When looking for RV parks in Oregon, we wanted something along the coast. Great view, access to the ocean and proximity to Newport, Oregon, Seal Rocks RV Cove seemed like it would be a great RV park, but we left it feeling, well, “Meh.”

The Campground

Located along a hillside on Highway 101, this campground has ocean views from most campsites. With a total of 43 sites (some of those are allocated for tents), it’s a pretty small campground. We were in site 43. What you can’t tell from the campground map is that the campground is on a pretty steep incline. So while it’s great for views, if you get nervous about tricky back-in campsites for your big rig, you might want to consider choosing one of the sites in the “40s.” Site 43 was pretty snug for our 42 foot fifth-wheel, but site 40 would have been perfect.

The Pacific Ocean

While the view was great, going on daily walks on the ocean was even better. We were there in early June and the temperatures were still pretty cool (before the big heatwave in mid-June). So while we were at the ocean we still needed to wear jackets.

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The campground has a path to the road where you can cross Highway 101 to access the ocean. If you have young children, you’ll want to be extra mindful of crossing that busy road. Every day we brought our dogs to the water and threw the ball for Riley (our young Golden Retriever). Bella, our 13-year-old Lab-Husky mix loved wading in the water. I don’t think Riley ever fully dried out when we were in Oregon, because after she swam in the salt water, we fully rinsed her off back at the camper, and it was pretty humid. This access was the best part of the campground.

We also loved Newport, the town just to the north of us on 101. The downtown area along the water was really cool. And the food was delicious! We did our best trying to eat as much clam chowder as possible.

Getting Yelled at by the Host

I am a rule follower by nature. Tell me what to do or show me how to do it, and I’ll do it! So it really rubbed me the wrong way when I got yelled at about 10 minutes into our stay for walking our dog without a mask. Granted, I should have read the email we received in advance of our stay explaining that masks were optional inside your campsite, but required outside of your campsite. But I hadn’t done that. And throughout the entire pandemic, at the myriad campgrounds we’ve stayed at, we’ve not experienced this requirement.

Turns out, the state was still under a mask mandate at the time (which was lifted a few weeks later) and this is how the campground was handling that. My issue had more to do with the way the host handled it, by leaning out of his Class A motorhome in a 50 degree downpour, “HEY! WHERE’S YOUR MASK?” As he waved his mask in front of me. The campground also had a 20-foot social distancing requirement, which made it difficult to even have a conversation with anyone. So the campground was full but REALLY quiet.

Rating our Stay

The price for our site was $80/night during the prime summer months. People remember experiences. Unfortunately for me, this one wasn’t great and we likely wouldn’t go back. I am certain others have had way better experiences and love the campground. So I’m going to give this site two overall scores: Campground itself — considering location (amazing), price (spendy, but I see why) and the sites (great views but a little tight for big rigs), without getting yelled at — 4 out of 5 stars. When you add in how I’ve felt about it since getting yelled at: 2 out of 5 stars.