Boondocking in Cascades instead of Eastern Sierra?

ProfDanT , we have camped over 300 days along the Aufderheide .
Our kids live in Eugene and we live in Bend so this is where we meet up .
There are a half dozen NFS campgrounds from Delta in the North to Kiahanie in the south . Geezer pass gets you about $ 8 per night .
There is dispersed camping just south of Cougar Reservoir for many miles .
I don't think of it for color , just great country .
Frissel Crossing is a nice NFS site , but so is Kiahanie , Delta , Slide Creek , French Pete .
Cougar Reservoir is drained this year , prematurely .
The best dispersed camping in Central Oregon is around Big Summit Prairie / Little Summit Prairie but not this time of year .
The hunters are in there now . We use their homegrown fire pits , and other improvements in the summer after they are long gone .

profdant139 wrote:
We were going to the Eastern Sierra for fall color -- but there is lots of smoke from the Rim Fire. I'm not asking for specific boondocking sites, but is there a general area in the Cascades of Oregon that might have some fall color? We want to get away from campgrounds, and we'd like to do some hiking in the mountains, and I am hoping for clear, dark night skies. (Remember, I'm from southern Calif -- no color, no stars, no solitude, no silence.)..

The Cascades start in CA south of Lassen Volcanic NP. Do not have to drive all the way to Oregon. Lots of boondocking in Lassen area.

Yes, you can boondock there. Most BLM land allows it. The area is pretty heavily used on weekends by folks who ride dirt bikes on the dirt roads.

Many USFS areas in the Eastern Sierra and all of the DWP areas do not allow camping except in developed campgrounds. It's worth your time to check out the BLM lands, even though most of them in the Eastern Sierra are not the trees and pretty lakes types of places. I often stay in the 4 BLM campgrounds: $5 a night (half price with senior pass), all but Crowley Lake have little streams right through them to make nice water music to help you sleep, and they are pretty quiet except on weekends. They were all recently upgraded, but the BLM webpage still notes Goodale as having no potable water. Fine by me - that keeps the crowds down.

Prof--

Maybe a trip through the Blue Mountains? I wish I knew the first thing about the region, but I suspect you will find what you're looking for there.

Sisters is always a good bet for easy, pleasant camping--and the cones are all doable--but the only color you're going to see in the trees is the pandemic infestation of rust, sadly.

Overall, eastern Cali, eastern Oregon offer great routes for fall driving. Even if they're not wildly colorful, the sky is clear and the air is crisp, very fall-like.

Hmmm. Good idea, Tiger! Are we allowed to boondock in the Tablelands?? I see a campground listed on the BLM website, but nothing about dispersed camping.

Maybe you could boondock in the Volcanic Tablelands (ought to be quiet during the week) and commute to the color?

Bishop BLM Volcanic Tablelands page

I think there is more info in the BLM's "Motor Touring..." booklet, which used to be downloadable for free; I cannot locate it tonight. Perhaps available at the Interagency Visitor Center in Lone Pine?

The area is covered on the Inyo NF map.

The whole Bishop Creek area is great for color -- this was last year:



But the only boondocking nearby is in the Buttermilk area, and there are lots of ATV folks. Nothing wrong with that, but I am looking for silence and solitude.

We have been traveling the Eastern Sierra from Mammoth -south to Whitney. We are now back in Rock Creek about 25 miles north of Bishop. The entire region is now smoke free and beautiful. The aspen are just beginning to turn yellow and bright orange. Our favorite area to observe the fall colors is the road to South Lake and Sabrina. The road begins W. Line St. in Bishop. The canyon is breathtaking even before the aspen turn,but when they do,and they are starting to now, it's spectacular!

Yeah, I would like to go to Utah this year, but we are first heading to the redwoods near the Oregon border and we don't have an unlimited amount of time to travel due to family obligations. So that is why I am looking for something closer to home, like southern Oregon or the Sierra.

Utah may be closer than Oregon for you and there will be high altitude color and likely clear skies....