Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

D and M On The Road · 04-29-2009, 07:00 PM

The Oregon coast is beautiful. We always love going there. Florence is our favorite.... my father was chief of police there back in the late 40s/early 50s and I have been camping at Honeyman since I was an infant.

If you spend anytime in Florence, be sure to find the "BJ's Ice Cream" across from "Mo's" seafood restaurant in "Old Town". They have ice cream to-die-for. My favorite is the "Oregon Trail"... chocolate ice cream with hazelnuts and ribbons of blackberry thru it.

"Old Town Florence" is next to the Siuslaw River and has lots of great shops to stroll thru. Lunch or dinner at Mo's Restaurant is good with fresh seafood dishes... and chicken strips for those who don't like seafood.

Ther's a cafe called "Morgan's" and it is located between Honeyman State Park and the bridge. Good country style cooking.

For some thrills.... go on a sand dune buggy ride. It's best to pay and let them take you on a ride and they will take you up one side of 500 foot dunes and down the other side while having you airborne at the top! They also will take you out to the ocean and drive fast along the edge of the ocean while water sprays from the rear wheels..... just like you see in the movies.
We've rented the 4 wheelers you drive yourself, but the ride is not as good.... we've always gotten stuck in the sand with them and have always seen others stuck. There are a couple of locations for sand dune rides..... the best being the one about one or two miles south of Honeyman Park.

There's also an extremely large FredMyers there on the north end of town. If you haven't been in a FredMyers... you gotta stop and check one out. This one is a "super" one with a grocery store in it also.

The Sea Lion caves are kinda fun to go see. but once you see them... you'll not want to go back as they S T I N K. They are located about 9 miles north of Florence and offer a spectacular view of the Heceta Head Lighthouse and gatekeeper's cottage.

Heceta Head lighthouse (north of Florence about 11 miles) is a nice tour. Not open every day... you have to call and find out. But you park down at a beach and take an easy upward hike to the gatekeepers cottage and lighthouse.

The aquarium at Newport is nice. Easy day trip from Florence. I think it's even a bit better than the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

Don't know how far inland you might get... but Crater Lake is beautiful. Nothing else up there but that and it might not be a draw enough. If it is, I'd find a place in Roseberg to leave the Montana and go up to the lake as a day trip... but get to the top early as it gets very crowded by noon or so. They do have a large cafeteria at the top.

Just outside Roseberg in Winston is the "Wild Animal Park" that you drive thru in your own vehicle. Last time we did that, a couple of bears took a liking to our vehicle and one climbed on top and the other tried to eat our front bumper!

Have fun on your trip.... the Oregon coast is beautiful and you'll find lots of fun things to do.

The few following parks are all in the southern to middle coast area. I've added links to each, some allow reservations, some are first come, first served. Call ahead to find out the length restrictions before you turn into any campground.

Most of the Oregon coast is a major "destination" area so if traveling without reservations, you'll need to start looking for a camp by noon or know where the Walmarts are!

Bandon, Oregon
Bullards Beach State Park / 2 miles north of Bandon
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_71.php
Nice clean park, good sites with trees. Good for families. Coquille River Lighthouse is nearby. With flush toilets and showers.

Port Orford, Oregon
Cape Blanco State Park / 9 miles north of Port Orford
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_62.php
Secluded camp about 5 miles off the highway, about a 3 minute walk to the ocean, tall trees and bushes around most sites for maximum privacy. Very peaceful & quiet. Cape Blanco Lighthouse is nearby. Clean with flush toilets and showers.

Florence, Oregon
Jesse M. Honeyman State Park / 3 miles south of Florence
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_134.php
Our favorite. Absolutely beautiful... but lots of families with kids if that bothers you. Has an area of sand dunes that reach 500 feet high, Cleaxwox lake is inside the park with paddle boat rentals, swimming beach, bike riding trails. Use this campgound as your 'base'... so much to do and see in each direction: "Old Town Florence", Sand dune buggy rides, Sea Lion Caves, Newport Aquarium, Heceta Head Lighthouse tours and much more.

Waldport, Oregon
Beachside State Park / 4 miles south of Waldport
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_122.php
Right on the beach, not too much privacy, very popular. Flush toilets and showers. I'm adding in here that I don't think this park can handle a large RV....I'd be very cautious about this park.

