Located in Lincoln City, Oregon, roughly four and a half miles from the coast, is the Chinook Bend RV Resort. The property is home to many lodging options, such as 82 official RV sites, 5 cabins, and 5 travel trailers. In addition to these sites, it is possible to camp in nearly every section of the 86 acres that comprise the campground. One unique feature of Chinook Bend is its ability to host groups of up to 200 people at a time, with a total occupancy that is "virtually limitless" according to the staff. Fishing and boating are particularly popular at the RV resort due to the nearby Siletz River.
The Chinook Bend RV Resort is a lodging establishment located in Lincoln City, Oregon, on roughly 86 acres of property. Most of the acreage (60 acres) is comprised of fields and other flat ground. Sections of the back end of the premises run along the Siletz River, totaling one mile in length of riverfront access. Chinook Bend is the name of the specific portion of the river that runs through the region and is the namesake of the RV resort. The property is situated in the middle of a valley, offering sights of small mountains and trees in multiple directions.
The resort offers a variety of unit types, ranging from RV sites to cabins to dry-camping "virtually anywhere on the property," according to one of the business's staff members, Adam. In total, there are 82 official RV sites, 5 cabins, and 5 rentable travel trailers. One of the property's most distinctive qualities is the fact that it is able to accommodate large groups of people. Many state and federal occupancy limitation laws do not apply to Chinook Bend RV Resort, meaning that instead of restricting groups to be 25 people or less, the resort is able to host groups of up to 200 people in size. This has caused many people to gravitate towards the dry-camping that the property offers.
Regardless of the type of unit a guest chooses to stay in, there are a handful of amenities that are available to them during their time there. The resort comes equipped with bathroom, shower, and laundry facilities. Cable television and Wi-Fi are also present throughout the area. For recreation, there are things such as a series of horseshoe games, some volleyball nets, a playground area, and a "social and craft facility." Exercise equipment is also available to patrons of the campground, in addition to the five miles of walking trails that are on the premises. Due to the nearby river, activities such as fishing, boating, and crabbing are common pastimes of guests to the resort. To cater to individuals seeking such experiences, Chinook Bend offers canoe, kayak, and motorboat rentals, and people are able to use the boat docks and launch as needed. The fish that the river is most known for is King salmon, though ocean perch are also likely to be caught throughout the year.
Some of the features that are specific to the cabins include the use of "basic amenities" to stay the night, including a queen-sized bed on the first floor and two smaller beds in the lofts that are located in each cabin. It should be noted that the cabins do not contain running water and the electricity for the buildings is limited. Work is currently being done to erect an additional power line to help the cabins run more smoothly. The RV sites each come with electric, water, and sewer hookups.
The main base of operations for the campground is located in a large red barn that was once a milking house. The barn is just off of the road that is used to access the property as a whole, and it contains a small parking lot for those who are passing by.
Some of the more notable attractions nearby include the Oregon coast as a whole, the Blue Heron Cheese Factory, the Tillamook Creamery, and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The latter in particular has been popular with guests to Chinook Bend RV Resort due to its walk-in tunnels with sharks and a handful of other activities. The aquarium is famous for being the home of the orca that starred in the film Free Willy.
One of the most defining features of the Chinook Bend RV Resort is the fishing that is available on-site, which is reflected by the fact that the property is named after one of the bends of the Siletz River. Management specifically mentions the salmon fishing that can be done. Chinook Bend has the ability to accommodate groups of up to 200 people. This has allowed the resort to more easily cater to events such as family reunions, weddings, business gatherings, and others. When groups of larger sizes stay at the property, they typically receive more sizable discounts for their reservations. Adam, who is one of the staff members of the business, estimates that they host roughly 5 weddings each summer. Additionally, Chinook Bend sponsors some activities itself, which can range from pot lucks to bingo, dancing, and karaoke. These elements of the property, among others, have caused the price at Chinook Bend to exceed that of some of the other lodging establishments in the area. "People are often put off by the price at first," Adam says, "but after staying the night, many people decide to stay for more." The RV resort allows for trips of extended periods of time, which is an aspect of the business that some guests in the past have appreciated. Adam explains that one patron stayed the week for a fishing trip and ended up extending his stay for much longer. Later, the guest ended up buying property nearby because he fell in love with the area.
