Portland’s Backyard Playground
Just 34 miles west of Portland, L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is the ultimate outdoor basecamp. Opened in 2007, this modern park is a mecca for mountain bikers, hikers, and stargazers. It offers direct access to the 21-mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail.
🚲 Mountain Biker’s Paradise: The park features a designated mountain bike area with skills parks, flow trails, and rugged cross-country loops. It’s one of the few parks designed with riders in mind.
Cabins & Camping
Stub Stewart offers some of the best camping facilities in the state, including year-round options.
| Type | Count | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Cabins | 15 | Mountain Dale Village. 1-room and 2-room cabins with electricity, heat, and porches. Great for rainy PNW weekends. |
| Full Hookup | 78 | Dairy Creek West/East. 50/30/20 amp, water, sewer. Paved pads. |
| Walk-In Tent | 12 | Dairy Creek. Secluded sites nestled in the trees. |
| Hike-In | 23 | Brooke Creek. rustic sites for a backcountry feel (0.3 mi hike). |
Activities
- Disc Golf: A challenging 18-hole course winds through the Douglas fir forest.
- Stargazing: The hilltop day-use area offers expansive views of the night sky, far from city lights.
- Horse Riding: Hares Canyon Horse Camp provides full hookups and corrals for equestrians.
Wildlife & Nature
L.L. Stub Stewart SP — 1,654 acres in the Northern Oregon Coast Range. The park’s second-growth Douglas fir forest, meadows, and streams support Roosevelt elk, black bears, and pileated woodpeckers. Oregon’s newest full-service state park (opened 2007).
Nearby Attractions
Buxton — adjacent. Banks-Vernonia ST — through the park. Portland — 30 miles east.
Is there Wi-Fi?
Cell service is spotty due to the terrain. Enjoy the digital detox!
Are the cabins pet-friendly?
Yes, select cabins are designated as pet-friendly (fee applies). Dogs must be leashed outside.
Do cabins have bathrooms?
The cabins themselves do not have plumbing, but a modern restroom and shower building is located just a few steps away in the cabin village.
Things to Do
Oregon’s state parks showcase the Pacific Northwest at its finest — from towering sea stacks and tide pools along 362 miles of public coastline to ancient forests of the Coast Range, volcanic Cascade peaks, and high desert canyonlands east of the mountains. Popular activities include hiking through old-growth forests and along dramatic ocean bluffs, tide pooling at rocky shores, beachcombing for agates and fossils, camping at oceanfront sites, kayaking and paddleboarding on mountain lakes, fishing for steelhead and salmon, mountain biking volcanic singletrack, rock climbing at Smith Rock, and cross-country skiing on Cascade passes. Oregon’s waterfalls — including Multnomah Falls and Silver Falls — are among the most spectacular in the western United States.
Best Time to Visit
Oregon’s west side (coast and valleys) is wettest from November through March, making June through September the prime outdoor season with warm, dry weather. The coast can be enjoyed year-round — winter brings dramatic storms, whale watching (gray whales migrate December–January), and uncrowded beaches. Eastern Oregon and high desert parks enjoy more sunshine but can be extremely hot in summer. Cascade mountain parks are best visited July through October, when snow clears from trails. Spring brings the famous wildflower blooms in the Columbia River Gorge and waterfall season at Silver Falls. Fall foliage peaks in October, particularly along the McKenzie River and in the Cascades.
Visitor Tips
Oregon state parks are free to enter on foot or by bike. Vehicle access at most day-use parks requires a $5 day-use permit or a $30 annual permit, available at park kiosks or online. Oregon’s entire coastline is public by law — you always have the right to walk on the beach. Camping reservations are made through the Oregon State Parks reservation system up to 9 months in advance. Coastal campgrounds (especially at Cape Lookout and Nehalem Bay) book up fast for summer. Cell coverage is spotty on the coast and absent in remote Cascade parks.
Explore More Oregon State Parks
L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is one of many outstanding state parks in Oregon. Discover more parks in our Best State Parks in Oregon guide, or use our Park Finder to search by activity, location, or features.
Nearby state parks: If you have extra time, Banks�Vernonia State Trail is a short drive away, and Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint is within about an hour’s drive.
🐾 Dogs & Pets at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park
- Pets allowed? statewide rule
- Pets are welcome in Oregon state parks and on most ocean beaches but must be leashed except in designated off-leash areas.
- Leash rule statewide rule
- Leash no longer than 6 feet required in developed park areas
- Beaches & swim areas statewide rule
- Pets are allowed on most ocean beaches under direct control; western snowy plover nesting areas restrict pets March 15 - Sept. 15; leash required on the beach at some parks (e.g. Cape Lookout)
- Cabins & lodging statewide rule
- Designated pet-friendly yurts and cabins at many parks (South Beach has 14 pet-friendly yurts, Tugman 8); maximum two dogs and/or cats; $10 per night pet fee
- Pet fees statewide rule
- $10 per night for pet-friendly yurts/cabins; no pet fee for day use or campsites
- Statewide exceptions statewide rule
- Pets prohibited at Dabney SRA, the Trail of Ten Falls at Silver Falls, and Shore Acres; off-leash areas at Stub Stewart, Willamette Mission, Elijah Bristow, Cottonwood Canyon and LaPine
Are dogs allowed at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park?
Pets are welcome in Oregon state parks and on most ocean beaches but must be leashed except in designated off-leash areas. Individual parks can post stricter rules — check signage on arrival.
Rules verified July 2026 via stateparks.oregon.gov. More: Oregon state parks guide · Dog rules in all 50 states compared
Park Location
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