The rains have finally returned and our second summer in our fifth-wheel was pretty successful. I want to share some of the great places we visited - and one not so great - for the benefit of those who might head to the Pacific Northwest next year.
Cottage Grove Lake: A few miles east of I-5 at Cottage Grove, OR. COE campground on a nice reservoir. No hook-ups, but the sites are spacious with most close to the water. Perfect for us kayakers and great place for kids. There is a swimming area centrally located; the South end of the campground was quieter with many families and boaters occupying the North end. A peaceful setting with beautiful sunsets.
Eel Creek (USFS) campground: Just off Hwy 101 in the Oregon Dunes Recreation area. A well maintained campground, very clean. No hook-ups or showers, but the bathrooms are excellent. The sites on the west side are right up against the dunes, so sheltered from the coastal wind. All sites are very private, sheltered from neighboring sites by huckleberry bushes. If you visit in Late September - early October, you can pick bucket loads of berries.
There is trail access to the dunes in an area restricted from ATVs where you can hike across these amazing dunes to the ocean (about 3 miles) as well as a few trails within the CG. Just a short drive up 101 takes you to Eel Lake where we love to kayak.
Susan Creek (BLM) campground: 30 mi East of Roseburg, on Hwy 138. One of the nicest campgrounds we have visited in Oregon. The sites are very spacious and uncrowded - situated in conifer/maple wooded area along the beautiful Umpqua River. Again, no hookups, and first come, first served
Miles of hiking opportunities in the area with trails to nearly a dozen waterfalls. Rafting/whitewater kayaking and fly fishing on the river.
The Narrows RV park (Good Sam): 30 miles south of Burns in Southeastern Oregon, in the high dessert. We planned a family campout here in late May to view a meteor shower. Be warned - this place is in the "middle of nowhere" with not much to do. The private RV park was well maintained and the owners were very nice and accommodating. Nearby sites include the Malheur Wildlife Refuge (waterfowl, antelope, deer), Diamond Craters (geologic area) and the Steens Mountains. You have to drive a fair distance to see all these things. The park has a small store, restaurant and saloon as well as gas/diesel and propane. Our experience went like this: Arrived the day prior to the meteor shower to clear skies. The next day, a wind storm came through with blowing sand and clouded up the sky so the meteor shower was not visible. Also, there were swarms of little black bitey flies. Not a place I want to return to, but if you are a rockhound, it might be worth a trip to the area.
Hawk's Nest RV park: We stayed here since it was the nearest place to park our RV while visiting the Lava Beds National Monument. Just south of the OR border in CA and southwest of Tullelake in Tionesta (not a town, just a place on the road). The park was rustic : pull-through gravel sites shaded by juniper trees, with hook-ups and bathroom facilities with showers. The sunrise/sunsets from the park were amazing. Just down the road is another park - Eagle's Nest - basically driveways off the road with little grassy spots. Looks newly created so trees are still small, offering little shade. Not sure of amenities offered. Roads are nearly deserted, so great for bicycles. We visited just after Labor Day and it was still very hot.
The Lava Beds were awesome. Trails to hike and lava tubes to explore on your own. There is a campground at the Lava Beds, but sites are not suitable for anything bigger than a small RV (max 20 ft). The Modoc National Forest borders the Monument area with roads to explore and interesting geologic sites. Carry extra fuel if you plan to do much exploring as the nearest gas station is in Tullelake (30 Mi) and, unless you have a Pacific Pride commercial card, you have to drive even further to find diesel. Like the Narrows, this is pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, but more scenic and enjoyable. We want to return and do more "look'n around" this area.
Collier State Park : Leaving the Lava Beds, we headed north through Klamath Falls, to Chiloquin. The park is just off Hwy 97, and pretty standard, as Oregon State Parks go. Nicely groomed sites are easy to access with many pull-throughs; full hook-ups. The campground sits at the convergence of the Williamson River and Crystal Creek, in pine trees with several sites right on the river. There are trails leading across the river to a great outdoor logging museum. Flatwater kayaking is good on the Williamson while Crystal Creek has some white water and calmer water upstream from the museum.
A short drive from the park is Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath Canoe Trails. We kayaked a ways from the lake along the trail, but the wind was too strong for it to be enjoyable. We did see a lot of waterfowl and paddled in waters much different from those we are accustomed to. Good change of pace. We also took the short drive up to Crater Lake - always amazing to see.
Shadow Bay (USFS) Campground: The final destination on our Post-Labor Day trip was Waldo Lake. Situated near Hwy 58's Willamette Pass on the crest of the Cascades, this is the second largest/deepest lake in Oregon (after Crater) and the second purest lake in the world. I can't begin to describe the water - you can see down over 100 feet and where the lake is deeper than that (over 400 feet), the water is the clearest indigo blue I have ever seen. The lake has no inlet (the water supply is strictly from snow melt), so there are no fish in the lake. It was once planted with fish, but they did not survive because the water is too pure, with nothing to eat. To preserve the lake's purity, only non-motorized or electric motorized boats are allowed. Because of this it is a popular place for kayaking and sailing. There are also many trails in the area for hiking and mountain biking. Biking is also good on the many paved roads within the CG. We are definitely going back for a return visit. Warning: Because of its popularity with paddlers and bikers, the campground is very busy, especially in late summer. However, in my opinion, paddlers and mountain bikers make good neighbors.
From late June to mid-August the mosquitos here are unbearable (or so I hear) and the road to the lake is not open until late Spring when the snow melts, leaving a fairly short camping season (unless you want to fight the bugs). The campground is large and well maintained no hook-ups but water spigots are treaded for filling your tank. Bathroom facilites are self-composting vault toilets. The sites are private, situated in large Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine forest. There are also two campgrounds at the north end of the lake, but we prefer Shadow Bay. Definitely worth a trip to see this awesome lake.
Waxmyrtle (USFS) Campground: Located in the Siltcoos area of the Oregon National Dunes, we stayed here during a return trip to Siltcoos Lake and to paddle the Siltcoos River Canoe Trail. Nice CG, as are most USFS facilities. The campground sits along the south shore of the Siltcoos River about 1/2 mile from where it enters the ocean. Our site had easy access for launching our kayaks. All day long, we could hear and see huge fish (steelhead or salmon) jumping.
The sites are well sheltered by pines, fir, and huckleberry bushes. Again, good berry picking late summer, early fall. There are several trails to hike and paved roads for riding bikes. Just up the road is another campground for ATV enthusiasts and a smaller campground across the road situated along Siltcoos Lagoon (Lagoon CG). Waxmyrtle CG sites are spacious and the bathrooms are new. No hook-ups or showers, but there are showers at the ATV campground that campers at all three CGs can use. The entire Siltcoos Dunes Recreation Area is a USFS fee area for day use. Nice thing is, if you have a Senior Access Pass, day use fee is waived and campsites are half-price (as they are in all USFS, BLM and other Federal facilities).
These are just a few of the places we visited in Oregon this summer. Hope this info helps as you plan you next summer's adventure.
for posting. Great info for future reference. We really like Oregon & the NW. Spent some time in Prospect visiting the Crater Lake area this summer.
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