After another 65 scenic miles north on Hwy 101, we are happily tucked into a cozy wooded site at Cape Blanco State Park, the westernmost point in Oregon. This was the only place along the coast we could find that did not take reservations. The parks that did were completely booked over Memorial Day weekend. When I spoke with the ranger on the phone the other day, he assured me we would have no problem getting a site mid-week, although he thought the park would be full for the weekend.
This is a rather remote park, a 6 mile drive off 101, and 10 miles from Port Orford, which is probably why a lot of people pass it by. For us it is exactly what we were looking for. Those of you who read Wheelingit are familiar with this as being the place where Paul and Nina have been lighthouse hosts.
For $22/night you get a site with water and electric, much needed due to the heavy tree cover. Our solar panels would never get enough sun to charge the batteries here, so we are happy to be plugged in. And we’re taking advantage of the power by using our little electric heaters, as the highs here barely reach 60.
As an added bonus, our very private site also has a bit of an ocean view at the back.
There are just a couple of downsides to the park, one being that the dump station is closed and will probably be so permanently. Not a problem for us since we only plan to stay 5 or 6 nights. Also there are showers but the bathrooms are so cold inside there is no way we are using them.
The trails and the beach make up for any negatives, though. We’ve already done a little exploring and like what we’ve seen so far, in spite of nearly getting blown away by the crazy wind.
On another note, while we were driving here yesterday we talked about our time in California and wondered what we spent on camping fees, since we ended up finding more free places than we thought. We don’t normally bother to keep track of those things, but since we record everything in Microsoft Money it was easy to figure it out.
We spent 82 days in California, and our average cost per night came out to be $17.25. Not bad at all.
Whoo hooo! Our favorite place! In case you need it there are a few more spots along the coast that don't take reservations. Just north of you is Mill Casino (dry camping), then there's the fabulous Marina in Winchester Bay (dry camping) and Carl G.Washborne State Park further north (partial hookups, no reservations). Enjoy our fav spot!
ReplyDeleteNina and Paul (wheelingit)
It is beautiful here! Thanks for the tips further up the coast. I just happened to be looking at the Winchester Bay website and it may be a good bet, depending on which way we decide to go to Bend.
ReplyDeleteWinchester Bay is lovely. We've got pics of it on the blog from last year. Also got tips on other free or low-cost spots here
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(Feel free to remove the link)
Nina
Glad you got such a great site/campground. I'm enjoying your trip with you. :)
ReplyDeleteWe got a look at the site there where Paul and Nina parked The Beast, and they appeared to be real happy with it. When we went up to the light house, it was soooo foggy that you could barely tell it was out there! The coast weather is likely to throw just about anything at you, but you will love it. Glad you made it there in good shape. That's a fun area to explore and there are lots of interesting places. The public library is right off the highway, and across the street from the supermarket. Good internet access there if you need it. The Rainbow Cafe has good breakfasts.
ReplyDeleteWe took that same path as you two. What a gorgeous area.
ReplyDeleteWow I think your per night cost for California was fabulous. Cape Blanco has been on my list since I read about it from Nina. Such a lovely place. Happy to know the details of the campground though. The little electric heaters are so nice on chilly mornings.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the cost of campgrounds in California, you REALLY did well!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great site. Loved your pictures - what a beautiful area. Like Russ said, we didn't see much of it because of the fog so glad you got a better view. Can you take your heater into the shower rooms? We did that at Humbug Mountain and had a nice warm room, but don't know how those shower rooms compare.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember walking a trail on the edge, above the ocean, lucky for me the wind was blowing in the right direction, being only 140#...Our coasts are so nice when the fog is somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteUpriverdavid
I thought that was where Paul and Nina worked when I read your title. Looks like more beautiful hiking coming up:)
ReplyDeleteReading the post about Cape Blanco brought back wonderful memories for us-we hosted there last June as Lighthouse interpretive hosts and just loved it.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are really pressing north early in the year for temperate loving Floridians! We froze along the coast all the way thru June on one of our trips. Glad you found a site…
ReplyDeleteBobbie and I thought they could afford to cut down a few trees in Oregon Campgrounds…you'd think they would value the sun more up there…
Box Canyon Mark
I'd say 17.25 average is good for California and all the gorgeous places you stayed.
ReplyDeleteWow, you did really good on your average nightly cost and in CA. The pacific NW has eluded our travels thus far. It sure looks beautiful. Hope it warms up.
ReplyDeleteTurn the shower on HOT and leave it for a few minutes. It will warm up the room and then it is not too bad taking a shower. I did this in Fernley, NV while working for Amazon and the temps got down to 4 degrees. It always worked for me.
ReplyDeleteThe showers have those annoying push buttons so the temperature of the water is preset. I took our little heater into the bathroom and plugged it in but I still froze. The water temperature kept varying from nearly scalding to very cool and back again. Not fun!
DeleteGayle
How long are you there for? We're going to be there on Saturday (if there's space available) or Sunday.
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