Luxury waterside camping in Oregon

With quiet beaches, vibrant cities, and massive expanses of forest, Oregon has something for everyone.

98% (2029 reviews)

United States
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Oregon

98% (2029 reviews)

Popular camping styles for Oregon

Top waterside campgrounds in oregon

100%

(7)

Below the Falls Lodge

1 site · Lodging1 acre · Coos Bay, OR

Relax and revive in this artistic 'cabin' with wonderful views of historic Glenn Creek from every room. An architectural dream, you enter this lodge style home through a pivoting hobbit style front door with hardware from the 1800's. Highlights of this original home include a gourmet kitchen with labradorite granite counters, 800 year old juniper tree spiral stair case, huge beams and exposed rafters, a sauna, and a romantic wood stove. Also each upstairs bedroom has a hanging bed with three 8 foot skylights above for indoor star gazing. Original artworks from local artists are throughout the home. Many pleasantries await the curious such as embedded fossils in the cracked mud walls.Nestled amongst towering fir and cedar trees, with windows everywhere, you'll feel and see nature's presence. This home site has a remarkably peaceful way about it. Recently featured in Southern Oregon Magazine and KCBY 11 TV's ~In Focus~ 'Goin' Green' and Oregon's Solar Home Tour, this is a unique 'green' home. This home was built with environmentally friendly materials. Building with little impact on the surroundings was very important to us during construction. The myrtle hardwood floor in the kitchen and living room was milled on site which came from trees that stood where the house is now. Same story for the beautiful maple flooring in the ½ bath. All of the large beams and fir flooring came from two 4' thick 104 year old douglas fir trees which also stood and were milled where the house is now. The fir trees sprouted after the last forest fire that came through the canyon. One of our neighbors fell a sixty five year old redwood that was over six feet thick! We used some of it as a wonderful wainscot paneling throughout the house. All of the finishes used are no or low VOC. Surrounding the house is native vegetation, huge trees and a few herbs and spices for cooking. You'll enjoy the fully equipped kitchen with labradorite granite counters. The kitchen island has a new five burner gas stove with a convection oven and warming oven. The island has plenty of granite and wood counter space. Hanging from the exhaust hood are stainless, non-stick, and cast iron cookware. We also provide shade grown fair trade coffee and a grinder, espresso machine, coffee maker, toaster, microwave, utensils, chef knives, glasses and frosty cocktail glasses in the freezer. The dining room table has a river view and can seat six comfortably. There is also seating for three at the island bar. From the kitchen you can visit with the folks in the living room thanks to the open floor plan. Beside the wood stove are two chairs and the futon couch with reading lamp. A CD changer, TV with a DVD player and VHS machine are in the downstairs bedroom. Bring your favorite videos or browse our selection of movies. The property has 150 feet of creek frontage with great views of Glenn creek, the forest and distant cliffs. Enjoy wildlife viewing with River Dippers, Chipmunks, Kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, Screech Owls, Pileated Wood Peckers, Elk, an occasional Bald Eagle or River Otter and other wildlife from the house and back deck. Build a fire and have lunch on the nearby picnic table and benches.

Luxury waterside camping in Oregon guide

Overview

Oregon has long been known as an outdoor destination, with snow-capped mountains, rugged high desert, Pacific Coast beaches, and roaring rivers all within a few hours’ drive of one another. While Portland attracts visitors with its celebrated food scene and music venues, Oregon offers much more for those who’d prefer a quieter getaway out in nature. If you’ve come to camp or hike, you’ll have no shortage of options to choose from—in fact, there are 11 national forests, hundreds of state parks and recreation areas, and 2.5 million acres of protected wilderness within the state’s borders.

Where to go

The Willamette Valley

Extending from the border with Washington state down to the community of Springfield, the Willamette Valley is Oregon’s main economic and cultural hub. Although it’s home to the state’s three most populated cities (Portland, Salem, and Eugene), much of the Willamette Valley is dominated by forests and countryside, with plenty of state parks, hiking and mountain biking trails, hot springs, and rivers.

Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge

Just east of Portland on the border with Washington, the Columbia River Gorge offers easy access to miles of hiking trails, waterfalls, and great skiing and snowboarding. The adjacent Mt. Hood region has equally beautiful scenery and is as popular for winter skiing and snowboarding as it is for hiking, swimming, and camping in the summer months.

The Oregon Coast

This region is popular year-round, attracting whale-watching fans in the cooler months and campers and hikers in the summer months. Popular Oregon Coast activities include hiking, tide pool viewing, clamming, crabbing, off-road vehicle rides on the sweeping Oregon Dunes, and sampling world-famous cheese and ice cream in Tillamook. While some brave souls don wetsuits for surfing and diving, the Pacific Ocean waters rarely get warm enough for comfortable dips. Some of the area’s best camping options can be found at Harris Beach State Park, Sunset Bay State Park, and Cape Lookout State Park, all of which offer tent camping, yurt rentals, and RV sites with hookups.

Eastern and Central Oregon

Stretching from the portion of the Cascade Range south of the Columbia Gorge all the way east to the Oregon-Idaho border, central and eastern Oregon offer a dryer, sunnier alternative to the rainier parts of the state, with a mix of lush forest and craggy high desert landscapes. Highlights include Deschutes National Forest, popular for backpacking and backcountry stays, while campers in search of a more developed camping experience can head to one of the many Oregon state parks along the Deschutes River, near Bend.

Southern Oregon

Oregon’s southernmost region offers a variety of scenery, with a mix of lakes, forests, and rivers interspersed with rolling expanses of countryside (not to mention some great wineries). The region’s most famous natural attraction is Crater Lake National Park, Oregon’s only national park, set near the southeastern reaches of Umpqua National Forest.