Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Astoria, OR

Stayed one night in this campground right off the road on my way back to Portland from Astoria. Apparently there is a transient camp up the road a bit and there are lots of cars coming through the site at all hours of the night. At 3am heard a loud fight or party, couldn't tell which. Felt vulnerable here as a solo woman. 

Also there is a sign that says no RVs, campers or trailers. I was a bit nervous that I would be asked to leave in my van, but never saw a ranger or anyone official. The other folks who were camping here seemed great, it was just the constant traffic, people getting out and walking around my van at night and the yelling at 3am that made me uncomfortable.

I've camped here a few times each year but I visit the park frequently for day-use throughout the summer. I typically camp here a few days in October or November during the off-season. The rates are a little less expensive then $25/night for a partial hook-up site (water & electric). The peak season rate is $30/night. They have 27 of partial hook-up sites; 15 full-hookup sites $40 peak and $35 off-season; 27 tent sites, $20/night and 5 yurts, $40/night. Extra vehicles are $5/night and extra tents are $10/night.

During the summer reservations are highly recommended because this is a favorite place for many people in the area.  Reservations may be made up to fourteen months in advance.  And they've recently required online reservations but you an make them from the office if necessary. Also the park now has reliable internet.

Check in: 2:00 p.m.  Check out: 12 noon

Yurts*: 3:00 p.m.  Yurts* 11 a.m. * yurt check in and check out times adjusted to allow staff extra cleaning time 6 persons and one vehicle allowed per site

The park is right on the Columbia River not too far from Astoria Oregon which is a gateway for international shipping. On any given day up to 10 ships can be found at anchor in the Columbia River along the Astoria waterfront waiting for berths to open upriver. Skamokawa is upriver and those ships pass right by Vista Park. You'll get some great photographs and the kids will love seeing huge ocean liners and even cruise ships passing by during your visit.

Skamokawa is a friendly quaint little town. If you visit in August be sure to check out the Wakhaikum County Fair. You can walk to the fairgrounds from the park (the town in so small you can walk to anywhere in town from the park.)  Be sure to visit the Friends of Skamokawa/River Life Interpretive Center when you're there.

I'm going to say we had a great time here for our 10-day stay... partially because of the space we got... read on...

Let's just say... on your way in there may be quite the squabble when parking. The spaces are very tight at 90 degree angles to the road. This requires backing skill level 10! The north side and middle give little room for it, and the south side has an area that at least gives some wiggle room. Check there first if you're not sure of your skill. While doing this everyone seemed very friendly and accommodating. They had to do it too.

The next thing to look for... EVEN NUMBERED SPOTS! The odd numbered spots all have the sewer on the wrong side requiring a very long sewer hose extension that the hardware store nearby does have. Denis's Ace Hardware! I will say though... good luck finding an even numbered space. This place is busy, they're probably all already taken. It does seem like laziness of the park owners to not do some simple trenching and piping to fix this issue. Either way, get here at check in. The later you come the more likely you'll get the last space available.

We got lucky and parked at the end by the dog park in an odd spot. The gentleman behind us was in an even spot and had us pull into it when he left the following morning. We barely had to do any backing at all as we just drove through our old spot into his. My opinion on spots... that even numbered one across from the dog park (space 90) is the best and has a good amount of private room due to the tree there.

Now that setup is complete... the rest of the review...

The park is a little cramped but in a fantastic location! Just a quick 5 minute walk to the beach. The sunsets are beautiful! The staff were all super friendly as were every single person we met at this park. We met quite a few full timers with great information! I can't describe the facilities much as we didn't use them. Everything looked well kept though. The little dog park was a great place for our Husky and Corgi to be off leash for a bit. Plenty of state parks around and Long Beach and Astoria are cute nearby towns.