Camping along the Oregon Coast

[CaddyGrn]

The Oregon Coast is absolutely stunning... and has equally lovely campgrounds! However, the downside is during the summer months the travel can be slow going and campgrounds are crowded. There are usually commercial ones with high price tags, but the State Campgrounds are truly great! A few of our favorites.... in Southern Oregon try Brookings: Harris State Beach Campground and about an hour north is Cape Blanco State Park Campground. Many of the State Campgrounds will have full reservations in the summer, but Cape Blanco is first come first served! It is a lovely campground and has water and power, but does not have sewer and their dump station is out for the count (drain field failure)... but many fun things to do at Cape Blanco. A historic lighthouse tour, great hikes, a historic house with interesting tours, beautiful beaches... anyway, I'd like to know what your favorite places along the Oregon Coast are and why!

[CaddyGrn]

To start off I will post a a photo or two of Cape Blanco State Park in Oregon along the coast! Great place to camp! Can be windy, and fog can roll in, or rain.... but hey, it is Oregon!

[spenfolder]

I was on the Oregon Coast in June. Had a wonderful time. Cape Blanco is one of my favorite places. Was planning to stay over night and ended up staying 5 days! Love the beach there, and the lighthouse, and the old homestead. I stayed at Tillicum Beach campground and had a great site looking right over the beach. It's nice to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean.

Also stayed at Beverly Beach campground where there is another great beach.

This is the Bambi at Cape Blanco with co-pilot Ollie in the doorway.

Stan
Salt Lake City

[Phoenix]

We stayed at Cape Blanco in April (2014). Beautiful campground with roads and hiking trails to the beach and lighthouse. It's quite a hike to the lighthouse from the campground, but well worth the effort (take water and snacks). We even saw wild strawberry plants along the trail!

The small building to the right of the lighthouse is the visitor center.

The heart of the lighthouse beacon used to be the wick of a lard-burning oil lamp; but this has since been replaced by a single 1,000-Watt halogen bulb, similar to (but much more powerful than) those used in living-room "torch lamps". The Fresnel lens array weighs several thousand pounds and rides on bearings, which allow the array to rotate freely. A relatively small electric motor and gearbox rotate the lens assembly to produce the sweeping beam. While the light operates 24/7, it is more easily seen at night, from a distance. The Fresnel lenses focus the light to a bright beam that is visible from over 20 miles at sea (in clear weather).

The last photo is of our rig leaving the parking lot, part of which used to be the foundation of a coastal defense headquarters building and military barracks used during WWII. Note the microwave antenna that I recently added to our Bambi to improve cell phone and mobile broadband service while boondocking! (Just kidding; this is actually a microwave tower on top of a communications building that's hidden by our Bambi.)

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Cape Blanco State Park
91814 Cape Blanco Road, Port Orford, OR
541-332-2973

Sites are on a 250 foot bluff overlooking the ocean. Windy and cool, but lots of privacy. Paved interior roads and parking pads. Most sites are level and have electricity and water. However, no sewer or dump station; as leaching field is permanently damaged. Limited TV (one channel, very poor reception), but strong cell and 4G broadband service. Flush toilets and free showers. Facilities are a little old, but very clean.

Rates: $18-22/night (depending on season), includes water & electric, but no sewer or dump station.
.

[CaddyGrn]

Nice photos! We certainly enjoyed the little hikes to the lighthouse and back as well!

[John&Vicki]

Great thread. My wife and I embark on a North to South two week tour of the incredible Oregon Coast on October 1. I'll report back here on the high-points. Our itinerary is:

• Ft. Stevens SP - Astoria
• Cape Lookout SP - Tillamook
• South Beach SP - Newport
• Tillicum Beach Campground - Yahacts
• Umpqua Lighthouse SP - Reedsport
• Cape Blanco SP - Port Orford
• Harris Beach SP - Brookings

Two weeks to cover 360 miles - leisurely pace so I'm hoping to get a good look around. I'm really fond of lighthouses and the Oregon Coast has nine great ones. I especially like the Umpqua Lighthouse with its red lens.

I'm also hoping for good weather. You never know on the Oregon Coast, but the best weather of the year is the months of September and October.

John

[Jim Lee]

Regina and I are in Seaview WA.... for a couple of Missouri folks, this reminds us of Branson when it was still good. We are staying at "The Sou'wester" lodge, rv park adn tch! tch!.

we camped up north though Arizona, Utah and Idaho staying at BLM, Nat Park and Forest Service campgrounds.

Now, we are getting ready to head down HWY 101 to maybe Crescent City or Eureka to cut over to Nevada, Hoover Dam and tne North side of the Grand Canyon.

We are having a blast! Ain t Life Grand!

[Can of beans]

Hello to the Tardis,
we were in Cape Blanco SP last weekend as well, in our Sovereign, I did notice your trailer as you were heading out. we had some beautiful weather Wednesday and Thursday, cold on Friday and Saturday, but Sunny again for the drive home on Sunday. it was interesting to see that part of the Oregon Coast, I'm more used to the northern Oregon coast. we tested out a switch to LED lighting inside, and found a cracked black tank valve.

