I bet you’re here looking for a place to have a great adventure or a spontaneous escapade in Oregon with a hassle-free way of camping. There are many ways to get a relaxing weekend with your family, friends, or even just yourself. But camping is an excellent recommendation if you want to connect with your loved ones and nature.
Camping can be considered one of the most affordable ways to enjoy outdoor activities and explore the Pacific Northwest, especially in Oregon. A nice roomy group site to rustic backcountry spots, Oregon’s campgrounds are ready for you for a family reunion. It’s also excellent for a backpacking adventure with friends.
However, no one wants to be disappointed on their memorable trip, right? Searching for reservations online can sometimes be a headache. Most especially when your registrations always turned out to be late. That’s because some of those campgrounds usually fill up fast.
Very disappointing, isn’t it? Why do you need to reserve a spot when you can go to campgrounds without a designated check-in time. You may occupy at any time a spot if it’s unoccupied or if it’s occupied, you can search for another one.
Fortunately, a hassle-free way of camping is finding some fantastic first come, first served campgrounds that turn out to be everywhere!
You just need to know where to look!
Get ready to set up a tent, fire up the grill, pull out the marshmallows, and free yourself from worries because you can find Oregon’s greatest natural attractions if you don’t mind giving up just for a few days certain comforts such as available drinking water and flush toilets then you can even find some 100% free camping in Oregon.
Check out the campgrounds and camping areas below where you can go free camping in Oregon. Before heading out to these spots, be sure to remember the best practices for free camping, like leaving no traces or how to go dry camping. Here is a list of first-come, first-served campgrounds on the Oregon Coast without reservations.
Central Oregon Coast
📍 Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park
Near Florence, Oregon, United States
Washburne can be found on the east side of Highway 101 with lots of native plants and trees between you and the highway. There are three trails, including the Valley trail to the Hobbit trail, Carl G Washburne
Day-use trail, and the beach trail leading from the campsites to the wildlife viewing areas, second-growth forests, and the beach. Campsites are commodious and available on a first-come, first-served basis except for the two yurts, which are reserved.
You can find a space to watch whales, hunt agates, beachcombing, and picnic in a five-mile sandy beach and a day-use area using a walking trail. While the Valley trail connects you to Heceta Head Trail which you can reach the Heceta Head Lighthouse. It is just 2 miles south on Hwy 101.
This campground at night time, elk have been known to wander through. There is a creek running through the campsites, and you can hear the pounding surf.
Facilities:
📌14 electrical sites with water (first come, first served)
📌41 full-hookup sites (first come, first served)
📌Seven walk-in tent sites with parking nearby (closed seasonally)
📌Firewood for sale
📌Flush toilets and hot showers
📌RV dump station in the day-use area
📌Hiker/biker camp
📌Two reservable yurts (one pet-friendly)
South Oregon Coast
📍Cape Blanco State Park
Near Port Orford, Oregon, United States
Cape Blanco features a 19-century lighthouse and an early Irish settler’s home. Cape Blanco Lighthouse is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast, built in 1870. Enjoy the history, trails, and rugged coastline while using sheltered campsites as a base camp. This is located at the state’s westernmost tip over the Pacific Ocean.
Hiking trails lead to the beach, fishing spots along the Sixes River, ocean vistas, and the lighthouse. Follow a seven-mile trail for horseback riding or enjoy a 150-acre open area from the horse camp.
You can enjoy twelve new pipe corrals for horse campers, installed last 2018 with Oregon Equestrian Trails. Corrals are available first-come, first-served for Cape Blanco horse campers. Those with additional horses can trailer-tie them or use portable corrals.
Facilities:
📌52 electrical sites with water (first come, first served)
📌Four reservable standard cabins (two pet-friendly; see our Pets in 📌Parks FAQ for more info)
📌Reservable group camp (up to 50 people and 24 vehicles)
📌Reservable horse camp
📌Universal Access: six sites and one cabin are accessible to campers with disabilities.
