Cape Perpetua

This campground isn’t the most private. But what it lacks in privacy it makes up for in convenience to the coast, super clean restrooms (not pit toilets), and, as far as I can tell, no fire restrictions even when the rest of the state has them.

Our site, the last one available, was a first come, first served site. It was right on the road but camping in my roof top tent made this a non-issue. Though I would have loved something more private, we ended up engaging with several of the other campers there - which ended up being a great way to spend our time here after all.

This campground is incredibly popular and I don’t recommend rolling the dice like we did - I would reserve a spot. We already planned our next trip there a month from now and are bringing some friends along.

Dogs are welcomed, there is water available near each site, and I recommend bringing your own wood; buying at the camp is pricey.

Great place to camp to ensure you have early access to the recreation sites. Close to thors well, the overlooks and devils churn.

Nice, quiet campground along a small creek. The are is really cool to with a hiking trail across the creek and the beach with in walking distance. The vistors center is also within walking distance and really cool. The campground had flush toilets that were clean and nice. We really enjoyed our stay.

[Internet. Verizon and T-Mobile. There’s no internet. There’s a tiny wee bit of signal with our booster but it is unusable even if just trying to text. If you need internet like I did one day to work, no worries — go to the Spouting Horn scenic parking lot. I worked there. Verizon via iPhone 12: 14 mbps down and 2 mbps up with 48 ms ping.]

PROS

→ Super convenient in the Cape Perpetua area. It’d be a nice home base to spend 2 or 3 days. Come to the campground to disconnect since there’s practically no signal in the campground. Have a slow visit with the hiking trails and the view points. There’s a visitor center that’s open seasonally. From a visit to the area in years past during December whale migration, you might run into whale watching volunteers at the Spouting Horn scenic parking lot. They will teach you about whales and just about any other local coastal happenings if the conversation steers that way. → National Park Service style restrooms that actually flush. They are rather nice. They also have an accessibility ramp. → Our campsite was on the stream which is so peaceful. → BIG PRO. This campground is for the outdoorsy type. RVs can get in here but you’ll find less of these kinds of campers simply because there’s no amenities for them and RV length is limited. → You can reserve sites online and also walk-up self pay. → You can hike from the campground to the scenic areas on the ocean.

CONS

→ I can’t think of any cons.

5-stars. This is a predictably no frills but clean and safe campground that’s well located and well paved. —————————— [Rig. Mercedes Sprinter. 22 feet]

Dump station? - No, so plan accordingly Water fill? - No, but there are scattered spigots Electricity? - None in the campground Clean site? - Yes Clean bathroom? - Yes Flush toilet? - Yes Showers? - No Laundry? - No Dish washing sink? - No

NOTE: One of the scenic parking lots is fee based. I think it’s $5 but we used our NPS America the Beautiful annual pass. Spouting Horn parking lot is free. Be mindful, there’s been massive erosion so hiking between Spouting Horn and the fee-based parking lot isn’t as easy since paths are closed.

Really nice FS campground across the highway from the coast.  There's lots to do here, lots of attractions packed in this area.

The campground is a long strip with sites along Cape Creek.  Each site has a different layout: some are back in, some are "park along side," some you park your car and set up camp closer to the creek.  They're all really nice, some more private than others.

There's trash here, but no recycling.  Gendered accessible toilets, no showers.  Cell service was weak.  Water spigots throughout.  Each site has a picnic table and fire pit.

Host on site.  Campground is run by American Land & Leisure.

Group camp available at $171/night

Cost seemed high at $31/night (half off with the senior pass), but I suppose you're paying for the location.

Sites are reservable on recreation.gov.

We were here in June and about 1/3 of the sites were occupied.

The Campground itself is tucked up into a canyon and has a nice stream running past each site.  The real reason to camp here is that you are between 10-20 minutes away from some of the most scenic parts of the Oregon Coast.

