The Oregon Coast's Tent-Only Campgrounds Offer Peaceful Getaways With Perks Like Showers And Fire Pits

The Oregon Coast is at the top of many nature buffs' bucket lists. Spanning 363 miles from tip to toe and stretching inland to encompass mist-cloaked forests and shimmering freshwater lakes, the Beaver State's western edge very rarely fails to stun travelers who come its way. It also happens to have pretty dang awesome camping opportunities.

State parks and private campgrounds alike pepper the whole coastline, from the California border in the south all the way to Washington in the north, where the dreamy escape of the Cape Lookout State Park awaits. Some sites are set up for hefty RVs and big groups, but others are a bit more remote, a touch quieter, and primed with tent campers in mind.

If you're the sort that likes to unzip your tent in the morning and sleep as the shadows of the pines move behind the canvas, then read on. This list pinpoints a few of the finest tent-only camping spots in Oregon, with options plonked right on the beaches, while others are tucked away in the hillside coastal forests. Happy camping!

The campground at Nehalem Falls offers a mere 21 individual tent pitches amidst a forested background, ranging from $15 to $20 per night at the time of this writing. Expect quietude aplenty and a real escape from the crowds during its operating season from mid-May through September. The location alone oozes remoteness and calm, about a two-hour drive from Portland. The pitches at Nehalem Falls spread out along a big meander on the Nehalem River, with separate hike-in camping areas. The whole thing is run by the state's department of forestry, which is fitting since a walking path weaves its way between the sites under a canopy of lush hemlock and spruce trees.

The coast isn't far — drive just 25 minutes west, and you'll soon smell the salt in the air. The route that takes you from the campground to the ocean is a stunner, too, snaking alongside a riverway that's famed for its autumn leaf colors and leaping salmon. Your journey culminates with the glorious beach at Manzanita, a long run of surf-bashed, mountain-shrouded dunes and sand.

Sleep to the rhythm of the Pacific and enjoy front-on views of ocean mists creeping across the Oregon coast at the highly-rated Tillicum Beach Campground. This year-round site is pretty darn unique in that it offers a run of tent pitches literally steps off the beachfront itself, all neatly cut off from any hook-up pitches, which sit in a separate area away from the shoreline. Plus, there are flush and vault toilets in the area.

There's barely anything between your tent canvas and the crashing waves here. As one Google reviewer puts it, "Great little campground. We hung our hammocks and there was a picnic table and a place to light a fire and BBQ on it. Right by the beach, with a trail to walk down to it." If you are able to peel yourself away from the mesmerizing panoramas that unfold right beside your tent for a spell, then be sure to head south to the legendary lands of Cape Perpetua, often hailed as Oregon's answer to California's Big Sur, just a 10-minute drive away. There, soaring viewpoints perch 800 feet up on cliffs, peering at landscapes of majestic Sikta spruce woods and rock stacks. It's amazing stuff!

If you're short on time and don't want to stray too far from the food trucks and craft microbreweries of Portland, no worries. Escape to the west of the big city on Highway 26 and then veer off when you get to Buxton. Within 40 minutes, you'll be cruising into the L.L. Stub Stewart State Park, where there's hike-in camping on offer at Brooke Creek to those with a tent in tow.

This isn't your classic coastal site by any stretch. You're still around a 55-minute drive from the ocean, which opens up in grand style at the ultimate Oregon coastal town of Cannon Beach. There, you'll find the craggy Haystack Rock rising 235 feet from the Pacific, seafood restaurants aplenty, and whale watching outfitters.

Back at camp later on, you'll trade salty shores for thickly forested hills, viewpoints of the Coast Range, and a web of predominantly woodland hiking trails. Talking of trails, the tent camping here is walk-in only. You'll have to hike just under half a mile from the nearest parking lot, though the payoff will be truly remote, as the pitches are hidden between stands of cedar and Douglas fir.

Cali has the John Muir Trail, the East Coast has the Appalachian Trail, and Oregon offers the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT). This 362-mile romp along the shores of the Beaver State links everything from rugged lookouts to charming seaside villages. And there's epic camping along the way to boot, with enchanting walk-in grounds like the Tillamook Head Hiker's Camp peppering the route.

Yep, this far-flung site was developed solely for folks undertaking the OCT — if you're among them, kudos! You can now look forward to some seriously off-radar camping amid the Sitka forests of the vast Ecola State Park. The hiker's camp is located down a series of zigzags on a trail that crosses the Tillamook Head, with the glorious Indian Beach and its dramatic rock stacks sitting just to the south.

It's true frontier stuff, mind you. The camp is little more than a few plots for tent pitches and a clutch of huts built from native forest wood, all caked in moss and hemmed in by blooms of ferns. There is a fire ring to huddle around as evening approaches, plus a dedicated drop toilet.

The sole non-state-run campground on this list is the cozy Wright's For Camping. It's got an epic, epic location — think just a few blocks back (10 minutes' walking in total) from the iconic Cannon Beach, a place that's been hailed as the most quintessential run of sand in the whole of the Beaver State. Behind it, the lush ridges of the Ecola Creek Forest Reserve rise in a jumble of evergreen, virgin-growth woods.

The name's the clue here: Wright's is set up solely for tent campers. It's been that way since the establishment first opened its doors way back in 1959. The story goes that Pop Wright was gifted some land after helping build a local inn, allowing his dream of offering affordable family camping just a stone's throw from their beloved beach to come to fruition.

There's just 23 individual pitches on offer from June through August, along with showers and a wood store with stacks of timber to feed those firepits. On top of that, the site sits within relatively easy walking distance of Cannon Beach's downtown area, where everything from boutique pet stores to Americana diners sits side by side.