Oregon/Washington - May or September?

[DougE]

I'm considering doing the coasts of Oregon and Washington this year and want to avoid the summer crowds by going in either May or September. Which is better for campground availability and weather? I'm not big on making reservations either.

[downtheroad]

We live here and camp here a lot. We like left overs when eating....but not so much when camping.

We have our favorite campgrounds and favorite sites in them. Without reservations in May or September we end up with left overs.

But, Oregon and Washington are a must destination for any serious RVer, so don't let any of this discourage you.

[ScottG]

Like em or not, you will need reservations during either of those months if you can get them. If the time period you select is first come, first serve then you will have a lot of competition. You may end up doing a lot of searching for a place to stay.
At this point it will be very hard to get them though. Our state parks take resi's 9 mos in advance and almost everything for the summer is booked by now. If you keep checking, you may get in someplace.

[Tom_Barb]

agesilaus wrote:
The weather was awful but that is what you get in that part of the world.

Awful is as good as it gets, stay home, It rains every day, some times it has ice in it. Camp grounds are always expensive and full of mean people.
Come to Wa. Keep Wa green, bring money.

[profdant139]

One of the best meals I have ever had in my life:

Kelly's Crabs

I don't know what the season for crab is in Oregon.

Kelly's is not far from a great campground:

Nehalem Bay CG

If you are planning to hike in the mountains of Washington and Oregon, I would tilt toward Sept., rather than May. There may still be snow in May at the higher elevations, and the huckleberries and wild mountain blackberries are ripe in September.

If you go berry picking in the Mt. Baker/Mt. Shuksan area, wear old pants. The berries grow close to the ground, so you have to sit down to pick them. And there are so many berry bushes that your pants will get stained when you sit down. I told my poor wife that she looked like a carton of yogurt:

"Why?"

"Because you have fruit on the bottom!"


Click For Full-Size Image.

[Roy_Lynne]

For cafe's I usually use Google maps and check the reviews, but if that doesn't work, I check the parking lot. Lots of cars usually means good food. Unfortunately, I've found that asking locals often doesn't work so well. We were in a small town in Montana and asked the hotel about a place to eat. He told us where we could absolutely get the "Best Hamburger in America" It was a local bar and we ordered the hamburger and got a frozen patty tossed on a George Foreman like grill, with a bun and a basket of mustard and ketchup packs. Needless to say, not the best anywhere. LOL

[agesilaus]

The weather along this coast is well known to be rainy and cool at least in the summer. And by rainy I mean most days have light rain. I was stationed a bit farther north at Bremerton where it rained for 143 days straight. And that was not unusual. When Bill Gates got sunny and clear weather for one of the Windows releases people accused him of hiring witches to ensure the good weather....heh.

[Roy_Lynne]

There is nothing more beautiful than the Northwest in May. The rhododendrons are in bloom along with ever other flower in the universe and when the mountains are out, and not covered in clouds, they are like visual gifts from God. September can be better weather wise, not as rainy. If you don't mind dry camping, you will find some great campgrounds that are real hidden gems. The popular campgrounds might be problematic anytime of the year if, again you want full service.

[DougE]

I usually travel from campground to campground in my Sprinter and the use my motorcycle to roam the area, so weather is important to me. I'm a big fan of local cafés and will be looking for café recommendations along Hwy 101 as well. Maybe I could pick campgrounds based on café recommendations!:)

[agesilaus]

We drove up from Redwood City all the way to the end of 101 and then all the way around Olympic NP, starting in late June. And if there were any crowds, we didn't see them. We had no problems calling ahead an hour before stopping to reserve a spot in an RV park. The beaches were empty when we went for walks on them. The weather was awful but that is what you get in that part of the world.

[Durb]

We stayed at Beverly Beach SP in May, the RV sites were hammered, glad we had reservations that we made early. The tent sites that would accept a really small trailer, Class B or tents were available. If you have a big rig, I would suggest using the reservation system and doing it early if you want to stay in the nicer state parks. September will afford you better weather.

[donn0128]

Mid Sept to mid October is generally the best time on the Oregon coast. BUT, it is still crowded thst time of year. You have to understand retirees still travel to the coast year round. So reservations especially in the state parks are a must.

[rhagfo]

Well I will be warmer in September, but reserve early, many of the coastal Oregon SP are still full through September, with retires and a heavy visits of Canadians and Californians.
May on the Coast is not as busy, except on the weekends.

[romore]

The weather is usually good either month and off season rates are in effect. Early May is absolutely beautiful with everything in bloom.