Coast State Park campgrounds...Which one?

We%26#39;re trying to decide which campgrounds to stay at on our upcoming trip. The only one that is fully reserved already is Cape Blanco. Which of these state parks do you like best (or that you would choose) and why? We are most interested in being near the beach, but also would like a nice place to camp. We will already be staying at Cape Lookout the first night. We will also be staying a night in the Coos Bay/North Bend area with relatives.

I know there are other campgrounds on the coast that I%26#39;ve left off the list. If you know of a great campground (forest service, BLM, etc. you prefer) I%26#39;d love to know about it.

Central coast: need 2-3 nights

Beverly Beach

South Beach (leaning toward it for 2 nights as we%26#39;re going to the Aquarium and Yaquina Head.

Beachside

Washburne (first come, first serve)

South Coast: need 2 nights

Bullards Beach

Humbug Mountain (first come, first serve)

Harris Beach

I%26#39;d love to know what your thoughts are on this!

Coast State Park campgrounds...Which one?

Beverly Beach: VERY crowded but very beautiful campground and a great beach. ~280 campsites crammed into under 80 acres, verses, say JM Honeyman, where there are nearly 100 mores sites spread over ~200 acres. It%26#39;s crowded for another reason though.......people LOVE it there!!!

South Beach: Big, flat and windy. If you%26#39;ve ever been to Nehalem Bay State Park, you%26#39;ve basically seen South Beach. It is a great location to visit the aquarium from and you can take the bike path directly there.

Beachside: The closest you will get to the beach, even from the east side of the campground. Problem being, many of the lower numbered campsites are VERY close to hwy 101 and frankly, quite dangerous if tenting (several accidents occur here each year). ALL of the non-reservable sites are next to the hwy. Pick site numbers 40+ if you choose this park.

Carl G. Washburne: A hiden gem. The campground is on the east side of hwy 101. You can take a path under the hwy from the north end of the campground to get to the beach (and a GREAT beach it is!!!), or you can trek across hwy 101 throught the day use area. This is a VERY quite campground with MANY recent upgrades including 50 amp electrical in ALL sites. Another plus is you are out of the coastal wind here.

Bullards Beach: The most popular south coast State Park. VERY nice campground, but it is located almost a mile form the beach. You can walk a path or drive the road to the beach access.

Humbug Mt: Similar to Carl Washburne in that it%26#39;s somewhat undiscovered. Very pretty and wind sheltered but also very close to hwy 101. The beach is pretty small, a lot like Fogerty Creek, but again, very nice and very pretty.

Harris Beach: NICE campground! There is a new ADA beach access and the beach is one of the most picturesque you%26#39;ll find. Some of the sites are a little close to hwy 101, so be aware of what you are getting. Some sites also have ocean views. The new Oregon Welcome Center is just a couple miles south at Crissy Field and is worth a stop.

Coast State Park campgrounds...Which one?

South Beach is back away from the ocean, and behind the low dunes, so IMO it is not very windy. It is a bit of a walk (up over those dunes) to get to the beach and ocean, but there is a paved footpath/bike path that leads out to the jetty and harbour entrance. It is a nice bike ride over to the aquarium, all flat except for a little section. You can also bicycle to the South Beach Marina, Marine Science Center, the pier, and oh yes, Rogue Ale Brewpub!

%26gt;%26gt;(several accidents occur here each year).%26lt;%26lt;

Hmmm, other than one when they repaved a few years ago, I don%26#39;t recall any . . . but then maybe my memory is rusty from living in all this salt air, lol.

Harris Beach is nice, although it%26#39;s a fairly steep hill down to the beach, but pretty little beach with interesting rock formations.

I assume you%26#39;re tenting, diekmanj?

You might try this place near Charleston as they have a few tent sites in the low dunes with an ocean view:

http://www.oceansidervpark.net/

Also in the same area is Bastendorff Beach County Park, which is quite pleasant:

co.coos.or.us/ccpark/bastendorff/index.html

We are leaving today, spending tonight in the redwoods and then planning to stay at Washburne or somewhere further north if we feel like continuing on on Tuesday. We are in a tent, I%26#39;ll let you know where we end up (sans reservation) and how it is. We prefer roomy campsites, one other experience in a SP in Oregon, was not spacious, can%26#39;t remember which campground though somewhere mid-state. Had a great stay Humbug Mountain...not crowded. Have always wanted to stay at Harris Beach, but think it was always full...or we were in a hurry to get home.

When the north winds blow, as we all know they do regularly along the coast, South Beach, Like Nehalem Bay, is a wind funnel, the sand dunes seeming to amplify the wind velocity!!!!! For this reason, and no other, I usually steer tent campers away from these two parks from April through August.

And yes, accidents near Beachside are regular occurances and I have the incident reports to prove it! Twice last summer (one vehicle and one cargo trailer) landed in an occupied campsite!!!! There has already been one incident this year where the fence had to be repaired, but the vehicle was able to continue on.

Thanks for the replies and the great descriptions and what you think of the campgrounds. cweg, we%26#39;ll probably pass you somewhere on the trip! We%26#39;re heading south down the coastline to the redwoods, then on to Santa Rosa, where I see you%26#39;re from. My grandparents and a lot of relatives live there.

On the campgrounds, I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll stay at Beachside for a couple reasons. We%26#39;ll have 2 vehicles, which won%26#39;t fit in most the sites, and most the sites available look like they%26#39;ll only take smaller sized tents. I do like the location though. I think Washburne is out, too, though I%26#39;d love to stay there. It%26#39;s a little farther south than we%26#39;d like for those 2 nights. I want to stop and visit the park, though. The Hobbit Trail sounds nice.

So I%26#39;m trying to decide between South Beach (location is great, doesn%26#39;t sound quite as nice overall though) or Beverly Beach (might be crowded and farther from the beach, sounds prettier).

How much noise (from the highway, campground noise, etc.) are each of them?

And how far of a walk is it from the C loop or so of Beverly Beach down to the beach?

And at South Beach, can you actually see the ocean from any of the campground?

With the currently overcast weather we%26#39;re having, which one do you think would be less chilly or damp?

Thanks!

You will get basically NO traffic noise from the campground at South Beach. You will also NOT be able to see the ocean. The sand dunes (20-30鈥?high) and the distance from the ocean prevent it.

You WILL hear some traffic noise at B. Beach unless you are in the back loops (E,F,G). C-loop is just east of the entrance road, so it鈥檚 not very far from the ocean (maybe 300 yds), but not near as noisy as A and B loops are. Beverly is also WAY more aesthetically pleasing than S Beach, with larger trees and more vegetation (privacy) than at S Beach.

Hmmm, the accidents near Beachside SP did not make the local newspaper, apparently.

Wonder if this is too late...Washburn was windy on the 23 of June when we were there. It%26#39;s in a beautiful area. No problem without reservations on a Tuesday in June. It was a little cramped and noisy all night. I had forgotten how beautiful Prarie Creek Redwoods are if you need a place on the way to the bay area. I did reserve that site a few weeks ahead, none were available.