A winter camping trip along the Southern Oregon Coast, from Cape Blanco near Port Orford to Bandon, filled with coastal hikes, dramatic headlands, sea stacks, and unforgettable beach walks.

Trip Planning Resources

• Cape Blanco State Park
• Bullards Beach State Park

This five day camping trip was all about exploring the southern Oregon Coast around Port Orford and Bandon, with a mix of coastal hikes, headlands, and long walks on the beach. I spend a lot of time camping on the Oregon Coast during the winter months, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to head farther south with two friends and spend time in areas I hadn’t visited before.

The original plan was to spend four nights at Cape Blanco State Park near Port Orford, using it as a base for daily hikes and coastal exploring. As often happens on the Oregon Coast in winter, the weather had other ideas. High winds at Cape Blanco made staying put less appealing, so we adjusted plans partway through the trip. Instead of pushing through the conditions, we packed up and headed north to Bandon, settling in at Bullards Beach State Park and shaping the rest of the trip around calmer weather and better beach access.

Day 1: Portland to Cape Blanco State Park

We drove from Portland via I-5, then west on Highway 38 through Reedsport before heading south toward Port Orford and Cape Blanco State Park. For this trip, I’d be camping in my Honda CR-V, which is how I usually do winter camping. My friend who shared the campsite with me was also camping in her car, while another friend stayed next to us in her van. Both campsites sat in a dense Sitka spruce forest above the ocean, with glimpses of water visible through the trees below our camp.

A short walk from our campsites took us along the Oregon Coast Trail to an open meadow with expansive ocean views. We watched the sun sink toward the horizon from a perch high above the water, with sweeping views west over the Pacific and south toward Port Orford.

When we walked back to camp afterward, the last light of sunset lingered, filtering through the trees behind our sites and casting warm color across the forest as evening settled in.

Back at camp, I cooked a meal of couscous with sausage, mushrooms, and broccoli under my pop-up canopy as night settled in. The lighting under the canopy made it easy for the three of us to sit down together, share a meal, and talk through plans for the following day. Not long after, we each turned in for the night, with temperatures dipping to 39 degrees overnight — a little colder than the forecast but not too cold.

Day 2: Blacklock Point & Floras Lake Area Hike

We started the day early with a sunrise visit back to the meadow near camp, where soft pink and blue bands stretched across the sky. It was one of those calm, fleeting coastal moments that’s worth getting up for. Fortunately, in the winter, sunrise is around 7:30 am, so we didn’t have to get up too early.

Blacklock Point & Beach hike
9 miles, 300 ft gain

After breakfast, we packed up and drove north for a long coastal hike to Blacklock Point and a remote beach tucked below towering sandstone cliffs. The roughly 9-mile route winds through lush coastal forest and open headlands with dramatic viewpoints before dropping to the sand, where a striking ocean-carved rock arch and a seasonal waterfall spilling down the cliffs were highlights of the hike.

Full trail details, logistics, and more photos are shared in a separate Blacklock Point & Floras Lake Beach Hike trip report.

Back at camp, we were all too tired to cook, so I kept dinner simple with a salad mix before we settled in for the night. The wind was picking up, cutting through the forest and making it feel colder than the thermometer read. Overnight, the low dipped to 42 degrees, but I stayed warm and comfortable inside my car.

Day 3: A Windy Pivot to Bandon

By morning, strong winds with gusts around 35 mph made it feel much colder than the actual temperature. The wind also caused my stove to struggle, turning a simple breakfast into a long wait for boiling water. With the forecast calling for strong winds to persist through the day and into the next — and a dense fog bank over the ocean limiting visibility — our original plans to hike Port Orford Heads and Humbug Mountain and explore several beaches no longer made much sense.

With lingering at Cape Blanco off the table, we packed up camp and headed north toward Bandon to make the most of the day. In Old Town Bandon, we stopped for lunch at the Bandon Fish Market, where I had halibut fish and chips along with a small bowl of clam chowder — two of my favorites.

After lunch, we headed to Bandon Beach. The weather had cleared considerably — sunnier, warmer, and much calmer than at Cape Blanco. We found a beach access point with a long set of stairs leading down to the sand. The beach itself was stunning, with sea stacks rising all along the shoreline. Between the light, the scenery, and the discovery of a few agates and jaspers, the experience made it clear to me that I wanted to stay in this area longer.

With that in mind, we decided to spend two nights at Bullards Beach State Park, just north of Bandon. We found a sunny site and settled in just in time to notice a small flock of wild turkeys wandering through the campground.

After setting up camp, we made dinner and had a campfire before retreating to our vehicles for the night. The forecast called for a low of 43 degrees, but it ended up dropping to 33 degrees. BRRR.

Day 4: Sea Stacks, Lighthouses & Sunset in Bandon

The morning was cold, with frost on my windshield. The forecast looked promising, though — sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-50s made it a perfect day to get out and enjoy the coast.

We headed west to the Coquille River Lighthouse, just a few miles from our campground. While wandering the lighthouse grounds, we took in the sweeping coastal views and also checked out the North Jetty and Bullards Beach, marked by impressive piles of driftwood.

We returned to Bandon for a quick lunch at an overlook above the beach, then visited the Washed Ashore exhibit in Old Town — sculptures made entirely from ocean trash that highlight the scale of marine debris.

Planning to catch the sunset, we headed back to the upper parking area at Bandon Beach. From there, we explored the upper trails and viewpoints, stopping to read interpretive signs about local seabirds before taking a path down to the sand. We spent the rest of the evening walking along the beach, watching the light shift as the sun began to set over the sea stacks.

I walked about two miles down the beach, completely absorbed by the sheer number and variety of sea stacks. Some were massive and blocky, others thin and jagged. Several had holes carved straight through them, letting waves surge and echo inside.

A few could even be walked through, and scattered sea caves added to the sense of discovery. I’ve never seen so many sea stacks concentrated on one beach — it was genuinely stunning.

Harbor seals were resting on some of the rocks.

Just as the sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, my camera battery died, and my phone was down to 3% power. I headed back up the long stairs to the car to grab my battery charger, then returned to the beach to take a few more photos, lingering among the sea stacks as the light faded.

After over 8 miles of beach walking, I was too tired to cook so we went to Bandon Brewing for wood-fired pizza. Back at camp, it was getting late, so we skipped a campfire. After the unexpectedly cold night before, I made a few adjustments to my sleep setup to stay warm overnight.

Day 5: Heading Home via Coos Bay

It wasn’t as cold as the night before, and I started the morning with a hot breakfast before packing up to head home.

Passing through Coos Bay, I met up with a friend I had met while camping on a coastal trip last year, and I enjoyed another round of fish and chips at 7 Devils Brewing Waterfront before continuing the drive. I made a quick stop at the Elk Creek campground in the Oregon Dunes, just south of Reedsport, to scout sites for a future trip. From there, I took Highway 38 across the Coast Range back to I-5, wrapping up a trip that didn’t go exactly as planned — but turned out all the more memorable because of it.