Best Tent Camping near Otter Rock, OR

We showed up here in early June with no reservations and had no problem getting a spot.

Oregon State Parks now charge a 25% surcharge for non-residents for RV / hookup sites.

Tent/non-hookup sites are only $22 (whether resident or no), and electric/water sites are  $35 for Oregon residents and $44 for non.  There are no sewer hookups here but there's a free dump and water fill at the entrance. There are water spigots throughout the campground.

The RV loops are more like your basic crammed in RV park sites, with all sites closely in a row.  The two tent loops, H and I, have a nicer feel, more spaced out, more trees, and quieter.  RVs are allowed to camp in tent sites, and no generators are allowed (yay!).  There is some tree cover but there are plenty of sites with enough open sky so you can use your solar panels easily.

Showers are really nice, and free.  They are set up in individual units, which I prefer.

The trails to the beach are nice, but were really swampy when we were here and the mosquitos were really aggressive (bit me through two layers of clothes!).

There's a cool disc golf course but we didn't get to play, mainly because of the mosquitos. 

Campground is close to the cute town of Newport.

Overall we liked it here.

ATT phone had good coverage.  Verizon was usable but weak, but the cell booster helped.

Ranger Review: Eclipse Sun Protection at Tillicum Beach Campground

Campground Review:

The Tillicum Beach Campground in Yachats, Oregon is a part of the Siuslaw National Forest. It has amazing spots overlooking the ocean and unbeatable beach access. Some of the spots closest to the ocean even have cool tree canopy covered picnic and tent areas with openings like windows (see photo). Rates are between $23-$30 per night. The campsites along the waterfront go quickly so, I recommend booking when spots are released (rolling 6mos).

None of the waterfront sites have hookups and only a handful of the inland sites have hookups. There are restrooms and water but no showers. Each site has a fire ring and most have picnic tables. The vast beach makes it perfect for walking/running, building sand castles, fishing, and whale watching.

Top reasons I love this campground:

1. Awesome tree covered nooks overlooking the ocean.
2. Easy access to the beach.
3. Great for whale watching.
4. Fishing.
5. Nice size campground - not too large.

…………….

Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Eclipse Equinox Hoodie Cover Up. I love the idea of having a portable and compact piece of UPF 50+ clothing that I can put in my backpack or purse instead of a having to lather up with sunscreen. The sides open for ventilation and the front pocket becomes a self-storage pouch. It’s lightweight, quick drying, soft, and the special fabric doesn’t have chemicals!!  There’s even a hidden pocket designed for your phone or keys. It features a finger loop so even the top of your hands stay protected.

The stowage carry pouch is great for traveling! It's small, lightweight, and portable. The carabiner makes it easily attach it to anything! Clip it to your backpack or put it in your purse.

My 6-year-old daughter liked wearing the kids sun poncho and I enjoyed knowing that she was protected from the sun without having to slather her body in sunscreen!

Pros:

• Unbeatable sun protection (blocks 98% of UVA and UVB rays wet or dry).
• Lightweight
• No chemicals
• Quick drying
• Soft
• Portable

Cons:

• I found both the adult and youth hoods a bit short. The kids sun poncho (for kids 4-7) was too short for my 6-year-old.
• Could be a bit more stylish.

Overall, I give the sun protective clothing 4 stars and think its a fabulous alternative to chemical filled sunscreen

In brief: quieter campground, good for families, small groups, dog owners and hikers.

If you love being lulled to sleep by the sound of waves, this is your spot. The Pacific ocean sang us to sleep each night. 

But enough poetics, this is one of the comfiest beach access campgrounds within an hour-ish of Portland. Large tent sites leave plenty of room for you to bring a buddy or to pop out extra lawn chairs. 

When we were there the only showers available were over in the RV area but they were clean, private and warm - car camping jackpot! We saw the park staff cleaning the restroom at regular intervals and there was always toilet paper. Fire rings have grill bars on top for hotdogs and that perfect baked potato.

There are always lots of dogs here and while the rangers try to get everyone to keep their pups on leash in camp, be prepared for a surprise sniff or two. Plenty of firewood for sale - and the ecological importance of not bringing your own is pretty big unless you live nearby.

In the summer months expect kids to be riding their bikes and scooting through the park loop Dawn to dusk but at least they are outside! 

We've been here in the winter months and it is much quieter, if a cloudy day is your thing then that's a good time for you to go as well.

We always scout out the whole grounds for future trips and take notes on our favorite spots, I'll include some of those below:

D circle

55 and 54 spacious private

42 full shade lots of trees full shade smaller Camp pad

32 Shady Tree filled has a climbing log. Room for multiple tents privacy longer driveway

27 much wider cement pad room for at least three tents 26 right next door both pretty open and connected

67 has hammock trees and room from multiple tents.

Backside of D loop will be great for summer heat

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.

Great spot to go if everything else is full which it was, first time we've ever headed to the coast with no reservations in an act of "spontaneity" or "adventure". I advise against doing that in the summer, lol.

Key Points:

• Bring Cash. Cash only.
• First come first serve.
• We got conflicting rate info from another source, it is $25 a night.
• Firewood is $5 a bundle but it is much more than you normally get for $5 at other campgrounds; it's a plastic tub that you just stuff with wood.
• Ice available $2/bag.
• Hot showers are 50 cents for three minutes. Shower area is kept clean and fresh smelling, restrooms are gender specific and each have two toilets and a shower stall.
• There was no check out time as long as we didn't stay another full night.
• Traffic noise is moderate, you are near the hospital so you may hear sirens which then trigger the coyotes to get in a yelling match with each other.
• Dog friendly, lots of dogs, on-leash only but lots of 'em.
• Mixture of sites with shade and full sun, not level but you're not sleeping on slope either.
• Close to town so getting extra marshmallows is easy.

