Oregon Coast vacation

[IBcarguy]

We just bought a new Jayco 5th wheel and decided to take a trip to the Oregon coast this spring (maybe in May). We've got 10 days and we're starting from the SF East Bay Area. Can't decide whether to stay at 2-3 places for several days each or travel more and stop for just overnight stays. I'd like to start from the Gold Beach area but getting there from CA isn't an easy drive if I have to go by way of Hwy 1 in northern CA. Maybe I should take I-5 and go west toward Coos Bay and start from there rather than starting from the south.
I've been on the internet trip planning sites and after hours of reading, I'm more confused than ever. There's so much info it's overwhelming. Has anyone done this trip before and have any suggestions?

[Paul_Clancy]

Coming from sf I would do 2 stays - Newport and Cannon Beach and use your time to tour up and down the coast in truck from there with day trips. We are in CB In may. Some rain some shine. That is the coast. Always beautiful.

[Sillybugs2]

Beachside and Honeyman are our favorites on thhe coast. Third is Fort Stevens. Heading to montana from wa this year but next bck to the coast. Yes can be rainy and windy but still beautiful. Oh also love Cannon Beach.

[RognBon]

If you're worried about rain, stay away from the Oregon coast. We travel to the Oregon coast twice a year, in May and September. Yes, it does rain occasionally, but not enough to ruin the trip. We stay at Harris Beach in Brookings, at Sunset Bay in Coos Bay/Charleston, at Honeyman near Florence and have never had our trip ruined by the weather. We stay away from the coast during the summer months because of the crowds.

[ORbiker]

If you worry about it raining in Oregon; IT WILL.

Have you been in Oregon at all?

A loop is what I would do. Go north up 97 to Bend and then west on 20 to Sisters, Oregon and 22 to Salem to Lincoln City on 18. You could go North on Oregon 101 to Astoria, but that should be another trip.

Most of the time it will be dry on the east side of the Cascades (Bend area).

Heading south at Lincoln City could be your turn around point to head towards home via Oregon 101. South on 101 is far safer. The pull-outs on on the ocean side, but only a few are big enough for big rigs.

If you let us know what you want to see and do, we might be able to help a bit more.

I won't camp on the Oregon Coast after mid May. There is just too many tourists for me. I travel over there almost every week as it is for work (Florence to Lincoln City is my service route area).

[IBcarguy]

2gypsies wrote:
Here's the 'average' weather for Newport, Oregon for May. By the way, there will be some sunny days. We had them. 🙂

https://weatherspark.com/averages/31147/5/Newport-Oregon-United-States

Hmmm, doesn't look too good as far as rain goes. I don't want to spend my vacation days looking out the windows of my new trailer. We'll take a look at the calendar for a later date.
Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. We'll let you know when we pick a route.

[2gypsies1]

Here's the 'average' weather for Newport, Oregon for May. By the way, there will be some sunny days. We had them. 🙂

https://weatherspark.com/averages/31147/5/Newport-Oregon-United-States

[Us_out_West]

ppine wrote:
You have to really like rain. The Coast is like living in a cloud a lot of the time. I like to go visit Newport for awhile, maybe a couple of days and then get back over the Willamette Valley or the Cascades.

Talking about the 101!!

[lanerd]

Personally, I would go up 101 and stay at Harris Beach (Brookings), Beverly Beach (Newport) and Fort Stevens (Warrington). And yes, in May there will be rain so prepare for it...it will happen.

FWIW, most (if not all) of the pull-outs on the Oregon 101 coast highway are on the west side. When traveling north, it can be problematic pulling into the pull-outs and then getting back on the highway. Much better if you can start at Fort Stevens and then go south down to Beverly Beach and Harris Beach. You will have to either spend a couple of days going up or coming back down...so why not go up I5 and then cut over to the coast on Hwy 30 and start out at Ft Stevens?

We spend our summers (May thru Oct) at Newport. We have traveled most of the US and have found the Oregon coast our preferred area to stay and visit.

Have a great trip.

Ron

[IBcarguy]

I expect some rain but hope it's not going to be all day, every day. If I push this trip to June, the weather might be better but more people will be out there fighting for spots to stay.

[2gypsies1]

101 north is a very pleasant drive. We did it multiple times with our 40' motorhome. People get confused with the coastal Hwy 1 and 101. They're two different roads. 101 is the one you want.

Your first stop could be Ancient Redwoods RV right in the heart of the big trees. Within a short distance are some very nice short, easy hiking trails amidst the big ones... very pretty area.

For Oregon I'd suggest making 3 stops of how many days you have available. Stop in the south, midway and the north. Then you can easily tour the surrounding areas.

We love Cape Blanco State Park and they don't take reservations. Plan to pull in around 2pm if you can (or earlier) and you'll get a site.

With our 40' MH we've also stayed at these state parks: Bullards Beach, Beverly Beach, Carl Washburne, Harris Beach and Fort Stevens on the north end. We love the state parks and since we had no schedule or time limits we pulled into them around noon and got sites without reservations - spring, summer, fall. Naturally, if you're on a timeframe that won't work for you but do try for Cape Blanco with no reservations. The beach is lovely with no people. The lighthouse tour is great. The sites are big.

[ppine]

You have to really like rain. The Coast is like living in a cloud a lot of the time. I like to go visit Newport for awhile, maybe a couple of days and then get back over the Willamette Valley or the Cascades.

[Us_out_West]

We made our way from Reno via the Susanville area to Redding to the No. Cal coast at Trinidad a few years ago. There we joined the 101 on our trip North with stays in Brookings, Charleston/Coos Bay (yes a bunch for Oceanside RV Park), Winchester Bay, Beverly Beach SP (Newport), Garibaldi, Cannon Beach and then we went into WA....all on the 101.

For more info you can check our Trip Journal entries starting with Trinidad.

We did another trip in 2015.

Safe travels and don't rush...enjoy it all.

[korbe]

I would look at Reserve America and see how full the Oregon SP's are during the time of your travel. If they seem to be getting full, you may want to reserve. But they may might not be too full yet - it's still early in the season.

Cape Blanco is first come and during the week, even in the summer, we can find a good spot.

[Wavesprite]

We make rezzies early because we have certain places we want to be. I think that Oregon State parks do hold some back as first come first serve, but I would try to make rezzies if you can. We love Newport area for sure.