Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

WA state campsites w/ electricity (NEMA 14-50?)

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I'm starting to make my reservations for camping next summer at the WA state parks (birch bay, flagler, moran, etc.). This is the first summer that I'll have my Tesla.

I know that some spots have electricity for RVs, etc. but the websites don't say what type of outlet it is. Is there a standard? i.e., are they usually 14-50? Or should I prepare with some adapters? I'll try to go camping near superchargers but it'd be nice to charge for a few days while we're out there so we have a full charge when leaving to come home.

I've been to some spots in the past where it was just 120v outlets but when it says that there's 50amp outlet, etc. I'm assuming that's 240v?
 
For sure; these will be NEMA 14-50 outlets which may supply up to 40A at 240 Volts. Actual current depends on several factors. You should have this adapter in your travel charger kit. If you travel in north central Washington there are lots of 80A Clipper Creek chargers thanks to Plug-In North Central Washington.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Big Earl
Search the parks site for "electric". For example, the following park has both 50 amp (which means 240V 14-50 plug that is supposed to provide 40 amp continuous, but probably doesn't) and 30 amp (which mean 120V TT-30 plug) : Port of Kingston | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Also, although I'm not an expert, I believe that "full hook ups" also mean some form of electric.
Here's another site, not familiar with it, but it shows a lightning bolt icon for parks with electric:
National Park Campgrounds and Camping - ReserveAmerica
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I researched several Washington State parks, and most of them seem to have 30amp (TT-30) plugs. To use these you'll need an adapter. I ordered a Tesla-specific TT-30 to 14-50 adapter from Home Depot's website, which was actually sold by acconnectors.com. You just have to remember to set the car to only draw 24 amps or less or you will pop the breaker. It should charge at around 8 or 9 miles per hour on a Model S.

I just got my car, too, so I haven't tried plugging it into a campsite yet. Note that there's a similar TT-30 to 14-50 adapter made for RVs, but it's not wired correctly so won't work for car charging.
 
  • Helpful
Reactions: Rocky_H
Last edited:
Besides RVParky, the site Allstays.com has maps of campground sites. I would think it probably has the same listings, but not sure. You can also filter by "50 amp". And yes, as far as outlet types, in the camping world, they just use the terminology of "30 amp" or "50 amp", and that does always mean TT-30 or 14-50 outlets.
 
We have camped several times with our Tesla using both the TT30 and 14-50. Campground outlets are pretty sketchy and abused. The TT30 plugs tend to fall out of the socket, arch, and melt your plug. Even the 14-50 outlets trip if you charge faster than 32 amps. I have not gone back to the TT30 outlets since.