Nehalem Bay State Park Campground, near Nehalem, Oregon, is a fantastic spot for those looking to enjoy the beauty of the Oregon coast. With its proximity to the beach, you can easily stroll over the dunes and soak in the stunning ocean views.

This campground offers a variety of sites, including options for RVs and tents, with electric and water hookups available. Visitors have noted the clean facilities and well-maintained paths leading to the beach, making it easy to enjoy the outdoors. One camper mentioned, “Woke up to a cup of coffee and a walk on the beach,” highlighting the convenience of the location.

While the campground can get busy, especially during holidays, many appreciate the vibrant atmosphere filled with families and friends enjoying their time together. The nearby trails are perfect for walking your dogs or exploring the natural beauty of the area. As one reviewer put it, “We enjoyed walking our dogs on the multiple trails in this state park.”

If you're looking for a lively camping experience with easy beach access and plenty of activities, Nehalem Bay State Park Campground is a solid choice. Just be prepared for a bit of company, especially during peak times, and enjoy the beautiful sunsets that this coastal gem has to offer.

Set between the ocean and the bay, Nehalem Bay Campground is situated on a 4 mile-long sand spit. The campground setting is in shore pines bordered by rolling dunes. Walk over the dunes and you’re at the beach building sand castles, flying a kite or relaxing to the sound of the ocean. A forested 1.8 mile long bike path provides a breathtaking view of the bay. You may see deer and elk grazing and a variety of birds. Kayaking, crabbing, fishing and clamming are popular activities.

 Park features include a 2,400 foot airstrip that includes a fly-in camp. A hiker-biker camp offers sites for those -walking and riding bikes. Yurts are available as an alternative camping experience. Primitive horse campsites offer horse enthusiasts camping with several miles of trails and beach to explore. 

 Camping and other facilities:

 -265 electrical sites with water

 -18 yurts (nine pet friendly; see our Pets in Parks FAQ for more info)

 -Hot showers and flush toilets

 -Horse camp with 17 primitive sites

 -Hiker/biker camp

 -Airport camp with primitive fly-in sites

 -RV dump station

 -Meeting hall

Nehalem Bay State Park Campground

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Manzanita. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Manzanita campgrounds just for you. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Manzanita, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.

Manzanita

The Best Camping Near Manzanita, Oregon

nice place to camp

Mostly an RV park tucked into the Nehalem Bay peninsula, this does offer a couple dog friendly yurts and some very friendly camp hosts. A great place to tuck in on the Oregon Coast with good walks, and a short walk up to Manzanita for good bars and shops.  We went in early Spring and had a lovely time.  Check it out!

An RV park with great yurts

This is a campground for folks who don't go camping that often.  All the comforts (showers, etc.)  but your next door neighbor's tent is less than 20 feet away and there's very few trees.  Zero privacy.  Feels like camping at a music festival without the good music.

The ocean is super close however and the town of Manzanita is a real treat.



Close to the ocean, but no privacy

I was on a road trip and only spent one night at the park but we had a great time. The beach was just a short walk over the dunes from the campground, which was awesome. However, the campground itself was very cramped. When we got to the park and signed in, I asked if they had any sites that were a little more private and the park office said they are all pretty much the same.  We went to the site we were given and we were sandwiched in between two large campers so we looked for a site we actually wanted and went back to the park office to switch them. We got lucky and found 3 empty sites on one of the loops and claimed the middle one. No one else came to use the other two so we were pleased. There were a lot of larger campers and families and they all seemed to know each other. We felt like we were new to town but they were all friendly nonetheless. Running bathrooms with showers are located in the center along with a playground. The beach access is through some trees and shrubs. The views are amazing and the sound of waves (and your neighbors) puts you to sleep. Very cool. 

Popular for families, very cramped, amazing beach views

This campsite is on the North Oregon Coast and an easy drive from Portland. The sites are packed tightly and there isn't much privacy from your neighbors. It has convenient amenities and a short walk to the main attraction, the beach. Compared to paying for a hotel at the beach, the is a great option. 

Convenient and Inexpensive Beach Trip

Our family tent camped at Nehalem for three nights as a stop on a much longer road trip. This is a good campground for socializing. Our kids had the opportunity to  play for hours on the big playground located at the center of the camping area. We also enjoyed general beach activities. The views on the beach are amazing! Listening to the waves at night was a treat. We took full advantage of the coffee shops and burrito joint in Manzanita. After being on the road for days, it was nice to be able to walk into town for supplies and explore on foot. Grounds and restrooms were well maintained and staff was always available and friendly. 

A Fun Family Stop

We planned to camp someplace else but didn't have reservations and decided to keep driving, so we ended up at Nehalem State Park. We loved it! From the staff member at the entrance station, to the view at the beach, to the actual campsites....it was all perfect for us. We wished we were staying for more than one night!

Fantastic! 

Youre most likely to get a spot at nehalem if you reserve in advance-- of if you get lucky like we did and walk up right when someone passes by to say they are leaving their site early.