[Can of beans]

Originally Posted by John-aka-Poppy

Great thread. My wife and I embark on a North to South two week tour of the incredible Oregon Coast on October 1. I'll report back here on the high-points. Our itinerary is:

• Ft. Stevens SP - Astoria
• Cape Lookout SP - Tillamook
• South Beach SP - Newport
• Tillicum Beach Campground - Yahacts
• Umpqua Lighthouse SP - Reedsport
• Cape Blanco SP - Port Orford
• Harris Beach SP - Brookings

Two weeks to cover 360 miles - leisurely pace so I'm hoping to get a good look around. I'm really fond of lighthouses and the Oregon Coast has nine great ones. I especially like the Umpqua Lighthouse with its red lens.

I'm also hoping for good weather. You never know on the Oregon Coast, but the best weather of the year is the months of September and October.

John

don't forget Heceta head, and a chance to retake the photo of the front cover of the 1973 owners manual.

[John&Vicki]

I'm kind of a lighthouse nut and we will be visiting all of the lighthouses that offer access:

• Cape Meares
• Yaquina Head
• Yaquina Bay
• Heceta Head - Queen of the Oregon Coast
• Umpqua River - a favorite
• Coquille River
• Cape Blanco - another favorite

Tillamook Rock is a mile and a half off shore and not open to the public. Cape Arago is not open to the public.

We will be serving as Voluntary Lighthouse Hosts for a month or two next year. I'll post here when we know which one.

Cheers,
John

[Argosy 7728]

This was our first trip to South Beach in Newport. Lots to do within a short distance.

[Mark Wiltrakis]

John -
While you're staying at Ft. Stevens you can cross the Columbia River on the Astoria Bridge. You will then be very close to both lighthouses at the mouth of the Columbia on the WA side of the river: Cape Disappointment and North Head. Both are easy walks from the parking lots.
Mark

[John&Vicki]

Thanks Mark. I'm particularly interested in North Head after reading about it.

Cheers,
John

[daveswenson]

Originally Posted by Mark Wiltrakis

John -
While you're staying at Ft. Stevens you can cross the Columbia River on the Astoria Bridge. You will then be very close to both lighthouses at the mouth of the Columbia on the WA side of the river: Cape Disappointment and North Head. Both are easy walks from the parking lots.
Mark

Cape Disappointment is our favorite campground.

[CaddyGrn]

Sounds like you will have a great trip! Enjoy and post pictures! Yes, Heceta Head is stunning!

[CaddyGrn]

Looks like a great trip you have planned! Post pictures, we love pictures!

[CaddyGrn]

Originally Posted by Argosy 7728

This was our first trip to South Beach in Newport. Lots to do within a short distance.

Camped at South Beach several times, great spot... you are right, lots to do! Have fun!

[chaeha]

Can anyone comment on South Beach vs Beverly Beach? We are headed to that area the second week of September. Wondering which campground would be better for us. Family of 4 with a 3yo and a 10 month old. We have the aquarium on the agenda but really would like to know which campground people prefer in general or whether it's a toss up. Specific loops or campsites would even be a further bonus!


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[Phoenix]

Highly recommend Beachside State Park campground, which is 17 miles south of South Beach. Campsites are much closer to the beach, with more privacy. The only shortcomings are no sewer hookups or dump station. See comments below regarding South Beach and Beachside State Park campgrounds.

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South Beach State Park Campground
Newport, OR

Stopped here to use dump station, which was free, because we had camped at Beachside SP.

Park looks nice. Most sites are in open areas with limited shade and no privacy. Good for overnight stop, but was crowded. The first loop we drove through was full.

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Beachside State Park Campground
Waldport, OR

Campsites are immediately adjacent to the beach! Easy walk about 100 feet to where low tide exposes a couple of hundred yards of flat sandy beach that runs for several miles.

First row of campsites has limited shade, but some have a beach view. Second and third parallel interior roads are more shaded in the trees that border the beach.

Paved interior roads and pads. Wooden picnic tables, fire rings, electric and water, but no sewer. Flush toilets and showers were very clean. No dump station, but free dump stations available 17 miles north at South Beach SP and 17 miles south at Carl G. Washburn Memorial State Park.

We camped in site #40, which is on the turnaround at the end of rows 2 & 3. Beach front sites are prime, and nearly all had advanced reservations and were occupied. When we stayed here in April, two-thirds of the sites were in rows 2 & 3, and nearly all were empty. We had no neighbors, except for the yurts that were back-to-back with this site. Very secluded and quiet campground in off-season. However, I suspect it is packed in the summer.

Weak cell service (had to walk to an empty campsite near the highway). Weak 3G broadband was OK, but had to use external antenna and amplifier. Only one weak TV station (NBC), which was OK most of the time, but dropped out during rain.

Fee: $24-29 per night, depending on season.

Really enjoyed our stay here 04/13 through 04/18/14 -- Highly recommend this campground!

[Can of beans]

Southbeach can be a real zoo. Ive camped there at least once a year most of my life because its close to the marina. But sites are small tight and crowded. In the summer its packed with families because of the playgrounds and local ammenities. The beach is nice though. But a longer walk the farther north your camp site is.

I've been to beverly beach once or twice it seemed a. Little quieter, but under the highway. The beach seemed to have sand again last time i was there. Its alonger drivefrom the marina andaquarium though.