Nehalem Bay State Park

Awesome place to camp. Pros- camping spots are spacious, close to the beach. Trails. Cons-if elderly, the walk to the beach may be somewhat difficult. No Sewer hookups at camp spot. Separate area for that. Rangers roam around like military. Make sure you follow instructions, rules. Depending where you camp it may be a bit of a walk to the bathrooms.

Do not go here! This is one of my favorite campgrounds, and it's getting more difficult to get reservations. It's not too big and the campsites are nice. It's not super private, but there are decent trees between each site. There is a short paved trail through the woods, which is great for a bike ride. Each end of the park (A,B,C loops, and D,E,F loops) has a short trail over the dunes to a fantastic beach. Each loop has a good bathhouse; they're getting old, but they are always clean, always work, and the hot water is hot. If you need supplies, the grocery store in Manzanita is close by. And we saw elk in the park a couple of times. I love Nehalem Bay!

You know it could of been an exceptional time but our neighbors from Grace church of Portland don’t know how to mind their kids. Most of our surrounding neighbors complained about their kids running through their campgrounds and using their loudest voices. We realized this is a stopping ground for Portland and we just aren’t fans. The beach looked nice but we couldn’t take our bikes on the beach due to a rare event of a bird hatching eggs, that’s ok. Our camp host was across from us the whole time we never saw Bruce. Hope your experience is netter than ours… 😕

Camped here with family. Couple of times now. Great camp with great amenities. Bathrooms are always clean and showers are nice. Campsite has water for hookup. And the night sky is amazing. Check out the pictures I attached. I would and will definetly be back to this campsite again. The town is very nice also! Awesome Fourth of July parades there!

The camping in the RV and yurt side were beautifully manicured sites. They had access to water and restrooms were close. We camped in the horse camp side. It was like the stepchild section. Located at the very backside and clearly was not addressed like the other sections of the park. Dry brush, no water receptors close, the water faucet had to be shared with not one, or two camp sites, but multiple camp sites. Fortunately we had more then one 100 ft long hose, we had to connect 2 or 3 hoses together to bring water to the horses. And we had to disconnect after each use and coil the hoses back to our camp site. There was only one trash receptor that was located so far away that we could not walk out trash to the bin, we had to drive to it. The camp is "Not" Handicap Friendly. Being disabled I was substantially challenged with getting to the restroom or the porta potty . The porta potty was closer, however after a week of all the people using them ( 4 huts/units) they became substantially full, were baking in the heat, and the ran out of toilet paper. We were camping for 14 days, but due to the lack of professionalism of some of the park staff AND no ADA support, AND the lack of real security, I left several days earlier. We were not loud, or mean, or nasty people. However we were treated with disrespect by some of the park staff, (they were not park rangers) . One male park staff did not realize a 9 year old and a 5 year old had an adult watching them, and he yelled at the 9 year old from the parking lot down to the beach front, barking that the 9 year old had better break down the stacks of drift wood the two children had used to make a pretend fort. As the park staff bellowed his view or made up rule at the child, I was trying to get up to address the mans inappropriate and unprofessional barking, but because he did not bother to walk over to the children and instead yelled at them, he over looked protocol and did not address the guardian of the children. He frightened the children, made them cry and dislike those employed as park staff. The lack of professionalism was to much, and then one of our not so cheap feed bags was stolen. And that was not treated with respect by the park staff. It must have been a fluke, the treatment and lack of professionalism, because this had never been like this before. However the lack of ADA compliance is an issue. I am currently able to ambulate, but I am challenged with walking long distances. The restrooms and showers were too far away, and the substantial pain I endured was more than I could take, So I left my family and friends earlier then planned. They stayed the rest of our planned stay. The combination of all that we experienced for almost 2 weeks, left a lingering distaste, one that influenced me to leave this review . Most likely I will not camp at this horse again, nor will I leave positive reviews, or even suggest my family and friends to camp there.

Came here for a week with my family, and had a great time. Plenty of space, plenty of sites, and extremely close to town if you need anything. The beach is very clean, and the trails are well marked. The horse camp is smaller, but seems to have everything needed to have a nice horse camping experience. Very dog friendly, and the restrooms are very clean and nice. Overall, they do a great job here, and I have nothing bad to say.

