Well, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve decided pigs can fly …After a lifetime of proclaiming my dislike for the Oregon coast, I’ve had a change of heart. It might be a short romance throughout February and March, but I’ll take it. Apparently all these years we’d been visiting at the wrong time…summer. Late winter and early spring seem to be the time of year to visit….who knew! Certainly not us.
Todd and I spent another enjoyable weekend at Nehalem Bay State Park. The forecast called for rain and we were prepared with books and movies to keep us busy if the weather was stormy. I had surgery scheduled the following week and we wanted to take the Bambi out one more time beforehand. Fortunately for us, the weatherman got it wrong again. The skies cleared, the temps were mild and we enjoyed hours of beautiful walks down the coast and along Nehalem bay.
Beautiful sunset Friday night.
Last light
We love this park, especially in the winter. It has something for everyone. Beautiful sites, nice amenities, close to both the ocean and the bay, sand dunes galore, nature trails, bike paths, an airport, horseback riding, yurts – it’s all here. No wonder people book a year out for this place. The nice part about winter camping though…NO CROWDS, NO CROWDS, NO CROWDS. We won’t stay here once the camping season begins. We prefer quieter parks at federal campgrounds even if it means no hookups. But, we’ll definitely return over and over again during the off season!
An early morning walk…look at that blue sky!
It doesn’t get much better than this!
Lots of hiking and biking trails throughout the park!
I was there, too!
An early morning walk along the bay.
We met up with my friend Dana and her pal Toby along the beach!
Another thing to love about Nehalem Bay is its proximity to several coastal communities. The town of Manzanita is located within walking distance. This is one of my favorite little towns to explore…lots of great shopping tucked away in a picturesque little community. Manzanita, with it’s long stretch of sandy beaches is the third most photographed area in Oregon.
The city of Tillamook, home to the famous cheese factory, is located just 25 miles south of the state park. The towns of Cannon Beach and Seaside, also really popular tourist destinations, are just a 10-15 minute drive down the road. Cannon Beach is home to one of our favorite restauraunts on the coast – Pizza Fetta! We never miss an opportunity to eat here when we’re in town!
Yup…we’ve been enjoying pizza here for a lot of years!
All and all another wonderful weekend. If you’re thinking of visiting the northern Oregon Coast during the winter, Nehalem Bay State Park really has it all!
Enjoying the sunshine!
Wonderful way to start the morning!
Tasty way to end the night!
Under the stars…
The (not so) Small Small Trailer 
Great posting. Can you recommend some parks you go to when the parks become too busy with crowds? Richard and I are very quiet people.
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Angel, we like quiet campgrounds, too! We have lots of favorites around Portland, but they’re still quite a commute for you. This is the website I go to to find campgrounds: http://www.campsitephotos.com/campground-directory/state/Oregon?sortby=
Just put in Washington State, and you’ll find a lot of beautiful campgrounds around your area. I really love the fact that you can see the photos before you reserve your spot.
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Beautiful pictures, as always! Thank you for sharing your adventures. I especially love the Ben & Jerry’s photo! That is our special “Airstream treat” too when we head out on the road. They fit perfectly into those small refrigerators. 🙂
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What a beautiful campground! We will be taking delivery of our new TT soon (not an Airstream 😦 ) and hope to spend some time on the OR and WA coast. Do you remember what campsite you were in?
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Kim, not only are these beautiful pictures, your message is beautifully written. Mom
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Another great post. You live in a great area. Beautiful!
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Great post! Love your pics!
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You should compile your beautiful pic into a book along with the camping info– I bet people would buy them– I certainly would.
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Thanks Barbara. I love taking photos. I enjoy camping, but sometimes can’t wait to get home to see the photos I’ve taken. It’s fun to relive the good times!
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I always look forward to your posts. I hope you have been able to have some great trips lately, and that you are feeling well. I know how busy school can get this time of year. We a purchased our TT (not an Airstream), and are busy following the sun around the PNW. Not an easy task.
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Hi there!
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable.
I was looking for blogs about the dog festival in Manzanita to share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Jane
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Hi there,
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable. Jodi of Pleasant Home sent me your way 🙂
I was looking for blogs about Manzanita to share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Jane
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