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Travel Suggestions
Coastal drive
starting in Astoria:
Oregon Coastal Drive (4–5 Days)
Start in Portland → Head to Astoria → Drive the Oregon Coast
After picking up your van in Portland, we’ll send you to one of our favorite food cart pods for lunch so you can experience a little bit of Portland without the hassle of driving all over the city.
From there, head west to the historic coastal town of Astoria. This is one of Oregon’s oldest towns and full of charm. Walk around the waterfront, explore the historic streets, and grab a pint at one of the great local breweries.
Before the evening, drive across the iconic Astoria–Megler Bridge into Washington and head to Long Beach to stay at The Lamp Camp. Make sure to book ahead and let them know Nomad Vans NW sent you.
If you can’t get a spot at The Lamp Camp, stay in Oregon and head about 20 minutes south to Gearhart, where you can often find peaceful spots to boondock near the beach.
Day 2 – Cannon Beach & Ecola State Park
Drive south through Seaside and continue to Cannon Beach.
Make sure to visit Ecola State Park, where parts of the movie The Goonies were filmed. This area has incredible coastal hikes, scenic viewpoints, and one of Oregon’s most famous beaches featuring Haystack Rock.
Cannon Beach is great for shopping, hiking, or simply relaxing on the beach. Just note: the town is not very friendly to overnight van parking, so it’s best to continue south later in the day.
Day 3 – Rockaway & Tillamook
Continue south along U.S. Route 101 in Oregon past Arch Cape and toward Rockaway Beach, where you may find a quiet place to stay for the night.
In the morning, grab breakfast, go for a bike ride, or take a coastal hike before heading to Tillamook.
If you enjoy cheese and ice cream, make a stop at the Tillamook Creamery—some of the best cheese around.
Day 4 – Pacific City & Neskowin & Lincoln city
Continue south to Pacific City where you can watch the famous dory boats launch directly from the beach. Grab a drink or a meal at Pelican Brewing Company and take in the incredible ocean views.
Next, head to my favorite beach in Oregon: Neskowin.
This small coastal town is quiet, charming, and perfect for relaxing. You’ll find just one restaurant and one small store, but the beach and community are amazing.
Stop by the house with all the flowers 🌸, pick up a basket, and tell Big Earl we said hello. Bring the basket back to Portland and I’ll buy it from you when you return the van.
Heading Back to Portland
From Neskowin, start your journey back toward Portland.
If you have time, stop in one of Oregon’s great college towns like Corvallis or Eugene before heading north for drop-off.
Bonus Route (Longer Trip)
Another incredible option is to start in Brookings on the southern Oregon coast and drive north. It adds a few extra days to the trip, but you’ll get to experience the entire Oregon coastline, which is one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the United States.
✅ If you want, I can also help you turn this into:
Washington Hot Spots
The Lamp Camp - Long Beach, WA - THE LAMP CAMP is an oceanside RV Park and Campground, nestled between the coastal forest and the dunes of the Pacific. Come enjoy the world’s longest beach and explore all that the Long Beach Peninsula has to offer.
Olympic Peninsula: Check out these 10 suggested stops while road tripping the Peninsula Some of the highlights on this list are: Lake Quinault, Ruby Beach, Hoh Rain Forest, Lake Crescent & Hurricane Ridge. However, not listed here is my favorite quaint, artsy and just plain cool town of Port Townsend. Look for camping sites at Fort Worden Beach Campground
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Peninsula To Seattle Ferry’s: These vans can fit on the Ferry’s that travel from Seattle to Olympic Peninsula and back. I’d highly suggest saving some miles and enjoying this beautiful Ferry ride. Check here for times, locations and travel schedules that fit your trip.
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Mt. Rainer & Mt St. Helens: Traveling on I-5 you will see lots of opportunities to pull off and check out one or both of these amazing mountains. There are many beautiful lakes, hikes, and campgrounds for you to explore. Check out what Mt Rainer and St. Helens sites here.
Some other great stops in Washington are:
Leavenworth: Great old school German style town with lots of fun events and activities. Learn more about this here.
White Salmon: on the other side of the River from Hood River, this spot has great views, food, drinks at a slower pace than the wonderful Hood River. Learn more about it here.
Oregon Hot Spots
Hood River: One of my favorite spots on this earth. Great for outdoor adventures like kiteboarding, windsurfing, rafting, and all things water. Mix in a great town, food, wineries, breweries, and more in the middle of the beautiful Gorge you have got an amazing stop. These folks are savvy about boondocking, but if you go down by the water, you can figure something out. Learn all what Mt. Hood has to offer.
Enjoy our favorite camping site at Nottingham campground right off 35 between Hood River and Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood: This is an amazing mountain surrounded by great things to do. You can head up to Government Camp and eat some good food, bar hop or visit their activity center for 4 season fun. Do not forget to explore one of the many great ski resorts and enjoy top notch skiing. Check it all out here.
Bend: Beautiful Bend! So much to do here. Go for a tube or paddleboard ride through the city on the river, enjoy some skiing or just enjoy a day of food, drinks, and shopping. Rent a bike and go for a stroll around town to absorb it all. Lots of great camping and events in and around town.
Crater Lake: One of America’s most beautiful National Parks. Go in the Summer and you will likely get to drive around the rim and check everything Crater Lake has to offer. Go in the Winter and you’ll be able to check out the beauty but will stop at the rim. Learn more about Crater Lake.
Cannon Beach: Like I mentioned above. Cannon Beach is Oregon’s most popular beach town full of great shops and fun activities. Goonies was filmed around here and Ecola state park just north of town. Home of the famous Haystack Rock. Don’t try boondocking here, they are pretty savvy here about that and will likely you push you out.
Brookings: One of Oregon’s hidden gems. On the coast near the California border, but full of beautiful sites and amazing views. You’ve got to check out the short hike just north of town called Natural Bridges. It’s worth the stop. While you are down there enjoy one of the best state camp grounds just a few feet off the water and enjoy a great day on the beach. You won’t be disappointed in this stop.
Bandon Dunes: This is a golfer’s playground. It’s about 4 hours from Portland on your way to Brookings and definitely worth a stop and shop. Summer rates here are about $300+ a round so try and go in the off season and enjoy the $100 rounds, you might get rained on (part of the fun) or you might have amazing weather, it’s a flip of the coin, but always a good time. Don’t have time for golf but want to check it out. Play a round of putt putt on one of the most unique putting places you’ll ever play called the Punch Bowl….don’t worry drink/snack cart surrounds the course for additional enjoyment.
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