Nehalem SP is awesome because of its convenient location next to Manzanita and the campground is literally over the sand dune from the pacific.

its a crowded campground and feels more like a parking lot than a secluded nature experience and there are lots of RVs.

Each site has picnic tables and plugins and water access. The electric came in handy to charge my laptop :)

Bathrooms were far away from my site but there are great facilities and a nice playground. The best part is that you can walk over the dune and be on the coast to watch the sunset in 2 minutes from your tent!

Perfect for sunset!

Even though we went in may it was very busy there, not a lot of privacy from other campers. Nice park for kids to play. The bathrooms are well kept. Host was very nice and they come around a lot if you need wood. I can't say it enough, one of the most beautiful beaches on the oregon coast. We went on a 70 degree weekend with a little shower but when the sun came out it was outstanding. We did not have a chance to do any crabbing or clamming while there but heard it's a great place to.

Beautiful beaches

I fell in love with Nehalem Bay State Park. We stayed in a pet friendly yurt and in laws were at a RV spot. The beach was just a short walk over the sand dunes. The walk to Manzanita was a nice and very dog friendly. We also walked around the spit. I highly recommend making the short drive to Kelly’s Marina for fresh crab.

Absolutely beautiful!

We loved this place, clean bathrooms, easy walk to the beach, beautiful view, awesome for families. Perfect trees in most spots for hammocks! If you’re going with a group make sure you will have room for all the tens you need! 

Great beach camping!

Really cool atmosphere just steps away from the beach. The sounds of the waves can be heard right from your site. Nice facilities. Yurt is highly recommended and sleeps 5\. Really liked that each yurt had its own deck, picnic table, and fire pit. The shrubbery around the campgrounds was really cool and offered extra privacy. They also had equestrian sites as well as tent and electric RV. Cannot wait to go back my only regret was that we couldn't stay longer!

Peaceful Slice of Heaven on the Pacific Coast

Very well set up with lots of play space for kiddos.

Great hiking and biking trails.

Excellent boating and kayaking on the Nehalem River &amp; Bay.

Best kid friendly and boating friendly campground 

It was quiet and serene. The people there were respectful of the grounds and other people. When we went the tide had gone out leaving little tide pools around. It was very nice. Highly suggest

Overall Very Peaceful 

Especially if you’re a hiker/biker this campground is incredible. The areas are clearly labeled and yurts are available. The bathrooms are clean and there ida playground for families.

Great location, great people and fairly quiet. 

Great location - Go crabbing at Kelly's and then horseback riding on the beach!

My good friends loves Nehalem Bay State Park. I found it way too crowded and almost claustrophobic. I’m sure it’s great for group camping but but even the small roads throughout the campground were packed. On a brighter note, the beach is lovely and there are tons of things to do in the area.

Very close quarters 

The campground is very family oriented and active. Lots of kids on bikes and scooters. Don't be surprised to find them riding through your site.

A short walk on the trail over the dunes leads to a beautiful beach. This is the primary attraction.

Many sites are very close together, but there are a few with a little more distance. I wouldn't say any are private. Sites on the inside of the loops are setup for tents or a small camper and generally have more space. Site F19 is larger and near the restroom path which provides for more distance from neighbors. I might choose F1 if we were to stay again. It's an RV site, but you could be further from the road.

Family oriented and busy. Beautiful beach.

**great place, camps set apart, park wheelbarrows to keep horse area tidy.**

Had visitors over to meet and greet my horses

Should have checked the gate hardware more closely, horse caught her halter in an opened eyebolt ( had used my own panel gate while she was stalled)

Camping with horses and friends

What a great campground. The beach is not far from the camping area and a lot less crowded than Cannon Beach and Seaside.

A great  place to stay on the coast.  

My SO and I happened upon Nehalem Bay State Park Campground when looking for a place to camp on the Oregon Coast in a pinch. We were on a weeklong trip to the Pacific Northwest, with twenty-four hours to experience the coast, as we made our way from Olympia to Portland.

The enchanting scenery along the 101 had us giddy and wishing we could set up our tent somewhere on a magical, desolate stretch of beach along the road. Unfortunately, the laws on the 101 (or at least the stretch we were on) prohibit vehicles from parking overnight. As the golden hour waned, Nehalem was the closest campground.

We arrived to find a tent-city. Hundreds of little sites were packed tightly together, with nothing separating them, but an asphalt pull-off for your car. Laughter of children riding scooters echoed through the paved roads. I was disappointed. Nonetheless, sites were available, and there wasn’t enough daylight to shop around for another place, so we stayed.

It was $40 for the night. The rangers were friendly as we registered to camp. We settled on a site near the beach path--after a futile hunt for a secluded site--and headed for the beach just in time for a glorious sunset.

