Oregon has some of the best campgrounds in the United States. And that’s saying something, because we’ve stayed at a lot of campgrounds in the western US. We especially love staying at Oregon State Campgrounds because they are clean, affordable, and typically have free showers. If you love the outdoors, you have to give camping in Oregon a try.
If you’ve never been to Oregon, you are missing out one of the most gorgeous ecosystems in the world and Oregon’s campgrounds provide some of the best opportunities to explore nature and the outdoors.
We love Oregon’s beauty and diversity from it’s lush, green forests, to the snow capped Cascade Range, and of course, for it’s 363 miles of rugged coast line that provide so many opportunities to play and relax.
Related Blog: Oregon Road Trip Itinerary
This blog was updated in July 2021 for accuracy and new campgrounds!
Best Campgrounds on the Oregon Coast
The Oregon coast tends to be pretty wet and cold so make sure you pack layers and good rain gear. We love how rugged Oregon’s coastline is and driving highway 101 from Fort Stevens all the way down to Harris Beach will give you plenty of opportunities to explore lighthouses, cheese factories, a zoo where you can pet baby lion cubs, cool water features like Devil’s Punchbowl, and sand dunes galore.
Summer can be extremely challenging to get sites. Plan ahead, and book your sites for the State Parks here
It is amazing in the summer but crowds on the trails and campgrounds can be a bit much. We really enjoy the fall because it is much less crowded and the weather is still great.
The oceans never really gets warm, however if you are just walking its fine. If you plan on surfing or going into the ocean make sure you have your wetsuit. Lakes can be chilly but great for fishing, kayaking or SUPing. During the summer months it is very normal to float rivers in inner tubes.
Best Campgrounds Oregon #1: Fort Stevens State Park
This is a HUGE campground. It is great if you are looking for a destination to rest and relax. There are miles and miles of hiking and biking trails. It is a bit of a walk to get to the beach, but it’s a huge beach and there’s even a historic shipwreck you can check out. My kids liked seeing the historic military fort.
Personally, I loved all the blackberries along the trails. There is also a freshwater lake for swimming and tons of wildlife to see. Once you get there you won’t want to leave, plus there isn’t much close by, so come prepared to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Cost of Site with Full Hookups: $34 (Electricity only $32)
Number of Sites: 535
Max RV Length: 65 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Fort Stevens
Best Campgrounds Oregon #2: Cannon Beach RV
We love Cannon Beach and normally we recommend staying at State campgrounds, but there aren’t any ones close enough to Cannon Beach.
Cannon Beach RV Resort is luxury camping with an indoor pool, game room, a store, and firepits. By staying at Cannon Beach RV resort you are walking distance to all the fun and beauty Cannon Beach has to offer.
We love walking the beach here and checking out haystack rock and the Puffins that live on it. The town is super cute and we always go to Sleepy Monk for coffee, Sea Level Bakery for bread, and EVOO for artisan foods.
Cost of Site with Full Hookups: $39-$53 depending on season
Number of Sites: 100
Max RV Length: 60 foot
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Cannon Beach RV resort. Note this is an RV only campground, no tents.
Best Campgrounds Oregon #3: Nehalem Bay State Park
This is true beach camping. If you are looking for a great beach for your kids to play at, this is the place to camp.
The campsites are right on the east side of the dunes making the trek to the beach not too painful with little kids and an armful of sand toys. This is a huge stretch of beach and great for flying a kite or combing the beach for beautiful seashells.
Cost of Site with Electricity: $31
Number of Sites: 265
Max RV Length: 55 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Newhalem Bay State Park
Best Campgrounds Oregon #4: Devils Lake
Personally I think the draw to staying here is the quick access to the hip town of Lincoln City. There is a lot happening here from taking a tour of glass blowing to having a bonfire on the beach, this is a fun town to stay at for a few days.
There are some really cool trails nearby, but accessing them does require driving down dirt roads and while you don’t really need four wheel drive, a high clearance vehicle is a good idea. If you love boating, skiing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking then camping at Devils Lake will certainly meet your needs.
Note: If you are just driving through, there is free camping at the Chinook Casino in Lincoln City.
Cost of Site with Full Hookups: $34 (Electricity only $32)
Number of Sites: 88
Max RV Length: 55 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Devil’s Lake
Best Campgrounds Oregon #5: Waldport/Newport KOA
While I don’t feel like this is a destination in itself. If you are on a road trip down the coast, this is a nice campground to spend a night or two at, especially for a KOA.