📌Firewood for sale
📌Hiker/biker camp
📌Flush toilets and hot showers
📍Alfred A. Loeb State Park
Near Brookings, Oregon, United States
Alfred A. Loeb State Park, also known as “Loeb” by the locals, a quiet park located away from town and industry. It features a river which you can fish, swim and raft, or walk the self-guided Riverview nature trail. Three rental cabins and few campsites face this scenic river.
The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and running. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on a leash. The river has the finest fall and winter salmon also steelhead fishing on the south coast.
You may see squirrels, osprey, or a family of river otters in the water during spring and summer. Loeb is nestled in a dense grove of Myrtlewood trees, which are more than 200 years old. The pristine Chetco River runs clean and clear along the southeast edge of the park.
The northern-most redwood grove in the U.S. can be found at the Riverview Trail’s end by crossing the North Bank Road and hiking the 1-mile U.S. Forest Service Redwood loop.
Facilities:
📌48 electrical sites with water (first-come, first-served October – May)
📌Three reservable rustic log cabins (one pet-friendly)
📌Firewood for sale
📌No dump station
📌Day-use/picnic facilities (3 areas reservable May-Sept.)
📌River and gravel bar access for fishing
📌Flush toilets and hot showers
📌Universal Access – One campsite, one cabin, and one picnic area are accessible to campers with disabilities.
North Coast
📍Saddle Mountain State Natural Area
Near Seaside, Oregon, United States
A breathtaking scenery, wildflowers, and hiking trails, you can all enjoy it in Saddle Mountain State Area. From a mature forest setting with various habitats; to fields of grassy open “balds” filled with wildflowers, words cannot describe the beauty and wonder experienced on the trail to an open rocky summit.
Saddle Mountain State Natural Area has a small, seasonal campground, day-use picnic area, a two and a half-mile trail to the summit, and a short .16 mile side trail are the humble offerings at Saddle Mountain.
On a clear day, you can see the sweep of the Columbia River as it enters the sea, miles of Pacific shoreline, and on the eastern horizon, the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington.
With a 1,640 foot rise in elevation over 2.5 miles, the main trail is steep and difficult in spots.
It is recommended for experienced hikers wearing proper footwear and clothing. The elevation begins approximately 1,650 feet at the park’s parking lot and climbs to a viewing platform with a height of roughly 3,290 feet.
Other parts of the trail can be in wet conditions because of the rapidly changing weather, bringing wind and rain year-round and snow in winter resulting in sudden accidents and taking extra care. This might be challenging, but the experience and enjoyment this popular trail provides are well worth the reward.
Try the short, 10-minute Humbug Mountain viewpoint trail If you aren’t up for the rigorous climb of the main hike. For those who want to bring their dogs, for the safety of your pet and courtesy to others, please keep your dog on a leash.
Here is another list of first-come, first-serve campgrounds around Oregon without reservations.
Southern Oregon
📍Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site
Near Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States
Eastern Oregon
📍Jasper Point (Prineville Reservoir)
Near Bend, Oregon, United States
📍Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site
Near John Day, Oregon, United States
📍Cottonwood Canyon State Park
Near The Dalles, Oregon, United States
📍Goose Lake State Recreation Area
Near Lakeview, Oregon, United States
📍Minam State Recreation Area
Near LaGrande, Oregon, United States
📍Hilgard Junction State Park
Near LaGrande, Oregon, United States
📍Red Bridge State Wayside
Near LaGrande, Oregon, United States
📍Smith Rock State Park
Near Bend, Oregon, United States
📍Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor
Near Pendleton, Oregon, United States
📍Unity Lake State Recreation Site
Near John Day, Oregon, United States
If you’re in or near Oregon what are you waiting for?
Just follow the campsites’ guidelines if you don’t have a campground reservation and want to try camping in a first-come, first-served campground.
So what are you waiting for? Come and enjoy the beauty of nature. This setting’s natural outcome is stress reduction and relaxation like you can’t find anywhere else.
Author
Rosebelle Derecho
Rosebelle is a Business Management Major in Human Resource graduate. She grew up as a goal digger who always looks for inspiration to strive hard and to fulfill her dream as a writer.
She began writing fictional stories at a young age and continued playing with her imaginations as she unraveled the real world of adulting. Now, as a young adult, she has realized that she shouldn’t give up writing because great things are just waiting around the corner.
