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Buzzcut1's avatar
Buzzcut1
Nomad II
Jul 30, 2014

Road trip suggestions wanted..Oregon

Ok so here is the deal. I have 9 days, two are taken up getting out of and back into California ( I can reach Crater lake with light to spare in one day from home).

Cascade Volcano's are high on the list. We may go as far as Hood but definitely up to Bend which the wife wants to visit. Toys: Bicycles, Flat water sit on top Kayaks, hiking gear and Fly fishing gear.

Boondocking or NFS style campgrounds preferred, no RV parks or KOA's

Time frame: Sept 13-21 2014

fire away

19 Replies

  • Hi Buzz,
    There are a lot of nice places in Oregon. Even just taking a chance on something would likely be rewarding.
    An old trip report of ours along the Oregon coast and mountains up through Hood River.
    Along the caost, there is a river between Reedsport and Florence with three NFS CGs all of which are nice. We would hike along the river to the ocean about a mile for some beautiful scenery along the way and walking along the beach. Lots of Eagles and sea birds.

    Another spot we really liked was in the mountains called Cascadia SP east of I-5 on Hwy 20 which will also take you towards Bend. There are pictures and information about it in the middle or so of this report. We really liked it there and extended our stay it was so relaxing. You can swim and fish in the river pools beneath the bridge as you come into the CG. When we were there, a very nice retired vet would gather folks around the flag pole and talk about the flag and it's care as he performed the daily retiring of the flag. There is an ancient Native American campsite about a half mile hike through the woods. There is a nice trail that hikes up hill from the CG to a water fall. We found the CG to be impressively well maintained.
    From there you can continue west on 20 then head north on 22 to Detroit lake. Turn East onto Breitenbush road where with a detailed map, you can take the forest roads to Mt Hood and down to Hood River. A spectacular drive all the way. Just for fun, drive through the little campgrounds along the road. They are really pretty little diversions. One has or had an artesian pump well you could use for drinking.
    Have yourself a great trip.
  • For boondocking next to a lake, try Crane Prairie Reservoir on the south side of the lake off of NF-4285. I was able to get my tall DRW rig in there and down to the water with no damage, but it was very tight. Crane Prairie is off of the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway (46) and is a great place to spend a couple of days before you head into Bend. It's between Crater Lake and Bend. Take mosquito repellant. There are lots of private spots, but most of them were taken 4th of July week so it took us a while to finally find one. Well worth it though.

    We took a week-long trip through Oregon earlier this year, and our favorite campground (not boondocking) was Nehalem Bay state park on the coast near Manzanita. 2nd was Jackson F Kimball state park, which is just south of Crater Lake ($11 / night). 3rd was Maryhill on the Columbia river. We did not care for Beverley Beach at all. If I had it to do all over again I would spend more time at Crater Lake and Crane Prairie and the rest at Nehalem/Manzanita.
  • Buzzcut,

    Try Hosmer Lake located on Century Drive outside of Bend. Fly fishing only with trout and atlantic salmon fishing. No motors on the lake so very peaceful. Small forest service campground, but could be a good base camp for all of centeral Oregon. Great for Kayaks as well.

    Enjoy!
  • We visited Silver Falls State park a few years ago and thought it very interesting. Yeah its an Oregon State park so very developed, but you can hike up the river past 10 waterfalls, very enjoyable.
  • Been to Shuttle the one on the east end I found to be very nice.

    Go along the Columbia. Out to Hood River from Mt Hood, stop at the Dalles museum, visit the locks at Bonneville...camp on the bluff over looking river on both sides. You see others just pick a spot. There is a toilet building there and if you have a 4-way hose bib key you can get some water, just don't be too conspicuous. Have hose ready to go. Ask if there is someone official around. Don't remember any dump.

    Then along old river highway to all the falls and maybe up to the lookout at Vista House...Troutdale has good fuel prices...hit Portland and go eat at the place that was featured on Diners Dives and Drive-ins (give something to do to find out the places name on the website.) Then head for home...that should fill your 9 days. There is a C.O. beach at Rooster Rock SP. Loads of nice camping SP on river. Enjoy your planning and trip.
  • Newberry Crater, Metolius River, Cascade Lakes Hwy (Fall River, Upper Deschutes, Crane Prairie, Hosmer Lake). Ton of NFS boondocking or FS campground opportunities. Couple of links that could prove useful...

    http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/4/1/oregon.html
    http://oregonflyfishingblog.com/

    BBF
  • Shuttle Lake outside of Sisters. There are three FS campgrounds right on the lake. There are several other FS campgrounds in the area, some of which are on the Metolius River.
  • Lapine state park is a great starting place. But you will need reservations.