Best Cabin Camping near Oceanside, 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.

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.

The campground is split up into two sides. The north side and the south side. The north side has the getaway cabins, and cottages. It also has the pool/hot tub, cafe, group fire pit, kids play ground, and overflow parking. Pickleball/tennis courts. The north side is also the only side that has 50A power. The south side is all 30A. The tent sites are also on the north side. It gives access to all the amenities here. They took out the propane site, cause they didn’t have anyone to take care of it. We come down here to get away from the heat, inland, area. It’s usually 20-30 degrees cooler, than inland. So when the heat hits the valley, everyone runs to the coastline. So it can get crowded. You have to be careful with your kids. People don’t drive the speed limit. It’s 5mph. They drive like they are in the raceway. The Clatsop county beaches, have the best razor clam digging, in Oregon. On every minus tide, in the winter and spring, you have some of the best razor clams, this far south of Alaska. Usually from he first of October, to July 15th, all minus tides will expose the clam beds enough to walk out and get a delicious meal. Plus the Columbia River estuary is just 10 miles away. Which is the place of the world class Buoy #10 Salmon fishery, every August - October. Both Large Chinook Salmon, and the feisty smaller, Coho (silver) salmon. You also have fresh crabbing available in town, and behind the old high school, or drop a few pots while out salmon fishing, for a great fresh seafood meal.

When we Stayed: Early December, Wednesday-Friday

Overall Experience: secluded cabins made for a private, relaxing trip.

Cabins: there is a group of cabins away from the main campground so they're quiet and private. We had a shower, toilet and kitchenette. The parking lot is a bit of a walk from the cabins but they provide wheelbarrows to haul your stuff up to the cabin.

Location: a quick walk down to the beach and easy hiking trails in the woods. The cabins were up on a bluff in the woods so you could just barely see the ocean through the trees.

I am not normally super spontaneous but on Friday afternoon I looked at the weather in Cannon Beach and decided yep, we’re going camping. I have both of my kids this weekend so it was a great opportunity for a family trip. As much as I wanted to throw my hammock and a couple tents in the jeep and head out on an adventure, I needed to accommodate the vast requirements of 2 teenagers. One who does not particularly like camping, especially if it’s in a tent so I wanted to find a cabin. With such a late booking I knew not to get my hopes up.

I headed over to The Dyrt and started my search. Looking up "Cannon Beach" with the cabin filter on I was able to see a few campgrounds there, I saved them to my list and started making calls to find an opening. I lucked into“Sea Ranch” and although I must have driven by this location dozens of times, It is kind of in a hidden spot right when you get into Cannon Beach’s north end. The manager who answered the phone was straight to the point but friendly. I booked 2 nights. She let me know check-in was at 7pm but if we were running late to just call and we’d be fine. She also went over a covid symptoms check and let me know the park rules. I rushed to pack all of our stuff and get on the road to make it in time to check in!

After a mildly congested drive out to Cannon Beach, we pulled off the 101 into town. Sure enough, we were late. I called and it was no issue. The map only showed the address so we had a couple turnarounds to find the entrance. It’s tucked away behind a park and a bridge and easy to miss off the road. We pulled up to the building and got our key as well as a portable heater which was a surprise(with such a warm weekend we didn’t end up using it). The campground is fairly small and the sites follow suit setting close together and not overly private. I am not sure this would be my first choice for tent camping. Although some of the sites towards the back of the campground are a bit more spacious and wooded and have nice trees for hammocks, if that’s your thing. I was relieved to see the cabin we were staying in was off the beaten path. Parking was a breeze and we parked right next to our weekend shelter.

The cabin was small, cozy, and clean. The kitchen area had plenty of cabinets to store stuff and decent counter space. A microwave and small refrigerator were also helpful. The small bathroom housed a mid size shower(with enough hot water for 1 shower) and full size toilet. The beds were pretty comfortable and the futon was in good enough shape. A large patio and fire pit outside gave us plenty of room outside. Lot’s of trees around gave nice shade and lot’s of small animals were around, chipmunks, bunny rabbits and various birds.

The campground also looks like it has some nice features that weren’t available due to COVID. A large general store, a horse ranch, ice and firewood. Still open was a building that housed bathrooms and showers, RV features including a sanitary dump and water. It also looked like there was a big sink area to clean dishes and whatnot. A large dumpster was also near this building for dumping trash. All in all this is a gem located a couple blocks from the beach and downtown Cannon Beach.

I would 100% stay here again and have added it to my saved campsites list.