Looking for an adventure where you can explore Gearhart and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Gearhart, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Oregon tent camping excursion.
$10 - $15 / night
Unless otherwise posted, you can stay 10 days in a 30-day period at any of DNR's campsites. During your stay, please practice leave no trace principles and pack out what you pack in. Dispersed camping, camping outside of our designated campgrounds, is allowed in some of our forests. Dispersed camping is not allowed at day-use sites. Toilets, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water, and fire pits are not available in the backcountry. Please follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out everything you pack in. Dispersed fires are prohibited.
Dispersed camping is allowed in Oregon State Forests year round. There are no fee or permit requirements. Campers are required to adhere to ODF regulations regarding placement of campsites, campfires, sanitation, and stay limits. Campfires and charcoal barbeques are not allowed in dispersed campsites during the Regulated Use portion of fire season. There are no maps for dispersed campsites.
Keenig Creek Campground is located just off the Wilson River Highway, 18 miles east of Tillamook, Oregon. It is a rustic site, located above the Wilson River, adjacent to Keenig Creek. The campground has 12 walk-in tent sites, two day-use picnicking sites and a trailhead to access the Wilson River Trail, along with fishing and swimming. Each campsite offers a tent pad, picnic table and a fire grate.
$15 / night
All walk-in tent sites. Elk Creek campground is popular with families and is easily reached from Highway 6. Tillamook State Forest campgrounds offer moderately-sized, rustic sites shaded by Douglas-fir forest. Individual campsites are well-screened and include a parking area, a fire grate with cooking grill, and a tent pad. While there are no RV hook-ups, many sites are suitable for travel trailers or small RVs. Some campgrounds have walk-in tent sites a bit farther from the road.
Currently closed for the pandemic - 10/13/2020
$33 - $55 / night
$15 - $20 / night
$15 / night
Scout
This is a good place and being right by the water was fun.
Traveler
Unless you manage to get one of the nice spots, you’re essentially paying a premium to park on grass with no privacy. It’s a beautiful area: but pick your site wisely.
Scout
Nice little spot. Free hot showers. $20 for a tent site. Some of the tent sites to choose from were really small or not level but we got lucky with what we thought was the best site (B-10)
Guide
There is so much to do here and every time I've been to Ft. Stevens, we just scratch the surface. We were down here in August as the last stop on our family vacation and we discovered a whole section of the park we didn't know was there! This time, it was just me and my kiddo. We came down for a rally put on by a PNW based group of the brand trailer I own. The majority of the group was in loops O and N, though there were some of us (myself included) in other parts of the campground. I ended up in loop M, which has full hook-ups so that was nice. This was my first rally and it was my first big solo trip with just me and my kiddo. The sites in loop M do seem sort of close together depending on where you are in the loop. There are also a lot of trees, which could contribute to that feeling. My back-in site, M04, was partially secluded with a row of shrubs between M04 and M05 and some shrubs and trees behind me. I could see the road and the yurt village from my back window. There is also a paved trail that goes along side the road. If you go down into loop O, there is little trail that takes you over to the south parking area of Coffenbury Lake where you can pick up the 2 mile dirt trail around the lake. FYI...no matter how fancy your fancy all terrain running stroller might be, it won't work on this trail. Never fear though, there are plenty of paved bike trails that will get you throughout the park! The only reason I am giving 4 starts instead of 5 is because I have a toddler that likes playgrounds. The only playground is in the north campground. It wasn't a long walk, but there were no paved trails which put us in the bike lane of the main road going into and out of the campground. When it is busy, there are a lot of big vehicles going in and out. It would have been nice to have a playground in the south campground or have a continuation of the paved path next to the road. Verizon phone service is meh. I had no issues calling or texting my husband, anything else was spotty as I had one or two bars. While I don't go camping to scroll about on the internet, I do have a toddler that has a much earlier bedtime than me so it's nice to be able to catch up on social media or put in some earbuds and watch a movie on my phone or watch youtube. Couldn't do any of that.
Scout
Definitely missing Angie but we have so many fond memories she still brings joy to our lives. we were without a dog for several years and we were afforded the opportunity to adopt a standard poodle last year and he has been the joy of our lives, so keep in mind you can bring another wonderful friend into your life, @block blast
Traveler
I just came across this spot off a fire road going up the mountain from cook creek campgrounds
Scout
It was the only one campground open in town, so no choice. The campground is beautiful, but amenities are bad. Showers are all broken, and dirty. There is only one faucet working at the dish sink. But people are nice, and helpful.
