyone, with 5,500 feet of saltwater shoreline along the Hood Canal and 5,400 feet of freshwater shoreline along the Dosewallips River. Those looking for more of a glamping experience can stay in one of their platform tents (or cabins), although it has plenty of standard campsites.

Yet another park along the Hood Canal, Scenic Beach State Park is both dog-friendly and, as State Parks claims, “romantic,” so there’s really something for everyone here. It has around 50 campsites with a couple set aside for hikers and bikers. While the beach is appropriately scenic, it’s a little smaller than some of its Hood Canal neighbors, with 1,500 feet of waterfront.

For the true waterfront experience, Blake Island is only accessible by boat—so grab a kayak and invest in a dry bag and catch the Southworth ferry (or hit up an Argosy shuttle from the Seattle waterfront, or go by motorboat, dealer’s choice). Three of the 47 sites are set aside for those coming by kayak or canoe, though. Being on an island that’s pretty much all park means five whole miles of waterfront.

Blake Island is also home to Tillicum Village, a Coast Salish cultural center and tourist attraction.

This King County Park on Maury Island (which is not an island, but a peninsula off Vashon Island) is one of the largest undeveloped properties on Puget Sound, with a mile of waterfront. Seven primitive campsites require packing in your own potable water, and are accessible by hike (parking is three quarters of a mile away, or take the bus on a weekday), kayak, or bike.

Out of all the Hood Canal campsites, Twanoh stands out for its warm water temperatures and plentiful shellfish. The campground has 25 standard campsites, 22 full-hookup sites, and one site set aside for those arriving by human- or wind-powered watercraft.

Saltwater State Park is in Des Moines in South King County, so it’s about as close as you can get to Seattle for waterfront camping. It has 1,445 feet of shoreline along the Puget Sound (including sandy beaches), plus hiking trails and 47 campsites.

Accessible only by bridge or boat, this campground on Harstine Island in south Puget Sound offers access to both the Case Inlet and Pickering Passage, making it a popular destination for swimming, boating, and fishing alike. It has an amphitheater and sports courts for on-land activity, too.

The park has 19 standard campsites and two partial-hookup sites, although only six sites total allow reservations—the rest are first-come, first-served.

On the Key Peninsula—a land pass stretching to the south beyond the Kitsap Peninsula—Joemma Beach State Park has 3,000 feet of saltwater shoreline in the south Puget Sound, and offers crabbing, fishing, and sea star viewing. It’s a small campground, with no reservations required for the 19 primitive tent sites, three sites for hikers and bikers, and for people arriving by human-powered watercraft.