Stayed early July 2023. Weather was clear but windy; with a very cool wind. We were given the heads up to bring warm clothing with us and glad we did. Unfortunately, the wind (which was consistently strong for days on end) we experienced really impeded our ability to enjoy the oceanfront, other than a few short trips to the beach. The campground is filled with kids on bikes and there’s a really nice 2 mile loop through the forest for bikes or by foot. The shower and restroom facilities are looking pretty tired and really need some attention. There were only 3 of the 4 showers operable on the women's side for our entire (D) loop. They also need more attention on a daily basis to keep them clean. There also appears to be no limit as to the number of campers that can be on one site, so some of them were packed with multiple tents and lots of peeps. So be prepared you may have some noisy neighbours, but these seem to be few thankfully. Some of the sites are pretty close together with not a ton of green space in between and there’s not a ton of privacy. The little town nearby has a pretty good grocery store, but I’d recommend doing your major shopping before you get here. It’s a gorgeous area to visit; just be prepared for some cooler evenings and wind depending on the time of year you’re travelling.

I took the local Boy Scouts Troop on a weekend campout here. We have been to Nehalem Bay many times, but this time was amazing! Weather was phenomenal, so we hiked Neahkahnie Mountain Trail. The hike is more challenging than the reviews say. A lot of incline, only one bench to rest on. Over 8 miles for the complete out and back. It was a long day on the trail, but the view was spectacular. On a clear day, it's one of the prettiest views in Oregon.

One of our favorite campgrounds. Super sad that is going to be closed for a while to renovate the bathrooms but I'm sure that will only make it better. Spacious campsites with beach access. Super close to the town of Manzanita & Nehalem. There is also a day use area with a boat launch, hiker biker camp & horse camp.

Nehalem Bay State Park is beautiful! When you are driving in from the cliffside you can see the coastline from above, and realize the park sits in the middle of a sandy peninsula. So, the beach is very windy, and sand blows in your face constantly. But the campground sits behind the dunes to spare you from the wind, although it is a hike to the beach from your site. The sites: There are MANY to choose from. We chose a car/tent site as we knew our 5th wheel would not fit in 90% of the sites. The sites are clean and level, but VERY close to your neighbors on both sides. You would have difficulties even putting out your slides in many spots. We camp a lot, but I have never seen a campground with this many people packed into one place at a time. Even the tent sites were overcrowded with people setting up multiple tents/canopies/cooking areas/social areas into every square inch of grass they could. Our neighbors had six tents set up, with a loud social area that had them drinking and talking all night long, well after curfew. And, no the rangers did not patrol the campground. The restrooms: They were dirty, crowded, no hot water, and half of them were closed completely. When you have three sinks/toilets for hundreds of people it does not end well. Pets: We take our dogs with us, and we are mindful that they behave, and are leashed at all times, even on the beach. There were many dogs here due to the number of people camping, and many were not well behaved nor on a leash. Then there are the ones staked out on "leads" that allow them to charge right up to the sidewalk-then our dogs got spooked. It was not an enjoyable weekend. And definitely not relaxing, which is the whole reason we go camping, to get away and relax.

It's a state park! I loved that we could ride our bikes into Manzanita. I was not stoked that our campsite was used like a walkway for other campers to get to the playground and bathrooms when there were walkways to the left and right of our campsite, people are just rude and lazy! Even laid down our paddle boards to deter people and they would walk over them or around them and still go through our site! Not the campground fault, but people really suck! Don't be a jerk and walk through peoples sites! Other than that it's a decent campsite. Just beware A08 you prob will have lazy people walking right through your site instead of using the paved walkway on the side of the site. It's nice bathrooms and showers are included. $5 for a bundle of firewood.

If you want a beautiful camping experience, this is it. The campground sits below the dunes to the ocean...so you don't have wind. The outer loop spaces are big, great fire pits and a lot of them have trails off the back. Most impressive are the hot free showers. The restroom facilities are updated and very clean. Rangers patrol the area and keep the noise low after 10. Great place for bikes or horses. If you bring your horses they have a nice corral assigned to your reservable camp site.

My family absolutely loves camping here. We've stayed in an RV and most recently, a Yurt. This is one of my favorite campgrounds to visit in the entire Northwest. I love how close the beach is to the campground. The restrooms are clean and spaced out pretty well throughout the campground. We really enjoyed our stay in a Yurt on this last trip. It is surprisingly spacious inside with a bunk bed, fold out bed/couch and table with 2 chairs. It did smell a little musty at first but was fine after letting the door stay open for a little bit. There aren't any windows so the only way to let fresh air in is through the door. There is a heater which kept us warm at night. Our first night there, we experienced a pretty significant rain storm but we stayed dry and my husband lived the sound of the rain. I enjoyed the next night more when I could hear the sound from the ocean all night. We definitely plan to make staying in a yurt here a yearly occurrence and am already planning on booking another visit soon.

