New to RVing going to try Oregon coast

[Jeffe]

I am brand new to this. I am leaving next weekend from Raleigh NC in my new to me 2003 Chinook and heading west, finally!! I will be kayaking in Idaho for 10 days but afterwards I am going from Boise through Bend, OR towards the coast then turning north to see a friend in Seattle. All told about 5 weeks. I thought I read somewhere that I can camp along the coast of Oregon for free. Can anyone tell me if this is the case? It looks like there are lots of small towns along the way. Also is there a place I can stay close enough to Bend that I could ride my bike into town. I have never been to Oregon and hope to spend a week exploring.

Thanks all !!!

[Tom and Margi]

There are plenty of places to camp along the Oregon Coast but not many, if any, are free. 

[JoelP]

Having lived for years in Oregon and Washington I learned that the best parks anywhere are in Oregon, but the state parks book full the day after New Year's Day when the reservation system opens up.  There is still a chance to get in if there are cancellations. 

I am not sure about biking to Bend from here unless you are a better cyclist than me but I love Cove Palisades, just 50 miles north of Bend.  You drive along the high desert for a ways from Bend then make a left turn in a rather nondescript location and quickly descend in elevation to this extraordinary lake where you can rent boats and watercraft and more.

In the central part of the state I love Silver Falls State park.  You would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful park, but it is very popular and I'm not sure about the size of their RV sites since I had a much smaller RV when I was going there.

On the coast my very favorite area is between Depoe Bay and Newport, OR.  Just north of Agate Beach is a state park called Beverly Beach State Park which was so nice I went there at least 1X every year.

Have a great trip and be sure to have dinner at Pine Tree Tavern in Bend.

Joel

[nvrver]

The beaches are free to all, but I don't know of any free camping.  Lived the first 35 years of my life in Oregon and still love to visit the Oregon Coast.  Welcome to the forum.  Dick nvrver

[JoelP]

Let me add that I recently stayed in Boise. Actually I have a duplex there, but my daughter and son-in-law were using the half that I keep for ourselves, so I found an RV park called Mountainview RV park that is near the airport.  It was fine enough, but nothing all that special.  There are surprisingly few RV parks there, but I heard that a new one was being built.