Overall, the goal that the staff at Chinook Bend RV Resort has for their property is for it to be a place where their guests feel "treated like family." More specifically, Adam explains that they're hoping people will come to think of Chinook Bend as "a second home." To the management of the establishment, this means that they want to avoid overwhelming new guests with a long list of rules when possible. "We're all adults here," Adam says, explaining that if a group of guests wants to have a more animated party of some kind, accommodations will be made to put them in a place where they are less likely to disturb other campers.
One event that Chinook Bend has aided multiple times in past years is the Gambler 500, which is an off-road rally that takes place in the pacific northwest each year. In the event, participants must take a vehicle and with only a budget of $500 convert it into something that can go off-roading. During the rally itself, one of the goals of riders is to pick up garbage in the wilderness they end up traversing. The event takes place close enough to Chinook Bend that the property receives participants of the rally most years. One other specific rally that the RV resort has helped in recent years is the Highway 18 Riders—a local motorcycle group.
Chinook Bend RV Resort is not known for having one specific demographic that is more common than another. Families, individuals, business groups, and many other types of guests have stayed at the property. One guest stated the following about their experience at the RV resort: "Hosts were helpful, kind, and wonderful to chat with. We loved late-night ice cream sandwiches from the store and the beautiful silence of the nature early in the morning was amazing. Great location to camp and make day trips to the major beach towns." Chinook Bend RV Resort is open during all times of the year, though their busiest season of operation is generally between May and October. Some events cause occupancy to spike at the establishment. For example, during the solar eclipse of 2017, there were over 1,000 people on the acreage of the property. The Fourth of July often sees a number of participants approaching 2,000.
The land that now contains the Chinook Bend RV Resort was first managed in the 1800s. The first known owners of the premises were the Koski's. The initial commercial purpose for the land was to act as a dairy farm, which occurred during the 1930s and 1940s. Sometime in the 1950s, the owners of the land decided that raising cattle wasn't profitable enough to justify continuing their business, so they switched over to selling fishing rights to the nearby river instead. This ended up being more successful than the dairy farm by a significant margin, and today the only main feature of Chinook Bend that reflects the property's original purpose is the large red barn at the entrance of the establishment.
The land was first converted into an RV park in 1963, though for many years it was a "members-only" business. Not much is known regarding the time between the park's opening in 1963 to its acquirement by the current owners in 2006.
When it came into the possession of the current owners, they decided that it was going to be too difficult to continue managing the property as a "members-only" RV park, so they opened their doors to the public. Since then, they have instigated many other changes to the property, such as updating the park, adding in the horseshoes, and opening up various sections of walking trails. One major project that they undertook was the removal of roughly a quarter mile's worth of bramble bushes that were growing by the riverbed. By getting rid of the plants, they were able to open the area for camping and other activities. Other smaller updates that have taken place at Chinook Bend RV Resort since their arrival include the showers, bathrooms, and some of the other amenities on-site.
In recent years, management was able to pave the upper parking lot. Eventually, the goal is to extend that pavement to the rest of the resort, though it is an expensive project and will likely not take place in the near future. Other projects in development include the installment of a disc golf course on the premises, as well as constructing additional cabins and RV sites close to the river.
The current owners got into the lodging industry after changing their minds regarding a business venture. One of the owners is a retired police officer, and when he retired he decided that he wanted to purchase a campground. The original idea was to improve the campground and turn it around for the profit, but those plans were changed and the current owners have been with Chinook Bend RV Resort ever since. The owners typically visit the property more often during the summer, leaving most of the day-to-day tasks to their staff.
2920 Siletz Hwy
Lincoln City, Oregon 97367
United States
Campground
