The Oregon Coast is one of the great American road trips. 363 miles of Highway 101 running the length of the state — dramatic headlands, sea stack beaches, old-growth forest reaching to the tide line, charming fishing towns, and some of the most accessible public beach camping in the country.

Oregon's beaches are entirely public land. Every inch of the coast is accessible to everyone by state law — no private beach access, no gated coastline. You can camp on state park sites with the Pacific surf as your soundtrack for $30 a night. The whole coast feels like it belongs to you.

Drive it north to south for the best views — you'll be on the ocean side of the highway the entire way.

The route

Astoria → Cannon Beach → Tillamook → Lincoln City → Newport → Florence → Coos Bay → Bandon → Gold Beach → Brookings

Total driving distance: approximately 363 miles on Highway 101. Recommended time: 7–10 days minimum. Two weeks lets you actually stop.

Most RVers start in Portland — about 90 miles from Astoria — and end near the California border before looping back inland. The route is entirely on Highway 101 with occasional scenic byway detours worth taking.

Astoria — The northern anchor

Astoria sits at the mouth of the Columbia River where Lewis and Clark ended their journey to the Pacific in 1805. It's the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies and the most architecturally interesting town on the Oregon Coast — Victorian houses climbing the hillside above the river, a working waterfront, and a genuine sense of history that most coastal towns lack.

Astoria Column — a 125-foot painted column on the highest hill above town with a spiral staircase to the top. The view from the observation deck takes in the Columbia River, the Pacific Ocean, and the surrounding hills in every direction. Climb it.

Fort Clatsop — the reconstructed winter fort where Lewis and Clark spent the miserable winter of 1805-06. The NPS interpretation is excellent and the surrounding old-growth forest gives real context for what the expedition experienced. Well worth the stop.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge — the longest continuous truss bridge in North America crossing the Columbia River to Washington. Dramatic to drive and to photograph from the waterfront below.

Blue Scorcher Bakery — the best breakfast in Astoria. Organic, worker-owned, consistently excellent. Get there early.

Camping near Astoria:

Fort Stevens State Park — one of the largest campgrounds on the Oregon Coast with full hookups, yurts, and a historic military fort to explore. Sites on the lake are the best. Book well in advance for summer weekends.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is the most visited town on the Oregon Coast and justifiably so. Haystack Rock — a 235-foot sea stack rising directly from the beach — is one of the most iconic coastal formations in the country. The town itself is small, walkable, and genuinely good — art galleries, excellent restaurants, and a beach wide enough to feel uncrowded even in peak season.

Haystack Rock — walk out at low tide and the tide pools around the base are among the best in Oregon. Sea stars, anemones, hermit crabs, and nesting tufted puffins on the upper rock from spring through summer. The puffins alone are worth the stop.

Ecola State Park — north of town, one of the great coastal viewpoints in Oregon. The overlook above Indian Beach looks south across Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock with the coast stretching to the horizon. The park road is not suitable for larger RVs — leave the rig at the Cannon Beach RV parks and drive up in your tow vehicle.

Sleepy Monk Coffee — the best coffee on the northern Oregon Coast. Organic, fair trade, roasted on-site. A worthy stop.

Camping near Cannon Beach:

Cannon Beach RV Resort — full hookups, walking distance to the beach and town. The most convenient option for exploring Cannon Beach.

Book on Campspot → [affiliate link]

Nehalem Bay State Park — south of Cannon Beach on a sand spit between the bay and the ocean. Some of the best camping on the northern coast. Yurts and full hookups available.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Tillamook

Tillamook is famous for cheese — the Tillamook Creamery draws more visitors than any other attraction on the Oregon Coast — but the surrounding area has some of the best scenery on the northern coast.

Tillamook Creamery — a working dairy and creamery with a visitor center, factory tours, and a restaurant serving ice cream that justifies a detour on its own merits. The cheese curds are the move. Free to visit.

