Recommendation for Oregon Coast near-beach Campgrounds?

[MarkBC]

It's been waaay too long since I've been camping...but it's still a lttle too warm for me in the Great Basin -- at basin-elevations, anyway.
So: I'm tentatively planning to spend a few days camped on the Oregon coast ; week after next, the week of Sept 10.

Can anyone recommend favorite campgrounds, central coast (say, Beverly Beach) and on south, maybe as far as the CA border?
I'm only interested in campgrounds at most a short walk from the ocean, so I think that limits my choices to Oregon State Parks. Or are there USFS or BLM campable spots next to, walking-distance-from, the ocean?
I should mention that I'll be driving my car and sleeping in a tent on this trip -- no camper, no truck-with-high-clearance.

I've camped at Cape Blanco S.P. twice in the past couple of years, so I'm familiar with that nice spot...but it's been many years since I've camped anywhere else on the OR coast.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
- Mark

 

[4llamas]

Mark,

It has been a couple of years since I was in the area, but if I remember correctly Cape Lookout State Park at Netarts Bay is where the para-gliders and hang gliders were landing on the beach. Nice long beach at the bottom of the launch cliff, and close to the camp sites. I enjoy walking around the harbor in Garibaldi, there is a decent size fishing fleet there.

Further south, below Coos Bay is Sunset Bay State Park. I've seen kayaks in Sunset Bay on calm days. Beautiful hiking trails in the area. Bastendorff Beach County Park is attractive, but it is too far from the beach for your criteria.

Sounds like a great trip at the perfect time of year. I also suggest taking a crab trap.

Enjoy

 

[BSS]

Whatever that state beach/park in Brookings is (harris beach?) - it's a good one. Just a couple minutes north of the border, steps from the ocean.

It's basically right in town, so it's not really "camping," but super convenient, clean, and just a nice spot in general.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Mark,Humbug Mt. SP is nice.Showers and just a short walk to the beach.We were there a couple times,last in June this year.Also the Oregon Dunes National Rec Area,around Florance and south are nice.Loads of beach room to drive on or just get lost walking.
IMO the beach camps south of Florance all have something to offer.You just have to stop and find a place you like.South of Winchester Bay area has a camp by the light house, Umpqua Lighthouse SP.Haven't been there to camp but it's right on the water I think.I believe Bandon Lighthouse area also has beach camping.So many choices so little time.
Frank

 

[4llamas]

We camp at Umpqua Lighthouse S.P. when we crab Winchester Bay. It is next to a lake. The beach is a short drive away near a popular OHV area. The park is nice and has yurts for rent.

 

[UglyScout]

Cape Lookout SP is nice and you are +/- 100' from the Ocean in the tent site area.

Florence/Winchester Bay/Umpqua Lighthouse SP/The Dunes can be nice - but the OHV riders can make it LOUD and sometimes they don't make the best site mates...

You can camp in the sand at Sand Lake if you are brave enough to drive out into the dunes.

You can also camp on the South Jetty at Newport/Yaquina Bay with all the surfers/wind surfers/kite surferes/whatever they are - it may or may not be legal though...

 

[MarkBC]

Thanks guys...I'll consider my options and probably reserve site(s) in the next day or so.
A friend of mine also told me that there's a USFS c.g. just south of Waldport -- Tillicum, I think it's called. None of the amenities of Oregon State Parks, but a nice location and cheaper.

 

[ntsqd]

Do yourself a favor and stay in one of the Oregon State CG's yurts at least one night. It's not "camping" but it was an awesome experience for my wife & I.

Sand Lake, if you do drive out onto the sand do it during the week when the OHV week-end warriors haven't turned the sand at one access point into a bottomless slop. I've seen more than one pass car buried there less than 30 feet from pavement when earlier in the week they could have come and gone with abandon.

 

[4llamas]

A nice side benefit our our wonderful Oregon State Park system is that it raises the bar of expectations for the other pay parks in the vicinity, like the county parks. Apparently all State Parks keep a few sites open for day-of-arrival customers (not their exact term), so don't avoid a park just because they are sold out on line. I have always been able to find a spot for my FWC in prime season-except Honeyman Park near Florence-and a tent site after Labor Day should be very easy.
Have a great time.

 

[DirtyDog]

Now that I have spent most of the summer on the Oregon coast let me add a few notes. First to clarify some info in this thread:

1. Actually there are a surprising number of Forest Service campgrounds on the coast. However, they are actually more expensive than a SP tent site thanks to the private vendor management arrangement they have going on.

2. No, you can't camp on the South Jetty at Newport.

3. You probably can't get a Yurt as they are generally reserved for the entire season. Worth checking though I suppose.

4. Yes, the State Parks can be completely full but it's unlikely this late in the season.

I'll post more specific recommendations when I get back in a few days.

 

[MarkBC]

I've checked (online) several S.P. that I'm interested in, and there are lots of tent sites (i.e., no hookups) available for reservation week-after-next (and beyond) ...so it's just a matter of deciding where I want to go.

 

[DirtyDog]

Tillicum Beach has the best beach access by far of the places I've seen.

 

[MarkBC]

Tillicum Beach has the best beach access by far of the places I've seen.

Looks good. And I don't care much about the lack of showers... I'll be camping by myself.

 

[Ted]

Tillicum Beach has the best beach access by far of the places I've seen.

That looks like a sweet spot. Making notes for the future.

 

[ski3pin]

Goodness, if the ocean wasn't calling, it is now.

 

[MarkBC]

Goodness, if the ocean wasn't calling, it is now.

You bet! That's why I'm looking for a c.g. very near the water. I'm not looking for just a fir'n'ferny dark'n'damp area to hang out -- it's the drama of the ocean that I seek! ...as a change from my usual desert destinations.
...or is it a change? It's kinda corny to admit it...but there's a line from "A Horse with No Name" that went through my head: "the ocean is a desert with its life underground"...

 

[MarkBC]

I've made reservations for the first two nights of my trip: Beachside State Park. A few of the tent sites have the beach right behind them, and I got one of those. I may only stay there the first night if nearby Tillicum looks to be better...but I prefer to spend more than one night in a spot, more relaxing.

I haven't decided if I'm going to head "down south" towards Port Orford or Brookings...maybe.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Have a great trip Mark.The Oregon cost is always a draw for us and we live within the sight and sound of the ocean here on Monterey Bay.I like the spots you posted,you really can't go wrong along your coast.
Frank

 

[MarkBC]

Looking ahead at the weather forecast for the central OR coast, it currently calls for mostly/cloudy next week.
I looked at the forecast for the southern coast -- frequently the banana belt of the OR coast -- and it looks clear...so I also booked a couple nights at Harris Beach State Park, near Brookings, for Wed-Thurs...so I should have at least a couple sunny days camping. Whatever...

 

[MarkBC]

Can anyone recommend hikes or other stuff to do/see in the Waldport to Yachats area?

One advantage of taking my car (and tent-camping gear) instead of my truck/camper is that it's easier to drive away from camp to check out stuff in the area, since the car is independent of the camping setup/gear.
...and then there's the fact that my car gets triple the gas mileage of my truck.

The weather forecast for the central coast has improved, so I don't plan to drive south after all (cancelled my reservation at Harris Beach).