Love this park. Sites a pretty close, so not much hiding between trees and bushes. Very kid friendly and definitely lots to do. We were here for the 4th of July weekend. Lots of groups, and all polite. Restrooms are fine, showers closed because of Covid. Couple beach access points to get over the sand dunes. Very nice beach. Flat, sandy, very few rocks, and wide. I did a little surf fishing, just did ok. There was a very low tide so I went out clamming. There are so many out there. I attached a pic of where I went. To get the purple varnish clams, dig a hole and then get down on all fours. Just keep digging with your hands. Maybe a foot down and then keep expanding outwards. You can't miss. I got 36 in about 45 minutes. I didn't need any more or I would have kept going. Limit on purple varnish is 72. There were also people digging just south of the boat dock. I was maybe 1/4 mile down. Crabbing is always fun in Nehalem. I brought a small boat this time, but we have gone to Kelly's marina and rented a boat with three crab rings. It's less than $100 and they will cook and clean what you catch. There was a yelp checking offer if you go. Try it. If you have bikes, ride on over to Manzanita. Cool little town. We found a good coffee shop there. My only negative was the firewood they sold. It was still pretty wet and did not burn well. We ended up buying from somewhere else and it was fine. So check the wood before you stock up for the week. Have fun.

This is another great Campground on the OR. Coast. It's like a small city. From a Gas Station at the Turn off from the Highway, to Bags of Ice from the little Store inside the campground. You can also get A Newspaper, A Soda, Coffee or some snacks from the little store. Oh wait. The Ice and Firewood Bundles are NOT at the Store. You get that over by the Recycling Area. Firewood is $5.00 a bundle. The Campgrounds has all the camping setups you need. They have sites for: Campers / RV's. Yurts. Tiny Portable Cabins. Primitive Tent Sites and Tent Sites with Electricity and A Water Hookup for Tent and R.V. setups. We just had a couple tents on our site. The bathrooms are all fairly decent. The showers are free and there is Beach Access. Warning The walk to the beach is a bit of a walk and then a not too big sandy hill and then (in this area, the beach is massive.) add a little bit more walking to the actual point of being able to touch the ocean. This old man did it a couple times. I took a breather at the top of the hill both ways each time. We saw the beach at low tide. The beach seemed to stretch out into the ocean for a mile. The surf is mellow here. My niece loves the ocean. We've literally had to carry her freezing little body out of the cold water. She would rather freeze than stop playing in the ocean. I totally get it. My Wife and I also love the ocean. I proposed to her at the ocean and we were married on the beach. Nehalem Bay State Park is awesome. The only part that was bad was the psychotic old man that followed my sister into the Campgrounds all the way to her campsite to swear vulgarities at her while her daughter is in the car. He felt it was ok to swear at her because she didn't use turn signals in the Campgrounds. She being my new Hero said, I'm sorry your having a bad day. And rolled up her window. What kind of crazy does that to a mother with a small child? Cray Cray. That's what kind! Despite some crazy old fart. We had a great time talking and watching the firepit. We will be back.

Nice park-- we had fantastic weather. Very quiet when we were there and fun to see the elk. Beach is perfect.

To find this park follow the signs off Hwy 101 for about 3 miles. First you will come to the RV Dump Station. Use this first if you need to for the spots do not have sewer connections. Next you will come to the garbage and recycle center. There is a centrally located pay booth. No rangers here at the entrance either. If you have reservations you can go right to your spot. They did have a couple loops to first come first serve. It was very wet here off and on and the spot we were in for 2 nights really flooded. Beautiful campground! Tons of hiking, biking, beachcombing! They also have amazing horse camping here and if you have a plane there is a campground you can fly into. I could have easily stayed a week and explored. No view of the ocean here. The hike to the dunes was pretty steep. I did not see any paved trails. The beach was amazing here. You could walk forever!

If you want to be woken up by a crapload of screaming kids, this is the place for you! Literally 6:45 am. And it never ends. The campground feels more like a trailer park, squished in like sardines. NO privacy, or relaxation. They just keep screaming and biking through our site! Pluses.....clean bathrooms and nice showers, and easy beach access.