My gripes about the campsite’s claustrophobic layout faded as we walked down the path. This was my first time on an Oregon Coast beach, and the beauty of its vast, open expanse of milky dunes had me stunned. We made a fire and happily chatted the night away amidst a gentle lullaby of waves. Once we were tired, it was a quick walk back to our site, where I instantly fell into a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, I was happy to roll out of my tent and wander to the beach. We spent the rest of the day exploring highlights of the coast, just down the road, before the hour and a half drive to Portland.

So yes, the camping area here lacks that nature retreat feel. But staying here is effortless, and its facilities are pleasant and clean. Its closeness to an awe-inspiring Oregon beach, is a worthy trade-off for the close-quarters of its sites. In the twenty-four short hours I had on the Coast, staying at Nehalem enabled me to fully appreciate its magnificence.

I’m not even sure if the Oregon Coast campground of my dreams exists. But if I find myself there again, I will do a little more research, so I can find a place to camp that’s closer to that dream.

Close to the beach, but claustrophobic 

close quarters but we were there for the ocean! nice clean amenities and a welcome stop while traveling the west coast

camping on the coast

Bigger campground off a fabulous beach prime for kite flying and beaching. Minutes from Manzanita and just down the coast from Cannon Beach.

never disappoints 

Even the breathtaking view from the highway is enough to go to Nehalem Bay State Park. The campground is nice, enough room to not feel packed in. The beach walk is steep and long, but oh so worth it! The beach is amazing...like when you all of a sudden look up and there’s the beach....it’s mind blowingly beautiful. A perfect playground for the day, and a great spot for a fire to watch the sun go down. There are also wonderful dunes to hunker down behind to have a less windy beach day. One day the wind was blowing the sand just high enough to hit unsuspecting toddlers in the face. When your not on the beach, Nehalem Bay has a very nice bike path that goes out past the bay and loops back around past the runway. Yes! A runway with small planes landing either for the day or for a weekend to fly-in-camp style! A beach day at the bay during lower tides is a must! So much sea life to watch. Birds dropping right down and grabbing fish. A seal popping it’s head out and looking at us. And a very awesome view cave dug below tree roots. That hike up is steep...but my toddler did it multiple times. It’s that cool and safe. She would scoot on her butt down then roll down towards the bottom. Nehalem Bay State Park is one extremely rad and fun park, one place that is now a yearly tradition of my family. I’m sure it will be one of your families too.

This park is Rad!

When we Stayed: Early April, Wednesday-Friday

Overall Experience: our site was right next to the path to the beach - perfect!! It's a beautiful coastal wooded park so walking the dogs all around the campground was a pleasure.

Sites: we reserved online and picked a site right next to the path that led to the beach over the dunes. Our site was plenty big with lots of space between sites, although not a ton of privacy bc there were few trees directly between sites.

Campground: It's a huge campground so at least half the sites were not as close to the beach. 



Right on the beach!

Nice campground - plenty of amenities. Lots of kids and families around. Very close quarters though. Close to the beach and perfect for dogs! 

Cozy

Nice, generous size campsites. Clean restrooms (saw a review that said just the opposite but I did not find this to be the case when we visited). When we purchased firewood, the camp host recommended the best loop for sunny sites (it had rained all day). Paved, flat driveways. Easy beach access directly from the campsite. Enjoyed our stay here, even though it was only for one night.

Nice state park on the coast

This campground has it all! Including playgrounds for the kids, beach access, group reservations, and quiet nights to enjoy the stars. 

  

If you are a car camper then this is the place to be. Have little ones? This is perfect as campsites give clear views of play area and walk to beach perfect for excursions.

Great Family Campground!

I stayed here, arriving just after 9pm and ran in to the state park tripped on my way in. She was super kind and gave me directions around the park

  

The park has full washrooms which worked great as I was sleeping in my truck.

  

It also had a great playground for kids to play on. 

  

The beach is the most peaceful thing I’ve ever seen at 6 am. It’s like you are the only soul that exist.

  

Was absolutely beautiful the one night stay.

Quiet, Safe, Clean, Affordable

There is not a lot of privacy, as the spots are close together, but this is still one of our favorite places.

The yurts are great for months where weather is unsure.

You are located close to town and good grocery/coffee shops/bakeries.

And the beach access is super close.

Easy beach campground

Really cool spot super close to the beach, just walk over the dune. Great parks for the kids. Lots of biking areas. Close to crabbing spots. 

Almost on the beach

Great dune area. Always horses riding on the beach too. Super neat experience 

Super cool place! 

Nehalem State Park is located just south of Cannon Beach in the town of Manzanita. There beach lends some spectacular views of the coast. The beach is accessable from several short trails.

The campground has 265 campsites all of them include electrical and water hookups. There are also 18 yurts some with wheelchair ramps. There are also a number of walk-in and horse campsites. Each loop has a centralized bathroom/shower facility with hot water.

The only place to put garbage is located at the entrance of each loop which can be far hike. Campsites are a bit close together with no real privacy. Due to the location of the playground and bathrooms we had a steady stream of people cutting through ours and other neighbors campsites.

Large beach campground

Love this camp ground just the perfect little spot to have a base camp and explore the Oregon coast! Spots are nice pretty private as far as distance but there could be more trees between. It’s the beach!

