Erin grew up camping every summer, and we’ve been camping together for 25 years. We started out tent camping and bought our Eurovan about 10 years ago, which we love to take out. It’s great for camping in Oregon especially, because you can’t really trust the weather here! We mostly camp in county, state, or national parks, but for large family gatherings we often go to the Astoria KOA campground. It’s a great place for family reunions!
Recently, the folks at the Astoria KOA offered us the opportunity to stay in one of their deluxe cabins for a few nights, so we thought we would check out that option.
Camping is an awesome opportunity to explore the outdoors. However, most campgrounds do not offer a lot of amenities such as pools, playgrounds, and actual beds which many people like while on vacation. Staying at a KOA is a good compromise between a traditional campground and a hotel.
The new pool!
KOAs usually have a lot of amenities not provided in traditional campgrounds. The Astoria KOA, for example, has an indoor pool and an outdoor pool (just opened this year!), a bouncy pillow for kids to jump on, a basketball court, a volleyball court, mini golf, giant outdoor chess boards, swingsets, nightly movies, craft activities, and, best of all, free pancakes for breakfast! They also offer other food at the restaurant available for purchase. They will even deliver a pizza to your campsite!
The Astoria KOA has a lot of campsites for RVs with electrical hook ups and some with full hookups. Some of the sites are in the trees with lots of grass, and some are more out in the open. They have a couple of small areas reserved just for tents also. The Astoria KOA also has quite few “kamping kabins” (as do other KOAs across the country). Kabins are great for people who prefer glamping to camping or for those folks who don’t have camping equipment but still want a chance to have a camp style experience.
The porch was a lovely spot for happy hour.
The deluxe kabin we stayed in sleeps six, with a double bed in the back bedroom, two bunkbeds, and a pullout couch. There is also a full kitchen with dishes and cookware and a kitchen table. Some kabins are smaller and there are a few cabins even bigger than the one we stayed in which could sleep more people in the loft area in sleeping bags and which even have BBqs. We loved sitting out on the front porch in the rocking chairs just enjoying the sunshine and the birds singing.
Another great thing about the Astoria KOA is its location. It is located directly across the street from Fort Stevens State Park, with access to a lake and the ocean, as well as the Fort itself. It is also close to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park/Fort Clatsop, just about 6 miles away, and the popular beach town of Seaside.
Camping at the KOA or staying in one of their kabins is not as budget friendly or as back to nature as traditional camping, but it certainly offers many more amenities and is still a good value compared to staying in traditional hotels. If you’re looking for a back to nature camping experience, then the KOA is probably not for you. If you’d like a comfortable, clean campground with friendly folks who run it and lots of amenities, check out the KOA.
Wherever you’re hanging out, we hope you enjoy your week or your weekend.
Disclosure: KOA provided us with two nights free lodging in exchange for this review. However, all opinions are our own.
A Week or a Weekend 
Do you know the cost to stay in the cabin? Looks pretty cool. I think Steve and Stac had a very interesting experience at a KOA in the midwest. It was pre-kids. We will have to drag that story out of them sometime.
Cabin is about $180 a night. Reasonable for families. Can’t wait to hear S& S’s KOA story!