Tahkenitch Campground

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.