Cannon Beach Camping: Campgrounds, RV Parks and State Parks Nearby

Cannon Beach has Haystack Rock, miles of open sand and no public campground. The state parks on either side of town, Ecola and Oswald West, have no campgrounds, and camping on the beach is banned in the city and along the whole north Clatsop County shore. That leaves two private campgrounds in town, one for RVs and one for tents, and two big state park campgrounds within about 45 minutes' drive.

Camping near Cannon Beach at a glance

Campgrounds and RV parks in Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach RV Resort

Best for: RVers who want to walk to the beach. On Elk Creek Road, a few blocks from the beach and about half a mile from Haystack Rock, with an easy walk to downtown.

• 99 full-hookup sites (water, sewer, electric), 11 of them pull-through, 28 to 60 feet long, each with a picnic table and fire pit.
• No tents, car camping or rooftop tents: RVs must be self-contained, with permanent sleeping and cooking facilities.
• Indoor heated pool and spa open year-round, rec room, playground, laundry, Wi-Fi, and a store selling gas, diesel and propane.
• Rates (two people; $3 a night for each extra guest over 5): $60 a night November–February, $70 March to Memorial Day weekend and in October, $90 Memorial Day weekend through September, plus 14.57% occupancy tax. Weekly rates are lower.
• Stays of up to 21 nights within 30 days. Leashed pets welcome.

Wright's for Camping

Best for: tents in town. A family campground started in 1959, with 23 sites that specialize in tent camping. It takes RVs in some tent sites but has no hookups.

• Picnic tables and fire rings, restrooms with showers, laundry, firewood for sale; the campground lists itself as handicapped accessible.
• 2026 rates include all taxes: $60 for 2 people, rising $4 per extra person to $76 for 6. Every person counts, whatever their age.
• Closed September through May. Book online with a non-refundable $25 deposit per site.
• Leashed pets welcome; don't leave them alone in camp.

Campsites near Cannon Beach: state parks

Nehalem Bay State Park (about 15 miles south)

Best for: the closest state park campground, with the beach a dune from your site. On a sand spit between Nehalem Bay and the ocean, south of Manzanita, with the beach a dune away.

• 265 electric sites with water and 16 yurts (9 pet-friendly); flush toilets and showers, with a new restroom and shower building finished in fall 2025.
• Horse camp (17 primitive sites), a hiker/biker camp, and a fly-in camp next to the park's 2,400-foot airstrip.
• 1.8-mile bike path, kayaking, crabbing and clamming in the bay.
• Open all year, reservations up to six months ahead.

Fort Stevens State Park (about 25 miles north)

Best for: families and a week-long base. One of the country's largest public campgrounds, at the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria.

• 174 full-hookup and 302 electric sites, 6 tent sites, 9 hike-in sites, 15 yurts and 11 deluxe cabins, all by reservation. The South Loops are closed for utility work, so fewer sites are bookable until it's done.
• Coffenbury Lake for swimming and paddling, 15 miles of trails, military history from the Civil War to WWII, and a historic shipwreck on the beach.

Cape Lookout State Park (about 50 miles south)

Normally the north coast's big tent campground (170 tent sites plus hookup sites, yurts and cabins) on the Netarts spit, but closed since August 3, 2026 for construction, with work expected through spring 2027.

For the whole coast, north to south, see our guide to Oregon coast camping, and for a roof over your head, Oregon coast yurts.

Booking the state parks

• Reserve at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com or 800-452-5687, up to six months ahead; new dates open at 6 a.m.
• A $10 reservation fee applies unless you book on the day; open sites can be booked online the same day.
• Non-residents pay 25% more. At 2026 rates, tent sites cost residents $20–33 a night, electric sites $29–55 and rustic yurts $73–82, lodging tax included.
• Summer weekends fill first; midweek and the off-season are much easier.

Why you can't camp on the beach or in the parks nearby

Oregon's beaches are public, but camping on the ocean shore is prohibited:

• Within the city limits of Cannon Beach (and Seaside and Manzanita nearby).
• On the Clatsop County shore from the Columbia River's south jetty to Tillamook Head.
• On any beach next to an Oregon state park, such as Ecola and Oswald West.

And the parks around town don't allow overnight stays:

• Ecola State Park: no overnight parking anywhere in the park. Its Hiker's Camp, three Adirondack-style shelters that each sleep four, with a vault toilet but no water, is only for people hiking the Oregon Coast Trail.
• Oswald West State Park: no camping; its walk-in campground closed in 2008.
• Saddle Mountain State Natural Area (inland): day use only, dawn to dusk, with no drinking water.

Overnight parking isn't allowed at state park day-use areas and waysides anywhere on the coast.

Free camping near Cannon Beach

The nearest free camping is inland, in the Clatsop and Tillamook state forests of the Coast Range. The Oregon Department of Forestry allows dispersed camping there with no fee or permit, up to 14 days in any 35 (42 days in 12 months), at least 25 feet from any body of water, with no campfires at dispersed sites during the regulated-use part of fire season. ODF provides no facilities or maps for dispersed sites, so carry water and pack out waste. See free camping in Oregon for the details and the dispersed camping guide for how it works.

Tips for camping near Cannon Beach

• Book early for summer. Two in-town campgrounds and one nearby state park don't go far on a July weekend.
• Check the tide before walking the beach to Hug Point or around headlands.
• Bring layers and rain gear. The north coast is cool and wet much of the year, even in summer.
• Day-use parking: many Oregon state parks, including Ecola and Oswald West, need a parking permit, bought on site or as a 12-month permit ($60 for Oregon residents, $75 for non-residents).

More of the state: our Oregon camping guides and Crater Lake camping.