Expensive parking. Not a campsite.
July 4th weekend was supposed to be an epic camping adventure for our group of 12 adults. We paid a ridiculous amount ($540) for exclusive use of a HipCamp site on a lavender farm in Sequim so that we could have the property to ourselves. Once there, we spent another $100 at their store buying ice cream and trinkets.
Instead, what we got was a stark reminder that racism is alive and well in America. Our 3-night camping adventure became a 1-night stay with us packing up and leaving the campsite at 1 AM. The property owner came out with her two giant dogs off-leash, running into our campsite and cussing at us like a crazy lunatic, telling us to put out the fire and leave the property or else she’d “call the sheriff” on us. (The so-called fire was a charcoal BBQ which I specifically asked if we could use for cooking). There was a no campfire policy at the site, which we respected and interpreted to mean no wood-burning campfire, so we were using a propane heater to keep warm.
While we packed up, the owners sat in their car with their headlights on, shining down on us like we were monitored inmates in a prison cell. We hit the road at 1:30 AM. We counted our blessings when we all survived the 3-hour drive home with no one nodding off behind the wheel.
The owner refuses to refund our money for the 2 nights we didn’t get to use. We went from avid Hipcampers to never, ever booking another Hipcamp again.