This is a nice campground. Stayed here a couple nights and enjoyed the proximity to Manzanita and other nearby coastal towns. The sites are nice with shorter stubby trees just a stones throw from the beach. There's also a nice paved path through the forest that we ran/biked on - saw a couple deer while on it. The only downside is that the beach, while nice, is super windy and brisk. I think Manzanita in general is a windy place, which makes it hard to enjoy the beach.

By far the nicest camp ground I have ever been to ! :) bathrooms are clean, the area is well run and the staff are great! Nice atmosphere would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a place to camp anywhere on the west Coast of Washington and Oregon that this is the best spot hopefully will be back soon !

This is a nice beachside park with a great coastline. However, the level of privacy is virtually zero and there are basically no hikes in regards to this park. If your looking for a night stay with a day at the ocean this is great, and if you want to stay longer than a day I would suggest to keep looking. Would I come back? Maybe Would I recommend? Maybe

Beautiful park, the beach was amazing, I couldn't say enough, bring a kite and picnic, spend the day!

Nice area with lots to do, easy beach access, camp sites, yurts, bike and walking trails, close to Manzanita.

Spent 4 nights in the A loop camping in our 5th wheel. I found that none a lot of the rules were ignored by fellow campers. Dogs not on leashes, quite hour was until 10 pm, which didn't apply to the people camping next to us. Parking on the grass, everyone did that, or their extra vehicle which is to pay extra fee was parked in an adjoining empty spot with not tag on their rear view mirror. OMG the fire pits were half full with old wet ashes, we had to clean our own so the fire could breath. I would go back, but hope for a better experience.

So much to love about this campground but a few things I didn't love. The best features are that it's behind a big sand dune so campsites are sheltered from the weather of the beach and are nestled in wooded areas, so you get the best of the coast. The weather was very nice when we were there. Cloudy in the morning but it burned off by noon and was pretty hot but there was plenty of shade. At night it was chilly but not windy because of that big sand dune protecting the park. It's walking and easy driving distance to a boat ramp at the bay and a beach along the bay. So you can walk on the beach at the ocean or the bay. Both are very nice! Lots of people crabbing and fishing here from boats. We stayed at the horse camp so if you have horses and want to ride on the beach, this is a great place to stay! There's also a two-mile long bike/pedestrian loop through the woods that's really nice and not very crowded. The town of Manzanita is super quaint and also has a number of walking trails so this is a great place for a relaxed trip with lots of walking opportunities. What I didn't love: The horse camp doesn't have real bathrooms, only port-a-potties. You can walk to restrooms with showers in 5-10 minutes or to the restrooms at the boat put-in. The non-horse campground is very crowded in the summertime (though the weekdays were considerably less) and you have to drive all the way through it to get out of the park. There are kids running around everywhere across the road and on bikes. I would not want to camp in that crowded chaos but if you have kids and want company, this would be a lot of fun. But my biggest complaint is that the park is full of invasive plants! Himalayan blackberries, Scotch broom, and tansy wort are crowding out huckleberry, red huckleberry, Douglas spirea and other native plants. I've not seen a State Park so badly overrun though they may not have the funding to take care of it. If I lived closer, I'd organize a volunteer cleanup. Despite that, however, the park is well-staffed and the showers were always cleaned, the garbage emptied, etc. There's good signage, on-site camp residents to sell ice and wood and other things. Pretty good wildlife viewing too. I saw deer, squirrel, weasel and seal.

Had an awesome time staying in a yurt. Plenty to do for the kids such as the playground, waking to the beach, taking the path to the bay and waking along the bay shoreline and looking at HUGE driftwood on the north side of the bay. Deer walk thru the campground. A little fire to cook dinner at sunset on the beach was spectacular!!!

Beautiful park! We stayed in a YURT (year-round universal recreational tent?) for a night and it was a great experience. We were able to make reservations online, drive up to the park ranger to pick up keys, park right in front of the tent and drop off our stuff then go exploring. The yurt is heated and has electricity. There was a bunk bed and a futon that would have easily fit 6 people comfortably. The showers and bathrooms were a short walk away. The downside is, there aren't many lights in the park so don't wander too far without a flashlight and don't arrive to the campgrounds too late.

