# Oregon Camping Recommendations



## willingtonpaul

i will be spending about 3 weeks in oregon this august. gonna be in the greater hood river area, the greater bend area and the greater tillamook area.

any recommendations on places to stay ? can be full hookup to dry camping, i can do anything....


----------



## Oregon_Camper

August is a great time to visit Oregon...

What activities do you want to do while you're camping? Are you an active camper (hiking...wind surfing...etc) or do you like to go at a slower pace?

Hood River has some of the best wind surfing in the world. Bend has great micro brew pubs...great fishing...hikes (lava tubes..to extreme mountains). Tillamook as some cool beaches and down the rode a bit is a some nice locations to scuba dive. For just playing in the water (swim suit), don't expect to stay in the water too long...it is still COLD in August.

Just you? Kids?

Give us a bit more info and I'm sure we can help you find some great spots. BTW...don't rule out Washington. They have some fantastic camping just across the Columbia River (divides Oregon and Washington)


----------



## willingtonpaul

thanks for the reply oregoncamper, i was hoping you'd chime in....

it is me and the family, and we are active. i am driving out and picking the family up at the portland airport. BIL/SIL coming to windsurf, too, and they are staying in a hotel in hood river. we would like to be close to them for a week, then a week on the coast and a week in the bend area.

we are looking to hike, bike, and fish when inland, and when on the coast enjoy the beach with maybe a little swimming but no diving. also want to take in good food and beverage wherever we are. i made a reservation at nehalem bay state park, but am not committed to it if there are better options; i just wanted to get something on the books. i am looking for a good base of operations when in each area that allows us to be in a scenic spot with good access to all the area has to offer based on what the weather gives us. i looked at memaloose state park also, but DW is concerned about the train tracks. i am open to staying across the river in WA also, if there are better options there.

thanks in advance for the help !


----------



## Oregon_Camper

Kids age?

IMHO...Tillamook isn't a great place to camp. The Tillamook Cheese Factory is a nice tour for an afternoon, but after that, there isn't much else.

For a beach outing, I'd recommend a spot closer to Newport. Get a spot at Beverly Beach Campground (full service) and you can head out from there to multiple locations. The aquarium in Newport is nice for kids....get in a day of deep sea fishing, spend the afternoon rock hounding, go crabbing of the pier, etc. Nice way to spend a week. From Newport it is a beautiful drive to Bend.

I can't comment on Memaloose...state parks are not my thing. Will you have any water toys? kayaks? Blow up boat? There is a great campground named "Big Lake" about 30 mins outside of Sisters, but it is "dry"...pit toilets only. If you can get site 12....you'll LOVE it. 301BQ fits fine...lake front...mountain views....simply awesome. If you're into rock hounding...there is a great thunder eggs place in Madras....about 40 mins from Bend. Camping around Crane Prairie Reservoir is great. You will need a boat to get to the big fish...and it will be worth it. We camp around Wickiup Reservoir a lot, but by August it will be too low to really enjoy. Finally, while a bit off your path, if you're all the way out here you HAVE to spend a day at Crater Lake.....and if you're down there, but a bit further you can hit Grants Pass and experience some of the best Jet Boat tours I have ever been on. In August, it will be 80-100 degrees down there and the tour boat drivers will ensure you stay nice and...WET!!

In Washington there are GREAT sites in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest....one site of note is "Lower Falls". There are some awesome hiking trails directly from the campground. You can also drive about 30-40 mins to Mt St. Helens and tour that. If caving is your think, look into "Ape Caves"...these are great, but dress WARM!! Caves are dark and COLD all year long.


