Saddle Mountain State Park Campground

All of the sites at saddle mountain are walk-in, and since there are only 10 of them I was super surprised that it was easy to get one on a Thursday afternoon at the start of a very busy summer weekend.

The campground is right at the trailhead of the hike and there is a lot of foot traffic since every hiker who undertakes this popular hike has to walk by. There are trees and shrubs that create a barrier between the sites and the trail, so even though everyone walks by it still feels private. All of the sites are walk in, you can't drive your car up and will have to carry your gear in a short ways.

Site #10 is less private and next to the road where you can park adjacent to the site. We thought about staying here at first, but it is also next to some shed that we thought was weird. All sites have a picnic table and firepit. There are pit toilets that are shared with the trailhead.

If you want to watch the sunrise of sunset from the top of saddle mountain this is a great place to hike. Be sure to bring your headlamp and shoes with great tread if you're walking in the dark. It's a pretty steep hike with lots of loose gravel.

The campground/hike is about 10 miles off of 26- and about 10 miles from the turn off to 101\. If you want to camp in the woods in a not-rv park but still be close to Cannon Beach, this is a great option.

At the foot of a brilliant hike

The campground is easily accessible from HWY 26. A paved road leads all the way to the campground at the base of the mountain. Facilities include a vault toilet.

Something that I really liked is that the sites are very well secluded from one another. Each primitive site is tucked away and surrounded by trees and bushes. So you can't see the other campers. Which is the #1 goal of camping. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table.

The hike up to the top is tiring, if you're not feeling up to it there's a shorter hike that branches off the main trail around quarter mile in. The views along the way are incredible and the view from the top amongst the clouds is worth every step it takes to get there. The trail is 2.5 miles to the top and gains a little over 1,500 ft in elevation. Bring a raincoat in case the weather changes.



Add this one to your list.

Ten walk in campsites, at the base of one of my favorite mountains (even when foggy!)  Wake up and hike to the summit for an incredible sunrise. Bathroom facilities are standard for a trailhead. Spots are secluded and quiet as you are quite
far from any main road. 