Merrill Lake Campground is a pretty awesome spot. Awesome enough that I honestly hemmed and hawed…read moreover whether to even add it to Yelp. Although my better Yelp humanitarian judgment has won out here, I still hope you read this, enjoy it, and camp somewhere else. Why? This little campground only has about 9 sites. It's free but you need a discovery pass. There is a camp host and there are surprisingly clean pit toilets on-site, but no potable water. The sites fill up fast in the summer time, but have a 3-day limit that's enforced by the friendly but vigilant camp host. I don't want it to fill up even faster now that I'm sharing this, since I do plan to hit this spot at least one more time before summer is over. There are no reservations (first-come, first-served) and the campsites are designed to work for larger groups - some of them could easily fit 7-10 tents. Each site is spaced decently well away from the others, and offers a picnic table, fire ring and places to pitch. The sites don't really offer views of the lake, they're set back in the trees, but there's plenty of shade Not too dusty, but some sites are heavy with gravel. While it's car camping, you don't drive right in to your site but park in a common lot, then walk in (the farthest you'll have to walk is about 50 yards). So no car noise up close to your site. This little campground sits just by Merrill Lake, a nice smaller lake that does not (thankfully) allow motorized boats and fishing is restricted to fly only, catch + release. For these reasons the water is calmer, cleaner, and dotted with fly fishermen and specific times of the day. At the mid-July mark the lake was warm and clear... perfect for swimming and canoeing. There are some excellent trout holes around the edges of the lake, however I'm not a fly fisherman and don't believe in torturing anything I'm not able to then eat (so catch + release is not for me). However I can see how this would be an attractive spot for a fly fisherman. This campsite is a great place to get away from PDX. Only about 1h 35m in no traffic, and the drive (especially if you come up the 503) is a nice one. Very pastoral, windy road. Get out of your house this summer and sleep under the stars. Just do it at some other campsite since this one is mine.

We stayed for two nights-three days last weekend for my niece's birthday. We usually stay at a…read morecampsite at Lake Berryessa in California, but most of my family now lives in Vancouver so we opted for somewhere near there. Plus, the lakes in California don't even amount to the lakes in Washington/Oregon. My parents went to Merrill Lake Campground on Thursday to secure us a spot which was first come first serve. They managed to get a campsite (#4) that had a direct path to the lake (not the day use where most of the guests would walk to)! It was really big, the only downside was the hill which isn't ideal with little kiddos. Also, that we couldn't have a campfire due to Washington's high alert for fires. It just wasn't the same. You do need a discovery pass which we got at a store that was twelve minutes from the campsite- Lakeside Deli. It was $11 for a day use. The scenery was amazing. It wasn't hot at all where the campsite was. It was surrounded by trees. The water was so clear and clean. The weather was perfect once we made it out of the campsite, through the trail, and to shore. Oh god, and the drive. The drive up the mountain was the scariest I've ever seen. It was beautiful, but so scary. It was a great stay (for free at that!). I recommend this lake!

Pretty nice camp spot, this is a small step up from dry camping as the site only has vault toilets…read moreand campsites, no amenities other then that. Bring all the water you need, no onsite that we found. First come first serve only.

Bathrooms smell bad. No running potable water but a good fun time. The falls is nice and has a…read morejumping spot. Since I went on the second to last day of summer I want to go back in early summer.

Added an overnight camp to our Banks-Vernonia bike ride. This was an excellent campground: Very…read moreclean (site and facilities) and the tent sites were large and nicely laid out. Dorie, the camp host (and her husband) were very welcoming and friendly. Felt totally secure leaving our tent and gear set up at the Site while riding into 'town for dinner. (Hosts were out and about) Also - the campground had WiFi service - really!

This City park is very nice. It is on the Banks Vernonia bike Trail. The RV campsites are close…read moretogether but in a gorgeous setting. It is very clean and the camp hosts go above and beyond. I lost a glove and walked back to our campsite after we left to look for it. Several hours later the camp host called to see what we might have lost since someone had seen me looking around and they checked to see if it was anything important. They also let us do a late checkout since the nest place we were going was only half an hour away and discouraged early checkins. It also is in easy walking distance to restaurants, grocery stores, and a hardware store, we needed antifreeze which thank goodness they had since the nighttime temp was 26 degrees.