It was a beautiful spot with lots to see in the area. The bathrooms were clean. It’s a quiet spot. There are no showers. Our campsite (26) was not level for our rv but we were able to get it close.

We were sad to find out that the campground was scheduled to close for the season the day after we arrived.

Protected campground on the Oregon coast under old forests. The groundcover reminded me of years on the Olympic coast, but better weather. A mix of private and open campsites along Cape Creek, protected from coastal winds. We were lucky to grab a FCFS site, most are reservation, and it was lovely. Many trails to hike, even to beach and tide pools. Everything is a walk, which may separate it from other coastal campgrounds. A must if traveling Oregon. The views are breathtaking. Also site of a CCC camp during the Depression. And only an hour from home!

This is a great spot to camp and explore around!

Campground is quiet and pretty. A lovely little creek runs through it and trails lead both to the beach (Devil's Churn, Thor's Well, Cook's Chasm)

Some spots (like #4, ours) are pretty small and exposed. Some larger spots are around. From the looks of the website the smaller spots are max occupancy 6 and larger are 8.

It's the Oregon Coast, so, you know, it's gonna rain.

Nearby Yachats is very charming and worth a visit.

Just a normal national forest compound. Basic amenities(toilet and water)

The Good:
Walking distance from Devil's Chasm and many other attractions on the cape.
Massive network of trails up and down from the campground

Bathrooms

Camp Host is helpful and nice

The Not so Good:

You are in a canyon so you will likely be socked in the entire time - bring a rain coat!

Sites are REALLLY small -- we originally got site #4 and ended up switching to #1 because we couldn't even fit our tent on it.

In general this is a great spot, it's very close walking or driving to MANY attractions on the Oregon Coast.  If you don't mind the mist and want to spend a lot of time hiking around this is the spot for you!

Landed a last minute spot at this campsite after spending the day at Neptune Beach. Didn’t spend much time here, though the site offered a quiet creek side spot to camp for the night.

Pros: Most sites are creek side, so any potential noise from neighboring campers is drowned out. Spacious. Flush toilets available. Water available at every other site. Clean bathrooms. No showers because COVID.

Cons: Crowded and difficult to reserve.

Tips: Go play at Neptune Beach (see photos) and catch the sunset there. It is usually empty by then. Also, see where fresh creek water mixes with the Pacific! Absolutely gorgeous!

We stayed here for a church group camping event.  Clean bathrooms, great sites.  Lots of room for kids to run around.  Close to the beach and a great local brewery.

Camped here a few times over the years..most of the sites are very open with no privacy but if you go right to the back on the right there are a couple of sites off the road and the back is the mountain..36 is a good one.

But its a wonderful place to stay anyway.

A few years back me and the wife did the trek up to the viewing place..its a really rough climb so be fit..but the scene provided was breathtaking..wonderful

A drive to the top of Cape Perpetua and a jaunt down to the Visitor Center is one of a view most breathtaking. Traveling down the cliffside in the summer, a crazy amount of flowers can be seen. This park is beyond serene.

We liked the site we got(37) and there was a couple more that had some privacy, but most of them were right on the road. If you are "Camping" with a motor home this isn't a big deal, but tent camping makes it a downer(I'll show in pictures). The group site here is huge and has a lot of amenities (sink, electric, tables, and a covered area) 125.00/night.(pictures). The day-use area has one of the best view I've seen on the Oregon Coast.(picture) There is a nice Creek, and nice trails surrounding the place (picture of map) close to ocean and cool stuff like Thor's Well.(picture)

========== Cape Perpetua ===========

Cape Perpetua is quintessential Oregon coast camping. Essentially just across the street from The People's Coast, beaches, and popular attractions like Devil's Churn, you still get to enjoy the unique forests of sitka spruce and alder that make the Pacific Northwest so special.

The campground at Cape Perpetua shows this off to its best advantage. This campground runs back from Highway 101 to the start of the Spruce Trail that winds further up the headlands. The campground itself is quite level and next to a charming stream, with spacious sites punctuated regularly by clean, well-kept bathrooms.

