Community Forums

wingnutz · 02-04-2018, 03:32 PM

Planning our very 1st RV trip for mid April.
Leaving from Marysville, WA.

Not sure if we should reserve a site in advance or just take our chances.

I've never been to the Oregon coast.
Hubby suggested Depoe Bay.

I welcome your suggestions.

RWeigant · 02-04-2018, 03:38 PM

I think you'll be OK. State parks will be open for sure. Get to your camp site early. This goes for anytime of the year. And don't forget, black water first and then the gray to clean it out.

FirstTracks · 02-04-2018, 03:53 PM

We worked our way up the coast the week of July 4, 3016, from Winchester Bay to Fort Stevens near Astoria. We had some reservations (Oregon Dunes, Fort Stevens) and some not (Beachside State Park, etc.). I'd expect much less of an issue in April.I It was a lovely trip - you'll enjoy!

HavingABlast · 02-04-2018, 07:53 PM

We routed from north to south. The Pacific was on our right. We too stayed at Ft Stevens. Terrific place. I booked this place in advance. Time of year was October. The place was booked out.

We also stayed at Nehalem Bay SP. That was booked up. I showed up and got lucky because of a cancellation. The next spot, further south was a no go for us. No spaces open. Lesson learned : Oregon state parks fill up. I have no idea about the April time frame, but if you are not flexible with time and location, you might consider booking a space. Particularly if you plan to be at a state park during a weekend. Week days, you have a little better chance. Some people don’t and get lucky. Or, are just better at it than I am.

On a side note, if you head northbound on I-5 on your way back to WA, I suggest that you consider Seven Feathers Casino Campground.

Rhagfo · 02-04-2018, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HavingABlast

We routed from north to south. The Pacific was on our right. We too stayed at Ft Stevens. Terrific place. I booked this place in advance. Time of year was October. The place was booked out.

We also stayed at Nehalem Bay SP. That was booked up. I showed up and got lucky because of a cancellation. The next spot, further south was a no go for us. No spaces open. Lesson learned : Oregon state parks fill up. I have no idea about the April time frame, but if you are not flexible with time and location, you might consider booking a space. Particularly if you plan to be at a state park during a weekend. Week days, you have a little better chance. Some people don’t and get lucky. Or, are just better at it than I am.

On a side note, if you head northbound on I-5 on your way back to WA, I suggest that you consider Seven Feathers Casino Campground.

X2!
April is likely Spring Break time could be Oregon or Washington schools, can’t go wrong with reservations!

twogypsies · 02-04-2018, 09:44 PM

I think you'll be fine except for pulling in on a Friday. Spring Breaks are usually in March I believe.

450Donn · 02-04-2018, 09:53 PM

Depending on how far south you plan to travel, Ft Stevens state park. Netarts bay (private) Nehalem Bay SP, sea and sand(private) salmon harbor at Winchester bay (private) is a good start. You really cannot miss with any state park on the coast. Depot Bay does not have any RV parks, and is really only good for SeaHag.

wingnutz · 02-05-2018, 11:38 AM

We will travel Monday through to Friday ~ hopefully avoiding rush hour traffic.

I would like to arrive at our chosen site by 3pm at the latest.

stevechris · 02-05-2018, 01:38 PM

Oregon is one of our favorite states and the entire coast is GREAT. You should not have any problems in April. We belong to Thousand Trails and all of their locations in Oregon are the BEST. If possible make it a point to do a day trip to Creator Lake.

Cumminsfan · 02-06-2018, 09:21 AM

You won't have any trouble in April. Spring break is in late March in Oregon. During the week you'll feel like you have the place to yourself almost. Weekends will fill up a little at the more popular St parks. Some coastal St parks close some loops within the CG during the winter and don't reopen them until late spring around May. They use them as first come first serve overflow when the open loops fill.

frankdamp · 02-06-2018, 12:38 PM

The Oregon Coast was our favorite trip. North to South works best as most CGs and sightseeing places are between the road and the beaches, so all the access is by right turns - no waiting for oncoming traffic.

From home (Anacortes) we found the best route to the coast was I-5 to Longview, then across the river there onto Route 30 to Astoria then south on 101. We've done the coast as two parts, breaking off then re-starting at Newport and as a 3-week end-to-end, going briefly into California to pick up a trans-mountain route back to Grant's Pass.

Unfortunately, we had to give up the RV life after 4 years because of cost. Gas was $4.50/gallon back then.

99dart · 02-06-2018, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingnutz

Planning our very 1st RV trip for mid April.
Leaving from Marysville, WA.

Not sure if we should reserve a site in advance or just take our chances.

I've never been to the Oregon coast.
Hubby suggested Depoe Bay.

I welcome your suggestions.

The WA coast is nice too. We just spent two weeks (end of Jan.) over there. The winds, waves and rain were great! LOL If you aren't in a hurry you could start your trip from Aberdeen and work your way down. We like Grayland state park. It doesn't have the huge sand berms to hike over to get to the ocean. Then, Cape Disappointment S.P. is also a good one near Iilwaco.

SlyFox · 02-06-2018, 04:24 PM

Highly recommend reservations, especially near the weekends. It fills up everywhere from coastal Washington through Oregon. We have been in Spring, Summer and Fall it has always been busy for us. All the places we ever want to get back to are always booked up no matter what time of year despite of trying to booking 6 to 9 months in advance.
Go online and try a reservation window in whatever campground you choose and you will see many that are not available for at least part of your stay. This brings me to another point about winging it is that you may get a spot for a night or two but then have to move due to site reservations. If you wanna ensure a site reserve it.

cruzbill · 02-06-2018, 04:40 PM

Start w/ this guide:

https://www.oregoncoastmagazine.com/...coast_2011.php

Between Ilwaco and Astoria is a great museum on Lewis and Clark. Good camping in Ilwaco both state parks and private.

In Canon Beach, there is a hardware store in a pub (Screws & Brews)!! Canon Beach RV park, nice.
Two other good breweries in town too! Just south of Depoe Bay (in Depoe Bay is a new brewery w/excellent IPA!) is Yachats-SeaView RV Resort, small, but you are right on the beach (not cheap). Whale watching is so good, the only way to get closer is to be in the water!

So much to do on the Oregon Coast! Steam train ride in Garibaldi, Tillimook Air Museum (and campground)

Winchester Bay RV Resort.

In Brookings, there is a trail to the most northern grove of redwoods.