Best Glamping near Gales Creek, OR

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zsbtamvRM9I&feature=share

Video of our trip to Gales creek campground. Awesome little campground near PDX. Spaces are fairly small so no campers over 25ft I’m guessing.

Just off highway 6 (between Portland and Tillamook) is a series of lovely campgrounds in the Tillamook State Forest. Gales Creek is the first one you'll find on your way coming from Portland, and it's one of my favorites. The sites are surrounded by trees, and, if you're lucky, you can grab one next to the cute river than runs through the camp. Enough fun things to do like hikes or play with the water pump. The bathrooms are nothing fancy, and there's no showers, but the price is also right ($15). The main issue is that all sites are first-come/first-served, and there aren't too many sites, so hard to get something on a nice weekend or a holiday. But if you can snag a spot, you're in for a nice time.

The gist: Right off of I5 but far enough you can’t see it (sounds like a waterfall or a strong river)

Well-maintained sites

Clear signage

Wood for purchase

Walk-in sites are well spaced (we can’t hear our neighbors!)

No bugs! (June)

Summary: We reserved the last site of the walk-ups and are very happy with our choice. It’s the last site on a trail leading to a seasonal waterfall and riverbank where we are paddleboarding, floating, and swimming for the day. Weather and bugs turned out amazing and we feel so spoiled by this spacious, private campsite that feels far away but is only 1000 feet from the car (and society). If you do reserve a walk-up site make sure you bring some kind of cart! So glad our cooler was on wheels. As an occasional backpacker I would call this glamping since there’s tons of cell service and so many amenities.

[ PROS ]

• We came during offseason (November) and camped at this State Park for 3 nights. Man, it was so amazing. It was super quiet and empty so we felt like we had the entire park to ourselves.

• A family of deer visited us every single morning/night during our stay. We definitely didn't try to interact with them, but they were comfortable to roam right around our site which was a really magical experience

• Nehalem Bay is such a beautiful area and the State Park is nestled in lots of beautiful, lush greenery. There are lots of birds, plants, and other wildlife to observe. We loved hearing coyotes yapping in evenings from the campground.

• It's very peaceful and serene here. It's right by the beach and an easy walk to the coast. We also got to visit Manzanita for a little day trip and had lunch out there. Such a cute little coastal town worth checking out.

• Free hot showers and really nice restrooms. I'm starting to realize that Oregon State Parks are SOOO much superior to California State Parks. The amenities at all the Oregon campgrounds I've visited are wonderful. We definitely got spoiled by camping in Oregon that it will be hard going back home to California

• Very close to stores, restaurants, and gas stations if you need to pick up supplies.

[ CONS ]

• While it was a beautiful campground, the sites are rather small and close together. We obviously didn't experience this campground when it's crowded, but I can imagine how packed it would feel.

Wonderful stay! Gracious, welcoming hosts! Privacy! Turn key camping! Farm Animals! Clean! Proximity to Portland! This place is great!

The Details: This was our first glamping trip and we booked via Tentrr. Our site had a large canvas tent with all the comforts of home: queen bed, heater, water, seating, a desk, WiFi, and even a front porch with two Adirondack chairs. We also added a second tent (large dome tent) for our friends and their two kids to stay in.

There is an awesome, covered kitchen area with three burner propane stove, kitchen sink, prep station, picnic table, food storage bin, soap and hand sanitizer, and more. We brought our camping supplies for cooking, and didn’t need most of them.

The fire area was one of our favorite areas. Lots of seating, bev holders, firewood and tools (Hatcher, fire starter etc), and even a citronella plant. We didn’t see a single mosquito while we were there.

The Loo is amazing! SUPER clean and creative. It has a clean and non-smelly compostable toilet, hand washing area, and very creative/useful shower. The shower worked so well and was unexpected!

For kids: you’re basically camping next to a pet zoo! We had a farm tour by our wonderful hosts (Lisa and Bonnie). The kids got to feed alpacas, goats, ducks, and even Jack-Jack the donkey! This was the highlight for the kids! The kids also loved the playground on site too.

We got some great hiking in on the Lewis River too. About 15 minutes for our site are Moultain, Lucia, and Yacolt Creek Falls.

This was truly “turn key” camping. We appreciated the less time setting up and more time enjoying the outdoors that this place offers.

Definitely stay here! You’ll love it!

We've been here 3 times, once for tent camping and twice in a yurt. The yurts are heated, and a couple of them are pet friendly, which is great for us! There is a small table in each yurt. Theres a couch and a bunk bed for sleeping arrangements, with the lower bunk larger than the top bunk. Great walking trails and day use areas, and our favorite thing about this place is biking on the biking trails surrounding the area. Beautiful and close to civilization for a quick and low key camping trip. Great for beginner campers and families!