----------



## willingtonpaul

ah, i thought the kids were in my signature; they are 11 and 9. big into hiking and fishing. we had an awesome time last august in glacier and yellowstone. the cutthroats in glacier were elusive, though.

i was thinking of bringing some kayaks, but i am carting out the BIL/SIL's windsurfing gear so i have to see how it will all work. we won't have anything inflatable, that is for sure. we will have bikes.

thanks for the tip on beverley, that looks to be a better spot overall than nehalem, i think. can you give me some help on a base of operations that is either east or southeast of portland ? i need a place to stay for pick up and drop off from the airport....

and we are not zeroing in on state parks, so private campgrounds are great, too. i will check out the others you mention.

i was out there as a kid in 1982 (age 13) and went to crater lake; it blew me away. we did the boat tour on the lake and it is something i still think about. it will definitely be visited again this trip as part of the schedule. we also hit mt st helens that year; it was wild to see it just 2 yrs after the eruption. not sure if we will make it this year, but when we are close to it i will see how it could fit in to the schedule.

thanks again for all the suggestions, and keep 'em coming !


----------



## Herbicidal

To add to Oregon_Camper's suggestions... while up in Bend we stayed at Tumalo state park (just slightly north of town): http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=34. There are some full-hook up sites and the Deschutes river is right there too. Other things to see in the greater Bend area:

Lava Lands Visitor Center - with a lookout tower on top of a small cinder cone
Lava River Caves - I think it's just over a mile to the very end. Lanterns provided
Lava Cast Forest - awesome trail that weaves in and out of a lava flow
Pilot Butte Scenic Viewpoint - in Bend, right off of hwy 97 and hwy 20. Park at the bottom and walk to the top. Great views!
Mt. Bachelor - take a ski lift to the summit and back down again
High Desert Museum

Enjoy your trip!


----------



## mommy2boyz

I have been looking for places to take my boys thunder egg hunting!! So glad I read this post!!!


----------



## willingtonpaul

Oregon_Camper said:


> In Washington there are GREAT sites in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest....one site of note is "Lower Falls". There are some awesome hiking trails directly from the campground. You can also drive about 30-40 mins to Mt St. Helens and tour that. If caving is your think, look into "Ape Caves"...these are great, but dress WARM!! Caves are dark and COLD all year long.


lower falls campground in gifford pinchot national forest does look fantastic and right up our alley....

what are the chances we could get in during the week i wonder ?


----------



## Oregon_Camper

willingtonpaul said:


> lower falls campground in gifford pinchot national forest does look fantastic and right up our alley....
> 
> what are the chances we could get in during the week i wonder ?


I'd say you'd have no problems if you arrived Mon-Thurs....site fill up on weekends. Note...there is one spot on the way in that has a steep incline/decline. You might want to remove your weight distribution bars/chain so the trailer actually pivots on the ball. I bent one of my stabilizer jacks on my prior Outback on the way into this site years ago when I kept the bars on. The next time I went to took them off and had NO problems. Don't let this distract you from going...I would take my 301BQ there without hesitation. You will know this dip when you see it.....lane drops down to one lane a few miles from the campground.


----------



## thefulminator

I would recommend Maryhill State Park in Washington State across the Columbia River from Biggs Junction Oregon when you are in the gorge. Maryhill State Park

Central Oregon:

One of my favorite areas is the Newberry Crater area. Newberry Crater From Bend you go South to LaPine and turn East. Mt. Newberry is a volcano that similar to Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) blew apart during an eruption. In this case, the side of the volcano was blown away leaving one side of the mountain still in tact. Two large deep lakes, East Lake and Paulina Lake formed in the crater. There are several campgrounds around the lakes and both lakes have great fishing. They are know for rainbow trout, german brown trout and kokanee. There have been several state record browns taken from these lakes. If you fish from a boat, be aware that the wind comes up in the afternoon a lot of the time and can as my dad used to say, blow you off the lake.

What is so neat about the area has a lot of volcanic features. There are hot springs, a volcanic flow of solid obsidian and pumice flats. You can drive to the top of the remaining peak which is at 8,000' elevation. On a clear day you can see forever and the stars at night are spectacular. See the panorama picture I took there a few years ago below. There are a couple things to remember about this area. The elevation of the campgrounds is about 6,000'. Because of this there is usually still snow on the ground into June. If I remember correctly, some campgrounds do reservations but I don't think any of them have full hookups. There are a couple stores there in case you need groceries, propane or gas.