Awesome state park

I camped one night here while on my bicycle tour along the Oregon coast. 
The hiker-biker area is pretty nice with one exception... the bathroom is really quite a long way away, especially important during the nighttime walk in the pouring rain... that’s the only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars. 
There are raised areas for you to put your tent which are filled with nice packed sand. There is an area with lockers for the biker- hiker campers to store their food and other items in. Also included is a bike repair stand - looked to be in good condition although I didn’t need to use it. 

Nice hiker-biker area

Yes it can be busy but we love it here.
We mainly come weekdays &amp; off season.
The camp ground is clean and the beach is lovely.  We like that you can walk into Manzanita or bike.  It’s quite. 
On second thought, don’t come here😉

Our Favorite State Park

**\[ PROS \]**

*   We came during offseason (November) and camped at this State Park for 3 nights. Man, it was so amazing. It was super quiet and empty so we felt like we had the entire park to ourselves.
*   A family of deer visited us every single morning/night during our stay. We definitely didn't try to interact with them, but they were comfortable to roam right around our site which was a really magical experience
*   Nehalem Bay is such a beautiful area and the State Park is nestled in lots of beautiful, lush greenery. There are lots of birds, plants, and other wildlife to observe. We loved hearing coyotes yapping in evenings from the campground.  
    
*   It's very peaceful and serene here. It's right by the beach and an easy walk to the coast. We also got to visit Manzanita for a little day trip and had lunch out there. Such a cute little coastal town worth checking out.
*   Free hot showers and really nice restrooms. I'm starting to realize that Oregon State Parks are SOOO much superior to California State Parks. The amenities at all the Oregon campgrounds I've visited are wonderful. We definitely got spoiled by camping in Oregon that it will be hard going back home to California
*   Very close to stores, restaurants, and gas stations if you need to pick up supplies.  
    

**\[ CONS \]**

*   While it was a beautiful campground, the sites are rather small and close together. We obviously didn't experience this campground when it's crowded, but I can imagine how packed it would feel.

SPECTACULAR wildlife all around

We stayed 7 nights in site # B37 we had water &amp; electric &amp; were one site off of the path to the beach. The park is big &amp; was busy but not noisy. We did have some deer visit our site which is always a plus.  

  

The walk to the beach was up a hill in the sand and was challenging carrying chairs &amp; a cooler but well worth it. What a nice view at the top of the hill. beautiful driftwood which was nice to set behind when it was windy. 

  

We kayaked from the boat ramp &amp; went searching for clams which we got limit close to the park had a great day on the water went back to the camper &amp; made clam chowder.

  

We also rented a little boat for $80.00 from Wheeler Marina and went crabbing for 3 hours. It came with 3 crab traps &amp; bait for the traps. We drove the boat over close to the campground &amp; dropped the traps in. Don't wait longer then 15 minutes to pull them up they had 30 to 40 crabs every pull. We got 8 Dungeness crab keepers which paid for the boat. They will cook them for you which is nice. What a great day. There is the Jetty fishery too which rent's boats &amp; sells good fresh seafood we got clams there &amp; cooked them on the grill. 

  

There was a place to do laundry up the street so we broke down &amp; did laundry. We were on a 3 month long trip.

  

You could have a bonfire on the beach, there was a group with Guitars, coolers, chairs &amp; wood heading to the beach for a good time. 

  

Our neighbors said it was their 10th year staying there they are from Washington State.

One of my favorites

Nehalem Bay is beautiful, and it's just down the road from two jetties. My family and I went crabbing just a ways away from the state park, and it was a beautiful day and a lot of fun. Later we walked on the beach down to the park and had a bit of a hike. I'd love to go back sometime soon.

Beautiful Bay, great hike

We spent one day/night on a camping road trip and were very happy to find a campground so close to a beach.
There are not many trees which means, for tent campers, no relief from the heat until well after sunset.  The beach and sunset more than made up for the lack of shade and privacy. Even with most of the campers out on the beach to take in the sunset, you get a feeling of privacy.
We were kept awake by some of the younger campers who were there to party on the beach but we didn't mind as we were all on vacation.
The facilities were clean and, for a large, open campground, in good condition.  If you are looking for a laid back beach camping site, this one fits the bill.

Not much shade but, boy what a sunset

It’s the perfect place for ocean bean access. The water happened to be pretty rough when we went and very windy.  We have really small kids so it was a bit stressful. We were on D Loop and the sites were really small, I would give 3.5 stars if half stars were an option. The green spaces between loops were fun for the kids to explore. Electrical and water were nice amenities. 

Great seaside camping

We were at loop D. Just a few minutes walk to the beach. Great campsite

Awesome location!!

We've camped here for several years. This year, in the time of Covid and masks, I was impressed with their commitment to safety.  We had a great time as always, and wore our masks whenever we left the campsite.  Bonus points for ice that costs less than the grocery store sells it for.

