Humbug Mountain State Park Campground

Cruised in here just after dark without a reservation - was trying to book as we were driving and then lost reception and went in anyway. Park-like, well-maintained campground in upper loop, didn’t get to the lower loop but bookmarked it for the next time - walkable to the beach from those sites. Several sites available, and there was a WiFi connection at the check in board that made the required online reservation easy. Camp host came out to make sure everything was working okay, even though it was technically after hours for her - super nice. Our spot was a little tight for negotiating a 20 foot van, anything larger would be a challenge but we saw those there too. Great bath/shower setup with restrooms on one side, 4 separate showers on the other. Park staff was friendly and helpful. Only downside was proximity to 101 - truck traffic with air brakes went on intermittently until about 10pm and started up again before dawn. The campground sits pretty much under the highway by location - visually you wouldn’t know it, but the audio is a reminder. Not a big deal at all given all the other positives. Great spot.

General: 95-site state park campground with a mix of tent sites (no hookups) and water/electric in two loops– upper and lower. There are a couple of long pull-thrus, but the rest are back in. We had originally reserved a tent site but upon arrival, we were dismayed to discover it backed up to Route 101 with just small Brush Creek as a buffer and the road noise was loud. I asked the camp host if we could switch sites (this was one of the first Oregon state parks we have seen this trip that was not completely full) and he told me I would have to speak with a ranger and changes could not be made online. Fortunately, I was able to track down a ranger (who was very accommodating) and we switched to a w/e site for an additional fee. There was still road noise in this site but not quite as bad. You would be hard-pressed to be in any site that did not have some road noise. 

Site Quality: All have paved camper pads and were level. Varying amount of privacy between sites. 

Bath/Shower House: Only two in the campground so depending on where your site is located, you may have a bit of a walk. The bathhouse in the upper loop (where we ended up) was newer with all-in-one units, and three private shower rooms in addition to a men’s and women’s restroom. The shower had nice hot water. 

Activities: We chose this campground since we wanted to hike the Humbug Mountain trail. Downed trees from storms closed the eastern route so you could not do a loop hike when we were there. You can go up the western side to the top and then descend the same way. Views were better en route; at the top, we could not see much (but there was still smoke in the air from an in-land fire). You also have access to the Oregon Trail and there is a trail to the beach, although it is a rocky beach. It was nice to escape the smoke and watch the crashing waves for a while.

[Internet. Verizon via iPhone 12: 22 mbps down and 5 mbps up with 59 ms ping.]

I’m convinced that whoever built Harris Beach SP Campground also built this one at Humbug Mountain SP. The bathrooms and showers look just like each other. They are equally as gorgeous. But anyway.

PROS

→ The landscaping is impeccable. The grass is lush. The trees have fuzzy green moss. Everything is so pretty. → The road and sites are paved. → The beach isn’t too far of a walk away. → The showers here are glorious. They are individual stalls. The showers are free with HOT water. Maybe a little too hot (temperature is fixed) but I’m not complaining! The water pressure is great. → Our site has water and power. → There’s a free dump station with water fill.

CONS

→ None that I can think of.

5-stars - This campground is gorgeous and has hit everything out of the park.

—————————— [Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - Yes Water fill? - Yes Clean site? - Yes Clean bathroom? - Yes Flush toilet? - Yes Showers? - Yes Laundry? - No Dish washing sink? - No

We stayed at so many different sites at this campground (in the lower loop closer to the beach), because it was so full we couldn't find a spot with multiple days available.  

The sites along the road can be really, really noisy with road noise, especially the trucks using their engine brakes.  

Showers are hot and clean, camp sites are very clean and well maintained, and the hosts do a great job of cleaning sites in between campers.  Some sites are very secluded from your neighbor, and some are so wide open as to feel like a group site.  We did see some bushes planted in between these sites so hopefully once those grow in all the sites will have nice privacy.

There's recycling here but glass is not accepted.

About the 3rd week of June this place exploded with kids and families, very, very loud and chaotic, screaming children and screaming parents screaming at their children, bikes, skateboards, yelling, running, hide and seek in other people's camp sites, it was nuts and it felt like we were camping in the middle of a huge playground.  But we had stayed there the week before also and all the campers were quiet and respectful so it's not always insane with kids - maybe school had just gotten out for the summer or something.

There's a hiker / biker area that looked nice and secluded but we didn't check it out.

Sites are available by online reservation (with an $8 fee) or by walk up one night at a time if a spot is open.  

The trail to the beach from the campground is really nice, the beach is beautiful, and the tide pools are amazing.  This is a beautiful place and it'll be one of our go-tos in this area.

Cell reception was iffy, very weak for all 3 carriers, but the cell 

booster allowed us to browse the internet and even do a video phone appointment with no problem.

There's a dump station and potable water on the way out.

Camp Humbug is, surprisingly, at the base of hill. Meaning if you are on a bike or on foot you won't have to climb it to end your day. You'll just have to do it in the morning. The views on the way in are some of the best along the coast. Slate grey sand, rivers weaving out of the hills and large rock formations along the water's edge. 

Hiker/Biker Camp is between the first and second loop. The camp itself is long and shaped like the letter "C" if the c had been pancaked a bit. Hiker/Biker is on the hillside of the camp road working its way up. The very first site on the right is where I camped because it was the flattest of the H/B sites. Most were on an incline. There was also a picnic table but I can't be sure there was a fire pit. Most of the sites had a lot of privacy and shade cover. There was a drainage creek running near by, and accessible water not far. The first loop was closer and had new flush bathrooms with outlets and individual showers. There were not any charging stations or storage boxes. I didn't take any photos of that site. More on that later.

The main camp area is nice with an entry loop, and then another larger loop closer to the beach. There is a short trail running along a river out the West end of camp to the beach and ocean. It runs underneath a beautiful bridge that is the Coast HWY above. There isn't a lot of privacy in the RV/Tent sites, and there is a playground for kids and a big field to play in on that West loop. There is also some phone service in the loop closer to the road which isn't the case in most of the surrounding area.

Along the north side of camp is Fern Trail which is an old portion of the original HWY 101 that has decommissioned, and also a connecting piece of the Oregon Coastal Trail. The entrance is just to the side of the camp entry. The trail climbs and drops at a leisurely pace before connecting with the coastal highway about three miles north. If you were riding a bicycle with a hybrid or thicker tire you could traverse it easily which I wish I would have done coming in.

On my way back to camp I saw my first snake of the summer. I do not like snakes. I do not like them at all. And despite spending quite a bit of time in nature I had not seen one in a long time. This one was a bit further away, moving away from me and small. I took a deep breath, held my big walking stick a little tighter and made it past. I survived. I stopped by the park ranger and asked about poisonous snakes in the area but she assured me there wasn't any to really worry, and that seeing snakes was fairly rare in the camp.

I went back out towards the beach to take a breathe, and enjoy the sunset. Then as I was just about underneath the aforementioned bridge another snake, much, much bigger sloughed it's way off the trail just under my foot. I shouted and scared my Wife with whom I was on the phone. The second snake rattled me. I went back to my tent and spent the next 12 hours inside until it was light out, and dry enough out the next morning to pack up and leave. That is why I took no more photos of the camp or its amenities. I saw two more snakes on the road (crushed by cars) on my way out of the camp. That ranger was full of it!

Amenities include: 

• Flush toilets and free hot showers
• Trail access
• Kids playground and meadow
• Firewood
• Beach/Ocean Access

*Pro-Tip: This camp is a great jumping off point to explore the natural areas around you. There is a very, very vertical climb up Humbug Mountain that leaves from just across the camp entrance.