dwmoar Loc: Oregon, Willamette Valley

While all the spots mentioned above are great don't miss checking out the many Oregon Light Houses like Heceta Head Lighthouse located half way between Florence and Yachats. Thor's Well. in Yachats There is also Devil's Punchbowl, near Depoe Bay. and Agate Beach father north. What ever you do DO NOT miss visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory, or Cape Meares Lighthouse just to the south of town. There is the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area south of Florence. There is the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Head Lighthouse and tide pools at Newport. Check out the Astoria Column and Peter Iredale shipwreck in Astoria. Also Don't miss the Tillamook Air Museum.The museum is housed in a former US Navy blimp hangar, called "Hangar B", which is the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world. Open Wednesday-Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Joes49

California:

From Cambria north along the Big Sur coast.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park
Andrew Molera state beach
Sonoma state beach
Mendocino beach
Irish Beach
Elk
Trinidad for sure

If traveling inland from Hwy 1 to 101:
Avenue of the giants (redwoods)

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

What do you see as your main subject matter? What are your photo interests? Seaside shore scapes?, breaking waves?, sea stacks with their welter of foam from breaking waves? tidepool critters, sea cliffs, long sandy beaches, sea birds, whale watching, seals, sea lions, bridges, tourist antics (street)? Sunset? Gift shop clutter? light houses? Just about anywhere along the oregon coast has these sea oriented subjects within a 20 mile drive to some degree, but there are places where one or more of these subjects are more spectacular than in other places.
I recommend that you decide where your photographic interests lie, then do the internet research for places that are especially strong in the subject matter you prefer. Pick a place, stay awhile, find out where the locals gather for breakfast and coffee and engage them in conversation, and then exhaust it's photo possibilities, Perhaps do a photo essay about the chosen location. If you try to see it all, you'll likely miss more than you gain (Unless you have a schedule that lets you stay at least a week in each place)
We recently took a reconnaissance lighthouse tour of the Oregon coast. The Florence vicinity was our favorite place. We stayed in a B&B that was once the assistant lighthouse keeper's residence at Hecate Head with a view of the lighthouse with a chance for a photo of the beam of light being projected through the windows of the lighthouse . We photographed a herd of Roosevelt Elk on a local park on a foggy morning and toured a working lighthouse at the Umpquah River. There were many more photo opportunities than we could take advantage of.

I've attached two photos from the Florence area: 1. Hecate Head light from the covered porch of the assistant keepers quarters
2. Inside the Fresnel lens (awhich concentrates the light into narrower beams)at the Umpquah River Light House

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sharkbait1991 Loc: Seattle, WA

How long are you going to take. The entire coast is beautiful. From highway 1 in socal up through the redwoods all the way to the must see Neah Bay at the northwest tip of Washington

ab7rn Loc: Portland, Oregon

Central Oregon has much to reccomend it. Joseph is worth the trip. Not far from Hells Canyon. Very scenic area and not as well explored as the coast.

cascadejunkie

The whole Oregon coast is awesome. There are so many things to see. Be sure to get your RV spot before the weekend begins, and avoid last reservations in July and August because of the crowds. If you want to get some fabulous storm pictures - Cape Kiwanda near Tillamook is really worth a trip, but shoot from the south and keep SAFE.

MtManMD Loc: Beaverton, Oregon

The southern Oregon coast from Bandon to CA state line, as many have already said, is very scenic with many areas with large offshore rocks. Much more secluded part of the coast with small towns. Bullard's Beach State Park is a large RV/campground just north of Bandon. And don't miss stopping for some awesome chocolate at Coastal Mist in Old Town Bandon.

Middle coast, try to catch Thor's Well near high tide. Parking, an overlook and walkway is 1/4 mile S of the visitor's center. Many areas of the central coast have high sand dunes, so not so many views of the beach.

Northern coast, from Tillamook to Astoria is great. Larger towns on the coast and closeness to Portland make is a lot more crowded. Plan this section for mid week and it will be a lot more relaxed. Many nice shops and restaurants at Cannon (not Canon) beach. Avoid Cannon Beach, Seaside, Lincoln City around a holiday or spring break when it is a zoo. Large nice Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria, with bike trails, WW II coastal defense structures to tour, a shipwreck at the beach.