Three Capes Scenic Route — a 35-mile loop off Highway 101 through Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. Three completely different coastal headlands with lighthouse, hiking, and some of the best views on the coast. RV-friendly for most of the route — check current road conditions for the Cape Lookout section with larger rigs.

Cape Kiwanda — the southernmost cape on the Three Capes loop. Massive sand dunes back the beach and the Haystack Rock here — different from Cannon Beach's — rises from the surf with a dramatic wave-cut arch at its base. One of the most photogenic spots on the Oregon Coast.

Camping near Tillamook:

Cape Lookout State Park — inside the Three Capes loop with sites near the beach and in the forest. Full hookups on some sites. One of the best state park campgrounds on the coast.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Lincoln City and the Central Coast

Lincoln City is the largest town on the central coast and the most commercial — but it's a useful supply stop and the beach here is excellent for kite flying, which happens to be a serious local obsession.

Depoe Bay — just south of Lincoln City, the smallest navigable harbor in the world. The spouting horn — a natural rock channel that shoots ocean water 40 feet into the air when waves hit right — is worth stopping for. Whale watching boat tours operate from the harbor year-round.

Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area — a collapsed sea cave near Otter Rock that fills with churning white water at high tide. The view into the bowl from the overlook is dramatic and unusual. Short walk from the parking area.

Mo's Restaurant — an Oregon Coast institution with locations in Newport and Lincoln City. Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl is the move. Touristy but genuinely good.

Camping near Lincoln City:

Devil's Lake State Recreation Area — on the lake in the middle of Lincoln City. Full hookups, close to the beach.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Newport

Newport is the best town on the central Oregon Coast — a working fishing port with a genuine commercial waterfront, excellent seafood, the best aquarium on the coast, and a downtown that rewards walking.

Oregon Coast Aquarium — one of the best aquariums on the West Coast. The jellyfish gallery is extraordinary and the outdoor exhibits include sea otters, harbor seals, and a walk-through underwater tunnel. Plan 2–3 hours.

Hatfield Marine Science Center — Oregon State University's marine research facility adjacent to the aquarium. Free to visit, with exhibits on coastal ecology and ocean science that are surprisingly engaging. The octopus tank alone is worth stopping for.

Bayfront District — Newport's historic waterfront with working fishing boats, seafood markets, and restaurants serving what came off the boats that morning. Rogue Ales Public House on the bayfront is excellent. The chowder at Local Ocean Seafoods is consistently the best on the coast.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area — a Bureau of Land Management site north of Newport with a working lighthouse, tide pools among the best on the Oregon Coast, and views from the headland that stretch in both directions. The tide pools at low tide contain sea stars, purple urchins, anemones, and chitons in extraordinary density. Check tide charts before you visit — the pools are only accessible at low tide.

Camping near Newport:

Beverly Beach State Park — north of Newport with direct beach access and full hookups. One of the most popular campgrounds on the coast — book months in advance for summer.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

South Beach State Park — south of Newport near the aquarium. Full hookups, large sites, easy access to town.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Florence and the Oregon Dunes

Florence sits at the northern edge of the Oregon Dunes — 40 miles of coastal sand dunes up to 500 feet high, the largest temperate coastal dunes in North America. The landscape is genuinely unlike anything else on the coast — rolling dunes, deflation plain lakes, and open sand extending to the ocean horizon.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area — managed by the US Forest Service rather than the NPS. Dune buggy and ATV rentals are available at multiple operators in Florence — riding the dunes is a legitimate and genuinely fun activity. Hiking trails cross the dunes to the beach from multiple trailheads.

Sand Master Park — sandboarding on the dunes. Equipment rental available. Surprisingly good.

Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park — one of the best state park campgrounds in Oregon. Sites in the forest with direct access to the dunes and two freshwater lakes for swimming and kayaking. Full hookups available.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Sea Lion Caves — a privately operated sea cave north of Florence where Steller sea lions congregate. An elevator descends to the cave floor where hundreds of sea lions can be viewed year-round. The largest sea cave in the country. Touristy but worth it — the smell and sound of hundreds of sea lions in an enclosed cave is an experience.