I appreciated several qualities that set Cape Perpetua apart.

1. The campground hosts were excellent. You could see they are very attentive to the bathrooms, trash, etc, but were never intrusive, just available. You do need exact cash to pay for your site, but if you're a few bucks short like we were after attempting to stay at another campground further south, they'll direct you to a convenient ATM at the general store in Yachats.

2. I love the beach and beach camping, but I'm also a little paranoid about the big Cascadia earthquake we're overdue for. If you're also leery of sleeping in the tsunami zone when you aren't super familiar with evacuation directions for the area, you can rest easy knowing that this campground is outside the tsunami evacuation zone.

3. We had no problem fitting three two-man car camping tents in our site, plus a minivan, with room for camp chairs around the fire pit and all our things over the picnic table. The tent sites have "floors" of soft grass and clover, and many are shaded, or recessed into little alcoves that are very private with low "walls" of ferns and moss. The other sites looked similarly roomy, and even if they're close together you don't feel on top of your neighbors.

4. It's just a few minutes to Yachats proper, where you can enjoy the brewery, ice cream shop, cute boutiques, the general store, etc.

========== Gregory Jade 63 Liter Backpack ===========

As a Dyrt Ranger, I get to review products from time to time. On my trip to Cape Perpetua, I brought my new Gregory Jade 63 Liter Backpack in Mayan Teal along for a test drive. Packing at home, I was already impressed with the attention to detail paid by the design team. Little touches, like the zipper pulls having slight corners that make it easy for your fingers to grip, the shape of the back padding and robust hip belt made with the female body in mind, and the color-coded alligator clips that make it clear how every strap is meant to pair all add up to a great user experience.

The 63 liter pack is robust, with more than enough room for a two-man car camping tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, Primus camp stove kit, first aid kit, water bottle, and odds and ends. It was ideal for this car camping trip, but could easily serve on a backpacking trip, too. Despite the roomy interior, though, it never felt too big or disproportionate for my 5'6, 170 pound frame. On the contrary, it was far more comfortable and intuitive to pack than my old NorthFace pack.

Like many backpacking packs, the Gregory Jade 63 Liter has a bottom compartment that's partitioned off from the main, cavernous interior. That's topped with a "brain" that is accessed by zipper and snaps down with alligator clips. There's a big mesh pocket on the front and two side mesh pockets. Gregory smartly doesn't reinvent the wheel on a basic backpack structure that works, but the beauty is in how well it executes this familiar style. The mesh pockets are breathable, yet slightly opaque, and the fabric is plenty tough and stretchy. The zipper pulls are really easy to manipulate, as I noted above, big enough for your fingers to find them in the dark or even get a finger slotted in there to pull, but not so large they're obnoxious or catch on things.

The back panel is my very favorite. As a Southern girl used to very sweaty summer hikes, I appreciate the way the mesh and the curved back of the pack are separate, offering lots of airflow, without sacrificing support. The hip pads on the Gregory Jade 63 have a lot more structure than I've seen on other packs, and have the same breathable construction, so I know they'll reduce the kind of rubbing Cheryl Strayed wrote about in "Wild" on her hip bones and sacrum and that I've had to put up with in the past, too. You can tell this pack is meant for long treks because the hip belt is far more robust than on Gregory's day packs.

Overall, I'm very happy with my new pack and am confident it will hold up as well as the smaller Gregory Juno 30 liter I use for my daily commuter and weekend bag. A year later it still looks brand new, so I look forward to still sporting this beautiful backpacking pack years down the road and many (comfortable!) adventures later.

This campsite can be on the pricy side, but it’s probably worth it if you get the right spot, on the river about half way into the campground, across from the second bathroom is the best. Speaking of the bathroom...there is running water, what?! Is it really camping when there is hot water from a faucet??

Lots to hike to around the area. Love this place.