Here is the view from the top of Paulina Peak.










North Coast:

If you find yourself in the North Coast, either Fort Stevens State Park on the Oregon side of the Columbia or Cape Disappointment State Park on the Washington side are both nice parks. You will probably have an easier time finding reservations at Fort Stevens because it is much larger and has more full hookup sites. Fort Stevens State Park Cape Disappointment State Park

If you do want to camp around Tillimook, Cape Lookout State Park isn't bad but some of the sites are pretty small. Cape Lookout State Park

Yes, the Tillimook Cheese Factory is well worth a visit. Look for the blueberry cheesecake ice creme. As far as I know, the factory is the only place you can get it.

I agree with OC about Beverly Beach State Park. I grew up in Salem and stayed there plenty of times as a kid. Since it is an older park, the older sites are smaller than the newer ones. Try for loops F or G if you can. Beverly BVeach State Park

South Coast:

In my opinion, the nicest state park on the Oregon Coast is Jessie M. Honeyman State Park just South of Florence. Jessie M. Honeyman State Park

If you end up anywhere on the coast, find a Mo's restaurant and have a big bowl of clam chowder with garlic cheese bread and a Henry Weinard's Private Reserve. You can't get any more Oregon than that. Mo's


----------



## willingtonpaul

all the suggestions have been awesome, thanks so much everyone.

for when we are in the gorge, i found this place: http://www.skamaniacoves.com/rv-lodging.php

i found it while searching for gifford pinchot national forest campgrounds. the location is closer to portland than maryhill, which DW wanted (maryhill does look great though). she fancies herself wanting to explore portland a little; we shall see. it is closer to the airport, which helps me for when they fly in. it is close to the gifford pinchot national forest, and all the great stuff there, and there are houses for rent for the BIL/SIL windsurfers. also, the coves have safe swimming areas so we can swim in the river. laundry, too, which will help for sure. anybody know of the place ? it looks interesting, i talked to them on the phone; they seem very nice. it is also pretty reasonable. 8 days of full hookups are $230 incl. all taxes. we have a riverview site. i can cancel it before march 1st if i need to and get my small deposit back. we're in site 3; there are only 17 sites, too.

i was able to basically get pretty much the last 6 day continuous reservation in beverley beach state park, and it is site H27. i am looking forward to exploring that area based on your suggestions OC. i am sure we will be up and down the coast from there exploring, and will compare the chowder at mo's to the chowder in portland, ME ! and oregon wines and microbrews will be purchased and consumed on this trip in copious amounts, that's for sure.

now i just need to lock down the bend area. i tried for tumalo; park looks awesome but it is sold out for my size rig for anything longer than a 2 day stay. i did some reading on the east lake area, and that looks awesome for the fishing for sure. there are some high end places there with sites (crown villa) but i am not sure we need a place like that. the geothermal features, the hiking, caving, and all the activities will make the stay in the bend area great for us i am sure. just need to find a home base.


----------



## TwoElkhounds

Hi Paul,

Sounds like a pretty fantastic trip you are planning. I cannot help you too much with suggestions on Oregon. However, I grew up in Seattle and would recommend the Olympic Pennisula if you have time to work it in.

The Olympic National Park is one of the most unique places you can visit. Kalaloch is a natural, wild beach on the Washington coast. It is one of the most beautiful natural beaches I have ever been to. No swimming, just spectacular views with long beaches, tide pools, etc. The western side of the Olympic mountains are a temperate rain forest unlike anything we would see here on the East coast. The Eastern side of the Olympic mountains are more arid as most of the rain falls on the western side. So one day you can spend in the Hoh Rain Forest, the next day you can drive up to Hurrican Ridge in rugged mountains complete with mountain goats graving on the cliff faces.

Of course you could also stop at Mount St. Helens and Mt Ranier if you have time.

A trip to Seattle could not hurt either. Maybe the wife and kids can fly into Portland on the front end, then you could loop up to Washington on the back end and they could fly home out of Seattle? You can then hit I-90 from there with a straight shot home?

