Oregon Coast

[MERudniski]

We would like to travel the Oregon Coast fr the interior of BC in April & wondering what campgrounds might be open at that time. What are the recommendations for this time of the yr & what sites should a person make sure to take in?
We prefer the private ones, but the state parks usually have bigger sites.
We drive a 33' motor home with a tow vehicle.
What is the weather 'usually' like in April?

[RedRocket204]

Yeah, specifically for Longview that is the Lewis and Clark Bridge. Then head west on Hwy 30. The big bridge in Astoria over the Columbia River to Ilwaco is the Megler Bridge, Hwy 101.

A more scenic drive would be off in Olympia and head west on Hwy 8 towards Aberdeen. Before Aberdeen, take Hwy 107 which will then connect to Hwy 101 in WA, head south on Hwy 101. Just make sure to respect the slow town speed limits, both OR and WA as those are monitored quite well.

[frankdamp]

The Oregon state parks are great. We've stayed at many of them and not found one we didn't like. Going southbound, as you will be, most of the parks will be right turns off the highway.

Unless you plan on doing the WA coast as well, I'd recommend going off I-5 at Longview and going west to the high river bridge that connects Ilwaco to Astoria. Otherwise it's a bit of a drag coming northwards again from Portland to get to Astoria.

[rhagfo]

Well I have also seen one of the nicest camping spots on the Oregon Coast.

[rhagfo]

RedRocket204 wrote:

MERudniski wrote:
What is the weather 'usually' like in April?

Expect rain and wind! Possibly sideways rain.


9 years living 2 blocks from the ocean on the north Oregon coast allows me to state the above with extreme confidence. 🙂



But, in all seriousness, if you do decide to hang out on any of the beaches, always keep yourself faced towards the ocean and be on guard if the swells are large. Spring can still produce large swell events and MANY people have been swept off their feet from an unexpected rouge wave... never to be seen from again. I grew up around oceans, surfing most of my life and have seen many, many people who do not treat the ocean as though it can be a killer.

Additionally, there is a reason the Columbia River Bar is called the Graveyard of the West.

Pretty much like the rest of the year, could be sunny and into the 60's, or could be windy, maybe a little drizzle, or a nice storm with the rain and wind together. Today just south of Newport it is 49 degrees, with a Gail warning with mixed periods of rain and sunshine.

[Slate_CM]

allen8106 wrote:
I highly recommend Cape Blanco State Park. We spent 4 nights there this past July and it's an excellent place to stay for a few days. Only issue is that they don't take reservations. First come first serve but in April I would doubt that is a problem

RedRocket204 wrote:
Expect rain and wind! Possibly sideways rain.


9 years living 2 blocks from the ocean on the north Oregon coast allows me to state the above with extreme confidence.



But, in all seriousness, if you do decide to hang out on any of the beaches, always keep yourself faced towards the ocean and be on guard if the swells are large. Spring can still produce large swell events and MANY people have been swept off their feet from an unexpected rouge wave... never to be seen from again. I grew up around oceans, surfing most of my life and have seen many, many people who do not treat the ocean as though it can be a killer.

Yep, it can be very windy at Cape Blanco. And do watch out for the waves. A week or so ago a man and young child were washed out to sea. The Coast Guard and sheriff's department never did find them.

[D_E_Bishop]

RamWilderness wrote:
This is a great place to stay towards the southern end of the coast.

I am a morning person, as such I make a pot of coffee and sit in my recliner with my laptop while the DW sleeps for a couple more hours. It is my favorite time of the day, sort of like having a beautiful spring day everyday. Winchester Bay Resort is one of my favorite places to do this and last June we were visiting and I sat there in my chair and watched a Greater Blue Heron land down in front of us and hunt for breakfast.

He was very good at finding those little black crabs that are in most tidal pools up there and small fish in the grasses and he just kept eating and eating. The DW woke up and sat there with me and watched him with me. To me something like that is so serene and quieting, it sort of makes it hard to ever get upset during the rest of the day. There are several drive to spots around the Bay that are quiet and beautiful places to watch the Bay and Harbor wake up.