Loved this campground. Very quiet, only hearing the sounds of the creek and wind in trees all day and night. Somewhat expensive for a spot without any hookups ($26/night) but was a great stay. Does not have cell service there, but you can get Verizon service at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center just up the road, or by using one of the trails from the ground (0.2 miles to visitor center). They have many trails leaving the campground and many in the area. Great spot to stay.

Smaller campground with campsites that are very close to each other. Nice tree coverage but too close proximity to your neighbors for us!

We stopped here on the way down the coast. It was way past dark, and there were a surprising amount of RVs there, which we weren't expecting. But we still managed to find a reserved spot(it was reserved for the next night, and we were planning on leaving first thing to continue South anyways). I was pleasantly surprised by the spot. The firepit was back in the bushes, and the tent site was nearby it. There was a picnic table at our site, and lots of little trails going down to the nearby creek. We almost stayed longer, but we were set on going further down the coast. I wouldn't mind going back at some point, and checking out more of the area and trails.

I absolutely loved this campground! It helped that we snagged one of the more secluded campsites. It sat next to a creek and to the left of our site was a trail so it felt like we didn't have neighbors. The campsite was huge also! The campground is a short drive from Yachats and Thor's well. About 40% of the campground is walk in only and sites go quickly!

This is a nice, quiet campground in the forest near the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. Has running water and flush toilets.

Most sites are very small. A few are very private - walk down path into shrub protected area - but most are very un-private, also not very flat. Most do not have creek view. Except at trail crossings creek is very overgrown and not accessible for playing in. That said, all the wonderful area activities are true and the campground is adequate. We were there mid July and even early in the week you need to be there early to get one of the non-reservable sites. Even though check in is 2:00, available campsites were usually gone by 1:00. On Friday, all available campsites were taken as others pulled out. About 1/2 the sites are reserve-able.

This campground is GOLD! Definitely a popular place, but we managed to snag an amazing site next to a babbling creek, tucked down in trees and secluded from everyone else. There are a few restrooms with drinking fountains, and picnic tables/fire pits at each site.

The campground is full of hiking trails, including some that take you up to great views (also drivable, but half the fun is the hike!). There is a quarter mile trail that takes you to the Visitor Center that overlooks the ocean. Plenty of people were there watching for whales, but we unfortunately didn't see any. From the Visitor Center, there are several different trails to various geological formations such as Thor's Well, Devil's Churn, and Spouting Horn. It really shows the best of the Oregon coast.

The campground is within driving distance to other cool beaches and some amazing tide pools. It is also close to the adorable town of Yachats, which has everything the hungry camper could want. I highly recommend stopping at Yachats Brewing + Farmstore for a cold beer after a day of hiking.

Cape Perpetua was a wonderful experience. You are close to a trail that can take you to Thor's Well and some crazy rock formations. It is also a short drive to some of the best tide pools we have ever been to. The campsite had hummingbirds, bunnies, and a plethora of glorious irises. The bathrooms were easily accessible and clean. We were luck enough to have a site next to the creek and we hung our hammock over the creek. It was very peaceful and the other campers were super friendly.

Great visit this week. I bit more overgrown than the last time but at least that helps with solitude. Not too busy the week before Memorial Day weekend. Best campground on the coast for simple, basic no frills camping; which is best kind IMHO.

The truth is, you wouldn't know there was a beach near this campground at all unless you are willing to walk out to it. The beach campgrounds in Oregon are often set back from the beach proper and this one is no exception. it's a crowded place where many a fifth wheel gets stuck trying to maneuver into the lanes of campsites. They deliver firewood to your site for cheap and there's a dirty little creek running through the center of the place. Huckleberry bushes abound...

The campground was crowded and normally busy. The rangers were present and the restrooms attended to regularly because they had to be.

Getting to the beach is a neat walk through a little Rec area...There's a nice cove where the tide comes in and out and people use little boats and kayaks to enjoy the harbor's calm waters.