Not much to Eldon—just a café, gas station, shellfish farms, and a diver’s resort. The Hamma Hamma River enters Hood Canal here, and a paved road leads to two Forest Service campgrounds on the edge of Olympic National Park. In the winter, bald eagles gather along the banks of the Hamma Hamma to feed on spawning salmon.

Brinnon isn’t much bigger than Eldon, but this stretch of Hood Canal has a number of interesting attractions.

Brinnon’s Hood Canal ShrimpFest (360/796-4886) over Memorial Day Weekend includes an art fair, street dance, boat show, farmers market, and shrimp cooking contests. Bring along your decorated belt sander to participate in the zany Belt Sander Race.

A number of public campgrounds are described at Dosewallips State Park, Hamma Hamma Recreation Area, Dosewallips Recreation Area, and Duckabush Recreation Area.

In addition to these, the Forest Service’s Seal Rock Campground ($12, open May–Sept.) is just north of Brinnon and features saltwater-facing sites with great clam harvesting, as well as piped water and flush toilets.

Cove RV Park (303075 U.S. Hwy. 101, 360/796-4723, $27 nightly, $170 weekly) has RV hookups, plus bathrooms and showers. It is located three miles north of Brinnon.