04-29-2009, 07:00 PM	#5
D and M On The Road Montana Master Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Orangevale Posts: 2,341 M.O.C. #49	The Oregon coast is beautiful. We always love going there. Florence is our favorite.... my father was chief of police there back in the late 40s/early 50s and I have been camping at Honeyman since I was an infant. If you spend anytime in Florence, be sure to find the "BJ's Ice Cream" across from "Mo's" seafood restaurant in "Old Town". They have ice cream to-die-for. My favorite is the "Oregon Trail"... chocolate ice cream with hazelnuts and ribbons of blackberry thru it. "Old Town Florence" is next to the Siuslaw River and has lots of great shops to stroll thru. Lunch or dinner at Mo's Restaurant is good with fresh seafood dishes... and chicken strips for those who don't like seafood. Ther's a cafe called "Morgan's" and it is located between Honeyman State Park and the bridge. Good country style cooking. For some thrills.... go on a sand dune buggy ride. It's best to pay and let them take you on a ride and they will take you up one side of 500 foot dunes and down the other side while having you airborne at the top! They also will take you out to the ocean and drive fast along the edge of the ocean while water sprays from the rear wheels..... just like you see in the movies. We've rented the 4 wheelers you drive yourself, but the ride is not as good.... we've always gotten stuck in the sand with them and have always seen others stuck. There are a couple of locations for sand dune rides..... the best being the one about one or two miles south of Honeyman Park. There's also an extremely large FredMyers there on the north end of town. If you haven't been in a FredMyers... you gotta stop and check one out. This one is a "super" one with a grocery store in it also. The Sea Lion caves are kinda fun to go see. but once you see them... you'll not want to go back as they S T I N K. They are located about 9 miles north of Florence and offer a spectacular view of the Heceta Head Lighthouse and gatekeeper's cottage. Heceta Head lighthouse (north of Florence about 11 miles) is a nice tour. Not open every day... you have to call and find out. But you park down at a beach and take an easy upward hike to the gatekeepers cottage and lighthouse. The aquarium at Newport is nice. Easy day trip from Florence. I think it's even a bit better than the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Don't know how far inland you might get... but Crater Lake is beautiful. Nothing else up there but that and it might not be a draw enough. If it is, I'd find a place in Roseberg to leave the Montana and go up to the lake as a day trip... but get to the top early as it gets very crowded by noon or so. They do have a large cafeteria at the top. Just outside Roseberg in Winston is the "Wild Animal Park" that you drive thru in your own vehicle. Last time we did that, a couple of bears took a liking to our vehicle and one climbed on top and the other tried to eat our front bumper! Have fun on your trip.... the Oregon coast is beautiful and you'll find lots of fun things to do. The few following parks are all in the southern to middle coast area. I've added links to each, some allow reservations, some are first come, first served. Call ahead to find out the length restrictions before you turn into any campground. Most of the Oregon coast is a major "destination" area so if traveling without reservations, you'll need to start looking for a camp by noon or know where the Walmarts are! Bandon, Oregon Bullards Beach State Park / 2 miles north of Bandon http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_71.php Nice clean park, good sites with trees. Good for families. Coquille River Lighthouse is nearby. With flush toilets and showers. Port Orford, Oregon Cape Blanco State Park / 9 miles north of Port Orford http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_62.php Secluded camp about 5 miles off the highway, about a 3 minute walk to the ocean, tall trees and bushes around most sites for maximum privacy. Very peaceful & quiet. Cape Blanco Lighthouse is nearby. Clean with flush toilets and showers. Florence, Oregon Jesse M. Honeyman State Park / 3 miles south of Florence http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_134.php Our favorite. Absolutely beautiful... but lots of families with kids if that bothers you. Has an area of sand dunes that reach 500 feet high, Cleaxwox lake is inside the park with paddle boat rentals, swimming beach, bike riding trails. Use this campgound as your 'base'... so much to do and see in each direction: "Old Town Florence", Sand dune buggy rides, Sea Lion Caves, Newport Aquarium, Heceta Head Lighthouse tours and much more. Waldport, Oregon Beachside State Park / 4 miles south of Waldport http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_122.php Right on the beach, not too much privacy, very popular. Flush toilets and showers. I'm adding in here that I don't think this park can handle a large RV....I'd be very cautious about this park.