Yurts! Yay! This Oregon State Park has yurts you can reserve for the night. They are very sturdy, somewhat insulated with a ramp to the entry way for easy access. Each yurt has a sink, electricity, a heater, a small table, 2 chairs, a double futon couch and a bunk bed, double on the bottom and single on the top. Each campsite and yurt has a fire ring. The bathhouse down the trail has an unlimited supply of hot shower water! There is also a rough shed about 15x25 feet with folding tables and chairs you can rent for parties. Nothing fancy, but useful for a group rainy season. They were not allowing dogs in the yurts because of allergies, then they started an experimental policy to allow it. If that's part of your plan, you might check to see how they are doing it now. There is another part of the park for horse camping. If those Central Asian nomads carried by horse had found this place with it's bomb yurts, by the ocean, they would have stopped their nomading, put their yurts on solid foundations, with a heater, indoor plumbing, a weatherproof skylight and a fire ring, and settled down for certain! The campground is about a half hour walk to Manzanita, on a pleasant and uncrowded beach. Great staff, easy reservation system, simple on-site payment with personal check or cash. The yurt reservations sell out far in advance popular times.

I couldn't have asked for a better escape from the city. It was my first time staying in a yurt and it was really cozy on a windy and rainy coastal night. The bathrooms were spotless and beach access was really close. One of my favorite beaches on the Oregon coast!

The lake here is amazing!! Highly highly recommend for a fun family outing/day trip! We took our outboard here, dropped it in at the boat ramp, and crabbed here. It was our first time and this place made it seem like we were pros!! We dropped the trap on the side with the boat ramp and it was incredible! 18 keepers! Not only that, but they were the best I have ever had! Very heavy with meat and very sweet! Will def return soon - maybe tomorrow actually!

Nice, generous size campsites. Clean restrooms (saw a review that said just the opposite but I did not find this to be the case when we visited). When we purchased firewood, the camp host recommended the best loop for sunny sites (it had rained all day). Easy beach access directly from campsite. Enjoyed our stay here, even though it was only for one night.

This was probably my 8th time to this campsite in the last 10 years. Every other time it was lovely, relaxing and fun. We've come in the spring, summer and fall. Camp hosts are always available and come through throughout the day with firewood refills for sale. This most recent time (07/14/19 weekend) it was different. We were visited 3 times by rangers. In all my previous visits to this site, the only time I saw a ranger was at the booth for check in and out. This time they were coming around patrolling. First visit was when we first got in, dogs were on leash but using the slack. They stopped to tell us to make sure dogs are on leash. Ok, thanks? It's clearly stated in the rules for the camp at time of booking, we were informed and complying. Next was around 10pm when we were asked to turn down our music. It was turned down, I asked if that was a better volume and he asked for it to be even lower, I asked to clarify "do you want it down or off?" and he said "off". The volume of our music was lower than the volume we were talking at. Everyone else around us, all of the 10 other sites I could see from my chair, were all campers or RVs and EVERYONE was inside. We weren't disturbing anyone. So, we had to turn our music off. Next morning, they stop again to "make sure we have our parking tags" which we'd had since check in the first day, clearly displayed on our rear view mirrors. They got out and walked around our camp. They then noticed we'd moved chairs from the yurt we were staying in to the grass area. We were told we needed to keep the chairs inside. The chairs that the other two rangers had seen outside the day before. We start to take them inside and they change their statement to "actually you don't have to have them inside, you just can't have them on the grass." It's not that big of a deal, I know. But I don't go to, what was my favorite campsite, to be hassled by park rangers. I'm complying with general guidelines, I'm clean, organized, polite and not disturbing others. If they're bored, they should go clean up the park and forest and not hassle me. Also, I didn't see them stop at anyone else's campsite to check their tags as they were driving by... Also, the yurt mattresses are garbage. We all slept horribly. I won't be going back here for a while.

The park rangers were nice and well, that's about it. It's super busy and very little space or privacy in between sites. It just feels like a massive RV Park. And I think an RV would be best as many sites did not have a nice flat ground to put your tent. Our spot certainly was not flat anywhere. The fire pits are shallow so it can be a chore to get a big fire going or even start at all because it's very windy. We will never stay here again. It's not camping at all.

Well kept campground with hookups. Short walk to beautiful beach. And cute Manzanita town close by with a nice bike path.

Campground that is right on the beautiful Oregon Coast. It's okay for a night or two, though I'm not a huge fan of this campground for a couple reasons. The main issue is that it's not extremely close to any great hiking. There are several beach hikes, and it's within a few miles of Mt Neahkanie, but that's really about it. The town of Manzanita is cute though, and it was worth an hour of looking around. The campground, just like most on the Oregon Coast, is super packed during the summer. This is definitely more of an "RV'r" type campground, and definitely family friendly. If you're okay with being surrounded by huge, house-sized motor homes and screaming children at the break of dawn, it's good. I just prefer something more secluded, but your mileage may vary.