They had fun activities for the kids and my kids really enjoyed the scavenger hunt while we were there. The location is very pretty sitting right on the Alsea River and the town of Waldport is nearby if you need supplies.
Cost of Site: varies
Number of Sites: 75
Max RV Length: 60 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Waldport KOA
Best Campgrounds Oregon #6: Sunset Bay State Park
I loved the ecosystem surrounding this campground. There are great hikes through the coastal forest right from the campground.
Directly across the street is a nice bay to relax at, surf on the right swell, and let the kids run wild. A short drive up the hill (or a long walk though a beautiful forest overlooking the coastline) takes you to a great viewpoint where you will often be able to spot whales and other wildlife.
The campground also has fantastic ranger programs. Nearby in Bandon has one of the best chocolate shops in the world and the Zoo near Bandon has a baby bear, tiger, and lion cub that you can pet. The only downside here is the weather can be very cold so pack those jackets.
Cost of Site with Full Hook Ups: $31 (Electricity Only $29)
Number of Sites: 130
Max RV Length: 50 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to get reservations at Sunset Bay
Best Campgrounds Oregon #7: Harris Beach State Park
This is a pretty beach interspersed with rock outcroppings great for tidepooling. the campground isn’t directly on the beach but it’s only a short walk away.
Cost of Site with Full Hookups: $32 (Electricity only $30)
Number of Sites: 149
Max RV Length: 55 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here for reservations at Harris Beach
Best Campgrounds Along Oregon’s Cascade Range
Camping near the Cascade range provides plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, and splashing around in the numerous lakes and rivers. We love mountains and find that Oregon’s peaks provide a playground for adventure.
Best Campgrounds Oregon #8: Viento State Park
We’ve camped here a few times and while this is certainly not a destination on its own, it’s a great home base for after fun days exploring Hood River and the network of trails along the Columbia River Gorge. The campground is right on the river and sunsets here can get really spectacular.
Cost of Site with Full Hookups: $32 (Electricity only $30)
Number of Sites: 74
Max RV Length: 30 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here for details and to reserve Viento State Park
Best Campgrounds Oregon #9: Trillium Lake
Trillium is actually a pretty large campground but it’s so quiet you’d think you were the only ones there. A lot of that is because they don’t allow motorized boats on the lake, making this a great SUP or kayaking destination. Again, there really aren’t any stores or amenities nearby so come prepared. The campground does have water though (and the star gazing was epic when we were there).
Cost of Site: $22-45
Number of Sites: 57
Max RV Length: 40 feet
Hot Showers: No showers here
Click here for more details and to reserve Trillium Lake Campground
Best Campgrounds Oregon #10: Steelhead Falls
Another great spot for just a night or two is here at steelhead falls. It’s BLM land and there aren’t many campsites, but it’s off the beaten path and you can hike just a half mile down past the falls and jump onto the river. There’s not much around here so come with your sense of adventure and ready to just chill. Note: it says no RV’s but we had no trouble parking our 30 foot class C here and it is a dirt road in.
Cost of Site: FREE
Max RV Length: N/A
Hot Showers: No (just one pit toilet here)
Click here for details on Steelhead Falls
Best Campgrounds Oregon #11:Tumalo State Campground
We love visiting Bend and staying at Tumalo is a great spot to come back to after a great day hiking, biking, climbing, and adventuring. The campsite has the cleanest hot showers I’ve ever seen in a state park.
There is a river you can float down right next to the campground but other than that there’s not a lot to do near the campground. However, there is loads to do within 30 minutes making Tumalo a great home base.
Cost of Site with Full HookUps: $33
Number of Sites: 77
Max RV Length: 50 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Best Campgrounds Oregon #12: National Forest Service Road 4610 (Bend)
We love free camping and camping on the forest service roads near Bend is one of the best camping experiences we’ve had. We prefer to camp off of this National Forest road but there are so many other roads you can choose, mostly because we love to bike ride Phils trail network. Have you ridden Whoops yet?
Unfortunately, this area is not recommended anymore due to the number of homeless living here.
