“That There is an RV”. Family Adventures Along the Oregon Coast at Beverly Beach, Cape Lookout & Nehalam Bay State Parks
I grew up camping in a good old-fashioned tent and loved every minute of it. My mode of transportation to a variety of camping spots across Montana has included everything from a car, a horse, a pack train of mules and my boots (complete with moleskin and blisters). It’s a tradition that I look forward to every summer.
So, when our son was just over one year old and summer was in its prime, we decided it was time to initiate the Neudecker family camping adventures. And, after a 15-page gear list was crafted and our SUV was loaded with every camping implement known to man, we made our way up to Holland Lake in the Swan Valley of northwest Montana. Not to digress too much, but between the waterfall, crystal clear water and soaring mountains, this place is one of our “favs”.
Well, spoiler alert…camping with a wobbly toddler wasn’t as relaxing as our memories from the previous summers, and after about three hours of rotating between fitting tent poles and removing pine needles from our son’s mouth, we were exhausted. And it was only three o’clock in the afternoon. Later came getting ready for bed. We dressed our son as if a blizzard might be arriving that evening and shocker, he got too hot. So, we removed 15 of the 20 layers and then he was too cold, etc. And as you might have guessed, once we decided to unzip the tent and face the next day, it dawned on us that life had really changed. Just kidding, BUT it was this trip that planted the first RV seed. I’ll admit that owning a motorhome wasn’t something I’d spent a lot of time pondering. However, just as nothing can compare to the freedom of a backpacking trip without small children, nothing compares to the freedom of camping in an RV with small children. Just sayin’.
We’ve owned our RV for just over five years and that purchase has been one of our greatest investments. EVER. If you’ve traveled in one, you know what I’m saying. Especially with kids. There is a bathroom. That you can use while the RV is in motion. There is a refrigerator that you can fill with every snack and meal prep necessity you can think of. There is a table where you can play games and color and mold playdough and make crafts. You can plug a movie in. Your dog can ride right there with you. It’s glorious. And all of this makes an 11-hour road trip totally doable.
Well, I am admittedly obsessed with planning trips and I love the ocean so I started to day dream about camping near the sea shore. I came across a couple of blogs on Pinterest talking about camping with kids on the Oregon Coast and it hooked me. And while I am not an expert on anything related to the Oregon Coast or camping or RV’ing, I write this from the perspective of someone who wants to plan a trip for my family that will take us to a place that provides access to gorgeous beaches, scenic hikes and the basic assurance that we will have a family-friendly spot to park our RV.
Enter Oregon’s State Parks. I’m a Montana girl and always will be, but Oregon is pretty awesome. For starters they had this really progressive Governor way back when that decided that all of Oregon’s 362 miles of majestic shoreline should be accessible to everybody. Then, throughout that entire stretch they have dotted it with designated state parks that you can pop in for the day and enjoy the amenities, or you can make a reservation to camp in your tent, RV or the onsite yurts. Our family has made three trips to Oregon over the past four years and have stayed at three different locations including Nehalam Bay, Beverly Beach, and Cape Lookout State Park. Each are unique and offer different experiences and we liked them all. Here are the basic similarities between the three:
First, to reserve a camping spot at Oregon’s State Parks, you need to have an account with reserveamerica.com. You can make your reservations nine months in advance, and for the most coveted spots you’ll need to be on it that day. The reservation site is easy to navigate and provides a good map of the campground layout and all the individual camp spots—including photos of each! Most RV spots offer electrical and water hookups and a picnic table. You can purchase firewood from the campground host—don’t bring your own as Oregon prohibits that due to invasive species threats.
The three state parks we visited all had bathrooms equipped with hot showers. Most also had a playground for kids—but the natural playground that surrounds these parks is impossible to beat. A unique opportunity offered at these parks is the Junior Ranger Program that provides excellent educational opportunities for kids to learn more about Oregon’s natural resources including salmon, snowy plovers and sand dunes. These are offered on several days throughout the week and some even offer a craft activity. Our kids made salmon prints and loved it. State parks are also a great area to take a ride on your bike and explore the campground, and some even have designated bike paths that wind throughout the park. On your bike route you will see a lot of the native flora (complete with edible berries during certain months).