Coos Bay

Coos Bay is the largest city on the Oregon Coast — a working port town with a gritty authenticity that the more tourist-oriented towns north and south lack. It's also one of the best Dungeness crab destinations on the entire coast and a genuinely underrated stop.

Cape Arago State Park — south of Coos Bay, one of the best headland stops on the southern coast. Three connected capes with different characters — Shore Acres has formal gardens improbably maintained above the crashing Pacific, Cape Arago has views of the Shell Island sea lion and harbor seal rookery. Walk all three.

Shore Acres State Park — the botanical garden above the ocean. A former private estate with formal gardens maintained by the state — rose gardens, Japanese garden, and a Christmas light display in December that draws visitors from across the state. The cliff-top views of the Pacific from the adjacent overlook are among the best on the coast.

Crabbing at Coos Bay

Coos Bay is one of the best Dungeness crab destinations on the Oregon Coast. The season runs roughly December through August with peak crabbing in winter when the crabs are fattest and the competition for tables is lowest. Crab rings and bait are available from local shops — Charleston Marina Bait Shop is the standard recommendation. Drop your rings at high tide, wait two to three hours, pull them at low tide. A limit of Dungeness crab cooked at your campsite the same evening is one of the great Oregon Coast meals and a reason by itself to time your trip around the southern coast in winter.

Camping near Coos Bay:

Sun Outdoors Coos Bay — the best full-hookup option in the Coos Bay area and the ideal base for crabbing season. Clean facilities, well-maintained sites, and a location that puts you close to the bay for Dungeness crab fishing. Pull-through sites accommodate larger rigs comfortably.

If crabbing is on your itinerary — and it should be — this is where to stay. Rent crab rings from local bait shops, drop them off the dock at low tide, and pull up Dungeness crab within the hour. Cook them at camp the same night. It's one of the great Oregon Coast experiences and Sun Outdoors puts you right in position for it.

Book on Campspot → [affiliate link]

Bullards Beach State Park — north of Bandon with full hookups, a historic lighthouse on the Coquille River, and beach access. Good alternative if Sun Outdoors is full.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Bandon — Sea Stacks and World-Class Golf

Bandon is a small town with an outsized reputation — dramatic sea stack scenery on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach on the coast, a genuine cranberry farming culture, and a golf destination that draws players from around the world.

Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint — the best viewpoint for the Bandon sea stacks. Face Rock, Table Rock, and a series of other formations create a beach that looks designed by a landscape architect. Walk the beach south from the viewpoint at low tide for the best access to the formations. Sunrise and sunset here are extraordinary.

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Bandon Dunes is consistently ranked among the top golf destinations in the world — not just in the United States, but the world. Five courses built on the natural dunes above the Pacific with no houses, no cart paths, and no distractions from the golf and the ocean views. It's a walking-only resort — caddies are available and encouraged — and the courses play through coastal meadows, native fescue, and dune terrain that puts you in mind of the great links courses of Scotland and Ireland.

The five courses — Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald, and Sheep Ranch — each have distinct characters. Pacific Dunes is consistently rated among the best courses in the country. Sheep Ranch on the cliff edge above the Pacific is the most dramatic.

This is destination golf. Players travel from across the country and internationally specifically for Bandon Dunes. If you play golf and you're driving the Oregon Coast, this is not optional.

Tee times book months in advance for summer. Lodge and cottage accommodations on site. The resort is walker-friendly and the caddie program is excellent — use it.

Book tee times at bandondunes.com →

Face Rock Creamery — a Bandon institution making artisan cheese from local milk. The cheese curds are excellent and the shop is worth stopping at even if you just loaded up at the Tillamook Creamery to the north.

Camping near Bandon:

Bullards Beach State Park — north of Bandon on the Coquille River with full hookups and a historic lighthouse. Good base for the beach and golf area.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Gold Beach and the Rogue River

Gold Beach sits at the mouth of the Rogue River — one of the great wild rivers in Oregon and the launching point for the famous Rogue River jet boat tours.

