Location: Halfway between Corvallis and the Coast, two miles to the west of Harlan, and at Mile Marker 19 on Harlan Road (Google map).
Description: This is a very nice campground that is operated by a local community under special use permit from Siuslaw National Forest. Tent and RV camping are allowed. Potable water and vault toilets are available. There are no RV hookups. A hiker-biker area that is co-administered with the C2C Trail Partnership. As of 2021, campsites were $5 for hikers or bikers and $10 for car camping per night.
Parking: Unless you are paying for camping for the night, there is no parking within the campground. However, the camp hosts next door have been known to allow people to park for free on their property. There is space for about 3 cars. An alternative parking location that may be able to accommodate 6-8 cars is located about 0.7 miles west on Harlan Road at the base of a rock cut (see location).
Routes
(1) One-way and out-and-back routes
(2) Loop routes
(3) C2C Bicycle Routes
(1) One-way and out-and-back routes
Up to 30 miles; up to +1400'; 100% unpaved
Big Elk to Elk City via Harlan Road
out-and-back: 38.4 miles; +787'; 100% unpaved
Big Elk to Newport via Harlan Road
one-way: 43 miles; +1400’; 44% unpaved
out-and-back: 86 miles; +2950'; 44% unpaved
Big Elk to Newport via the Backdoor
one-way: 30 miles; +2900'; 71% unpaved
Big Elk to Newport via 1000 Line Road
one way: 36 miles; +2700’; 33% unpaved
one way: 25 miles; +2275'; 57% unpaved
Big Elk to Toledo via Harlan Road (one-way)
Big Elk to Toledo via 1000 Line Road (one-way)
Big Elk to Toledo Loop (via Harlan & Hilltop): 51 miles; 3100' of climbing.
Big Elk to Waldport (one way): 33 miles; +2700'; 43% unpaved
(2) Loop routes
28 miles; +2200'; 100% unpaved
23 miles; +1900'; 94% unpaved
25 miles; +2850'; 100% unpaved
Big Elk to Newport Loops (via Harlan & Hilltop)
Counterclockwise via Highway 101: 76 miles; +3664'; 41% unpaved
Clockwise via the Backdoor to Newport: 74 miles, +4400'; 55% unpaved
Big Elk to Toledo Loop (via Harlan & Hilltop): 51 miles; 3100' of climbing.
(3) C2C Bicycle Routes
The C2C Trail Partnership describes four bicycle routes from Big Elk Campground to the Coast on their website. Here is a link to their map of these routes. Each of these routes is represented by a route on this page.