Skip to content

Seaside Stories

How to Build a Beach Campfire

September 4, 2018 | by Shellie Bailey-Shah

It’s a longstanding Seaside tradition: listening to a crackling fire in concert with the crashing of the ocean waves. Campfires on the shore can be a highlight of your trip — as long as you’re careful and follow a few rules.

1. Check to see if a fire ban is in effect. Although Oregon’s beaches aren’t the primary concern, wildfires are a serious issue during the warmer months, and many blazes in Oregon are human-caused. Check current conditions and do your part to help prevent wildfires from starting in the first place. (Get answers to common wildfire-related questions here from Travel Oregon.)

2. Campfires should be small and contained. As a frame of reference, your campfire should never be larger than the size of a lawn chair. Large bonfires are prohibited at all times. (Read the City of Seaside ordinance on recreational fires here.)

3. Small fires are only allowed in dry, open sand. You need to be downwind and safely clear of the grass and driftwood lines. No fires are allowed in the dunes. In the case of dry or windy conditions, signs may be posted temporarily prohibiting beach fires.

4. You only may use small pieces of wood. Do not burn logs or large driftwood piles.

5. Don’t leave your fire unattended for any reasons. Winds can kick up along the coast and send embers into the air.

6. To extinguish your fire, douse it with both water and sand.

7. Roast marshmallows! If you don’t have your own supplies, no problem. Head over to The Seashore Inn, just north of the Turnaround on Broadway. There you can buy beach fire kits that include wood, kindling, newspaper and matches plus marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars and four roasting sticks for $25. If you just need the fire starters, it’s $10. Or if you just want s’mores supplies, that’s $10, too.

Now go make some fireside memories.

Beach campfire photo by Don Frank

and so much more!

Stop and Smell the Roses

Spending a little time with Seaside's pocket gardens

Learn More
Plan Your Seaside Vacation

Whether you’re in search of a luxurious weekend getaway, an outdoor family adventure or a fun getaway with your pup, Seaside has...

Learn More
Support Seaside Shops Online

We in Seaside appreciate the fact that visitors are honoring Governor Kate Brown’s executive order to stay at home in the wake o...

Learn More
Savor Oregon Wines at Seaside’s Tasting Rooms

In autumn, when the coastal air turns brisk and blustery, you can uncork and unwind in downtown Seaside with other wine lovers for...

Learn More
Feed Your Mind, Body and Soul in Seaside

Seaside is more than its well-earned reputation for fun and shopping along famed Broadway Street. It’s also home to pampering sp...

Learn More
Smoothies, Boba, Floats and Other Specialty Drinks

It’s hot out and you’ve worked up a thirst. Sometimes that plain old water isn’t going to satisfy. Luckily, it’s easy to f...

Learn More
Chasing Waterfalls

Waterfalls around Seaside, Oregon.

Learn More
Discover the Beach Less Traveled in North Seaside

If your idea of the perfect beach getaway includes stretches of empty sand, hunting for sand dollars to the sounds of waves crashi...

Learn More
Five Great Burgers in Seaside

Sam’s Seaside Cafe A well-executed burger shaped and grilled to perfection, layered with the proper ratios of ingredients, i...

Learn More
Fun Street Foods in Seaside

With its compact streets and plenty to explore downtown, Seaside is the perfect place for walking or rolling along in just about a...

Learn More
Sweets in Seaside

Confections conjure up memories of visits to Seaside Oregon as a child.

Learn More
Where to Find Your Seaside Centennial Keepsakes

While you’re walking around in Seaside looking to beat the heat, you might start with a super-tall, non-alcoholic frozen refresh...

Learn More
What’s New in Seaside

If you haven’t visited Seaside lately, you’re in for a treat. Several new eateries and night life venues have opened since las...

Learn More
The Scoop on Sea Star Gelato: Douglass and Tanya Lintow

No beach town is complete without an ice cream stand. There’s just something about a cool, creamy ice cream-topped cone that mak...

Learn More
What is Fascination, Anyway?

Talk to anyone who’s ever visited Seaside, and they’re bound to bring up Fascination with an enthusiastic “I love that game!...

Learn More
The Best of Times News: The Beach at the End of the Trail

Travel writer for the fabulous 50-and-over set, Andrea Gross, spent some time on Oregon’s North Coast in the summer of 2014....

Learn More
Seaside’s Holiday Events Shine Bright in 2022

If you’ve missed the thrill of Seaside holidays the last couple of years, you’re in for a treat. Yuletide in Seaside events ar...

Learn More