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mikeflys's avatar
mikeflys
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013

Heceta Head RV, Florence Or

2nd stop on our trip was a 5 day stay at this park. Rustic is the word here...but nice rustic. Unlike the previous park that was postcard pretty I have no complaints for this one. Loved every minute of our stay. The sites are gravel, mostly each site is walled on each side by trees and bushes. This blocks most of the constant wind from the ocean and gives great privacy. Cable and WiFi were good. Fire rings and wood are available if you want. Fairly well stocked mini mart on the site. Only .2 miles form a nice beach and just about 1 mile from a cool state park. I did not have any fishing gear with me, wish I had. The state park has the jetty were the river meets the Ocean, looked like some great fishing could be had there! If you are headed in this direction the town of Florence is stuffed full of RV Parks. This was our first trip to this town so I can only state that this park is worth the look!

11 Replies

  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Jun 24, 2013
    bobcouch wrote:

    May not have had the chance - I tried to reserve spots (for this August)at three Oregon State Parks back in early April and all were booked solid.


    And that is the big problem with parks on the coast. They book solid early and for a long time. But, there are hidden gems on the coast that sites are available on. Generally the farther away from Portland the better your chances of getting a spot. But, and this is the big secret, Get away from the coast and to eastern Oregon and some of the parks are practically deserted even on the busiest holiday weekends. Last year we were hosting at Goose Lake State Rec area and out of 48 sites, we had 19 campers. And most of those were in for the hang gliding.
  • mikeflys's avatar
    mikeflys
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    donn0128 wrote:
    It amazes me that you have so far picked two private parks and none of the Oregon State Parks, which IMHO are some of the nicest in the nation. Of course I am predijuce being a native Oregonian and also a volunteer camp host. Then again you drove past what is arguably the nicest park on the Oregon coast at Winchester Bay.

    I just checked out Winchester Bay. That does look nice, we will concider it for our next coastal trip! Thanks for the tip.
  • mikeflys's avatar
    mikeflys
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    I have only stayed at 1 of Oregon's very fine state parks. That was Beverly beach outside of Newport. Yes it was a wonderful park. But like was also mentioned you pretty much need to book your stay by Christmas or you are not getting in. That is why we generally stay at privet parks. We cannot plan quite that far in advance.
  • RoadXYZ's avatar
    RoadXYZ
    Explorer II
    Jun 23, 2013
    That is the problem with State Parks that we have found previously, only as I tell people keep going back to the Recreation.Gov site or ReserveAmerica as sometimes there is a cancellation ..

    And on a recent trip we made (not a vacation), the state parks were quite a ways from the Highways we were using, not I-5 thru Oregon, was going thru Klamath-Bend-Biggs route.
  • bobcouch's avatar
    bobcouch
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    donn0128 wrote:
    It amazes me that you have so far picked two private parks and none of the Oregon State Parks, which IMHO are some of the nicest in the nation. Of course I am predijuce being a native Oregonian and also a volunteer camp host. Then again you drove past what is arguably the nicest park on the Oregon coast at Winchester Bay.


    May not have had the chance - I tried to reserve spots (for this August)at three Oregon State Parks back in early April and all were booked solid.
  • Lowsuv's avatar
    Lowsuv
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    SSHH !
    don't tell anybody .
    it's tough getting a spot .
    we go in february and occasionally in september .
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Jun 23, 2013
    It amazes me that you have so far picked two private parks and none of the Oregon State Parks, which IMHO are some of the nicest in the nation. Of course I am predijuce being a native Oregonian and also a volunteer camp host. Then again you drove past what is arguably the nicest park on the Oregon coast at Winchester Bay.
  • mikeflys's avatar
    mikeflys
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    Yes! We had our 2 little dogs with us, as well as our bird. We travel with a full load of pets! Of course they ask you to clean up but that is only right. We saw other folks with there furry friends as well!
  • RollandB's avatar
    RollandB
    Explorer
    Jun 23, 2013
    I haven't stayed there, but am familiar with it. I believe it is dog friendly. Also a good one close by is Harbor Vista, part of the Lane County Park system. Very private sites.

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