Guide
Diamond Milld rd is a tight logging rd with a kinda steep danger zone cliff on this edge. If you get to spot (the coordinates on dyrt arent exact but close) you will see basically the only part of the rd with a pull aside areai prob for two vans or cars. Its a nice view but kinda creepy if alone IMO. The dispersed camping for this St Forest applies to tenters mainly being 1 mile away from a paid campground. But for just car and van camp youd have to chance it at day area or drive way in to the forest down a rd.
Scout
We were treated in a discriminatory manner by the upper management. We felt extremely let down by how they behaved, since the main office worker, Jackie, had been very nice & professional.
Miranda, on the other hand,.. I do not recommend doing business with her. She looked down her nose at our RV, even though it is in great shape, only requiring a couple of easy updates that we had already explained how we were planning on dates to accomplish said updates.
Especially since, as you peruse the park, you see Multiple campers in violation of posted park rules, and much older & crummier looking RVs than we own, in much worse disrepair. Also, when Miranda called to deny us the spot, she began our phone call in a deceitful way, in fact lining me up to level the blow of rejection. Miranda is not kind at all, and treated my husband & I unfairly. We do Not recommend staying here.
Scout
The "cabins" are essentially shed conversions on a flatbed and wheels that rock and sway. Not ada accessible. They have electricity but no insulation and the water reeks of sulfur. The loft style beds seem like they are for children.
The host Joann is money hungry and inflexible. Be sure to get travel insurance and read all rules and reviews on other platforms prior to stay to be well informed of issues and not be blindsided by uncharges here. She will enter your space as she sees fit. There are no boundaries for her but tons for guests with rule signage plastered everywhere on the grounds.
Campground is covered in rabbit feces, so parents with small children beware. I would never stay here again. For the headache of dealing with the host alone it made the entire experience one of an utterly uncomfortable inconvenience.
This place looks nice from an outside view but staying here is an entirely different story.
Also the fact that a Joanna left a 5 star reviews here when all other platforms have complaints is a bit questionable.
Traveler
We went there to have close access to Ocean Beach to go landsailing with some other friends. Parked our travel trailer and went all over the place in our Ranger. Pity the Restaurant that was active was closed looking for a new owner, but Warrenton and other places aren't far if you want to eat out. Nice sites, borders the training ranges, and nice showers and such when needed. Great places to see, beach is nearby, you have private access by foot to a few areas, (if not precluded by training,) and we will stay here again. The Landsailing, we have a little Blokart, turned out to be awesome and plan to meet up with folks there again. I'm totally comfortable to know I will be camping with other vets and families, that allow you space but are also a hoot to meet, if you're in the mood. The gravel power site was plenty for us. Enjoy what your service earned.
GuideI hadn't been here for years. I forgot how massive this place is...and how nice it is! We got a last minute reservation and ended up with a great site. It's a HUGE set of campgrounds, but it never felt crowded. And you can drive out on the beach and get away too. We sat for a few hours and had maybe 1 car per hour drive by. We were on loop H, which was good and bad. The bathrooms were horrible and needed torn down, but the next loop over was close and had great bathrooms and showers. Also, H didn't have a playground, so it was a little quieter with the kids. Or maybe it was just because we were camping after Labor Day and there were fewer kids in general.
Scout
I pulled up and it looked abandoned and unsafe—something from a horror movie. The bathroom literally had trash dumped out in front and the some of the campsites were unkept. It's trek to get back there for such disappointment. Left as soon as I could, ended up sleeping at a rest area.
Traveler
This small campground is very far off the 101 so if you are looking for a coastal vibe this is not it. Deeply wooded, green, and beautiful. One side of the campground sits alongside Nehalem river access, on hot days this is a popular hangout so expect to see a lot of people. Vault toilets after a busy summer season were ammonia rich and hard to handle. Trash receptacles and potable water available. (Old school pump) I’ve heard that it stays wet enough back there that this campsite never really has a fire ban, but always check with the camp host, they also sell fire wood. First come first serve campsites Using reserve America online. Do Not confuse this campsite with Nehalem Bay State park when reserving.
TravelerTillamook Forest has so many amazing dispersed camping opportunities! We turned onto Ben Smith road and then took logging trails up the peaks. We found a perfect spot that looked like we were on the edge of a cliff but was actually still very safe for our toddler. No cell service, so we just unplugged for 3 nights and enjoyed the time together. We could see the northern lights the first night we were there, and it was absolutely incredible. We had a lot of privacy. One hunter walked by, I assume he was using the nearby trail. We heard some ATVs over the days, but it wasn't disruptive. Totally recommend it, and we'll definitely be back.
