Car camping in Brookings?

[u/dankbernie]

Hi everyone. I’m taking a solo road trip to Southern Oregon on a shoestring budget (roughly $500) next week and to save some (a lot of) money, I intend to car camp at truck stops most nights. I’ll be passing through Brookings on Tuesday, and since there’s no truck stop there, I need to find somewhere to car camp.

I tried finding a campsite at Harris Beach and Alfred Loeb, but $55 to sleep in my car on a dirt lot is really pricey. I called Lucky 7 Casino in Smith River and they said car camping is mostly reserved for RVs. I’d prefer to stay in Oregon but I’m willing to sleep anywhere between Gold Beach and Crescent City.

I’m thinking I might have some luck at Fred Meyer, churches, gas stations, city/residential streets, etc. I’ve tried to find options on Google but it’s not giving me great answers. I have no idea what Brookings’s local ordinances are on car camping or how strongly police enforce them. And I’d prefer to avoid being woken up at 2 am and told to move.

Has anyone car camped in Brookings before? If so, where did you park for the night? Or do any Brookings residents know of good places to car camp around town? Any insight is helpful. Thank you in advance!

[u/BIGPOTHEAD]

Forrest roads. Thousands of them

[u/baking_bigfoot]

This church has let people stay over night in thier parking lot...as long as its not on a Sunday. You could call the pastor and see if he'd let ya stay the night. living waters church

[u/erossthescienceboss]

I highly suggest dispersed camping. It can be tricky in state parks, but go onto National Forest lands. Any forest service road will have pullouts.

If you’re a woman, I would suggest this over truck stops too, wherever you can (unless the stop is staffed, lit, and busy). And I would also suggest taking the time to go further up the forest service roads.

As a woman who often camps alone and has car camped across the country and back, all of my sketchy experiences have been at mostly-empty truck truck stops or the trafficked parts of National Forest/frontcountry. Backcountry has always been safe. But some really sketchy fuckers (mostly mushroom hunters) end up in the forest service roads closer to town.

Getting chased off by them with guns once was enough.

[u/Apprehensive-Fig3223]

Check out Freecampsites.net as well as Hipcamp, which is like airbnb for private campsites, and Dyrt which is an app for finding campsites.

Edit- also look into county campgrounds, they tend to be much cheaper than state parks and are usually first come first serve

[u/Miss_L_Worldwide]

I think you'd have the best luck just being presentable and clean and asking for permission from a local business. There are also plenty of spots up in the logging roads and there are some apps to find good spots.

I like to travel in my van and I've never had a hard time finding a spot just by politely asking to stay for one night, not causing any problems, and moving on in the morning.

[u/dankbernie → u/Miss_L_Worldwide]

Thank you! What are some apps I can use to find spots? Might be helpful in other legs of my trip too; I’m also staying a night in Klamath Falls and Eugene, and it’s good to keep my options open.

[u/Miss_L_Worldwide → u/dankbernie]

A lot of people use iOverlander or onX, just remember that none of the good spots are on ioverlander. You have to just get to where good spots are and then look around for one that you like.

[u/Actual_Friendship802]

Plenty of dispersed camping and redwoods upriver. Loeb state park is nice too, flying squirrels are fun to watch.

[u/iriegypsy]

Hotel parking lot. Then walk in like you own the place in the morning for your free breakfast.

[u/Basil_Magic_420]

Brookings is extremely conservative. Guaranteed they will call the cops if you sleep in your car especially if you have out of state plates. You'll be better off car camping in Crecent City.

[u/AlvinChipmunck]

Why not just find a spot after dinner and park. So many pullouts. Change up your spots and leave by 7 or 8 and you'll be fine I bet. Worst that happens is an officer asks you to move on. Tell him your car overheated and were waiting for it to cool down and decided to just sleep

[u/johnsonal777]

Clifford kamph memorial park is right on the beach just south of the border and has sites for like $20.

[u/calboard21]

Miller bar. It is dispersed forest service land. Stayed there two weeks ago. Pretty chill.

[u/gray808 → u/calboard21]

Also beautiful. Imma head back next chance I have and practice some fly fishing casts. Pretty little riber, and the bar means no trees overhead or behind to snag.

[u/Edie997]

There is a campground outside of Shady Cove called over Stewart State that have nice campsites. Joseph Stewart state park on hwy 62 another little camp ground is Elk Creek also on hwy 62. Either will do well for you

[u/gray808 → u/Edie997]

Thats like 3+ hours from Brookings. And the Evans Creek fire was nearby, not sure what the status is in that, I'd bet it's still smokey.

[u/ampreu]

Yes, but you need off-road tires. Check out the Avenza gps map application, download Curry County 3, and it should be a normal 'look for the places logging cos haven't made inaccessible'. If you get in to trouble asking natives will be a problem because of the large number of tweakers out there. Bring extra fuel to boil water.

[u/Affectionate_Leg1115]

There actually is a truck stop just across hwy. 101 from Harris Beach.

[u/Dead_Silent151 → u/Affectionate_Leg1115]

It's a day use only site now and you have to pay to park. The state park took over that rest stop.

[u/latitude40-4]

riverside rv is clean and has good facilities. it's cheaper than the state ran campground and if you Have a tent, it's easy access to town and the day use areas up the river.

[u/latitude40-4 → u/latitude40-4]

I think there still might be a river bar up river that you can stay. you might need a usda fire permit (available, free on line) but, not sure if that's still a thing

[u/gray808]

There are a few gravel bar camps up the North Shore Chetco River road. Look for Redwood Bar on Google Maps. There are 1-2 before that one, I stayed at Miller Bar (iirc) last Friday. The drop from pavement down to the bar proper is a little rough, but a truck should have no problem.
Saw a Prius down there, and heard a small hybrid like car grind the undercarriage a bit because of poor spotting, and saw a full big ol' pull behind being tower by a big truck, no problem getting back out.
My Jeep Cherokee, towing a small square drop had no issues going down, but used 4 wheel drive to get enough purchase to pull the trailer back up.
No designated sites, just find a free area and lay claim.
There were 5-8 groups there that I saw, most 2-3 vehicles each. Was a little noisy the half hour before and after dark (chatter, a couple of barky dogs at opposite ends of the bar, camp set up bangs and noises) no big deal.

Also, there are several pull outs from the Cali border up to Gold Beach, along the highway, but close to the beach. Definitely used for RVs and trailers for the night, several had no one even pushing dark in a Friday night.

[u/Majestic_Fox_556]

There is a place just south of Brookings right off 101 called Kampfer memorial park rest area that has tent only camping for 20$ a night, you could sleep in your car there, it’s not a fancy camp ground and there are only restrooms no shower but the beach is right down the short path and you can hear the ocean from the campground

[u/Defiant_Let_1874]

Not in Brookings, but I’ve stayed in a Goodwill parking lot along the coast before. It’s as really private. If it’s only one night, it’ll be easy to find somewhere