Best Campgrounds Oregon #13: Sister’s Creekside Campground
We almost moved to Sisters because I liked staying at this campground so much. What I liked so much about it was that you could walk to town for coffee, dinner, or to grab a beer and it was a nice jumping off point to exploring the Mackenzie River and Camp Sherman areas.
However, there are so many free and inexpensive camping areas in Camp Sherman and throughout the Willamette forest that are great to stay at if you don’t need amenities. We often use the Sister’s campground as a day to fill water, dump, and shower before or after spendng time in the Willamette wilderness area.
Cost of Site with Full HookUps: $20-$45
Number of Sites: 67
Open: April – October
Max RV Length: 50 feet
Hot Showers: Yes, but they do cost $1 per 2 minutes
Click here for details and reservations at Sister’s Creekside Campground
Best Campgrounds Oregon #14: Lava Lakes
This is one of the many campgrounds along the Cascade Lakes Highway. This one has a great campground feel, is right on the lake for fishing, and has amenities like water and a dump station.
All of the camping along the Cascade Lakes Highway is great. If you want to be at a campground with a small store and boat rentals, then camp at Elk Lake Resorts.
If you like feeling like you are more in the wilderness, camp at Soda Creek Campground by Sparks Lake. If you are looking to free camp, we have done so at many of the trailheads and sno-parks along this highway.
Cost of Site with Full HookUps: $33
Number of Sites: 77
Max RV Length: 50 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here for details and to reserve Lava Lakes
Best Campgrounds Oregon #15: Detroit Lake
This is another one of the amazing Oregon State Park Campgrounds. It is a destination in itself, especially for power boating and fishing. Even if you don’t have a boat, it’s a great destination for being outdoors and enjoying the beauty of nature. There is a tiny town nearby if you need a few supplies, but it’s not much. This place gets crowded in the summer and on weekends, however, we were there in June during the week and it was empty. There are also some great hiking trails nearby that you can drive to.
Cost of Site with Full HookUps: $19 – $31
Number of Sites: 311
Max RV Length: 65 feet
Free Hot Showers: Yes
Click here to reserve Detroit Lake
Best Campgrounds Oregon #16: McKay Crossing Campground
Set in the forest right by a river lies a campground right at the trailhead to great hiking or mountain biking. This is a fun place to spend the weekend.
If you hike just a mile or so up the trail, there’s a really cool rock water slide too. There aren’t any amenities here other than a pit toiles but there is another campground a few miles up the road at Paulina Lake that has more amenities if you feel like you need them. Personally, I loved the off the beaten path feeling of McCay Crossing.
Cost of Site: $10
Number of Sites: 16
Max RV Length: 26 (although we are closer to 30 and fit just fine)
Hot Showers: No (there are only pit toilets here)
Best Campgrounds in East Oregon
We haven’t spent a ton of time in Oregon, however on a recent visit to the Wallowa region, we were absolutely blown away by the scenery. We’ll definitely be back to explore more campgrounds but for now, here’s an amazing campground in east Oregon.
Best Campgrounds Oregon #17: Park at the River
Joseph is a hidden gem of East Oregon that I didn’t know existed until recently! Jospeh is the main jumping-off point for exploring the beautiful Wallowa mountain range.
There are many different campgrounds surrounding Wallowa Lake. Of the campgrounds nearby, Park at the River campground was our top pick. We loved the open meadows, spacious campsites, hot showers, and great views from the campground. From here, you can walk down to the State Park and play at the lake and you’re only a 3 minute drive from a main trailhead to hike into the Wallowas. Here you can do a great hike to Ice Lake!
We also stayed at the State Park here and while it’s still nice too, we preferred Park at the River.
Cost of Site: $30-42
Number of Sites: 50
Max RV Length: 40 (longer RVs may fit in some spots but you must call ahead and ask)
Hot Showers: Yes (50 cents per minute)
Click here to reserve Park at the River Note this is an RV only campground, no tents.
Check Out Other Oregon Blogs:
- Oregon Road Trip Itinerary
- Bend 4 Day Itinerary
- Mountain Biking Bend
- Guide to Hiking & Camping along the Cascade Lakes Highway
- Mountain Biking and Hiking the Peter Skene Ogden Trail, Oregon
- Best Sport Climbing Destinations in Oregon
- 5 Things You Can’t Miss in the Mackenzie River area
Do you have a favortie Oregon campground? Tell us in the comments
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60 North RV Park
Saturday 17th of August 2019
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