They maximized every bit of land they had for this campsite. The spots are small, and boy do they enforce the 2 car limit per site. We had a 3rd car come join us after hours so there was nobody at the check in station when you drive in. Within 15 minutes of the car being there while we unload the gear, we were scolded for having a 3rd car (which easily fit within the driveway area mind you) and were told to move it immediately. 

It’s a nice campground in a great location, but it left a lot to be desired for a tent camper. Seemed like a great spot for RV’s and big families though. 

Packed in like sardines 

we’ve lived in oregon forever but never visited this park. rv spots are nice and level but not much privacy between spaces. very nice setup with yurts right across the drive from rvs in loop a. nice for meeting family or friends with no vehicle.

there is a two mile bike/walking path through the woods and along the bay. the beach is only a five minute walk away. 

i would imagine that this park is crowded all summer but right now in february it is very quiet. 

gem of a park for mixed use

This entire park is so awesome, especially the day-use areas. Bike paths all over the place! Yet the campgrounds were not the highlight for us. We were here in early March without many other campers, so it felt spacious, yet the campsite spaces are fairly close together. Oregon state parks always provide nice bathrooms/showers, RV dump station, and take great care of the grounds. 

Awesome park

March 2021. We stayed at Nehalem Bay State Park for 4 days. Turning off of HWY 101 to the park was somewhat of a bumpy pothole road for about a half mile or so. Then very good roads in the park itself. No one at the main entrance so we drove into our loop (A) space 32 and backed in. Had just enough space for our 21’ trailer and pickup truck. We hooked up to power and water, no sewer hookup. Two dump stations were out at the main entrance. This spot had many short trees and had a fair amount or room between us and the other campers. It also had a picnic table and a fire ring and was backed into the dunes area. It was just a short walk to the beach entrance path from our site. At the beach was very large area and had the whitest sand I have ever seen except in Hawaii. The parks bathrooms were spotless but the showers in our area (A) were shut down because of no hot water. You had to go to loop (B) to take a shower. As far as I could see all the RV camping spots were back in’s and mixed in were tent camping areas. In other locations were Yurt’s you could rent too. This park has many-many camping sites as well as selling ICE and Wood. My wife really loved this park as it was very beautiful. The park had a host at each loop as with most state camp grounds do. The host I talked to was Ed, a very nice, friendly and knowledgeable guy. We took our bikes for a ride on the bike friendly roads and enjoyed the ride as this park has a long loop bike trail to use. We took a ride to Warrenton to go to Walmart one day and then took a ride the next day to Nehalem and ate fish and chips at Riverside Fish‘n Chips. The food there was fabulous as it was rated 4.5 out of 5 with Google. The wife also shopped at Hope Chest thrift store one day in Nehalem, I think. Over all for the$132.00 it cost us it was worth every penny to camp there.

Very beautiful campground. Clean and spacious. Wonderful white sand beach.

Great campground. Close to the beach, nice amenities. Love being able to walk to the beach from the campsite. Good paved loop for kids to ride bikes. All stores are back in but there’s a decent bit of room between stores, especially compared to some PNW coast campgrounds. Showers and bathrooms were decent. No sewer hook up, so you had to use a dump station. Not a huge inconvenience. Overall certainly a place I’d return to. We had a place along the wedge and it appeared to be less windy.  That’s totally anecdotal, though. 

Near da beach...boy!

Well maintained campground. Full restrooms and showers. Tent, RV and yurt options as well as horse camping. Short walk to the beach.Nice trails and beautiful scenery.

Nice campground near the beach

We loved staying at Nehalem Bay State Park during spring break. We stayed at site A 21 for 3 nights. The weather was better than expected but very windy, which made the protection of the jetty and dunes very welcome. Very clean and well maintained campground and bath facilities. They did run out of firewood so you may consider bringing your own. 

Our explanation took us north to Cannon Beach and south to Tillamook. A word of warning, the Tillamook factory can be a long wait, so long that we found a different place to eat. Highly recommend visiting The Blue Herron French Cheese and Bistro. 

The bike trail is a wonderful easy ride. We used our 7 speeds with no trouble. 

Protected and perfect 

Love this campground!  We go every couple of years for a family campout at the coast.  The beach here is beautiful and we've always had a good experience in the campground.  Some sites are better than others and we've had trouble with wind in certain loops, but overall it's been a fantastic experience every time.

  

There's a great playground area with fun trees nearby for climbing in and exploring.  The campground makes a nice bike riding loop to keep the kids entertained as well.

  

Last time we went, we utilized the 3rd party service for horseback rides on the beach.  They operate out of the day use area and it was a really fun experience.  I don't know if they are still operating as the last time we were there was prior to the pandemic.

Beautiful beach camping

This camp ground right between the oceans be Nehalam bay is the ideal location. Sites are small for a state campground but it has some trees. D loop gives more barrier to the wind that really whips in off the ocean. We paddle boarded on the bay. Nice day use area. The hike to the beach is over a big sand dune so isn’t super easy. 2 mile bike trail through the woods here. And - 2 miles into the very cute beach town of Manzanita. Easy bike ride there. 

