roadtripper3426581

This is a big campground, multiple loops, with a big set of yurts and a half-dozen camp hosts for various areas. The rangers on check-in are thorough and the map is really helpful. Each loop has toilets and free showers (yay!) and a play area for kids.

There are several trails to the beach, and a paved bike trail to the aquarium and jetty for those who like to hike or ride bikes. The beach itself feels endless to the south (the jetty to the north ends it rather quickly!).

The town of Newport is just to the north, with Walmart, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and several places to get propane refills. The traffic can be a bit heavy, so avoid commute hours.

The noise comes not from the 101 traffic but from helicopters and planes taking off or landing at the airport just a bit south of the campground. Not constant, but that one helicopter managed to make an otherwise enjoyable campfire night a bit noisy.

Camped in A loop, where the outside is mostly for tents, and inside of the loop is for RVs and trailers. Was right next to the vault toilets and showers, but they are very clean and no smell. Small sites was OK for my little trailer and SUV, but big rigs should check site sizes before booking. And yes, there were horses. And deer. And lots of birds.

When it's windy, the bayside is better. And, oh, be prepared for people to walk through your campsite any time to get close to the horses. Few people seem to read the "don't get near the horses" signs and want to walk right up to them :-(

(Note: above rate is with Senior Pass discount)

Small, crowded, not much privacy per site, and absolutely no dump station at all. A few sites have sewer hookups but not many and the rest of us are left to drive 22 miles to the next state park to dump (that’s literally the advice the rangers give). And while the showers looked good, there was no hot water 1 of the 2 times I tried to use them.

The beach is small here, especially compared to the parks up the coast. If you like beach walking, go find the county park/beach up the road 2 miles (back towards Charleston). It's also the closest place to pull in any AT&T signal (I had "no service" the entire time I stayed at Sunset, despite a cell phone booster setup in my rig).

The big attraction isn’t the park, it’s the botanical gardens just south of it, better known as Shore Acres State Park (day-use only). It’s an amazing place, from the ragged cliffs showing the underlying geology of the place to the extensive gardens and pond.

The small town of Charleston has a few stores (selling mostly seafood, oysters, and deli-style items). A bit further of a drive is North Bend, where you’ll find a Walmart, multiple gas stations, and a good laundry a few blocks west of Walmart on the same street.

The previous reviews about the roads and sites being in poor condition are not kidding. I personally saw 4 RVs drive in, drive around looking for level spots, and then leave. One guy tried for about 20 minutes to level at the site next to me, gave up, and left.

The roads are rutted and missing asphalt in large sections. Just driving in the RV pull-through loop was jarring, but the roads get worse as you go up the hill away from the ranger station. I walked them and can't imagine how bumpy the ride would be in a big rig, let alone my 18-foot trailer.

The dump station is missing any hoses for rinsing out your sewer hose, the water outlet was literally way over my head with no hose to bring it down to normal level, which I didn't see till I was done pumping out and ready to rinse.

The rangers were friendly and helpful, and there are several good hiking trails surrounding the campsite, which is the only plusses for this campsite.

They really pack 'em in here, each loop has a lot of campers so the noise level on weekends and holidays can be crazy. Lots of families, so lots of kids. Weekdays in January were pretty deserted, so much better as far as overcrowding goes. If you really want the beach and don't need hookups, go farther down the coast to those parks and take your shot at getting a spot right next to the water.

Beach row is no hookups, but you do get water views. However, you need a small trailer in the San Miguel loop (18 foot limit), not sure about the other loops. As other reviewer mentioned, hookup sites can be tight. The Class A next to me one night did not put their slides out at all, no room; the next Class A carefully managed to fit in so they could use their slides.

The beach is the big attraction here - at low tide you can walk a mile or more, and it's beautiful. Lots of pelicans and seagulls, and tide pools at low tide.

The park location is great: salt marsh, Merrimack River, Atlantic Ocean. Long flat beach to walk on at low tide.

And that's the best thing about this place. It is understaffed: on a saturday when the park was full up, there was one office person, no park rangers, and so no crowd control or anyone to enforce any type of regulation. So the site right next to me has a long trailer, 2 trucks, a car, and a boat. I literally have the boat parked about a foot from my trailer. Quiet hours are not enforced at all either, so don't expect things to quiet down till midnight. With care and maintenance, this would be a great park. As it is now, I won't be back after this trip. Mass should do better than this for $48/night for out-of-state campers.

The park location is great: salt marsh, Merrimack River, Atlantic Ocean. Long flat beach to walk on at low tide.

And that's the best thing about this place. It is understaffed: on a saturday when the park was full up, there was one office person, no park rangers, and so no crowd control or anyone to enforce any type of regulation. So the site right next to me has a long trailer, 2 trucks, a car, and a boat. I literally have the boat parked about a foot from my trailer. Quiet hours are not enforced at all either, so don't expect things to quiet down till midnight. With care and maintenance, this would be a great park. As it is now, I won't be back after this trip. Mass should do better than this for $48/night for out-of-state campers.

The park location is great: salt marsh, Merrimack River, Atlantic Ocean. Long flat beach to walk on at low tide.

And that's the best thing about this place. It is understaffed: on a saturday when the park was full up, there was one office person, no park rangers, and so no crowd control or anyone to enforce any type of regulation. So the site right next to me has a long trailer, 2 trucks, a car, and a boat. I literally have the boat parked about a foot from my trailer. Quiet hours are not enforced at all either, so don't expect things to quiet down till midnight. With care and maintenance, this would be a great park. As it is now, I won't be back after this trip. Mass should do better than this for $48/night for out-of-state campers.

The park location is great: salt marsh, Merrimack River, Atlantic Ocean. Long flat beach to walk on at low tide.

And that's the best thing about this place. It is understaffed: on a saturday when the park was full up, there was one office person, no park rangers, and so no crowd control or anyone to enforce any type of regulation. So the site right next to me has a long trailer, 2 trucks, a car, and a boat. I literally have the boat parked about a foot from my trailer. Quiet hours are not enforced at all either, so don't expect things to quiet down till midnight. With care and maintenance, this would be a great park. As it is now, I won't be back after this trip. Mass should do better than this for $48/night for out-of-state campers.

The park location is great: salt marsh, Merrimack River, Atlantic Ocean. Long flat beach to walk on at low tide.

And that's the best thing about this place. It is understaffed: on a saturday when the park was full up, there was one office person, no park rangers, and so no crowd control or anyone to enforce any type of regulation. So the site right next to me has a long trailer, 2 trucks, a car, and a boat. I literally have the boat parked about a foot from my trailer. Quiet hours are not enforced at all either, so don't expect things to quiet down till midnight. With care and maintenance, this would be a great park. As it is now, I won't be back after this trip. Mass should do better than this for $48/night for out-of-state campers.