Best Glamping near Newport, OR

We headed to the Pacific City in search of fresh air in mid September when much of Oregon was consumed by wildfire smoke. The friendly staff at Cape Kiwanda RV Resort were very welcoming and we opted to stay in one of their cute cabins as rain was forecasted. Cabin N was comfortable and had electric heat, a TV, dorm fridge, microwave, porch swing, outdoor water, BBQ grill, picnic table and outdoor firepit.  The campground had cute wild bunnies hoping around, and amenities such as a playground, full market, and pool.  It's located a quick walk from a beautiful sandy beach, brew pub, coffee shop and other convenient options are nearby.

The South Beach State Park Campground is at the mouth of the Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. The first thing you'll notice is the wind on the way in. Generally, north to south in the summers, the wind is strong, always strong, like 30 mph or more pretty much all the times according to the locals. It felt like it was raining, but it was just water being blown off the ocean. However, once you're in the campground you don't notice it at all since it is well protected by surrounding dunes and tree line.

There is a Tim Burton-esque trail system surrounding the camp leading out in all directions to the beach and bay. Some trails are blacktopped, some sand, and some horse accessible. Google maps struggled to get me to the correct entrance so pay a little more attention when arriving.

My visit was during Oregon Parks day so camping was free. The Hiker/Biker area is just inside the camp entrance across from the hospitality yurt where you can get hot tea, coffee, ice cream, wood bundles, stickers and Oregon Parks merchandise. The camping (all of it) area itself is pretty open with minimal privacy or separation from your neighbors, but everything is very clean and organized. 

The campground was packed, and the RV/Tent area was essentially a parking lot. It seemed like a lot of families to come to the same place, the same weekend every year. However, it was a well regulated, and well behaved campground. The nice thing about this campground is the location. There are hiking trails, beach access, and it is close to all the amenities of Newport. Once you left the camp on a trail you could wander the trees without seeing anyone for awhile if you needed to get away.

Hiker/biker area had faux fencing built up to separate sites and wood platforms to get tents off the ground which I haven't seen in any other hiker/biker camps. The fences were a bit weird but made it easy to lock up a bike, hang some laundry and would a good stop if I were traveling with a hammock.

Amenities include:

• Camp Store
• Storage box with usb charging station
• Raised wood platforms for tents
• Flush toilets
• Hot free showers
• Access to beach & trails
• Walking distance to Rogue Brewery, Yaquina Bay State Park, South Beach State Park, 
• Bike Stand and tools
• Fire pit and picnic tables

Pro-Tip: In Newport, just across Yaquina Bay, is the Newport Bike Shop. It is one of the few bike repair shops along the coastal Oregon Route. If you get a $35 bike tune up you can take a break in their upstairs lounge with tv, wifi, fridge with beverages, and washer/dryer.

-Close to lots of hiking in the area -Working with camp hosts was easy. Money drop box or can use card with host (just call ahead) -Tent spots have room for car next to your area. Extra cars are an extra fee. Sites have a fire pit with grate and a picnic table. -Trash / recycling on site. -Close to town-campground sells firewood -It is what you would expect from a county park camping ground in terms of layout. You will feel safe here, shower/bathroom amenities, and kind hosts. Short walk to the bay and about mile down road / or walk along the bay to the open ocean !

Your perfect home-away-from-home to explore all that the central Oregon coast has to offer. Miles of beaches are within walking distance or a short drive. The Oregon Coast Aquarium (fee charged), Hatfield Marine Science Center (free), Rogue Brewing and Distillery, restaurants, shops, and a marina are only a mile or so down the road, all accessible via bicycle path from the campground. Newport has several neighborhoods to explore. Reservations are necessary during the summer. Open year-round. Sites for rv's, trailers, tents, yurters, and large groups Dump station on site. Restrooms with showers. Multiple campground hosts.

I camped here twice this year. Once in June in the Hiker/Biker area, and again in July in a regular site. The experiences couldn't have been more different.

Hiker/Biker is fairly segregated from the rest of camp. The access point is actually before the entry to the main campground itself. My first visit left me surprised at the beauty of the camp. It feels like it is in the wilderness despite being less than a few miles from Florence's cool Old Towne.

The trees here are big, and the ground cover lush with ferns. The trails are canopied by Rhododendrons. Nature paths lead off to Cleawox and Woahink lakes. Sand dunes abut the west side of camp. They seem endless, and otherworldly. At Cleawox Lake day use area there are paddleboats, boards and water toys for rent by the day or hour. Sand boards are available from a temporary space set up in the day use parking area. 

On my first visit the entry Ranger station was closed but the Welcome Yurt was open. Maps, advice, firewood, a lending library was available. 

Honeyman Camp is huge. When I was there in early June it made for a lovely exploration, and seemingly great spaces between campers. In late July the vibe had completely changed. Each of the several hundred spaces was occupied by a seemingly large family with 5 kids to every adult, or 25 belligerently drunk RV campers who felt the need to blast Fleetwood Mac. 

That second visit, in the main campground, made it very clear that your experience here will depend on the quality of people choosing to stay in the same park. All the amenities were the same, but despite it's size, a campsite with stereo speakers set to full boar are hard to ignore even when you're on the other side of camp. Now multiply that by several campsites per loop.

One thing of note: Each campsite is issued a set of rules, including "Quiet Hours". Unlike some other sites in which hosts ignored those rules in an attempt to avoid confrontation the hosts here were on top of it. For as obnoxious as the camp was at 9:45pm, by 10:15 it was silent, and we were able to enjoy the remains of a campfire and view of the stars in the slight clearing between trees.

Amenities include: 

• Flush Toilets

• Hot Showers (free and some without having to keep pushing a button!)

• Picnic tables & Fire pits

• Welcome yurt

• Kids playground

• Access to lakes and dunes (Bear sitings on the path to Woahink Lake in July)

• Nature Trail

*Pro-Tip: Stop in Old Towne Florence and buy some fresh fish or get a coffee at the local roaster.

—————INTERNET—————

Verizon via iPhone 12: 8.41 mbps down and 0.45 mbps up with 40 ms ping. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100: 19.1 mbps down and 3.10 mbps up with 110 ms ping.

——REASONS I STAYED HERE——

To be near Newport.

—————BASIC FAQ—————

[Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - Yes

Water fill or hookup? - Both

Electricity? - Yes

Clean site? - Yes

Clean bathroom? - Yes

Flush toilet? - Yes

Showers? - Yes

Laundry? - No

Dish washing sink? - No, but it has dishwater drains throughout the campground

—————PROS—————

→ Close to Newport

→ Great cell signal

→ Level sites

→ Beach access

→ Can buy firewood on-site. They did run out one day because there’s a bajillion campsites.

—————CONS—————

→ The campground has so many sites that there can be traffic congestion at check-in time. Come earlier rather than later.

—————OVERALL—————

5-stars - It’s a safe, inviting, well manicured campground. One might dock a star off because of the campground congestion and their noise but the plethora of amenities compared to surrounding campgrounds boosts it back up to 5 stars.