This is a gorgeous campsite lots of trees very clean bathrooms with showers. We had full hookups at the campsite which was amazing to have in a state park. Campsites are a bit close together but it was still very nice. I would definitely come back here but would want to stay a few days so I could explore the beaches and surrounding areas.

This park has great trails and beaches on the Nehalem bay and the Pacific Ocean. Dogs are welcome but be cool and clean up after your pet. You pay for parking unless you have the Oregon park pass

I don't know what level of privacy Richie seeks, but this is a large campground with adequate, well laid out sites. Great location 1.5 miles from the town of Manzanita (bike-able). Good, clean bathrooms. Yurts sell out well in advance. ABC loops are reservable and sell out. But DEF loops are first come, and there were some left even in fantastic weather on a weekend. Sunsets from the beach are spectacular.

My favorite yurt. Book ahead any of the yurts on the State Park website. Bring your own bedding, food, etc but well worth it for the experience! 4 minute walk to the bathroom and 5 minute walk over the sand dunes to a glorious view of the coast!

Our favorite campground at the coast! Conveniently located to town. Clean grounds, plenty of parks for the kids and easy access to the beach. We love the bike paths and exploring around the area.

We really like Nehalem Bay as we had visited this location before many years ago. Before we stayed in a Yurt which was an awesome experience but this time we brought our travel trailer. This was only a one night stop for us since we were on our way home. One thing about this campground is that its huge! It's way off the road so you won't hear any noise from vehicles. It is open year round and is reservable on reserveamerica.com. There are 265 campsites with electric and water. They do have an RV dump station there. They also have hot showers and flush toilets. The camping spots are fairly level and have trees dividing most the sites. You cannot see the Ocean from the sites but there are beach trails that take about 4-5 minutes to get there. There is plenty to do at this place! There is an amphitheater, biking, hiking, beachcombing, clamming and crabbing. They have a horseback riding area too that's available from May-Sept. (www.oregonbeachrides.com). We only had enough time to take a walk around the campground and a walk on the beach on the evening we arrived. The beach is so nice! It's so diverse with the sand dunes, tall grassy knolls and driftwood on the sand. It can get windy here but we didn't mind. Wish we had more time to spend here and we plan to come back in the future.

BEWARE - CAR VANDALISM Our trip was cut short as someone vandalized our car while at the Nehalem Bay State Park. Two window broken and quite a few things taken from our car. We were only gone for 45 minutes, parked by other cars, and with the horse rental business nearby. Very brazen morning break in. Take anything of value with you when you go out for your hike or horse ride. Don't assume just because it is in your trunk or hidden out of sight you will be OK. This spot came highly recommend from a friend who lives in Portland and we were excited to visit. It was really pretty and we were looking to spend a few days around this area and on the coast, but had to head back to Portland to deal with busted windows and replacing other items. From our talk with others in the area, it sounds like ours was not an isolated event.

I grew up in Jakarta and we don't do camping there. There's no place to camp at and city people there rather go to malls then enjoying nature. I'm very thankful that I moved to Oregon, the nature state. Where you can go to the beach and mountain only in few hours. I picked up camping as a hobby after I've lived in Portland for few years. Now in my tenth years, I've been camping few times. I still didn't do the "out in the woods in the middle of nowhere" camping yet, but I survive sleeping in tents and brave the cold air of Oregon Coast. Nehalem Bay State Park is one of those campsites where you can camp per day in your tent or your trailer. You can camp by yourself, with your husband/boyfriend, friends, neighbors, family, and even dogs. The campsite is huge. It's clean, has showers, working toilets, and they sell fire woods. It's $5 per bundle and I suggested you pick your own bundle because the park ranger will give you whatever on tops and sometimes they are smaller bundles. What's interesting was the trail to the beach. The trail was pretty long and hilly. You will pass dunes and there are caves for kids to explore (or short people). Unfortunately those caves seem a bit iffy. There are beer cans and bottles in there and I saw kids crawled in those caves. Overall, this state park is the place to be if you want to camp and enjoy the breathtaking view of Oregon coast. I love our beaches and the fresh air. I can see more camping activities in the near future.

This is my favorite ocean camping spot in Oregon. We have a small travel trailer and usually are here during the 'Discovery Season' which means reduced prices and no crowds. There are so many things I like about this park: PROS: Lovely long beach Great for riding bikes Close to an awesome grocery store in Manzanita Doesn't attract the party crowd The boat ramp area is another place to hang and see the bay view CONS: Can't think of any! Insider tip: You don't need to make reservations and pay the extra vendor fee if you're RV camping during the off season. Loop A that's used for reservations is crammed together and the other first come, first serve sites are more spread out and private.

