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The Oregon Coast is stunning. It doesn’t matter if you’re at a scenic overlook or camping along the coast, there are plenty of ways to appreciate the Pacific Wonderland. Although we didn’t drive the entire 364 mile stretch of Highway 101, we spent quite a bit of time between Astoria and Florence. One campground we enjoyed is Cape Lookout State Park in Tillamook County.
Cape Lookout State Park
Beach access at Cape Lookout State Park is a short walk from the campground. The best part is, dogs are allowed on the beach as long as they are on a leash. Another reason to love Oregon. Not camping at the park? Day use parking is $5 per vehicle with beach access from the lot.
The campground at Cape Lookout State Park has 38 full hookups sites and 170 tent sites. We shared a tent site with WhereIsChrisNow in Loop C, which has lush tall trees. The $21 per night fee for the tent site includes one vehicle. Additional vehicles have to pay a $7 per night fee. This campground is very strict about enforcing the “all vehicles must be parked on pavement” rule. Luckily, the site we shared had plenty of room to accommodate both camper vans.
Reservations and walk-ins are accepted at the campground. The first two nights of our stay were reserved in advance. We booked an extra night by checking with the rangers at the campground kiosk. The “campground full” sign was out every day during our stay in August, with a constant stream of campers trying to get a walk-in site. Tip: no reservation fee when booking a site at the kiosk.
Campground Amenities
Similar to other campgrounds, each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. The bathrooms are clean with flushing toilets and running water. The showers are individual stalls with a push button for hot water that run on a timer. There is no temperature knob. We did learn that non-campers can pay $2 per person to use the campground shower.
The dump station is by the entrance to the campground with potable water. According to the rangers, non-campers can use the dump station for free.
Our favorite “amenity” at this campground is the wild berries. Thanks to WhereIsChrisNow, we were able to identify the edible berries, which included blackberries, coastal blueberries and salal berries. These sweet berries made our walks around the campground all the more enjoyable.
There are also several miles of walkable trails at Cape Lookout State Park, dog friendly of course. On a clear day, you can watch the sunset from the beach. This was our first experience camping at an Oregon State Park and we were impressed. The campground is well kept, the facilities are clean, and how can we forget the dog friendly beaches and trails.
Notes:
$21/night tent site, $31/night full hookup site
Dump station with potable water (closed in winter)
Bathroom with flushing toilets and running water
Showers on a timer
Dog friendly
1X to 3G Verizon cell service. We were able to get LTE service using the weBoost cell signal booster. Read our Guide to Staying Connected on the Road.
Kait,
Good to see you spent some time on the Oregon Coast; probably the prettiest part of the state.
We were the older couple that met you briefly on Sunday when you were at Hood River. Joe wasn’t there at the moment; maybe we’ll meet him next time we run into each other.
Keep up the good work, we enjoy reading about your adventures!
Hi there!
Joe you have said that your solar setup allows you to be off grid for long periods. But, do you switch your refrigerator to propane or switch to propane at night?? I am so intrigued by how much power you’re producing but wondering if the batteries are enough for the night, too.
Love your channel….love your content. Janice
Hey Janice,
When we had the propane fridge we would just leave it on “Automatic.” Unless we were plugged into shore power or were running the generator, it would always run off propane. When it was really cold out, we would actually turn the fridge off and turn it back on when we woke up in the morning. But we never had any problems having enough juice to make it through the night if we were conservative during the day.
Joe,
After reading your reply I was a bit confused – then went back over to Hymer site and read the specs again….yeah…that fridge doesn’t have propane option. So with with your Solar setup and making sure you have battery your fridge can make it thru the night, or you turn it down or off. But for that fridge you guys have me pretty much sold on the 2.0. Fridge is small … very small.
But you guys seem to do ok with it. I’m watching your battery consumption closely.
Ah got it. On our last RV, we had a propane fridge so that’s what I thought you were asking about.
The solar set up is only a part of it, you also need a good battery bank. We got the lithium ions on ours and have enough capacity, along with our solar, that if we have decent sun, we can go indefinitely. If we had no sun we could still last a few days without having to run the engine to charge. We never turn this fridge off and don’t conserve electricity at all since we have so much battery and solar.
Welcome to the Northwest! Great job on the van tour, I learned a lot and appreciate it.
One thing I’m wondering about as an old newbie is some of the sources of fresh water for your tank when you are out on the road.
Keep up the great work, Dick
Thank you Dick!
We get water from where ever we can. Many times we will fill up at someone’s house or at a campground. Otherwise, we’ll find businesses that allow us to fill up. For example, if we get gas, we’ll ask the attendant if we can also get some water. Since we also drink the water from the tank we always put it through our water filter which you can learn more about here https://weretherussos.com/berkey-water-filter-review/