Oregon Coast Lodging

My son and I are planning a 10-day to the Portland area June 10-21.
We hope to visit the Gorge, Pamelia Lake, the coast starting at Ecola State Park, and the Mt Hood area (including Top Spur trailhead). We plan to split between backpacking/camping and motels. I'm somewhat familiar with the area, having visited friends 4 times. But since our friends have moved, we are faced with the problem of lodging this time. Should we expect difficulty finding a motel on the coast, especially since we arrive on a weekend? Or difficulty finding a camping spot at Ecola State Park?

Patrick Nixon
Canton, MI

Definitely expect trouble finding camping at the coast if you're going to be camping on a weekend, unless you get to the campground by like noon. Ecola is first come first serve, but there are a few other state parks in the area that do have reservable sites that you could look into (see http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/reserve.shtml). Motels shouldn't be an issue though.

Just South of Canon (10 miles I'm guessing) is the Oswald West State park. AWESOME camping less than 1/2 mile from this sweet cove where you will probably be able to watch 40+ surfers in the water. Lots of camping but it will be packed so you will want to arrive early. It's about a 1/4 mile trail to the campground - really a unique location. They even have wheel barrows you can use to carry your gear in/out.

Oswald West only has about 20 sites - it fills up extremely fast on the weekends.

Also check Fort Stevens State Park and across the river, there are lots of sites at Cape Disappointment State Park. There is also KOA at the entrance to Fort Stevens.

Thanks, folks. I have tentatively planned a counterclockwise itinerary for this trip (Ecola, Pamelia Lake, Mt Hood, the Gorge), arriving on a Tuesday. Of course, hoping for bright, sunny weather (which I have enjoyed on 4 prior occasions), but coming well prepared for rain.

Any suggestions for photo sites in the rain?