roadtripper390325

We stayed here on a Friday in early October. Super easy to get to and there are a few different areas to camp. We ended up going down to the lower loop, below the dam. Lots of trees and shade down there, with a great loop that could get you access to the river. We set up camp in site number 5, which is backed up to the hillside, so we lost sunlight pretty quick. We saw turkeys and other animals in the area. Super peaceful camping area that we would definitely return to.
Only 2 negatives that I will share. 1) there were a LOT of bugs after sunset. So much so that we had to go inside to avoid being eaten alive. There was a burn ban, so maybe being able to have a fire would have helped a bit. 2) there were pit toilets and some plumbed toilets, but both left some cleaning to be desired. The pit toilets in the lower loop were especially nasty - smelled horrid and the aforementioned bugs were just as thick inside.
Those are both minor issues in my opinion and we would definitely come back here for an extended stay to explore the area.
Prior to departing, we drove through the other camping areas, including the loop up on the lake near the boat launch. That area seemed much less private with no trees or much between campsites. For us, the lower loop was the right choice!

We booked a reservation in here a couple weeks in advance for a Monday stay during early October. Online booking was easy enough and we were able to "check-in" online ahead of time so that we could pull right into our campsite - great for social distancing during COVID! It was very crowded and fully booked, so we were happy to have the reservation.

Campsite itself was really shaded with tall old growth trees. There were bushes between each site, so decent amount of privacy but close enough to say "hello" to the neighbors. Nice fire rings built in with cooking grates if needed. Thank goodness, the burn bans were lifted, so we got to enjoy a fire, although the wood bundles from the campground was a bit wet, so hard to get a good fire going. Site A8 was directly across from the restrooms, which were nice and clean.

Where this campground really shines is location. There is a nice walking path that winds down to the day use area and beaches. And the beach was gorgeous. Hardly anybody there at sunset and a great place to dip our toes into the cool water. Beautiful!

We booked a reservation here about a week in advance for a Tuesday in early October. Simple booking system, but I would recommend doing the online Pre-Register, which you will receive an email about. We didn't have service for this stay and missed the cut off, so we had to check in upon arrival (other OR parks have allowed us to drive straight to site when pre-registered). Not an issue, and allowed us connect with the host and buy some firewood (cash only!)

This campground is pretty massive, but our campsite B33 might have truly been the best site in the whole place. We were directly across the road from the sandy path to the beach! (More about the beach in a moment.) The campground was well kept, but most campsites were pretty close together - not a big deal for us, but some may care. The campsite did include a picnic table and fire ring, as well as power and water (no sewer).

When it comes to location there is no substitution. This was hands down our favorite place on the Oregon coast. When we walked up that sandy path through the sea grass, crested the dunes, and looked down at the beach... our jaws dropped. The beach was absolute perfection, like something you would see much closer to the equator! We watched an amazing sunset with waves crashing and woke up to dense, eery fog. All-in-all, just very cool!

As an added bonus, the town of Manzanita is super cute and has a great little wine shop called Dixie's Vino, where we picked up a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir, because when in Rome....

We didn't have a reservation on Wednesday, October 1 but they still had 3 spots left at 6:00pm. Staff was super friendly and the campground was very clean. Stayed in site number 40 to try to be as far away from highway noise as possible. The bathrooms are all individual units with shower and heat, which was really nice. They also have a store with all the essentials, which was helpful. Overall, a nice little KOA!

We stayed here on the eve of the 2020 election in order to give ourselves an opportunity to clear our heads before what was sure to be an interesting day (week?) to follow. No reservation required and there were only about 4 other people camping here. Pulled in around 7:00pm and it was pretty dark, but we drove around for a bit and found a decent space in site number 6. One thing to note - it looks like the power hookups are spaced in such a way that even number sites you are close to hookup on driver side as you back in, but in odd number sites, you'd have to run power across the whole campsite. Because of this, site 6 was best option without being side-by-side with a neighbor, but that site does back up to a residence that is just outside the park on the other side of the fence. If you are looking for a reservation ahead of time, site 1-4 would be really nice and close to the beach.

We were really hoping to have a fire and the website said there would be a host and firewood available. Unfortunately, when we arrived, neither were present or available. I suppose I could have gathered some driftwood, but it was pretty damp, so we bagged the fire and played games inside.

Overall, its an ok spot for being relatively close to the city (35 min ferry ride from Seattle) and the beach is really pretty, but it's a city park and probably more designed for day use. It served it's purpose to escape civilization for 24 hours as we got ourselves ready for election results.