What was the old pioneer saying - Oregon or bust? Well, be assured that camping today in Oregon State Parks is not a bust. Oregon offers some of the best parks in North America. Do you have a horse and want to camp, or an airplane and want to camp, or do you just want to camp, but have no equipment (not even a tent)? The Oregon State Park System provides accommodations for all the above and more.
The natural beauty and diversity of its land and ecosystems make Oregon a camper's paradise. Couple this wonderland with a well-run State Park Department and you have an unbeatable combination. We have camped in a few of their 200+ state parks and enjoyed our stay every time. I must confess that
Harris Beach State Park is one of our favorites. Located about two miles north of Brookings, Harris has 68 tent sites, 34 full hookups, and 52 sites with electric and water (some sites even have cable TV). Its long and sandy beach with offshore monoliths will knock your socks off! This park - like all the Oregon parks we've visited - is clean, well maintained and staffed by friendly and professional people. It is open year round. Be careful driving up Hwy 101, as I almost hit a deer the morning we left. My wife Pam yelled "deer, deer, deer, deer, deer," and I thought for a moment she was just being romantic!
If you own a horse, Oregon has five state parks with horse camps. Nehalem Bay State Park, located on the northern coast, is one. We spent two great nights there this June. Not having a horse, we ran up and down the grassy sand dunes and very flat and wide beaches with our fat beagles. If you prefer an airplane to a horse, the park has a nice airstrip for "plane campers." Here again, the campsites are big, grassy and well separated by trees. With the Pacific on the west side and Nehalem Bay (with boat ramps and day-use area) on the eastern park parameter, fishing is the name of the game. Just four miles north of Nehalem Bay on Hwy 101 is Oswald West State Park. It is a walk-in campground with 36 primitive campsites. The park even provides campers with wheelbarrows to carry in gear. The Nehalem Bay area includes wineries, and neat little seaside towns, such as Manzanita, among its attractions.
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