Lovely campground - close to the beach

Beautiful beach within walking distance of campsites and great facilities make for a very nice camping stop!

Lovely spot to camp on Oregon coast

Stayed here twice on the same bicycle trip. Once on the way up the coast, and again on the way back down. It's not super-separated from the rest of the campground, but it's a huge area with lots of picnic tables and fire pits. Short walk to the ocean from here. Also, Manzanita is a short bike ride away. Decent Oregon beach town.

Love those hiker-biker sites

We liked the location and the access to the beaches, however it was very crowded. We have dogs, but walking them was a bit difficult. There were so many pets and people it was hard to enjoy our walks. 

Busy

This is a campground that would be perfect for families with younger kids. Big playground, lots of other kids running around. Wasn't ideal for our camping needs as a young couple with a dog that barks at people nearing the campsite (or in some cases running through it). Our particular site was also perhaps one of the worst locations as it backed the playground. I booked far in advance and took what was available but despite these negatives for us I can understand why this place is so popular. 

The Pros:

1\. The beach and the dunes are beautiful! Love the Oregon coast and this spot is great.

2\. Bathrooms and showers that were clean (although busy)

The Cons:

1\. Too many kids and the noise that comes with it for our preferences

2\. The price

Overall a great experience here. Would come back but would book even further in advance (like MONTHS) in order to get a better site… not backing the playground.

Family oriented, little privacy

We stayed a few nights midweek in July and the campsite was full. The campsites are admittedly close together, but where we were on loop C had plenty of trees and foliage at the rear and most had a one or two trees to help delineate boundaries on the sides of sites. The main attaction here is really the beach and ocean. The campsite seems to be just a place to rest and eat in between walks on the beach or other activities further out. The sites had tables and fire rings as well as water and electric hookups and a short paved driveway. There was a good mix of tents, trailers and RVs. 

The beach is BEAUTIFUL. It’s also big so even with plenty of people it never felt crowded. The North side of the beach was still open to dogs (parts of the south side are closed to protect local birds seasonally … I think they are endangered) and the dry part of the beach was quite warm in the sun. The wet sand by the waves was cold. It all seemed to balance out and was a great place to relax. The walk from the campsite loops through the dunes was very sandy from the start - plenty of people took off their sneakers and flip flops and carried them. Teva style sandals and hiking boots seems fine. Before you wander too far on the beach make sure to note which big yellow numbered sign is near where your path back to the loops was so you can find your way back later on. 

The bathrooms were busy but clean and located in the middle of Loop B (loops A, B and C are connected). There were showers too that plenty of people seemed to use but we didn’t use them. There was a playground/structure in a small field next to the bathrooms and some of the campsites were situated on the same field and they didn’t have any bushes or privacy. You’ll want to actually want to be near the playground if you’re in loop B, if not for easy access to the play area and bathrooms then foe the happy and audible noises of kids playing. A big trash compactor was at the entrance in loop A, there weren’t any smaller bins around the loops that we noticed. Plenty of bikes and scooters and dogs were out and about walking the loop, especially in the mornings and evenings. The overall vibe was nice and family friendly and one neighbor was especially sweet - he spent a good hour or so making giant bubbles for people passing by to pop on their evening walk. Lots of string lights and hammocks added to the atmosphere. 

We didn’t notice too many bugs, but we do think we might have put a tent stake into a offshoot of an ant path since our tent had maybe a dozen ants on the outside of our tent each morning, but gently spraying them off with some water worked well and we didn’t notice any more at other times of the day. 

This seems like a place people book early and for more than a few days. We’ll probably come back again - there seem to be plenty of small beach towns to explore too if we ever got tired of Nehalem bay. 

Go for the beach

We've stayed at Nehalem Bay State Park several times and always enjoy it.  In the past we have camped in our tent and we've also stayed in one of their cozy yurts.  This time was a first for us because we stayed in one of their primitive horse camp sites in our van, and had the opportunity to ride horses on the beach!  The campground has a ton of amenities and is located adjacent to the beach, bay and just minutes to Manzanita or Nehalem. Planning to return again soon!

Camp with Horses!

Love!

Right off the beach on the other side of the dunes. Easy beach access paths. Hot showers with great water pressure. Water and electric at each site. $35 a night.  They also have firewood and ice til 9pm at the entrance. Very popular spot.  Luckily there was a cancellation so we were able to get a spot for the night. Definitely peaceful with the waves in the background all night. 

Great Beachside camping

This campground is busy and crowded. Noise levels reflect that, but weren’t a problem for us in our van. We were parked a few spots down from a beach access point, and loved being able to walk out onto the dunes to watch the sunset. Many people had fires going and it’s the only place we’ve seen on our trip that allowed them given the fire ban. We had a nice stay and would return! 

Nice campground!

Love this park - so much to do !!
Hiking,walking,biking, fishing ,crabbing and walking on the beach!!