Guide
I believed I had my lighting situation under control, not bright and off at an appropriate time, but when I woke up the next morning, my neighbor said I had offended the stars with my toxic and harsh LEDs. Can’t win em all 🤷♂️
Scout
The campground itself was kept very clean and each site has basically zero trace left at it. There’s a creek and a few fun trails to explore as well
ScoutLocation is incredible, great nature. Place for your dreams! I do like this place so much and playing there in papa games!
Traveler
This spot was great for a night! Super quiet. There was some trash around the site and the road, so I picked up as much as I could. The view was misted over but beautiful anyway- however, in my little Nissan Versa, I struggled on the roads up and down. I eventually kept it around 5-10mph to avoid damaging my car, but I got there just fine and had no issues at the campsite. I've got T-Mobile and had full bars.
Guide
This was our last stop on vacation. We couldn't get into Fort Stevens SP right across the street because it was full so we thought we'd give the KOA a try. We normally avoid KOAs, but this one was NICE! We had a premium gravel back-in site. The premium means full hook-ups, fire pit with some bench seating, picnic table, and a propane grill. Our row happened to back up to some trees and tent sites that were in a kind of gully below us. The first night, we had neighbors on either side of us, the second night nobody showed up. We were thankful for that as these sites are pretty close together. This is by far, the largest campground I've ever stayed at. There was a whole fun zone that had mini golf and a bouncy mat thing, outdoor pool and other things that we didn't even see because it was in another part of the campground. Our main purpose on this vacation was to visit Fort Stevens State Park and go into Astoria for lunch. I did manage to get in a quick swim in the indoor pool (you read that right--there are 2 pools). For such an active campground, I was pleasantly surprised at how everyone settled down by the start of quiet hours at 10pm, at least in our part of the campground. I wish we could have stayed longer to take advantage of some of the amenities, but it just wasn't in the cards this time.
Edit to add...we never managed to connect to the wifi.
Ranger
Amazing! Outstanding! Beautiful Hillside former equestrian farm where you can buy organic cage-free eggs laid the day before along with milk taken straight from the cow that morning! If you enjoy watching sheep eat and playing with a goat and watching Ducks wander around and lots of stuff to look at and hiking and learning about farming and animal husbandry, this place is for you!
Traveler
This is not Curlew Lake in Eastern Wa. This is Ilwaco near the Columbia River in the SW corner of Wa. We came to this campground by the lovely pictures of a large lake, nice camping sites etc. The Pro's: easy check-in Walking distance to the town and Marina. Close to Cape Disappointment State Park There is a laundromat. Cons: this is a fisherman's park. The sites are close together. No picnic tables at our sites. $59 is too expensive. Bad advise from the previous reviewer!!!
Scout
Overall, an average place to stay and get your surroundings. Nice, quiet people that offer everything you need.
TravelerLarge 36 acre peaceful Rv Park on the Clatskanie River. 2 miles on SWEDETOWN road. lots of bunnies and a cute petting zoo very relaxing.
Guide
We loved our stay here; it's great for families. The bathroom and showers were clean, and we appreciated the large sink for dishwashing. Wright's is quite close to town, so we were easily able to walk to the beach and main part of town. Site 10 is decently sized, and fit our 20' campervan + bike rack easily.
Scout
I was amazed by how beautiful the site was that I had to stay an extra night. The staff at the reservation office was super kind and accommodating to my request, helped me find a site that was available for the full length of my stay, and gave me some options to look at before deciding on a site. I chose a site in the V section and was left speechless; it was stunning! I'm not much of a camper, but this had to have been one of the most beautiful sites I've stayed at in my life. 50m walk to the beach, lots of trees for privacy, and a big lot for the campsite. Showers were $0.25/min, and were a min of $0.50 to start, they were relatively clean and private.
I also surfed at Barview Jetty Beach, where there were some great waves for beginners! Although I'm not sure if you're allowed to surf there since I was the only I saw surfing, but I didn't see any signs saying you couldn't.
ScoutQuiet and convenient. Reasonably priced, for the situation
Camping near Gearhart, Oregon, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a family-friendly adventure, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Gearhart, Oregon, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the beautiful surroundings!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gearhart, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gearhart, OR is Cook Creek with a 3.9-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Gearhart, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 27 tent camping locations near Gearhart, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