Mostly an RV park tucked into the Nehalem Bay peninsula, this does offer a couple dog friendly yurts and some very friendly camp hosts. A great place to tuck in on the Oregon Coast with good walks, and a short walk up to Manzanita for good bars and shops. We went in early Spring and had a lovely time. Check it out!

I camped twice at Cape Lookout this season - in June in a yurt, and in July at the campsite right behind the dune.  

In June, it was freezing, rainy and windy, and the yurt was fantastic. The most amazing feature of the yurt was the heater. It really kept the place warm, and the yurt was spacious. We were 3 adults, and could easily have slept another one or two. Each yurt has a small patio as well as a fire ring- and inside was electricity and a power outlet. Best of all, you were still just steps away from the sunset on the beach.

For camping, there are so many different kinds of sites at Cape Lookout - Sites closer to the entrance are very woodsy, the sites closest to the beach frontage (behind the dune) are very very open, and sites along the furthest perimeter are a little more spacious and some have trees (important to note if you want to hand a line or a hammock!)

We camped at the site right behind the dune where the beach access is. It was a little noisy since everyone passed our site on the way to the beach, but very lovely to be just steps away. Each of the tent sites has a fire ring and picnic table. In both June and July when I visited there was no fire ban.

Hiking is great in the area. You're also close to Pacific City, Jacobson's Salt, the tunnel at the Oceanside Beach, and Tillamook if you're staying here longer and want to take day trips outside of the State Park.

Recommend booking early for summer campsites. The yurt I booked in June was available for booking same day.

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.

We had a great time at a vintage trailer rally at Champoeg State Park. Super-close to Portland, with great facilities, a dock, good sized camp sites and even a cool museum. Definitely worth a trip. The small town of Aurora, Oregon, is across the freeway and worth a stop if you're into ice cream or antiques. Campground also includes cabins, yurts, and if you really want to save money--it's just $5 if you come by bike.

Good yurt I got to share with my dog

Really cool atmosphere just steps away from the beach. The sounds of the waves can be heard right from your site. Nice facilities. Yurt is highly recommended and sleeps 5. Really liked that each yurt had its own deck, picnic table, and fire pit. The shrubbery around the campgrounds was really cool and offered extra privacy. They also had equestrian sites as well as tent and electric RV. Cannot wait to go back my only regret was that we couldn't stay longer!

Nice state park. Close to freeway for easy access. Nice walking paths. Typical state park yurt set up.

we’ve lived in oregon forever but never visited this park. rv spots are nice and level but not much privacy between spaces. very nice setup with yurts right across the drive from rvs in loop a. nice for meeting family or friends with no vehicle.

there is a two mile bike/walking path through the woods and along the bay. the beach is only a five minute walk away.

i would imagine that this park is crowded all summer but right now in february it is very quiet.

We stayed in a yurt (my first time). It was great. It had heat and electricity! Campground was very clean!

Well maintained campground. Full restrooms and showers. Tent, RV and yurt options as well as horse camping. Short walk to the beach.Nice trails and beautiful scenery.

Especially if you’re a hiker/biker this campground is incredible. The areas are clearly labeled and yurts are available. The bathrooms are clean and there ida playground for families.

This place used to be a great place to rent. The host was super friendly and nice. We were regulars who rented yurts a couple of times a year with a group of people. Not sure what has changed, but it has gone downhill. We just rented 4 yurts amongst us and all four yurts got charged a$30 cleaning fee. I don't usually look over my credit card statements and luckily my friend looked at his and told me to check mine. I was also charged twice for a one-day extra car parking and also got an extra$72.48 charge for who knows what. My friends called to dispute the$30 charge which is nowhere on their website or the reservation receipt. We've stayed here for years without such a fee. The only one who got his fee reversed was the one who threatened to get a lawyer. The remainder 3 of us had to dispute the charges with our credit card company since Bay City RV Park would not reverse the charges. If you've reserved recently, go check your bill and get for cleaning fee charge reversed. We will never reverse from this place again and hope to prevent others from being overcharged.

Campground close to highway questionable people. We had planned a day trip to check out the yurts and only drove through because it was so bad. Skip this one and head to seaquest.

I LOVED this place! I was really impressed with the closeness to the beach and how secluded it was. Although that could be due to it being January. After being wind blown but having a blast on the beach it was great to walk back to our yurt and warm up. When we arrived there was already an air purifier and the heater running. It was super cozy in there. Both my husband and I slept like babies on the beds - don’t forget your own sleeping bags though of course.

I was impressed with the sweet smelling restrooms and hot (free) shower. Everyone was quiet and respectful and masks were required in the restrooms and facilities and such. One of the nicest yurts I’ve stayed at!