It is usually a good thing to begin an RV trip into Oregon at Portland, Oregon’s largest city. From here, it is easy to connect to highways that reach east, central, southern and coastal Oregon. If you are planning to stay at any National or State Parks or Monuments, you will have to make reservations in advance, sometimes a year in advance.
RV’s are not easy to drive into Portland itself. The highways have lots of curves and multiple bridges, some of which don’t allow RV’s on them. A good place to stay in this are is the Jantzen Beach RV Park. From this park it is an easy drive to the MAX train station which you can take into Portland.
RVing on the Oregon Coast
From Portland which is a the northern part of the state, you can easily drive down by the coast until you reach Eureka in California. The northern area around Astoria does not have any RV parks with ocean views. If your rig is not too tall you can stay in the Cannon Beach RV park which is a short walk to the beach. Cities as you go down the coast that have RV parks by the beach include Lincoln City, Newport and Waldport.
Six miles south of Yachats is a great RV park, but this will run you about $60 a night. If you can afford it, this RV park is worth a stay. Going on down the coast, there are RV parks by the beach in Winchester Bay, Coos Bay, Gold Beach and Brookings. As you enter California, there is a beach front part in Cresent City for you to begin your stay in a new state. From Crescent City, you can easily take in Redwood State Park. These redwoods are not to be missed. The RV sites listed here are all a short drive from Highway 101.
From Crescent City you can easily head off to Crater Lake National Park, Oregon’s only National Park. This park is definitely worth a trip. You can also stay at an RV in Bend, which is not that far away from the park. Staying two days in Bend will allow you to see the sites of the Bend area and the National Park as well. From there, you can continue north and cross the Columbia River gorge area which is breathtaking. It is a short drive from here to visit Mount St. Helen. This is in Washington, but this area has much more to do for a family than Mount Rainier, which offers only hiking.
From here, it is easy to return to Portland. You can end your trip here, or visit other places in Oregon. It is a short trip into the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s agricultural area. This area is simply beautiful to drive through with its wooden bridges and green valleys. The area has many vineyards and wineries as well. This trip can be done in a day.
RVing in the Interior of Oregon
Some other places to fit into your agenda are the Mount Hood area which has spectacular views, skiing in season, and spectacular waterfalls. The high desert area of Oregon features numerous golf courses and rivers to fish. If you want to see the painted desert in Eastern Oregon, there are several places you should plan to visit. One is the Baker City area where you can still see the wagon ruts left by the pioneers. The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center should not be missed. In Kimberly, you can visit the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This is a large park with several areas and mueseums to visit. These areas offer RV campsites along the route.
If you plan to head home from Portland, along Highway 5 to California, you can also plan to visit Salem, the state capital and Ashland where Oregon’s Shakespeare Festival runs all spring and summer. There is simply so much to see in Oregon, it is hard to decide how to see it all.
Marley Martinerin is a regular contributor to a number of sites and writes articles about such topics as usb joysticks, and usb power adapters.
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