This summer I took my 4 year old son on a camping road trip down the coast, if you follow me on instagram and saw the stories from the trip you’ve already gotten a taste of the incredible beauty we were witness to during that week and a half. We started in Astoria and slowly made our way down to the Humboldt Redwoods (where the Avenue of the Giants is), then headed north to Yachats (pronounced ya-hots,  we got a few dirty looks for intentionally calling it yak-hats) where my husband and pup met us for a few days spent lazily exploring tidal pools and eating ice cream at least once a day. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite photos and tips from the trip, I hope you enjoy them!

I planned the trip pretty last-minute so we camped and stayed where we could find spots, so I’ll save that recommendation list for next time when I’m a little more on top of things. I will list a few of our favorite places, some are the obvious must-sees, some were just lucky stops.

Before our trip ONA sent me the my dream camera bag, the ONA Brixton. I carried it everywhere, every hike and camp and beach trip, and a couple of weeks into our trip it looked even better than when it arrived on my doorstep. It carried all of my gear with plenty of useful pockets for organizing my cables and batteries. It was quite the game-changer. I thought I’d share a few photos of it with you here as well!

We loved Astoria, we camped near Fort Stevens state park and it was so beautiful. Long stretches of coast where the ocean waves rolled across the sand in thin sheets complete with a shipwreck, truly an Oregon Coast experience. We stopped at Street 14 Cafe in the morning and the coffee was delish, and just across the street from a gorgeously curated shop called Chariot. I could’ve spent a few more days exploring Astoria.

Over the next few days we slowly made our way down the coast, stopping whenever we saw a view we wanted to soak in or when my antsy kid needed to stretch his legs. Of course, Canon Beach and the nearby town were lovely. Gold Beach, the dunes near Newport, Patricks Point, Cape Perpetua and Cape Blanco were some of our favorites but really, I could go on and on here.

We made it to the Humboldt Redwoods and camped just off the Avenue of the Giants. We spent the next couple of days exploring the redwoods and ended up skipping out on our campsite the second day (it was hot, anyone who knows me knows I’d rather freeze than hang out in temperatures about 75 degrees) and stayed at an airbnb in Eureka. We traded camp food for sushi, ice cream and a movie, and it was pretty amazing. We started our trek north, stopping in the Jedidiah Redwoods near Crescent City for a night. The forest here was just incredible. I’ve been 4 or 5 times, and these amazing trees never cease to take my breath away. There’s something so peaceful about sleeping under a canopy of trees that have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years.

My husband and pup met us in Yachats for a few days of much needed rest (and sleep in a real bed!). We had some incredible meals at Yachats Brewery and I brought literally everything I possibly could home with me. They make the best kombucha I’ve had, I came home with a growler of blueberry kombucha that was gone within a couple of days. A few of my favorites were the ferment flight, any of their ciders, smoked miatake mushrooms, and while I don’t eat meat my husband loved the brisket bao.

Next time I’d only go as far south as the Jedidiah Redwoods in the summer, and booking both campsites and houses far in advance is a must. It was seriously an act of extreme planning to find spots where and when we did, and there were quite a few campgrounds I really wanted to stay in but we simply couldn’t find spots. I’d also plan longer drives and multi-night stops vs shorter drives and different spots most nights, I underestimated how long setting up and taking down camp would take. Overall, though, it was the best thing I did this summer. Watching my son fall in love with the beautiful coast and forests was so worth every grumpy, tired, irritated moment we shared. I’ve found myself counting the number of summers I’ll get to share with my sweet kid, and am so, so very grateful for the couple weeks I spent exploring with him.

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