This review is day use only, and trail hiking…read more This is an excellent spot to jump on several trails that circle the area. Today I did an 8 mile loop that took me south for a bit then back around. My goal was to stay on the Storey Burn Loop Trail, and I mostly did. It turned into Gale Creek Trail and there were many places where I could have diverted. Watch your map or it will have you darting across highway 6 - don't do it! Although, University Falls is over there and its gorgeous. On the east side there are lots of dirt bikes and hand cannons. The west side is blissfully free of that noise. Now you know. It was super muddy today, suck you out of your boots muddy. The water is flowing with all the rain we've had, and the rain forest is lush with growth. Enjoy!

I haven't stayed here as a camper, but I've come often for the Day Use Area and to go hiking on the…read morenearby trails around the campground. The facilities are great. Clean, well-kept, and clearly marked. The campsites aren't right on top of each other which is nice! Definitely room to spread out and have a little privacy. The river runs through and it is beautiful! It's a fantastic place to just hang out. Bring the dog and a beer and you're golden! There are a few moderate to difficult hikes that run from the trailhead at the entrance of the campground, so there's always something to do and see! There are multiple points where you can access the river, so you don't have a bottleneck on one trail. You also won't have an issue of people trying to walk through your campsite for river access. Hoping to actually camp here soon, and I'll update my review. But at least for day use I can say it's fab!

Bathe yourself in the forest, of springs and creeks and trails and the beach…read more It's an easy walk through old growth forest though there are also trails that involve more effort. Short Sand beach is a favorite spot for surfers. There are restrooms at the parking lot and seasonal restrooms as well.

such a great place to pull over and let the dog/kid blow off…read moresome steam! great trail network, obviously maintained. parking lot is clean, with a trash can and there's also bathrooms. i enjoyed the first hike we did down to sandy short beach so much that the next day i stopped again and walked the old growth trail which was short but stunning! if you're not from the pacific northwest and tou want to see why so many people flock here i. the summer, set aside an hour or two to explore in here. it's so pretty!

Serene and scenic place, clean camp site and easy access. Green and beautiful trees. River nearby…read moreis fun to explore.

This is our favorite spot at the moment, about 90 minutes from Portland. About a dozen car/RV…read morecampsites and 6 walk in sites which are more secluded and a couple are on the small side. All are within earshot of the falls, so if you like the sound of running water you can't go wrong here. Only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day during the summer and no reservations so hit or miss on which site you get if you get one at all. Mostly 1 or 2 day campers so we have never encountered it full. And if you cross the bridge and take a right on the train tracks you can walk to Fall Creek in about 15 minutes on fairly flat and mostly solid footing. You can cross the train trestle but it isn't for the faint hearted as it is in serious disrepair after the 2006 rain storms I imagine.

Stayed two nights here and really enjoyed it. It's really close to the beach which is amazing…read more Parking in cannon beach is horrible to deal with so being able to to walk is a game changer. Arlene, the camp host, was really friendly and we were able to buy firewood and a s'mores kit from her office. The bathroom was clean and the showers were hot. There were also some fun amenities like a badminton court and a basketball hoop. The campground itself was really well kept and beautiful. I will say that campsites are not super private, but that's the price to pay for camping so close to town.

We booked a last minute site at this campsite when we realized we would have trouble boondocking in…read morecannon beach. Luckily, we got a spot because they were booked up when we arrived and Gladys was ready to tell us that they were full. This is definitely a more rustic campsite. it has been family owned for decades and I have a feeling that it wasn't worth adding hookups or newer facilities to the site. However, everything was adequate and the staff could not have been nicer. Everyone at the site was very friendly and we talked with a few couples before we departed. If there is downer about this site, it's that the beach and center of town are about a 30 min walk from the site and you need to walk down a small stretch of highway onramp. It seems to be closer than any other alternatives but I do wish it had been a but closer. All in all, I would stay here again and recommend it to anyone camping in cannon beach for a night or two.

Went deep into the park to see the northern lights without city light disruption. It was peaceful,…read morequiet, and a crystal clear night to see stars. We think we saw some Aurora colors. Not sure though. Still a beautiful experience!

