Tahkenitch Campground

I have been camping at this campground with college students for about 10 years and this was the most disappointing experience at Tahkenitch Campground. Since the site has become online reservation only the prices have increased dramatically and the service level has decreased. I got 2 sites for 2 nights and after the fees this came to $104. Worse yet the bathrooms with running water and flush toilets were locked. This would not be a big deal if the price was not so high and the listed amenities were honest about what was available at the time of booking or during your stay. The required online reservation is also a hardship for other potential campers like bikers or hikers on the 101 that may need a place to stay for the night. It is not possible to make a reservation at the campground because there is no cell data service and the option to pay cash or check has gone away. Many campers like to get away from technology while in the forest and spontaneity is all but eliminated with the current recreation.gov reservation system. I am looking for other options for future college class trips. The ability to make an online reservation is fine but it should not be the only way to go camping in a national forest campground. These public lands belong to us and are only managed by the USFS and I think those managers forget they work for the people.

I loved the campground and we had a really wonderful walk across the dunes to the beach. The campground itself gets 5 stars.

But it’s terribly staffed. There was soiled toilet paper (and my son said human feces) in the brush near our tent and there was supposedly a campground host but they had a Do Not Disturb sign up almost every time we walked past.

Further, the reservation system, like nearly every other time they try to replace human beings with software, is a disaster. A third of the campground was vacant, but no one could stay in the empty spaces because they were all marked reservation-only. Having used the reservation system myself, I can attest that it was both inaccurate as to how many spaces were available and difficult to use (it took me 4 tries to get the order button to work).

I love the national forests, so it grieved me to see them essentially 1/3 closed to the traveling public at the height of summer, and to hear my 13-year-old now lobbying for us to stay in private campgrounds that are kept cleaner.

This was such a beautiful place. I would love to see it better served.

So peaceful! While nearby campgrounds were full this one was pleasantly quiet. Our site was right next to the highway which wasn't ideal, but the other sites circled around and were further away from the traffic noise. There is a hiking trail right there and the bathrooms were adequate, although it was sometimes low on paper towels since the hand dryer was broken. Water sources close to every site. Clean and well maintained. Our space felt very private with the trees all around. It was lovely

Site 4 was large enough to accommodate 2 tents. Campground was clean. Traffic noise was expected as the camp site was right next to the road.

strangely, even though I had a reservation, another camper was in my place and said that they had been assigned that spot as well, luckily there were other spots. I had taken a photo of my reservation to show the volunteer camp Ranger because there is no Internet. It all worked out fine and the volunteer camp ranger was really nice about it so was the other couple. But there definitely was something wrong with the reservation system somehow you guys double booked the camping spot

Bathrooms were clean, still a lot of down trees and some maintenance on the grounds are needed but nothing out of the ordinary. The water from the faucet outlets were brown and rusty.

This campground is next to the highway and the back loop offers better protection from road noise. There is also no cell service to pick a site and reserve it, so if you think you may want to stop there, make a reservation in Florence or Reedsport before entering the campground, as there is reservation only camping. There was no camp host to ask questions this year. There is a field for playing. The far end of the campground does not have toilet facilities, as there is only one building that is closer to the entrance, so keep that in mind if you are tenting.

This campsite used to be great. Now the forest service has completely abandoned any sense of service to the public who own the land. They went to a online reservation system only which is very discriminatory towards people without internet or credit cards. Camping is supposed to be a low tech activity that you should be able to do spontaneously. I have been staying at this campground for over 10 years and this is the first time I could pay with cash or check. There is no service at the campsite which isn’t that big of deal unless you arrive there while traveling and want to pay for a campsite. There are plenty of cyclists who bike the 101 and would need to camp at this site but would have no way to pay. I understand allowing reservations but not having a way to drop in and pay for an open site is unacceptable. The online reservation system is also a scam. 2 nights in 2 sights was $104 when the advertised rate is $22 per night per site. They keep increasing prices and the campground is in worse condition than it was many years ago.

Reservation only, no cell service. NOISY due to how close it is to 101. The sites further back are not as bad, but still plenty loud from the road. One of the women's restroom stalls was just foul and the men's toilet seat needed to be replaced. Though supposedly a "tent only" campground, there were plenty of large camper trailers.

Shame its so close to the road, the trail to the dunes/coast was great and though some of the campsites need some renovation, it is nicely wooded for a coastal camping experience.