Wonderful Park

Loved this state park campground.  Roomy, awesome beach just steps away.  Great AT&amp;T cell service.  If you scan for over the air TV stations you'll find some here.  No Sewer, so you'll have to endure using the dump station, and can imagine it gets very busy trying to dump the tanks during the summer season.  Bring you bikes.  Play structures for the kids.  Will definitely stay here again.

Great spot on the Oregon coast.

October 2021– Our 3rd time to Nehalem Bay State Park. The entrance to the park is still very rough and bumpy until you actually reach the park entrance. The roads inside the park are very good, smooth and wide. Our spot B-37 was very nice except the fact of the rain for 2 days that created a pool next to the asphalt our trailer was setting on by the back of the trailer. We used the bathrooms and found the stalls were very tight to close the stall door. You had to stand directly beside the toilet to shut the door. But the bathrooms and showers where very clean and well kept. For that matter the whole park was clean and well kept.

  

We bought take out lunch 2 times at the Riverside Fish&amp; Chips in Nehalem. The fish and fries were cooked to perfection. The outside of the fries were crispy and the inside was very soft, plus the coating on the outside of the fries were excellent. The fish was not greasy, well cooked and juicy on the inside.

Our 3rd time camping here and it was great!

Visiting in a less busy time of year, this was so easy, quick and super convenient. If you come as a walk in, you can self register and pay by putting your form and money in the pay box. Nice and quiet, and nice little sites. Showers and bathrooms are nice to have as well! 

Convenient and quick 

Tent camping. Made reservation for my visit as it's a popular place. Quiet, paved parking pads so look at site photos to see if enough room for your tent size. Be ready to climb the dunes for a breathtaking view 

Peaceful

Great camp sites, most are fairly private and lots of space between them. Well maintained, good beach access and very walking friendly with a walking and bike paths.

Nice spot

The problem with reviewing your favorite place on Earth is that people will find out about that place and it will be crowded. So with that in mind: This place sucks. Don't come visit. The beach is too beautiful and it will ruin all other beaches. Same with the campground! It's too clean, the people are too nice, and the trails are too peaceful. You'll hate it. Oh! The town of Manzanita is only a short walk down the beach or the walking path and you'll thoroughly dislike the quant and charming town complete with Portland quality restaurants and even a whiskey bar. Don't even get me started on the weekly farmers market! 

  

\*All joking aside, it really is the best place in Oregon, and please be respectful of how wonderful it is :) We camp there at least 4 times a year and every month is special.

Don't Read this Review. 

Paved pads, nice amenities and hiking nearby. Bathrooms are a bit scant and could use some work. Showers are hot, push button operated (I hate this). Close to a small town for supplies. Sites are a bit cramped and it was extremely busy for a Sunday check-in (no holiday). Sites were clean. Inconsiderate nasty campers though. Poop-stained underwear left sitting on a shower seat, feces smeared on the women’s restroom toilet seat. Are people really this disgusting? Please, people. Keep the poop in the bowl, and clean up after your filth so no one else has to deal with it. Fire rings and picnic tables at each site. 

Nice state park  

An amazing place to camp, hike, bike, or just explore. Having the ocean a short walk away, is an absolute dream.  We've been a few times at different times of the year and rain or shine Nehalem Bay will always be at the top of my list.

Peaceful Beauty 

This is a nice campground just over the dune from the beach. Water and electric at sites. Sites close together. Showers and bathrooms.  Paved sites. 

Right on beach

This is a beautiful state park campground located with easy access to the beach and the nearby beach town of Manzanita.  We were only here for a couple of nights in May, but would absolutely return to spend an entire week.  

The sites are relatively close together with minimal screening between them, so camping here in a RV or trailer may be preferable over tent camping, which is effectively what we did (modified toy hauler with outside living quarters).  Suggest a site along the beach side for better access and breeze.  The other sites along the other rows seemed buffered by trees, which could be a plus.  

The bathrooms were some of the cleanest I’ve seen at a state park…a definite plus! 

The beach is gorgeous here and with limited people.  The town is ~5 min drive away and offers all the quaint beach-town options you’d ever want.  Great Mexican restaurant along the main strip.  

Beautiful state park on OR coast

Woke up to a cup of coffee and a walk on the beach. Level sites with hook ups. Clean restroom and showers. This place is huge, I had to use my maps to get back out of the campground. It doesn't feel huge when you are at your site. 

  

A lot of dogs! Not usually an issue, but many people do not leash their dogs at the campground and do not have recall on their dog. As soon as I arrived two dogs ran up and jumped on me. Not ok. I'm glad my dog wasn't with me, he would have lost his mind.

And you get beach access

It was located right next to the beach. We could hear the waves from our campsite, it was lovely. The site was clean, and had showers. We also had got a site across the street from a playground, which was great for the kiddos. It was expensive at $40/night. And staying 5 nights.. that got pricey quick! Other than the price, it was an amazing stay.

Very Beautiful!

