From the archive, 2017. Photography by Blake Wisz.
Here is what a few days in an Airstream at Hart's Camp in Pacific City, Oregon look like.
We collaborate with hotels and resorts on photo and video work, and this stay was hosted by Kiwanda Hospitality Group, the family company behind Hart's Camp and Pelican Brewing. What follows is our experience and the media that came out of it, not a rated review.
The camp
Hart's Camp sits on Webb Park Road in Pacific City, a small beach town on the northern Oregon coast about two hours from Portland. The Airstreams are polished silver and parked on their own private sites, each with a yard, a fire pit, a gas grill, Adirondack chairs and an outdoor shower. Inside ours there was a proper queen bed, a kitchen and a full bathroom. It is camping in the way that leaves you rested.
The location is the reason to come. Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is a few minutes on foot, the beach is right there, and the Pelican Brewing pub is across the road. You park once and do not touch the car again until you leave.
The dune
The big sand dune at Cape Kiwanda is the thing everyone in Pacific City climbs, and we did too. It is steep enough that you stop talking halfway up. From the top the whole coastline opens out: the sandstone headland, the surf breaking on both sides, Haystack Rock sitting a mile offshore and the beach running south toward Bob Straub State Park. It is the best vantage point on this stretch of coast and it costs nothing but your calves.
Pelican Brewing
Pelican Brewing Company started in Pacific City, and the original brewpub is still here on the sand at Cape Kiwanda, with Haystack Rock framed in the windows. It is the kind of place where you walk in with sand on your feet and nobody minds. The beers were the standout for us: a well-poured pint, a plate of pub food, and the surf a few steps from the table. With the camp across the road, it became the default end to each day.
Worth knowing
- Book an Airstream, not an RV site, if you want the private yard and the outdoor shower.
- Climb the dune early or late. Midday the sand is hot and the light is flat.
- Pelican fills up on weekends. Go for a late lunch or an early dinner.
- Bring layers. Even in summer the wind off the water is cold once the sun drops.
If you are planning an Oregon coast trip and want a base that puts you on the beach without a hotel hallway in between, Hart's Camp is a good one. Beers at Pelican Brewing after.
Photography by Blake Wisz, 2017, for Kiwanda Hospitality Group. Captured on the gear of the era. See more travel photography.