One of my favorite activities is camping because I love the outdoors and being in nature. It allows for personal time away from cell phones and TVs. The scenery is normally beautiful with bright shooting stars at night. I love hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming, card games, campfires, hot dogs, smores, and all the activities and food that come along with camping. Oregon is the perfect setting for camping. Oregon and the outdoors go hand in hand. Think gorgeous coastlines, tall pine trees, and deep blue lakes. Without further ado, here are my favorite camping spots:

Nehalem Bay State Park

Nehalem Bay is located on the Oregon Coast near Manzanita, Oregon. I grew up going camping here and it is one of my all time favorite spots. Nehalem Bay is a more popular spot to go, especially in the summer; therefore, it can get rather crowded. This means you should book ahead in spring and summer months. If you are looking for a secluded spot with no one around and no cell service, this campsite is not for you.

Why I love Nehalem Bay

Nehalem Bay is right next to the beach which is the main draw of the campsite. It’s a quick 30 second walk to the sand! That being said, the campsite is protected behind some brush and hills so it does not get the chilly wind that frequents the coastline. In fact, if the sun is out it can be rather hot at the campsite! ‘Hot’ and the Oregon Coast aren’t normally used in the same sentence so it wonderful that you can camp by the beach with a little warmer weather! There are also bike trails to a bay which contains calm water and a large beach that is often deserted. Your dogs will LOVE swimming here if you bring them along. The opportunity to enjoy both the beach and the bay is unique to this campsite. One pleasant surprise is the lack of bugs! I have never noticed an abundance or mosquitoes or spiders. One thing you have to do if you have a truck is create a bed in the back of the truck and sleep under the stars! You can see all the stars here because you are far removed from a bright city. Falling asleep staring at the sky has been one of my all time favorite experiences.

What to do

Get reacquainted with nature and the coastline. What to do with most of your time is hang out on the beach or by the bay. There a ton of biking and walking trails in the woods. If your lucky you might see some wildlife! There is hiking nearby at Neahkahnie mountain that displays a gorgeous overview of the bay and coastline. There is also the nearby town of Manzanita which is a quaint town with adorable shops and restaurants. The town is cozy and quiet in comparison to nearby Seaside and Cannon Beach. There is also just your normal camping activities like throwing the football or a frisbee, playing cards, and drinking by a campfire. You can play music but around 10pm the rangers come by and make your turn it off. Try to get a corner site so your neighbors aren’t as close.

Weather and when to go

The weather at the coast is always pretty mild. You can expect it to be a good 10-15 degrees cooler than Portland. This means if you want nice weather guaranteed I would exclusively go in July or August. If you are from nearby and can keep an eye on the weather or you don’t mind that it might not be warm, April-June or September-October can be a good time to go. I have gone in the winter too and it was a lot of fun actually! It rained and it was cold but hey it is still gorgeous and I actually enjoy camping that much! We practically had the whole property to ourselves and we just dressed warm! Summer temperatures are normally around 70s while winter can drop to 40s. Expect wind on the beach so even in the summer bring sweatshirts. When the sun goes down it will get chilly!

Crescent Lake

Crescent Lake is another favorite of mine. I also grew up camping here with my family. Crescent Lake is a first come first serve spot so you must drive there and find an open spot. The campsite is much smaller with only a few dozen sites. This is a more secluded spot and cell phone service is spotty but works for the most part. Crescent Lake is further to get to as it is some what in the middle of no where!

Why I love Crescent Lake

I love Crescent Lake because of how secluded the campsites are but you still have plenty of amenities. There is a small store where you can buy supplies and rent kayaks! This was a huge bonus for me because I don’t have my own so I was able to enjoy time out actually on the lake! Not to mention the views are stunning because of the snowy mountain backdrop. If you have a huge group of friends this is the spot to come because you can fit multiple tents and play music and enjoy yourself without annoying your neighbors. There are a fair amount more bugs here though! The stars are bright and shiny here too! I spent a lot of time gazing up for shooting stars. Get a spot on the water side assuming there is one available!! I cannot stress this enough because you will get your own private beach!

What to do

My favorite activity here is bringing a pool floaty out on the lake right on your lakeside campsite. Bring rope or hang on to a rock because you will actually float away from your campsite slowly and surely! If you have dogs, this is another spot they will enjoy. I loved being able to bring a beer and enjoy the sunshine and lake right from my campsite. Lake activities are also a huge bonus here! If you have a boat, bring it because you can spend time out on the lake. Other activities are kayaking or stand up paddle boarding. There is nearby hiking with other smaller lakes. I hiked to Pretty and Lost Lake. Ironically enough I found Lost Lake and could not find Pretty Lake to save my life, I think it may have dried up over the summer. You can ask the general store for the best nearby hikes. Again, you have your general camping activities as well like biking, campfires, and cards.

When to go

The weather will be hot!! I suggest going in the summer and enjoying the nice hot weather and cooling off in the lake. Shoulder seasons won’t be as warm but can still be enjoyable. As a general rule of thumb in Oregon, July and August are the best months. Shoulder months are always iffy. I never quite trust the weather before July 4th.

Crater Lake

Okay so I haven’t been here since I was in middle school so I can’t give the best advice on what to do but I can tell you why to go. It’s like visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona, at some point you have to stop here and see what the hype is all about! Crater Lake does not disappoint! It is the deepest lake in the United States. The lake is large and a deep blue color. The lake is perfect for hiking and stunning views, not so much for swimming or any lake activities because of the water temperature. It is actually unsafe to swim in most parts of the lake and there is only one legal area to swim. Think of this as a scenic lake and not a water activity lake. Do a scenic drive, hike, or bike ride for stunning views. Enjoy all the wildlife and nature on your trip to Crater Lake. The lake was formed by a volcano and there are even some rock formations left over from the volcano that look rather spooky and cool! I am talking about the ‘Phantom Ship’ rock and ‘Wizard Island’. If you haven’t caught on by now, go in the summer months. Crater Lake is far from Portland and involves mountain passes that will make it impossible to go in the winter. Not to mention you most likely don’t want to camp in the snow anyways.

Enjoy exploring Oregon!