Oregon State Parks
Cape Lookout State Park
This beautiful costal campground provides easy access to the Oregon Coast Trail as well as a 2 ½ mile hiking trail to the Cape. The Park is a great place for whale watching—simply follow the trail to the Cape. The park is home to a variety of wildlife, so be sure to bring your binoculars and camera.
Cape Lookout has 38 full hook ups, 1 electrical site, 173 tent sites, 13 yurts, 3 deluxe cabins, hiker/biker campsites and 2 areas for group camping. Should you want to enjoy the city, but still sleep out under the stars, the campground is about an hour’s drive from Salem and 1 ½ hours from Portland.
Ecola State Park
Would you like walk where Lewis & Clark once walked? If so,
then travel no more. The Ecola State Park is the hiker’s
perfect base camp for exploring area trails. The coastal
trails offer spectacular ocean views as you hike the scenic
routes. You can trek the 8 ½ mile portion across Tillamook
Head or trace Captain Clark’s path to see a beached whale
by hiking the interpretive 2 ½ mile Clatsop Loop Trail.
There are shorter, yet challenging routes from Ecola Point
and Indian Beach. In addition, when you head
down to the
shore, you will see the
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.
Campsites include 3 Adirondack style cabins, and a hike-in camp at Indian Creek.
Bullard’s Beach State Park & Cape Blanco
If you love the smell of salt water as you sit high in the saddle, then this is the place for you. Bullard’s Beach has 104 full hook ups, 81 electrical, 13 yurts, a horse camp with 8 sites (3 with 2 stalls & 5 with 4 stalls), and hiker/biker camps. There are many activities to keep you busy here. You can explore the beach, go fishing, (boat ramps available) and ride the 7 miles of horse trails. Nearby is historic Coquille River Lighthouse.
Just 30 miles up the road is Cape Blanco. Here you will find 53 electrical sites, 4 cabins, 8 horse camps with corrals, group RV/tent sites and hiker/biker sites similar to Bullard’s Beach. There are 7 miles of horse trails and a 150 acre area for riding. You can spend time fishing, hiking, watching the wildlife or even surfing the web. Nearby are the Hughes House and the Cape Blanco lighthouse.
L.L. Stub Stewart State Park
This is a great place to camp in style—for both you and your horse(s). The Stub Stewart campgrounds, just 30 miles west of Portland, has 78 full hook ups, 12 one room cabins, 3 two room cabins, 21 primitive hike-in campsites, 14 full hook-ups next to 4 stall horse corrals and 2 double-sized sites next to 6 stall corrals. Amenities include hot showers, restrooms, and Wi-Fi.
For adventures in nature, Stub Stewart has 15 miles of multi-use trails traversing hills canyons and forest. Some of the trails connect with 22 mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail.
Collier Memorial State Park
For horseback riding, fishing and more, head to Collier Memorial State Park in southern Oregon. The park has 50 full hook-ups, 18 tent sites, and some pull through sites. The horse camp and corrals are on a first come, first served basis. While here you are 30 miles from splendid Klamath Falls and 25 miles from Crater Lake’s south entrance.
Collier Memorial is more than just a campground. You can tour the outdoor logging museum and pioneer log cabin village, visit the gift shop, cast a line as you relax fly-fishing, hike along Williamson River and Spring Creek or explore the 10 mile route to Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site.
Mt. Hood from Cove Palisades State Park
Cove Palisades State Park
One of Central Oregon’s most exciting parks is the Cove Palisades State Park. It has 2 campgrounds-the Crooked River Campground and the Deschutes Campground for a total of 85 full hook-ups, 91 tent sites, 89 electrical, some pull-throughs, 3 group tent sites and 20 boat slips available by reservation.
When you visit, you can enjoy boating and swimming, kayaking on Lake Billy Chinook, explore the area of the Crooked River Petro glyphs, and be enchanted by the wilderness as you hike the 10 miles of trails. The park’s most gorgeous sights are along the 6 mile Tam-a-La’u Trail which is Native American for “place of big rocks on the ground” The unusual rock structures, beautiful lakes and majestic mountains make this an extraordinary way to enjoy nature. Along the way, be on the lookout for the unique plateau-striped whiptail lizard, the western fence lizard and the golden eagles as well as flowers such as the mariposa lilies and red-osier dogwoods.
Amenities/facilities: boat rentals, fuel, full service marina, ADA accessible fishing platforms, boat ramps, a general store and a restaurant.
Cape Mearas State Park
Do you love bird watching? If so, grab your field guide and binoculars and plan your stay at Cape Mearas. Listed as one of the State Scenic Viewpoints, this gorgeous park is a superb place to get in touch with nature. You will be blown away at its magnificent view of the Pacific. At nearby Cape Mearas National Wildlife Refuge you can see many animals in their natural environment. The Three Arch Rock is host to Oregon’s largest breeding colony of tuft puffins; you will also find fork-tailed storm petrel, cormorants and pigeon guillemots. More bird watching can be enjoyed at Oregon Island, which is home to 13 species of sea and shore birds.
Facilities—restrooms & picnic areas
Photo Credits: Cape Lookout by Steve Novoselac; Ecola State Park by Shubert Ciencia; Cove Palisades by Stu Seeger |