I have been to Manzanita many times before this, but I have never camped near it. To me, this was one of the best campsites that I have visited; very clean, good separation between sites, and the beach is just on the other side of the dunes, thereby shielding most of the wind you get from the Oregon coast. One really cool aspect of the campsite was the nightly rounds made by the firewood wagon; this is great in case you forget to bring firewood. The best part is the cleanliness of the beach; there were no needles, broken glass, or crackpipes to be found - the same can't be said for the redneck armpit of the coast at Seaside. Overall, the site is very quiet, family oriented, and suitable for children of all ages. I would recommend this site to newbie campers, or people who enjoy going to the coast, without the headache of a hotel/motel.

Love this place. It is an annual trip for us. We usually get a Yurt which have electricity, heat, bunk bed with a double on the bottom and a futon (aka Camping-lite). I like that they have dog friendly Yurts now. The grounds and facilities (with hot showers and real toilets) are clean and there is plenty of space. The dune on the western border protects the grounds from the Pacific winds, but doesn't hide the wonderful sounds of the waves crashing. The beach is a wonderful expanse of sand. There are times, in the low season, where you feel like the only person in the world. It is close enough to town, Manzanita, if you forget something.

Our first visit to Nehalem was barely worth one star and we left almost as soon as we arrived. Not sure why I was willing to give it another chance, but I am glad I did. Part of the problem with Nehalem is that the sites are very close together with little to no vegetation to provide a sense of seclusion. This is made worse when you are tent camping in a small site intended for an RV on a day when the camp is very crowded. That was our first experience. I felt like we were camping on the center median of a busy highway! I don't recommend it. Instead, get a bigger site if tent camping or book a yurt. This visit was different. First of all, we booked a Yurt. I don't think we'll ever go back to tent camping again after experiencing these great inventions! Second, due to poor weather, the campground was nearly empty. Thankfully, the weather turned around before we headed for home so we could actually enjoy the camp. So, what's great about Nehalem? Let's start with the obvious; the beach. While it isn't the easiest beach to access over the dunes, it is worth the trek. The stretch of open beach is very long and wide. There is plenty of open space to thrown down your gear and spend the day without the noise or disruption of other people (if you are looking for solitude). I consider the semi-challenging hike to and from the beach a mini-work out to work off the calories from the s'mores! If you like biking, the bike trail is a nice one. It isn't especially long, nor is there multiple trails to get lost on, but it is scenic and does take you by a calm bay where you can collect shells, or wade in the water. This is a much safer place to take the little ones for a dip in the water than the ocean. The trail is also easy enough for the youngest of bikers, or trail hikers, to handle. The bathrooms is really no different here than at any other Oregon State Park; hot water, showers, and decent restrooms. However, the toilet stalls are so small only the skinniest of people can fit in there and shut the door. Pregnant ladies and broader adults will need to use the handicap stall! The park rangers were awesome. There were 4 of them (little bit of an over kill) that walked through the camp starting at 10pm to enforce the quiet time. I was very thankful for them! The Yurt was nice, except for the fact that the windows were screwed shut so that you could not get any fresh air into the Yurt. This became very uncomfortable when the sun finally came out and we had the heat on all night. The Yurt was roasting and took a little while to cool off as the only ventilation was the front door. Couldn't they have left at least one window alone and allow people to open them as the designer intended??? My only other complaint, which is fairly minor, is the camp host's dog! That little ankle biter yapped incessantly and made it very hard to get my baby to sleep!!!! Drove me insane!! You'd expect that from other campers, but not from the camp host!

I love winter yurting. I've been taking winter vacations at the NBSP yurts for 8 years. The beach is very lightly used. The yurt, campground, and park are always very clean. There are hot showers (and I do mean hot!). Each yurt has a futon and a bunk bed for a total of 3 beds. The futon and the bottom bunk can easily sleep 2 adults. One word of warning if you plan on winter yurting at NBSP. There are built-in electric heaters but they have a hard time heating the yurts when it gets down in the 30's(F). I bring my own small electric space heater and it works like a charm. Years ago I had an experience where my heater kept tripping the circuit breaker to the yurt but that no longer seems to be a problem.

Gorgeous well maintained park right over the dunes to the beach. Clean restrooms and showers. Water and power at hookups. Easy trail right to the beach with doggie bags and waste cans for disposal of bags.

