A combination of updated recreation data, cross-border tourism initiatives and local investment is drawing attention to coastal camping destinations across the United States and Canada, including Washington State’s Kitsap Memorial State Park on the Kitsap Peninsula.
In June 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior released its first Interagency Recreation Visitation Report, bringing together visitation data from multiple federal land and water management agencies. The report is intended to provide a more consistent view of recreation activity and help decision-makers evaluate future demand for activities including camping, hiking and waterfront recreation.
The report comes as outdoor recreation continues to make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. Its findings are also being used to inform modeling efforts designed to identify where recreation demand could increase. For campground operators, broader access to visitation data can provide useful context when evaluating seasonal demand, infrastructure needs and the potential effects of changing travel patterns.
Cross-border tourism is another factor affecting travel between the United States and Canada, according to The Traveler.
Canada’s Tourism Corridor Strategy Program, developed through 2024 and 2025, supported projects intended to improve connections between destinations and communities, including routes that link areas along the U.S.-Canada border. Such initiatives can support wayfinding, destination marketing and visitor services across established travel corridors.
Tourism organizations on both sides of the border have also raised concerns about factors that can affect cross-border travel, including transportation constraints, tariffs and entry requirements.
Canada remains an important source market for U.S. tourism, meaning changes in travel conditions can have implications for campgrounds and other outdoor hospitality businesses that rely on international visitors.
Border and transportation policies have continued to evolve in 2026. In March, Canada announced that a new U.S.-bound preclearance facility is scheduled to open at Toronto’s Billy Bishop airport.
Preclearance allows eligible travelers to complete U.S. customs and immigration procedures before departing Canada. Canada has also updated requirements involving electronic travel authorizations and permits, while the Pacific Crest Trail border permit program was discontinued in early 2025.
Against this backdrop, Kitsap Memorial State Park illustrates how smaller coastal properties can benefit from their location within broader regional tourism networks.
The park, located on the Hood Canal side of the Kitsap Peninsula, offers standard campsites, partial and full-hookup RV sites, hiker and biker sites and cabins. The property also includes restrooms and showers and operates as a year-round camping destination.
Its location gives campers access to views across the water toward the Olympic Mountains while placing them within reach of the Seattle and Tacoma metropolitan areas. The park also combines overnight camping with day-use activities, including picnicking, walking and small events.
Reservation practices have changed as Washington State Parks has sought to make campground inventory more accessible to visitors. A 2025 policy update expanded same-day reservations across parks with reservable campgrounds. For operators and park managers, the approach can help convert short-notice demand into occupied inventory while giving travelers greater certainty when planning trips.
Investment in the surrounding region is also contributing to the area’s recreation infrastructure. Recent funding in Kitsap County has supported projects involving habitat protection, trails and safety improvements across areas characterized by wetlands, forest and marine shoreline.
For private campground and RV resort operators, the developments point to the value of viewing individual properties within a larger destination network. Coastal campgrounds that can connect their offerings with nearby trails, waterfront recreation, conservation areas and regional attractions may be better positioned to capture short-haul and multi-stop travel.
As North American recreation agencies continue to consolidate visitation data and tourism organizations work to improve cross-border travel corridors, destinations such as Kitsap Memorial State Park demonstrate how regional accessibility, reservation flexibility and surrounding public investment can influence the appeal of smaller camping properties.
For operators, these factors can help inform decisions around seasonality, inventory management and partnerships with local tourism organizations.