Cape Perpetua Campground

Make sure you drive up to the Cape Perpetua Overlook for the highest and most stunning views on the coast. If you're driving the 101 South, make a left turn on 55 until you hit the sharp left onto Cape Perpetua Overlook Road. Follow until you reach the parking lot at the top. The moment I walked out to the edge of the Overlook was the most memorable sight along my entire pacific coast highway road trip from Portland to San Diego! Must see!

There was a lot of competition for sites on a busy Wednesday in August. I can’t believe they charge $26 for what amounted to basically a pull-off on the side of the road.

The sites at Camp Perpetua are well spaced with some clumped together for groups, others secluded for individuals. Fire pits well maintained, site was complete with a picnic table. Plenty of trails on offer, including down to a lovely cove and spouting rocks. Firewood was $6/bundle.

We randomly pulled into this campground a few years back (smoke inland) without reservations - camp host suggested a spot and we grabbed a nice back in spot. The spot behind us was a bit close, but our back of our trailer faced them. Had tent campers there. Could hear the creek just behind our trailer. Awesome walking trails! Really pretty, really green and a favorite!

I was on a week long birding trip up the coast and took a chance by making no camp reservations. Stopped here on a Thursday and had many sites to choose from. I wanted to camp here so I could unload my scooter off the back of the motorhome and ride to Yachats and other sites close by to bird. What a great day! The hosts were very friendly and helpful. The campground was immaculate and well manicured. Bathrooms were very clean. A benefit was having trail access right from camp for hiking. Plenty far off the road for a quiet night. It was a little noisy in the morning from birds! That's the best wakeup call. Discount on price for having the right park pass card. Stay here if you have the chance.

We were in site 36, near the Group Camping area - although there was no one in the group camp. This made for a lovely experience with a spacious, lovely site which was near the trail to the Giant Spruce. Our site would accommodate a 60+ ft RV, but many of the spaces in the campground were rather small and would accept only smaller rigs. Several sites were most appropriate for tent campers as well.

It was easy to get into the campground, just a few hundred yards off Highway 101. The campground was within a reasonable (less than a mile) walk from the Visitor's Center and the ocean. The Hosts were pleasant and the campground and restrooms were very clean. The regular price is $26/night, but with the America The Beautiful Pass (Senior Pass) the price was $13/night.

[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.
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[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.

Cape Perpetua Campground is tucked away within a lush green forest of giant spruce trees. A very peaceful place to relax or hike the trails through the forest and out to the ocean. Our rate of $14 per night was with the senior access pass discount, otherwise the rate is $28 per night. The campground has flush toilets, water, and trash containers. The campsites are paved, our site was level, picnic table and fire ring at each site. The campground was well maintained and very clean. We definately enjoyed our camping and hiking experiences at Cape Perpetua!

There is a visitor centre just off the highway, where you get fantastic views of the coast and their is also an informative display about the area, would absolutely love to go back one day and if you get the chance you should definitely stop here, even if just for five minutes to see the amazing view or a little longer to read all the displays.