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 campground - plenty of amenities. Lots of kids and families around. Very close quarters though. Close to the beach and perfect for dogs!
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.
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.
Bigger campground off a fabulous beach prime for kite flying and beaching. Minutes from Manzanita and just down the coast from Cannon Beach.
close quarters but we were there for the ocean! nice clean amenities and a welcome stop while traveling the west 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.
What a great campground. The beach is not far from the camping area and a lot less crowded than Cannon Beach and Seaside.
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)
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.
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.
Great location - Go crabbing at Kelly's and then horseback riding on the beach!
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.
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
Very well set up with lots of play space for kiddos.
Great hiking and biking trails.
Excellent boating and kayaking on the Nehalem River & Bay.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Great deep sea fishing and crabing.