Disgusting campground! Bathroom toilets were overflowing with poop, fecal matter and urine all over the floor. Rangers at check in were rude and condescending when i asked about getting a refund. Park manager also sucked too.

Loved being right on the beach, the clean bathrooms and ease of bike access into Manzanita. The grounds were very full with little or no privacy. We would definitely go back.

I haven't used the campground here yet, but the park is a beautiful place to visit for a day trip. Most of the park is a two mile long sand spit with a central multi-use path and beaches on both sides-- the Pacific Ocean to the West and the more peaceful Nehalem Bay to the East. $5/day to park a vehicle at any Oregon State Park, or included with camping fees.

Probably the nicest campground I have ever stayed at. The showers and restrooms were so clean and well maintained. There is a park for your kids and plenty of walking/biking paths! The beach is so close you can hear it from your campsite, I'm in love! Only thing I will mention is some nights it can be very windy so fires/tent camping can be tricky!! Overall a great campsite of you plan on exploring the Oregon coast!

One of our favorite campgrounds in Oregon - or anywhere. Large enough to turn the kids loose with their bikes for hours, the dunes are fun for them to hide in, and the beach is beautiful. The facilities are maintained very well. We love this campground and how close it is to a favorite beach town, Manzanita.

I only stayed one night, but what's not to love about camping (well, yurt-ing) so close to the beach. I arrived after dark, which I don't recommend. The road to the park (coming from Portland) was windy and foggy this time of year and I saw a couple deer. I also drove by the campsite and it took me a few minutes to figure out where to check in. But the yurt was clean & private and the campsite was quiet and peaceful. The yurt has lighting, electricity, a heater and sleeps at least 4 people with two beds and a futon. In the morning, I drove out of the park and across the street, parked and walked up a sandy hill to the beach. Perfection. (If you would like to do this too, look for Glenesslin Ln), which is to the left when exiting the park.)

We were well accommodated, despite a heavy downpour, and we enjoyed exploring on foot when the rain relented on the second day. We towed a small trailer and hook-ups provided us with electrical power and water. There were yurts nearby, and we hope to look into that for a return to this State Park. I enjoyed the peace, the chance to relax. My timing may have been less-than-perfect for the weather, but we hope to return...soon. Yes, I recommend this State Park.

While I may have had a 5 star experience personally, I think Nehalem Bay State Park is best represented by 4 stars and here's why... Camping is a family thing, so there are large groups (with children) who ride around on their bikes, scooters, etc. I just can't understand why moms pushing strollers feel they have the right to walk slowly in the middle of the one-way road. Also, please instruct your kids that they should listen for traffic and GET OUT OF THE ROAD. This is something you will face more often at Nehalem because there are 300 sites (including yurts and horse camp). And most sites allow 8 eight people. You do the math. Or camp on weekdays, it's always much quieter Monday-Thursday. This brings up the second thing I wish for, but I understand why it's the way it is. More space. Space between sites kinda sucks. While campgrounds may be a great source of revenue for the state (or are they?), I thought I came here to avoid hearing little yappy dogs and my neighbor's stupid alarm clock radio on full blast. Everybody is able to look into your site, so groups should try to book right next to each other so you can share space and maybe get some more privacy. We stayed in a yurt, which I almost had to give my right arm to reserve. People book these months and months ahead, but I snagged mine a week and a half in advance after someone else canceled. This is definitely a step up from tent camping and they are handicap accessible. This is not something yurts at other sites feature, so always check your site details before booking! Yurts seemed to have more space in between than the tents, but there was no real vegetation between the sites so our who neighbors left their "night light" on all night spoiled our campfire. The yurts are so comfortable - compared to tent camping. You bring your own blankets and sheets, but you have a dry place to hang out if it rains (at least 75% chance this will happen to you), with electricity (so you can charge your phone and stay on top of Yelp of course), and an electric wall heater (now we're getting fancy). Worth the extra money if you can snag one. Lastly, the restrooms and showers were clean, and I appreciated that the camp hosts also sell ice, which is one of the main reasons we always have to go back into town. However, Manzanita is like 2 minutes away. I wish this was offered in other state parks where it might prove more useful. As you may already know, showers in Oregon are free so you can remove sand from unwanted places easily and you don't have to walk around with a roll of quarters in your pocket (or are you just happy to see me?). I love camping by the beach, so this is a great spot that isn't too far away from Portland as long as you are not looking to escape human interaction.