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Cape Blanco State Park Campground

Beauty Privacy Spaciousness Quiet (summer) (winter) Security Cleanliness

If you are lucky enough to snag one that backs up to the ocean, you’ll have a thick forest as your buffer for the ultimate in tent-camping privacy.

KEY INFORMATION

CONTACT: 541-332-2973, oregonstateparks.org

OPEN: Year-round

SITES: 52 with electric and water, 1 group, 1 horse camp, 1 hiker/biker camp, 4 cabins

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Restrooms, showers; sites A05, A06, A18, A29, A48, A49, and A53

EACH SITE HAS: Picnic table, fire ring with grill

ASSIGNMENT: First come, first served

REGISTRATION: Self-registration on-site

AMENITIES: Flush toilets (restrooms have running water), hot showers, firewood, laundry

PARKING: At campsites; $7/additional vehicle

FEE: $24

ELEVATION: 200'

RESTRICTIONS:

PETS: On leash only

QUIET HOURS: None specified

FIRES: In fire rings only

ALCOHOL: Prohibited

OTHER: 14-day stay limit

Anyone who’s driven along the famous US 101 knows that the entire Oregon Coast is one long necklace of windswept headlands and craggy contours, linked by a glistening thread of lowland sand dunes and tidal waterways. But the series of three capes—Blanco, Lookout, and Perpetua—is particularly stunning for its natural visual appeal, recreational opportunity, and geologic wonder. Even better: You can camp at all three.

Cape Blanco State Park is the farthest south—it’s home to the southernmost of Oregon’s lighthouses, and it is also the westernmost point in the state. The cape, park, reef, lighthouse, airport, and road from US 101 all bear the name Blanco, first given to the dramatic ivory cliffs that rise 200 feet above a black sand beach. In 1603, a relatively unknown Spanish explorer named Martin d’Aguilar spotted the sheer white (blanco, to him) cliffs and aptly dubbed them for posterity.

Watch the sun set over beautiful Cape Blanco, just steps from the campground.

This state park covers 1,895 acres of forested headlands and wildflower fields, which flood the area with color in late spring and early summer. Yellow coneflowers, coral bells, yellow sand verbena, and northern dune tansy are the most prevalent varieties. Sitka spruce dominates in the tree department. Farther east in the coastal mountain ranges, one can find old-growth Douglas fir and the commercially prized Port Orford cedar.

The lush vegetation that stays green all year at Cape Blanco (thanks to the temperate marine climate) has been thoughtfully preserved in the campground, lending a certain air of mystery to many of the campsites. If you are lucky enough to snag one that backs up to the ocean, you’ll have a thick forest as your buffer for the ultimate in tent-camping privacy. Surprisingly, considering how close the campground sits to the ocean, none seem to have water views. Only two of the cabins are situated to take in any views of the ocean, but it’s only a short walk to the bluff for a panoramic vista. In a thick fog, however, make sure you know where the bluff ends and that unplanned shortcut to the beach starts! Heavy fog can prevail anytime between late October and May, but it’s between December and February that the rains make their mark on Cape Blanco—and in generous supply. More than half of the area’s total annual rainfall occurs in this three-month stretch. Summers (thank heavens) are generally sunny and mild. Temperatures are rarely extremely hot or cold. Shoulder seasons (March–April and September–October) bring a mixture of warm, cool, drizzly, breezy, sunny, and cloudy weather. And that’s just in one day!

These shoulder seasons (part of The Discovery Season, as it’s called by Oregon State Parks and Recreation) can be the perfect time to enjoy a place like Cape Blanco. The summer tourist season along the Oregon Coast—all 360 miles of it—is lovely weather-wise, and the scenery is consistently spectacular, but high season is a decidedly different kind of experience. There is little relief from the crowds, campgrounds fill up quickly (including Cape Blanco, which doesn’t require reservations), and the main north–south route (US 101) can seem like one long, nearly unbroken procession of RVs and trailers.

But if summer is the only time you can get there, by all means go. You just have to be a little more creative to find the pockets of isolation. One suggestion: Try the New River paddle route just upcoast from the park in the town of Denmark. This 8-mile stretch of tidewater attracts shorebirds and migratory waterfowl. The New River is a blend of fresh waters descending from Coast Ranges and the salty Pacific, creating an interesting mix of plant and animal life. On one end of the river is undeveloped Floras Lake State Park, and at the other end are the sand dunes of Bandon. Both are equally worthy of exploration.

Another alternative is the Sixes River, which forms the northern boundary of Cape Blanco State Park. Fishing in the Sixes is best in the off-season: Chinook in the fall, sea-run cutthroat trout in spring and fall, and steelhead in the winter. There are several boat put-ins along the river east of US 101. Hikers can take their pick of varying topographies. A moderate climb up to the windswept bluff near the lighthouse offers views in all directions: north to Blacklock Point and Tower Rock, west across Blanco Reef, and south to Orford Reef. This is an excellent vantage point from which to watch gray whales on their migration path from the Arctic to Baja, California, in winter months.

Down on the beach, you can walk along portions of the Oregon Coast Trail, but keep in mind that tide levels change anywhere from 6 to 12 feet twice daily. The ultimate escape for those experienced enough to handle it is Grassy Knob Wilderness, which lies not far east in a small section of Siskiyou National Forest. Backpacking through this area is best described as bushwhacking; there are very few established trails, and the going is steep and rugged.

GETTING THERE

From I-5 take Exit 162 in Anlauf, and head west on OR 38. In 6.3 miles turn right to remain on OR 38. Go 50.1 miles, and turn left onto US 101 in Reedsport. In 73.1 miles turn right (west) onto Cape Blanco Road, and drive 5.2 miles into the park and to the campground.

GPS COORDINATES: N42º 50.146' W124º 33.647'