Nehalam Bay State Park: Located just south of the charming beach-side community of Manzanita, this park is a nestled between the roaring Pacific Ocean and the secluded, calmer waters of Nehalam Bay. Highlights for us included the absolutely gorgeous beach and the bike path that circles the campground with great views of Nehalam Bay. We like to camp in the “B” loop and try to snag a spot up by the dunes so its closer to the beach access. There are trails that wind through the dunes and on one evening run I was lucky enough to spot a herd of elk grazing in them. If your vision of camping along the Oregon coast includes misty rainforests, full of old-growth trees wrapped in moss and lichen, this isn’t your spot. However, we have found this location has more sun and feels warmer than the other locations. You have the advantage of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the calm, more secluded bay for those windy days. We always pack a kite for those windy days or at low tide, Nehalam Bay is a great spot to dig for clams or kayak.
Tip: Check out the ~one-mile bike/walking path that leads you over to Manzanita. We love to head over there to check out the cute shops and restaurants. Instead of heading back the same way, loop back on the beach. With the tides, you never walk on the same beach twice—right!? We often find sand dollars and other shell treasures here.
Beverly Beach State Park: A beautiful campground just five miles north of Newport, home to the incredible Oregon Coast Aquarium. We stopped here before pulling into Beverly Beach and it was probably the highlight of this area for us. From the tidepool exhibit, to watching marine biologists feed the seals and otters, it was the perfect way to spend a few hours.
Beverly Beach State Park is famous for being accessible from a walkway below a highway archway. For us though, the noise and view of the highway took away from the majesty of a wild and rugged beach and for this reason, it wasn’t our favorite spot. We chose to camp up in loop A to be closer to the beach, but if we visited again, I would choose either the C-G loops as they are set farther away from the highway nestled in amongst a stunningly gorgeous old-growth forest.
Our family loved riding our bikes throughout the different campground loops and wound our way near Spencer Creek to throw rocks and search for banana slugs. Ugh! 😊 Beverly Beach State Park is a favorite of many beach combers and close to some other famous landmarks including Devil’s Punch Bowl State Natural Area and the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.
Cape Lookout State Park: I’ll be honest, this is my favorite spot that we’ve found on the coast to date. It’s basically what I envisioned camping on the Oregon Coast would be like before I experienced it firsthand. Here you get to set up your camp amongst the most majestic old-growth trees. I mean seriously, check out this camp spot! We even had wild huckleberries in ours.
Second, the hiking is amazing. There are three trails located either in the park or close to it.
The first is a quarter-mile nature trail that is perfect for kids complete with self-guided kiosks where you get to learn about fern balls, nurse logs and skunk cabbage. Who knew?
The second is called the North Trail and you can get to it by walking to the parking lot on the south end of the park. It’s about five miles round trip and it was seriously one of my favorite hikes ever. I snuck out one afternoon when the family was napping. The trail meanders near the edge of some amazing sea cliffs where you can hear and see the ocean and has sweeping views of the Cape Lookout spit. How gorgeous is this?! It’s a decent pull uphill, but so mesmerizing to be in such a magical forest literally walking through trees!
The third is called the Cape Trail and it seems to be the most famous. The only tricky thing is unless you want to put in a lot of miles and connect to it through the North Trail, you will need a way to get to the trailhead. Without wanting to unplug your RV that can be tricky, but we made friends with our neighbors and they were nice enough to drop us off. It’s six miles out and back and the day we hiked it was pretty foggy, but still so stunning. The trail can be pretty muddy so be prepared. Our children (ages five and six) joined us and they managed the entire hike! We were definitely surprised by this and I am not too proud to say that I had a zip lock bag full of jelly beans that provided some much-needed incentives along the way.
The beach at Cape Lookout is gorgeous and on the south end we found tide pools to explore. We also found agates on the beach which made our day. We were there in late August and stumbled upon Dungeness crab. They were everywhere! Finally, this campground is located near Tillamook so make sure you stop at the cheese factory and stock up on cheese curds and ice-cream. You’ll find a great educational opportunity for kids and adults alike to learn more about the dairy industry and just how much milk a dairy cow can produce in a day!
If you are thinking of heading out to the coast camping, DO IT! There is nothing like the ocean to remind us how infinite nature is and it provides a phenomenal opportunity to show our children all the treasures that can be found on a sandy beach or forest trail.
Ryen loves to help families plan their next adventure and is a certified travel agent for Key to the World Travel. Check out these other great family friendly destinations: Jamaica, Walt Disney World, Aulani and Disneyland. Contact me @: [email protected] for FREE assistance in booking and planning your next trip!