Seems a shame to drive all that way and not take the opportunity to visit the Olympic Pennisula. However, I understand that time is our enemy on these sort of adventures.

DAN


----------



## Herbicidal

We've stayed at La Pine state campground before too. It's a little bit south of Bend, still on hwy 97.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=32


----------



## Leedek

Windsurfing information that also gives water temperatures throughout the year. Columbia River Activities It is definitely exhilarating to swim in the waters locally. The Pacific Ocean temperatures at Oregon and Washington beaches are also challenging. Wet suits anyone?


----------



## thefulminator

We have stayed at LaPine SP a couple times. That time of year it gets insanely hot and yellow jackets can be a problem. That is one of the reasons I recommended going to the Newberry Crater. There are campgrounds up there that I believe do not have full hookups. Usually the wind comes up in the afternoon and keeps you a lot cooler there than at LaPine.


----------



## willingtonpaul

i looked at lapine, and it looks nice. but i don't think that i want to be south of Bend. i am thinking now of the Bend/Sisters RV Garden park. was that a KOA at one time and now is not ? i have not called them yet but plan too. it is more than i want to spend, but up in the sisters area might be cooler and better suited to us. any opinions ?

http://www.bendsistersgardenrv.com/


----------



## willingtonpaul

Leedek said:


> Windsurfing information that also gives water temperatures throughout the year. Columbia River Activities It is definitely exhilarating to swim in the waters locally. The Pacific Ocean temperatures at Oregon and Washington beaches are also challenging. Wet suits anyone?


this is great, thanks for posting the link...

nice to see that they say a nice thing about skamania...


----------



## thefulminator

One thing I forgot to mention. Stay away from the Crooked River Ranch RV Resort near Bend. If I were to fully express my disappointment in this facility I would probably be sued.


----------



## willingtonpaul

thefulminator said:


> One thing I forgot to mention. Stay away from the Crooked River Ranch RV Resort near Bend. If I were to fully express my disappointment in this facility I would probably be sued.










i know the feeling about a couple of places back east around here....

anyway, i booked the bend / sisters RV garden place. basically got one of the last sites that would hold us....

i would like to stay out in the forest out there, but i think a place like this is safer for us.....

especially if my wife wants to take a swim.....


----------



## Oregon_Camper

willingtonpaul said:


> One thing I forgot to mention. Stay away from the Crooked River Ranch RV Resort near Bend. If I were to fully express my disappointment in this facility I would probably be sued.










i know the feeling about a couple of places back east around here....

anyway, i booked the bend / sisters RV garden place. basically got one of the last sites that would hold us....

i would like to stay out in the forest out there, but i think a place like this is safer for us.....

especially if my wife wants to take a swim.....
[/quote]

Of course this is your choice, but that place was a KOA and the sites are VERY close together. We stayed there one night last year on day 9 of a 16 day trip, just to empty black tank...charge batteries...fill water...get some laundry done. I was about ready to pull my hair out of my head while staying there. While it is a nice enough "RV Resort" it is simply too confining for our tastes.

How many days/nights are you planning around Bend? Interested in camping about 1.5 hours away from Bend?


----------



## willingtonpaul

[/quote]

Of course this is your choice, but that place was a KOA and the sites are VERY close together. We stayed there one night last year on day 9 of a 16 day trip, just to empty black tank...charge batteries...fill water...get some laundry done. I was about ready to pull my hair out of my head while staying there. While it is a nice enough "RV Resort" it is simply too confining for our tastes.

How many days/nights are you planning around Bend? Interested in camping about 1.5 hours away from Bend?
[/quote]

7 nights total. maybe we split it up. where are you thinking, i am all ears....


----------



## Oregon_Camper

willingtonpaul said:


> 7 nights total. maybe we split it up. where are you thinking, i am all ears....


did you get my email?


----------



## willingtonpaul

Oregon_Camper said:


> 7 nights total. maybe we split it up. where are you thinking, i am all ears....


did you get my email?
[/quote]

got it...it got scooped up by my spam blocker....fixed that....

THANK YOU !


----------

