Northern California and Oregon are home to some of the nation’s most beautiful landscapes and amazing campgrounds. With all of the options, how do you decide where to stay? Recently, Jeremy Wayland from Camp West BBQ planned his first long RV journey and chose this beautiful section of the Pacific Coast as his focus. His 17-day journey includes 8 great campgrounds in Northern California and Coastal Oregon. We are so glad he shared all of his tips and reviews with us!

Thanks to Jeremy for sharing his family photos for this post!

We know Jeremy Wayland as “CampWestBBQ” online where he shares great BBQ content using his Traeger grills, with so many recipes and tips that are perfect for your camping adventures. He has been a weekend warrior, taking short trips with his family for over five years. This year, he planned his very first extended trip for his family of five (including three kids and the family dog!) in their 26-foot Coleman Lantern 263BH. Their 17-day journey took them from Elk Grove, CA, along the Northern California coast, the Oregon coast, to Salem, and back through Bend, OR, and Mt. Shasta. They hit eight campgrounds along the way—and we are so excited to hear all about them!

Along with these reviews of 8 great campgrounds in northern California and coastal Oregon, Jeremy Wayland shared his thoughts on the shift from being a weekend warrior to a road-tripping pro, including how he went about planning such an extensive trip with his family and tips for first-time road trippers. We had such a great conversation that it is spread across two podcast episodes! To hear more about Jeremy’s journey and tips, click play on the media player above to find Part 1 of his interview or look for The RV Atlas in your podcast app. Make sure to check out Part 2 of the podcast, as well, to hear more.

Campground Reviews: Northern California

Shelter Cove RV Campground (Shelter Cove, CA)

If you want to visit the historic Cape Mendocino Lighthouse and have incredible coastal views, check out Shelter Cove RV Campground. The campground offers full hookups. You won’t find a ton of resort amenities in the park, but you won’t miss them because there’s so much to explore in the area. Every evening, you can enjoy sweeping views of the sun setting over the ocean. Here’s a fantastic insider tip: Jeremy recommends grabbing a shrimp po’boy at the campground deli.

While this area isn’t good for swimming, the beaches are rich with tide pools. Jeremy’s family loved that they could walk to them right from their campsite to find sea urchins, sea stars, anemones, and crabs. A short drive away, you’ll find the Black Sands Beach, which has a stretch of black sand created from volcanic minerals and rocks.

Lighthouse Cove RV Park (Crescent City, CA)

The Lighthouse Cove RV Park gives you great access to both the beach and the redwoods. It’s situated right on the coast near the Redwood National and State Parks. This city-run campground has some full hookup sites. The best feature is that you can walk right to the water, where there’s a nice shallow harbor to play in.

Nearby, Jeremy’s family enjoyed visiting Battery Point Lighthouse (heads up: It’s only accessible for tours during low tide) and the Ocean World aquarium, which has a 45-minute tour with a touch-and-feel tide pool experience. It gives kids a chance to pet a shark, and a see a sea lion show. His kids loved it! Jeremy also recommends checking out SeaQuake Brewing for delicious beer, kombuchas, brick oven pizza, and locally caught fish dishes.

Mount Shasta KOA Holiday (Mt Shasta, CA)

Mount Shasta KOA Holiday served as a rest spot for Jeremy’s family on their way back home from Oregon, but the campground still deserves a shout out. It’s a smaller campground, but it has some great views of Mt. Shasta and a lot of kid-friendly amenities, with a pool, a park, and a game room.

Remember, you can hear Jeremy’s full reviews of these 8 great campgrounds in northern California and coastal Oregon and more tips for planning your first long roadtrip by clicking play on the podcast player above or looking for The RV Atlas in your podcast app. Check out both Part 1 and Part 2!

Campground Reviews: Oregon

Sunset Bay State Park (Coos Bay, OR)

Not only was Sunset Bay State Park Jeremy’s favorite campground of his trip, it just might have earned the title of best campground of all time. This state park has the huge, private sites you might associate with a state park, combined with full hookups, making it the best of both worlds. He described it as having “Jurassic Park vibes” due to the lush surroundings.

This is a great area for hiking and biking, with trails accessible right from the campground. He especially recommends the Sunset Bay to Cape Argo trail for beautiful sweeping views of the ocean and cliff side. This brought back so many memories of our own great visit to the Oregon Coast in 2017.

South Beach State Park (Newport, OR)

While Jeremy’s family was sad to leave Sunset Bay State Park, the South Beach State Park ended up offering the best beach experience out of all ...