Great beach state park!  Short walk over the dune.  Not terrible , but gets your blood pumping.
The view of the ocean, the endless beach and the grass-covered dunes are worth the walk!  We had the D loop almost to ourselves.  I can imagine it feels pretty crowded in summer.  The sites’ proximity to each other sees pretty standard for state parks.  There is an illusion of privacy with the abundance of trees but no foliage on the trunks.  We were next to our friends but didn’t feel crowded or imposed upon.  The outside of the loop had angled back in sites.  The inside were straight back in and shorter.  Some sites are longer than others.  Saw a large class A and 5th wheel comfortably backed in.  We are about 48 ft with trailer and pick up and fit fine.  Close to Manzanita, walking trails in the park and so many hikes nearby.  Went to Short Sand Beach yesterday and it was beautiful.  Granted having sunny weather helps! 

Peaceful and lovely in December!

We only stayed one night and would have loved to stay more. Beautiful older campground right on the beach.  Clean restrooms and showers. Electric and water at the site with a dump station available near the campground entrance. 
Walking paths from the campground through the dunes and to the beach are well marked. Head out for sunset! It’s beautiful.
It was cold but sunny when we visited in February.

Beach camping with partial hookups

We had a great experience here wat bing the horseback riders at sunset on the beach. 

Lovely beach, hike to get there 

Nehalem Bay State Park is a beautiful place. But... the sites are right on top of one another. I would not say this park is for a getaway into a nature park. It is a highly trafficked park. Nothing wrong with the park outside of the cleanliness of the showers is reflective of the massive amounts of people that use them. We were here for a week, and I never once had a clean shower. The shower heads also spray water all over, so be careful with what you don't want wet. Our picnic table was falling apart, but I know they are in the process of replacing them because several had new tops and seats on them. 

  

The ocean is a good hike over the dunes, but it is a beautiful, clean beach.

Busy. Cramped. 

big campground, but spots had little to no privacy. shouting and music was a bit loud through the night. would probably stay again though because of the proximity to the ocean

large park

Had a very nice time -campground was very clean and the bike trails were fun..

Very nice and clean campground

Nehalem :   The beach is gorgeous. 
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer). I rate based on desire for at least a moderate wilderness type experience w at least some camp site privacy.
Overall Rating:  3.5 
Usage during visit: Very full
Site Privacy:  None.  Sites are very open 
Site Spacing:  Very close . 
Site surface:   Black top
Reservations:   Yes
Campground Noise:   People and children having fun. 
Electric Hookup:  Yes
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: Yes
Bathroom:  Flush toilets.  Clean
Showers:   Yes
Cell Service (AT&amp;T):  Good reception. 
Setting:  Park line setting with some trees
Weather:  Sunny skies, 70s. 
Bugs:  None
Host:  Yes
Rig size: Large rigs present. 
Note: I did not camp here.  However, I spent a considerable portion of two days at the campground with friends who were camped in tents, trailers , and yurts . 

Crowded but Access to great beach 

We came in from the north on Hwy 101, and Waze wanted us to turn at Manzanita, just north of Nehalem, to get to the state park. It was a sharp and weird angled turn, so we pressed on a couple of miles, where there was a state park sign. We followed the signs to the park and campground(CG). No one was at the check-in booth, but instructions were to proceed to the registration kiosk in the A loop. We registered and headed for back-in Site C-26; 50 amp&amp; water. Our three-day stay was free as we have the Oregon Disabled Veteran's Pass. As we went through the B section, we had to be very careful on this Friday after Thanksgiving, as the CG looked like a summer holiday weekend with vehicles parked willy-nilly near or on the road. We noticed and were told by other campers that Oregonians love to camp this time of year in large friend and family groups. This had been the case in the last three State Parks we’ve camped in. We got to the C section, which was not quite as busy, and proceeded to back into our site. The camper across from us gladly moved his truck so we could maneuver into the asphalt pad more easily. We had pine tree branches overhead, and we did our best not to scrape, but one branch lightly scraped an air conditioner cover on our 13.5-foot 5th wheel. The pad was long enough for our 5th wheel, and we parked our F450 at a slight angle to stay off the road. The water and electric hookups were at the back of the pad, so we needed 25’ of electric cord. One side of the road(outer sites) has angled sites, and the other(inside sites) has 90-degree back-ins. Whether even or odd sites depends on how the loop sites flow into one another. For example, our site C-26(outer site) is angled. In the D loop, site 41, which is a nice site for a bigger rig, is angled versus the even sites across the road, which are 90-degree back-ins. We had a fairly clear shot for our Starlink and three bars on Verizon. There was beach access from our loop, and we enjoyed walking our dogs on the multiple trails in this state park. The reservable loops were full this Thanksgiving weekend. This time of year, the D, E, and F loops were first-come-first-serve and nowhere near full. If we had known this, we would have gone to this less crowded area.

Very Nice State Park

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](https://blockblast.org)

Photos of Nehalem Bay State Park Campground

Real photos from real campers