Best Tent Camping near Depoe Bay, OR

We camped here again in July. Drive 6 miles up a paved road then 1/2 mile on a dirt road. Spent 5 days in spots RV1 and RV2. They were doing some log pickup close to our spot so during the day it was sort of noisy but after 3PM things got really quiet and peaceful. Trees were very plentiful and keep us cool during the 90* days. We went up the hill to tent site#13 where there was water, but you had to pump your own. The water was very clean and tasty. They had 2 buildings that had pit toilets and 1 port-potty by the day use area by us. We walked a trail beside the day use area that went for about 1.5 miles by on of the creeks. There were many other roads that went to other trails that were longer. All was very quiet except for the cars, trucks and Jeeps that sped down the road by our camp going to the trail to the right from 7PM until 1AM. I have no idea why they were here at all because they we not camping here and drove very fast for a gravel road. Be advised even though there are 15 camp sites only(2) RV-1 and RV-2 are actually designated for motorhomes and travel trailers under 32 feet in length. Most all other sites are up a steep road but can accommodate very small RV's but mostly tent camping area. Little to no cell service right at the base of the campground. Just a 1/2 mile back to the asphalt road there is 1 bar at the very least. This campground is 6 miles up a small paved road from Grand Ronde then a half mile on a gravel road in a heavily wooded area to the first RV camp site#1 and#2.

This was my first visit to Cape Lookout, or camping on the Oregon coast, for that matter. The RV sites are separated from the tent sites, which is nice. Most of the tent sites are fairly open, some of them have more privacy, but all of them are very green and incredibly close to the beach while still being somewhat protected from the wind coming off of the ocean.

Bathrooms were relatively clean, though you always have someone emptying all of their camp trash in the bathroom trash can (pizza boxes? Really?) so it's hard to keep up. Staff were knowledgeable and helpful. 

A truly beautiful place.

The second Friday of September this was the only campground along the Oregon coast that had an open spot. The only space available was the handicap site, which is only open to non-handicapped campers after 7pm. As a tent camper this was not an ideal spot. The majority of the sites are designed for RVs and have hook ups. There were plenty of tent campers using these sites, especially the smaller ones further back. There are also hiker-biker sites located sort of in the middle of an RV loop. There are also tent sites that are removed from the tent parking area. When I drove through the tent site parking I couldn't see any of the tent sites.

The campground has flushing toilets and hot showers. If you are camping showers are free and unlimited. The showers are also made available to non-campers for $2. The campground is connected to hiking trails in the area of varying difficulty including a 1/2 mile trail to the beach. The state park is on both sides of the road but the campground is on side away from the beach. The Oregon coast in this area is incredible and the geography changes drastically as you drive between Newport and Florence. Both towns are worth a visit.

We happened to be on the Oregon Coast on a Friday night during nice spring weather. The website said there were still a few sites left so we drove there to secure one. It is best to reserve a site but we never do so you can still get a site the day of if you don’t have a reserved site and there are unclaimed sites.

Our site was 65, a tent site, in the full sun near the bathrooms. There are bushes that obscure your next door neighbors but you can see the ones across the road. We could hear the roar of the ocean but it lulled us to sleep. There are trails to the sandy beach.

We paid $21 for a tent site during the off season.