What a beautiful camping spot close to Portland. We…read morereserved 2 spots for tent camping for 2 nights. The sites were clean and well maintained and parking was very close to our sites (28 & 29). The tent pads are gravel and there's a nice grassy area for hanging out in our freestanding hammock. There are miles of beautiful trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. Stargazing was incredible and we wished we had brought a telescope. The tent area has 2 bathrooms with flush toilets which were mostly clean. They could use some spider web removal and a good floor scrub. One of the bathrooms was locked, maybe for maintenance, on the second day of our stay. We saw deer, a big variety of birds and a couple cute squirrels and chipmunks. A pond along one of the hiking trails hosted a large number of salamanders! We will go back and try a cabin site next.

A hideout indeed! Google maps and pics do not properly show the enormity of this place. I came…read morehere a couple of months ago for disc golf, but there was way more to be discovered here then I had thought. Here's a little bit about Horning's Hideout: = Just Getting Here = Be aware that once you drive off the main road, you'll see the signs to the hideout, but it's all gravel and tall trees from there. From the main sign, the drive heads downward, winding through the forest, down the canyon. Similar to that of driving to Pittock Mansion, only unpaved and narrower turns. So please proceed with caution. Once at the bottom, it opens up to a pleasant little valley. = Parking and Fee = Past the barn, to your right is the parking area. It's an open field. Pay at the parking station, $5 per person. = Features & Activities = * For fishing, I had inquired at the office. Once you park, there is a house or an information office just above the parking station. The lady (or owner) was helpful as she explained to me the lay of the land. Again, this place was way larger than I had imagined. But back to fishing... There is a lake that gets stocked with trout. No fishing license required. Assuming due to this being private land. You do pay a catch/cleaning fee. They also have fly-fishing during the winter through spring season. More details on their website. I did notice they've got paddle boats as well. So, forget the stupid ipad, and keep the kids busy with fishing and paddle boating! * For disc golf, there are three huge courses. One, only being par 3's. Which to me was like a good hike, yet still challenging. A medium course that's par 3's and 4's through the canyon that's said to be scenic. I have yet to try it. And a championship course with par 5's; Difficult greens around trees, and a U-turn. Someday, but not any time soon! * As for the wedding venues, I can only imagine, but there are three venues to use depending on your wedding party size. Can you envision your wedding photos or even your reception being close to a pond, a lake, a creek, or even a waterfall, with trees all around? Yeah, that's this place! Oh yeah, and with peacocks too! * Camping is also allowed as well. Reservations required of course. * And as you can see with the yelp photos, they occasionally have concerts which I though was really cool. Well, that just about sums it up, not sure what else to say. It's just a secluded place worth checking out. Especially if you need to escape some city life.

An Absolutely Beautiful place for a wedding. My son and daughter in law chose the lakeside venue…read more We were blessed with a wonderful day weather wise. It had forecasted to rain but luckily it held off until the following day. It would have been a totally different event had it rained. I do wish there was a way of getting around having to walk in gravel but unless they pave it there is no getting around that. So guests were told ahead of time to be aware of that. Different chairs were rented rather than the plastic ones that are provided which was a nice thing. Extra hanging lights were rented and hung up by the brides father. It made a big difference and I think the venue should consider investing in adding them permanently.

Amazing views! The drive into Ecola was just beautiful, dense forest all around. Currently love in…read morethe desert, so all the green was a treat. We only did the Ecola Point viewpoint which has some short trails from the parking lot. You can see the lighthouse a little bit from some of the views, but probably not as well as grub the lighthouse view trail. Still amazing views tho down into Cannon Beach, haystack rock, etc. If you're going to visit a lot of state parks, I recommend getting the state park pass. Worth the price!

Home is where the heart is. This area was my stomping…read more grounds for many moons! I use to go to Ecola state park, regularly growing up. Go on hikes,look for rocks shells,surf, get lost in nature, just sit in the grass and watch the ocean. Here is what you can do at Ecola State Park: Hiking & Walking: Explore trails ranging from easy strolls to challenging hikes through Sitka spruce forests. The Clatsop Loop Trail follows the path of1806 explorers, while the Oregon Coast Trail offers longer, scenic treks. Indian Beach: A popular, secluded cove for surfing, sunbathing, and tide-pooling to see sea stars and anemones. Viewpoints: Take in spectacular vistas from Ecola Point, including views of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse ("Terrible Tilly") and distant Haystack Rock. Wildlife Viewing: The park is known for herds of elk grazing in the meadows, as well as sightings of bald eagles and migrating gray whales. Picnicking: Enjoy lunch at the picnic areas located on the grassy bluffs with ocean views. Photography: The dramatic, moody coastline provides excellent opportunities for photography. Oregon State