Best Things Nearby:
Beach and trails, many lakes (4 in immediate vicinity, 12 more nearby), where you can fish, swim, sail, or powerboat. The town of Florence and Siuslaw River 6 miles south.
Best Things About the Resort:
Many open, sunny sites. B-loop surrounds a large grassy meadow. Some sites on A and B loops even have electric hookups (+$3). Nice system of trails, along Sutton Creek, into the dunes to the beach, and to Sutton, Dune, and Alder Lakes, and Alder Creek Campground. Short Darlingtonia (carnivorous lily) bog trail at entrance to B-loop.
Resort Experience:
Sutton Campground, a Forest Service campground in the pines, spruce and wax myrtles consists of 4 loops, A through D, including two group camps. Sutton Creek runs alongside the A and B loops. Many of the sites in these first two loops accommodate 40 foot and over RVs. We first considered reserving a space over the Labor Day weekend, just passed, but decided against it because we figured it would be over-filled to capacity on this extremely popular camping holiday. When we arrived in Florence we drove up the coast to take a look at Sutton Campground and immediately fell in love with it. Even though it was the weekend and great weather, the campground was virtually empty, except for a few campers and the host. We picked out a couple of longer sites on the B-Loop adjacent to a lovely meadow, and were already envisioning ourselves enjoying Happy Hour there before barbecuing some chicken or steak. We decided we simply must camp here, even if only for one night and day, which would be after our stay at South Jetty. When we arrived to camp later that week in early afternoon, we were disappointed to find that our two favorite meadow sites were among those of the few that were occupied. We picked out another site almost as good and went ahead and had our barbecue that evening anyway. The next day on a morning walk, we met a Canadian couple walking their big, shaggy Bouvier des Flandres dog around the quiet, peaceful campground. They told us this most unusual looking canine is often used as a police dog because of its high loyalty and strength. Click on slide show to see what these amazing dogs look like.
The trails, vistas, ocean access and unique flora such as carnivorous "pitcher plants" (Darlingtonia), and contorted wind-shaped and stunted shore pines, make this area worthwhile to visit on a Day Pass, even if you’re not planning to camp here. The fees are $5 per vehicle, or $10 for a five-day coastal permit. From mid-summer to early fall, you’ll see a profusion of edible berries along the trails, including blueberry, huckleberry, salmonberry, blackberry, and thimbleberry. This coastal forest is home to more than 200 bird species, some migratory. Mammals include black bear, deer, opossums, rabbits, and chipmunks.
Sutton Campground is one of five coastal campgrounds in the Mapleton Ranger District. Sutton as well as nearby Alder Dune Campground are suitable for large RVs. They are open May through October. The other three campgrounds, Horse Creek, Dry Lake, and Baker Beach, have corrals and facilities for horses, and are open all year. Camping fees for Sutton are $15 per night, $17 with electrical hookup, half price with Golden Age or Access Pass. This is up $3 from when we camped there two years ago.
- Campground Type: National Park
- Campsite Type: RV
- Price Range: $10 - $20
- Cleanliness: Very Good
- Campground Facilities: Very Good
- Recreational Facilities: Excellent
- Campsite Satisfaction: Very Good
- Family Friendliness: Satisfactory
- Service: Very Good