For an RV oriented place, the campgrounds are pretty okay. There aren't site numbers or designators, it's just pretty much anywhere on the grass that has a picnic table. There were at least a dozen sites that we could see and we got the impression that you could really pitch a tent anywhere as long as you didn't try to move the fire rings or disturb the RV folks, we were literally instructed "just stay on the grass".

There is definitely a mixture of long-time residents and short term weekend warriors in the RVs themselves which I always find interesting. In one site we had a family in a rental RV rolling in from Cali and in another site, there was a shirtless old man playing with bubbles and blasting Spanish opera music. If you use the expression "variety is the spice of life" then you might enjoy it here. If camping alongside folks who live in their older RVs 24/7/365 makes you uncomfortable, then this won't be the place for you. There is a Harley riding resident who seems to make a lot of motorcycle trips in the day but not late into the night and not early AM, everything was peaceful and quiet by 10pm.

Additionally, if you are a camper that doesn't want nature too much in their face, this may not be the place for you either, there are a butt-ton of coyotes in the area and we had some stubborn garter snakes in the site that didn't seem fazed by us at all.

This fella did a great drone video of the grounds, you can get an idea of all the options for water play options with the river:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTkGoLyQv_g

Lots of fishing access though we didn't get a chance to try it, we could see 'em swimming which is always promising.

We will probably come back here if we have plans to kayak as it is easy, gentle access to the river and we know we'll have a basecamp and a hot shower (albeit a paid one) to paddle back to. Other than that, we'll probably only come here if Cannon is full.

========== Cape Perpetua ===========

Cape Perpetua is quintessential Oregon coast camping. Essentially just across the street from The People's Coast, beaches, and popular attractions like Devil's Churn, you still get to enjoy the unique forests of sitka spruce and alder that make the Pacific Northwest so special.

The campground at Cape Perpetua shows this off to its best advantage. This campground runs back from Highway 101 to the start of the Spruce Trail that winds further up the headlands. The campground itself is quite level and next to a charming stream, with spacious sites punctuated regularly by clean, well-kept bathrooms.

I appreciated several qualities that set Cape Perpetua apart.

1. The campground hosts were excellent. You could see they are very attentive to the bathrooms, trash, etc, but were never intrusive, just available. You do need exact cash to pay for your site, but if you're a few bucks short like we were after attempting to stay at another campground further south, they'll direct you to a convenient ATM at the general store in Yachats.

2. I love the beach and beach camping, but I'm also a little paranoid about the big Cascadia earthquake we're overdue for. If you're also leery of sleeping in the tsunami zone when you aren't super familiar with evacuation directions for the area, you can rest easy knowing that this campground is outside the tsunami evacuation zone.

3. We had no problem fitting three two-man car camping tents in our site, plus a minivan, with room for camp chairs around the fire pit and all our things over the picnic table. The tent sites have "floors" of soft grass and clover, and many are shaded, or recessed into little alcoves that are very private with low "walls" of ferns and moss. The other sites looked similarly roomy, and even if they're close together you don't feel on top of your neighbors.

4. It's just a few minutes to Yachats proper, where you can enjoy the brewery, ice cream shop, cute boutiques, the general store, etc.

========== Gregory Jade 63 Liter Backpack ===========

As a Dyrt Ranger, I get to review products from time to time. On my trip to Cape Perpetua, I brought my new Gregory Jade 63 Liter Backpack in Mayan Teal along for a test drive. Packing at home, I was already impressed with the attention to detail paid by the design team. Little touches, like the zipper pulls having slight corners that make it easy for your fingers to grip, the shape of the back padding and robust hip belt made with the female body in mind, and the color-coded alligator clips that make it clear how every strap is meant to pair all add up to a great user experience.

The 63 liter pack is robust, with more than enough room for a two-man car camping tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, Primus camp stove kit, first aid kit, water bottle, and odds and ends. It was ideal for this car camping trip, but could easily serve on a backpacking trip, too. Despite the roomy interior, though, it never felt too big or disproportionate for my 5'6, 170 pound frame. On the contrary, it was far more comfortable and intuitive to pack than my old NorthFace pack.

Like many backpacking packs, the Gregory Jade 63 Liter has a bottom compartment that's partitioned off from the main, cavernous interior. That's topped with a "brain" that is accessed by zipper and snaps down with alligator clips. There's a big mesh pocket on the front and two side mesh pockets. Gregory smartly doesn't reinvent the wheel on a basic backpack structure that works, but the beauty is in how well it executes this familiar style. The mesh pockets are breathable, yet slightly opaque, and the fabric is plenty tough and stretchy. The zipper pulls are really easy to manipulate, as I noted above, big enough for your fingers to find them in the dark or even get a finger slotted in there to pull, but not so large they're obnoxious or catch on things.

The back panel is my very favorite. As a Southern girl used to very sweaty summer hikes, I appreciate the way the mesh and the curved back of the pack are separate, offering lots of airflow, without sacrificing support. The hip pads on the Gregory Jade 63 have a lot more structure than I've seen on other packs, and have the same breathable construction, so I know they'll reduce the kind of rubbing Cheryl Strayed wrote about in "Wild" on her hip bones and sacrum and that I've had to put up with in the past, too. You can tell this pack is meant for long treks because the hip belt is far more robust than on Gregory's day packs.

Overall, I'm very happy with my new pack and am confident it will hold up as well as the smaller Gregory Juno 30 liter I use for my daily commuter and weekend bag. A year later it still looks brand new, so I look forward to still sporting this beautiful backpacking pack years down the road and many (comfortable!) adventures later.