The town is really nice, very small but lots of great friendly folks. The little store is one of those places that have a little of a lot of things. While Reedsport is just a little North and Coos Bay is a little South, those little stores are a fill in place and carry so many necessities it is amazing.

If you happen to see a tall, slender gray haired guy around a house with a ton of STUFF in the yards, stop and ask him what he's working on. He is a real friendly guy and the exact opposite of his wife, looks wise.

Go drive around and visit the light house, lovely spot, lots of things to look at. Nice gifty shop downstairs. Going to 101 from the lighthouse, use the back road, a couple really nice campgrounds there.

After a week there I'm so recharged, I just want to do things. Maybe find a place in the woods where the view from my recliner is as peacefully exciting as Winchester Bay.

[RedRocket204]

MERudniski wrote:
What is the weather 'usually' like in April?

Expect rain and wind! Possibly sideways rain.


9 years living 2 blocks from the ocean on the north Oregon coast allows me to state the above with extreme confidence. 🙂



But, in all seriousness, if you do decide to hang out on any of the beaches, always keep yourself faced towards the ocean and be on guard if the swells are large. Spring can still produce large swell events and MANY people have been swept off their feet from an unexpected rouge wave... never to be seen from again. I grew up around oceans, surfing most of my life and have seen many, many people who do not treat the ocean as though it can be a killer.

Additionally, there is a reason the Columbia River Bar is called the Graveyard of the West.

[goducks10]

Old Duck wrote:
Enough has been said about places to stay, so I'll attach some of our favorite places to eat. Winchester Bay is Ungers Fish and Chips (dine on an actual boat), Florence Morgan's Country Kitchen for breakfast, Waterfront Depot for great dinner, Newport, Safron Salmon for fine dining, Nana's Irish Pub for lunch or dinner (complete with sassy waitresses), Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach (also Newport), Pacific City has the Pelican Brewery

And don't forget to check out the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

I'll 2nd Nana's. We love that place.
I'll add Tidal Raves in Depot Bay too.

[Deleted_per_op]

MERudniski wrote:
We like the private ones, but the state parks usually have bigger sites.
We drive a 33' motor home.

Is there any particular reason you prefer private campgrounds? You can get full hookups in the state parks (not all sites). About the only thing you're going to gain at a private campground is wifi and a store at the campground. It will cost more $$ and be much more crowded.

Look here for campsites. Check "rv campsites" in the selection criteria to narrow it down. You can click on each park by map location or name. After drilling in to each park, you'll find a tab with a park brochure which includes campground map & a write-up on the park.
http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=visit.dsp_find

Is there any particular activities you're interested in? or just sight-seeing?

[gotsmart]

8 miles north of Lincoln City on Route 101 is Neskowin Creek RV Resort in Neskowin, OR

[allen8106]

I highly recommend Cape Blanco State Park. We spent 4 nights there this past July and it's an excellent place to stay for a few days. Only issue is that they don't take reservations. First come first serve but in April I would doubt that is a problem.

[RollandB]

Enough has been said about places to stay, so I'll attach some of our favorite places to eat. Winchester Bay is Ungers Fish and Chips (dine on an actual boat), Florence Morgan's Country Kitchen for breakfast, Waterfront Depot for great dinner, Newport, Safron Salmon for fine dining, Nana's Irish Pub for lunch or dinner (complete with sassy waitresses), Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach (also Newport), Pacific City has the Pelican Brewery

And don't forget to check out the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

[goducks10]

April won't be a problem at all to get a spot. After Memorial Day weekend you can pretty much count on most being full on the weekends until the 1st of Oct, then it thins out.

[rhagfo]

It is a great night on the Oregon Coast just a small winter storm. Wind and rain, great for storm watching. :B

[rollingslow]

If you like crab try netarts bay rv great crabing there and they have the boats and pots every time we go there we get a limit every day. We eat all we want and leave there with a freezer full