Beverly Beach State Park

So far we've only stayed at Beverly Beach State Park once, but we will be returning for Memorial Day weekend this year. We managed to get one of the few sites left on Labor Day weekend in 2009 and looking back, it must have been a miracle we got a spot at all because the Beach State Parks on holiday weekends are impossible to get without a reservation.

We only stayed for one night because we were working our way down and back up the Oregon coast in search for our wedding location. We stopped at Beverly Beach and there was a spot so we took it. I remember it was a beautiful evening, we walked on the beach and the wind was blowing low so the sand looked like a mirage hovering over the ground and moving. We had dinner and afterwards put all of our camping stuff in the car and put a tarp over our tent because it looked like it could rain. About 10 minutes after we got in the tent it started DUMPING heavy rain and it thundered and lightening all night. It was awesome. The next morning it completely stopped raining about 15 minutes after we got up, just perfect for us to pack up the car and head out. It had rained so much through the night that there was a little stream between us and the walkway to the bathroom.

I liked the campground and I am pretty sure we made note of good sites, if I can find them I'll post later, but I will be sure to have plenty of information to post after Labor Day.

A key element to this campsite is its location. It's almost dead center between Depoe Bay and Newport. So if you're doing the tourist thing and visiting the aquarium or the Rogue Brewery in Newport this is a good base camp. There are also several great view points to do some whale watching and Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is about 4 miles south. Yaquina Head is a federal area, so your state park camping pass will not work as a day use pass, but you can purchase a 3 day pass (that's the minimum) for $7. There is a light house, tide pools, and more, I haven't been yet, but it looks B-E-A-U-TIFUL! Devil's Punch Bowl is about 2 miles North of Beverly Beach and I have yet to see it full but imagine it is a spectacular site and keeping going back with "high" hopes.

In my very brief experience at Beverly Beach State Park, I'd have to say what I liked most about this campground is that it's a big campground that feels small and your tent is nestled in the trees set back away from the ocean winds, but just a hop, skip, and walk under a bridge away and you're on the sand.

Yurt Camping in January at Nehalem Bay State Park

You could say I've got a bit of cabin fever. I'm ready to get out, we've reserved our sites for Memorial Day and 4th of July weekend, but all of the summer planning got me in the mood to camp. Obviously January in the Pacific Northwest is not the best time to bring out the tents, but I am determined. So we've made a reservation for next weekend for a Yurt at Nehalem Bay State Park on the Oregon Coast. We've done a lot of camping on the Oregon Coast, but this will be a new campground for us. We're going for one night and with the reservation fee on Reserve America, which nowadays is a requirement to get a Yurt on a weekend  even in the winter, the total cost for one night is $44 in the Discovery Season. Not cheap, but worth it to get out for a night! In case you were wondering, Discovery Season at Oregon State Parks is October 1st - April 30th, which basically means the rates are a little lower than summer and the campgrounds do not make all sites available to reserve so you still have a chance for first come first serve at the Parks. The modern reservation system can be double edged sword, it has it's benefits and it's disadvantages.


So, back to our mini yurt camping trip next weekend! I'm really excited to explore Nehalem Bay State Park, from what I've found online there are so many different things you can do while camping here. You can clam, fish, crab, horse back ride, hike, etc. We're going during a -.8 tide, so as long as it's not dumping rain we're going to get some clamming in and then probably a little bit of hiking and a lot of relaxing. While we're there we'll scope out the camp ground and mark down all of the good sites, bad sites, and any other special notes for future camping trips, which we will share when we return!

Welcome to Pacific Northwest Tent Camping

My husband and I enjoy everything outdoors. We moved to the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 2007 and love every part of it and spend as much time camping, hiking, fishing, clamming, and exploring as the weather, work, and school will allow. With spring right around the corner we've started our camping planning for the spring, summer, and fall. We spend a lot of time researching where we'll stay, when to go, what the weather will be like, etc and have decided it would be great to log all of our research and have it in one place to refer back to and to share with anyone who is interested. 


So welcome fellow campers and outdoor enthusiasts! Enjoy and please leave us your comments and feedback.