Jerry's Rogue Jets — jet boat tours up the Rogue River through the wild and scenic canyon above Gold Beach. Tours range from 64 miles round trip to 104 miles depending on how far upriver you want to go. The upper canyon is genuine wilderness — black bears, osprey, herons, and otters along the river banks. One of the best boat tour experiences on the entire coast. Book in advance.

Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor — south of Gold Beach, a 12-mile stretch of Highway 101 with some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in Oregon. Natural bridges, sea arches, and forested headlands with views that stop you mid-sentence. The Natural Bridges Cove overlook and Arch Rock viewpoint are both extraordinary. Pull off at every signed viewpoint — every one is worth it.

Camping near Gold Beach:

Honey Bear Campground — a private campground with full hookups south of Gold Beach. Good base for the Boardman Corridor and Rogue River activities.

Book on Hipcamp → [affiliate link]

Brookings — The southern anchor

Brookings sits near the California border and has a microclimate unusually warm for the Oregon Coast — locals call it the Banana Belt. The town is known for its lily bulb farms, its proximity to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, and Azalea State Park which blooms spectacularly in May.

Harris Beach State Park — the southernmost major state park on the Oregon Coast. Bird Island just offshore is the largest island on the Oregon Coast and a seabird nesting site. Full hookups, direct beach access, and one of the most dramatic coastal settings on the route.

Book on Reserve America → [affiliate link]

Alfred A. Loeb State Park — a few miles inland on the Chetco River in a grove of old-growth myrtlewood trees — a species found only in southwestern Oregon and Israel. The river swimming here is excellent in summer.

Practical notes for the Oregon Coast

Book campgrounds early. Oregon State Parks are among the most popular in the country and summer weekends fill up months in advance. Reserve America opens reservations six months in advance — set a reminder and book the day they open for peak summer dates.

Fog is real. The Oregon Coast has marine layer fog that can persist through mid-morning even in summer. Don't panic if you wake up to grey skies — it usually burns off by noon. The fog creates its own atmosphere and some of the best coastal photography happens in it.

Wind. The Oregon Coast is consistently windy — the same wind that makes kite flying great makes camping setup and beach time require layers. A good windbreak at your campsite and a wind shell in your pack make a real difference.

Tide charts matter. The best tide pool experiences, the most dramatic wave action, and beach access to some formations all depend on tide timing. Download a tide chart app — Tides Near Me is reliable — and plan your beach activities around low tide.

Oregon has no sales tax. Gas is pumped by attendants — tipping is customary. Oregon also prohibits self-service gas pumping, which surprises out-of-state visitors.

Seafood. The Oregon Coast produces Dungeness crab, Chinook salmon, halibut, albacore tuna, and razor clams. Eat as much of it as possible. The best seafood is at the working waterfront restaurants in Newport, Gold Beach, and Astoria — not the tourist strip restaurants. Ask locally where the fishing boats unload and eat near there.

Gear for the Oregon Coast

• Rain gear — not optional. The coast gets real weather even in summer.
• Surge protector — state park campground power is variable. Best RV Surge Protectors →
• Leveling blocks — state park sites are rarely flat. Best RV Leveling Systems →
• Sewer hose kit — full hookups at most state parks. Best RV Sewer Hose Kits →
• Backup camera — state park campgrounds have tight site access. Best RV Backup Cameras →
• Wireless internet — Starlink handles most of the coast well. Cell coverage drops in the headland sections. Best Wireless Internet Setups for RVs →

Bottom Line

Drive it north to south. Take your time in Newport. Stop at every viewpoint on the Samuel H. Boardman Corridor. Play Bandon Dunes if you golf — it belongs on the bucket list. Eat the chowder. Drop a crab ring in Coos Bay in December. Watch the sunset from Cape Kiwanda.

The Oregon Coast rewards the RVer who slows down. Every town has something worth stopping for, every headland has a view worth the short walk, and the state campground system puts you directly on the ocean for less money than a budget motel. It's one of the genuinely great American road trips.

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