The Needles and Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

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sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

If by chance your near Cape Disappointment maybe you can catch one of these bad boys playing(training) in the surf there. The cape is at the mouth of the Columbia river and is very treacherous. The coast guard has a surf and heavy sea training facility there.

PaulBrit Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon

Beautiful photograph!

Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii

What a beautiful shot ..., I’ll be in Bend/Rouge River in Jan ..trying to talk my brother into Bandon , and drive back to SF on the coast ..we will go up the 5 ...

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

You have received many good suggestions about the Oregon coast and here are my 2 cents:

First of all Harris Beach is a nice campground to stay for a couple of days. It is fairly far south so a good place to start. I noticed you implied you were going to travel from North to South on the coast. Either direction is fine but my opinion is all of the waysides will then be on your right as your driving and sometimes I can attest the signs are small when trying to locate some sightseeing pullouts. Being on 101 driving North gives you a better chance of seeing each pullout and stopping. To explain further, some of the most interesting places on the coast can be reached from small pullouts (maybe 10 cars) where you have to hike down to the beach. You'll never know how picturesque these sites are as you can't see them from the bluffs.

There is a list; (Oregon State Parks on Wikipedia), that is a very good website and it gives some information of each site. In my wife opinion (she's from Gold Beach, Oregon) the south and central coast are the nicest places to see.
If you look at the site I mentioned above you can select the south or central coasts for a list of waysides and camping sites.
One thing to be very aware of are 'sneaker waves' when you go to the beaches. I almost lost a son and grandson when they turned their back on the ocean and a sneaker wave almost got them. Ask people who live in the area you're planning on visiting where to be extra careful when near the ocean. The main thought is, NEVER turn your back on the ocean in certain areas.
If you want to ask anything specific about any place on the south coast, just let me know and also the dates when your planning on visiting.
Alex

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

The second paragraph about safety is solid advice. My wife and I grew up in Bandon and had four kids born in Coos Bay and Gold Beach. The coast there is utterly beautiful but can be treacherous. Enjoy your visit. Don’t be foolhardy as mentioned above. Don’t be fearful of a visit, just pay attention to tides and winds and as said, keep your eye on the surf when on the beaches. Hope you go and enjoy the trip.

dgingerich Loc: Cape Coral, FL

Lots of good advice and suggestions listed here. As one born in Oregon in the Willamette Valley, about 50 miles from the Coast, lots of great info above in the comments. All my family still lives in Oregon so I get there at least once a year or more even though I've lived in SW Florida the past 34 years. Time of the year that is best is definitely July, Aug and often into Sept. Very little rain then. Coming north from CA, definitely Bandon, Yachats, Walport, Newport, Depoe Bay, Otter Crest Loop, Lincoln City and then on up to Cannon Beach, Seaside, etc. to Astoria. Rounding every corner is a postcard view. I'm a bit biased as an Oregon-born native but I've been in all 50 states, travelled all over the world and driven all of both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines and the Oregon coastline is right at the very top! It's spectacular. Never done it in a motorhome so I'm no help there. Lots of great photography courses on the Oregon Coast but I'd just start with Google and the dates you are going to be there. There are other great spots to visit in Oregon. Crater Lake is amazing. Columbia Gorge is incredible. If you are going on up to Washington, the Olympic National Park is awesome too. And the coastal area of the park is also great (First Beach, Second Beach, etc.) is great but the rest of the Washington Coast isn't very accessible or impressive. Hope that helps. Enjoy! If you want to see a few sample images, go to my Pacific Northwest Naturescape section of my website and the locations are listed on each photo: https://www.gingerichphotoart.com/pacific-northwest-naturescapes

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

Thanks again for all the advice, now the planning part! The part I’m not good at! But it is worth it once you are there!

PhilS

I used to live in Oregon. I'd skip the coast. For my money, better choices are Crater Lake NP, Lava Beds National Monument in northern California, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP (also in northern CA). Your mileage may vary.