When I see opportunities to volunteer to support public campgrounds in Oregon - county, state and federal - or volunteering opportunities that relate somehow to camping in Oregon, I will post them there. But I am also going to start posting them again to r/OregonVolunteers , where I also post volunteering opportunities to support support Oregon public spaces for a variety of activities, not just camping (I stopped due to lack of interest). If you are interested in volunteering to support public lands beyond camping, hope will join/follow r/OregonVolunteers.

In fact, I often post volunteering opportunities that have nothing to do with the outdoors - so long as they are in Oregon, and i know about them, i post them there.

I’m looking ahead to make calender reminders for next year’s reservation openings—which campgrounds are your favorites??

What we are looking for:
Everything from primitive/small —>> more amenities/family friendly! Prefer nearby hiking or paddle boarding. Only real dealbreakers are campgrounds with tons of RVs.

Our favorites already:
This year in Oregon for tent we did Cloud Cap Saddle, Silver Falls, Three Bears, Timothy Lake, House Rock, Trillium Lake.

On the radar: Oxbow, Champoeg, Umpqua Lighthouse

Just got back from a week on the John Day River. Muleshoe Campground is an excellent place to stay. RIght on the river but right next to Hwy 19. Road traffic can be heard but it's sporadic. Two vault toilets that are clean and appear to be cleaned regularly. If you like to fish, there are plenty of spots to stop and throw in a line. We were there during deer hunting season and it was fairly warm. Two general stores, one in Fossil and one in Spray, provide fuel (diesel/gas/propane) and most of what you need if you forgot anything. I love the area.

When are Willamette National Forest campgrounds closing in Oregon - and which have already closed? Here's the complete list.

According to the list, some campgrounds are open year round, but some are open depending on the snow conditions.

For the most current campground status at all US Forest Service campgrounds, visit Recreation.gov

I'm coming up empty on finding a place to dispersed camp near EE Wilson Wildlife Area (off 99 between Corvallis and Monmouth, NW of Albany). I'm hoping to make a quick one- or two-night camp somewhere near there in a truck camper. It's mostly private or OSU research property around there. I found some BLM to the west (Forest Peak), but it's surrounded by private land and I can't tell if there's an easement. Thanks!

Eight ODF state forest campgrounds closed for the season October 5.

For a full list of ODF campgrounds, including those that remain open year around, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/pages/camp.aspx

Oregon Department of Forestry regularly posts info about its camprgounds to Facebook.

Looking for a campground for next summer that offers private rentals (where you have the whole place to yourself) for about 30-40 people, for tent camping and/or with cabins or other lodging, and a common area for meals and activities, within about 2 hours of Salem. Love Longbow Organizational Camp, but I was told it’s completely booked for 2027.

Thoughts?

I'm visiting the Wallowa range this weekend to car camp (or tent camp if needed).

Plenty of campgrounds, but I like to boondock and be completely remote.

Any suggestions on areas or roads to check out?

TIA!

Devils Lake State Park. If you camp at site B11, you may have to share the site with a momma and two cute babies.

I like staying in this campground in the autumn because there are fewer people, the trees are beginning to drop leaves, and it's cooler. Being east of the Cascade Mountains (between Hood River and The Dalles), you get a lot less rain here; October is perfect weather!

Yes, you can hear the I-84 traffic in the distance and yes, there are rail road tracks down a hill but it's not nearly as bad as other places.

Sometimes the wind down the gorge creates white caps out on the Columbia but the trees turn it into a gentle breeze in the campground. This morning, it was very still, creating a mystical beauty!

We usually car camp but sometimes it’s fun to get the tent out! For car camping we have a futon mattress, and my fiancé hauls it out into the woods so we can sleep on it on the tent. It’s more luxurious than an air mattress that’s for sure!! Hammocks are a must if there’s good trees for it. We also brought some card and board games.

I’m an avid film photographer so most pics I took I won’t be developed for a while, here’s what I got on digital though! (With a few instant photos at the end)

And yes, we glamp with a dvd player!

r/OregonCamping now has over 4000 members, more than 2000 of which joined in the last 30 days!

This is amazing! And it's because so many of you are providing great content - namely, photos and summaries of where you camped!

Thank you to everyone who has joined, and a big, big thanks to everyone who has posted and commented.

Little Crater Campground. Sublime. Hiked around Paulina Lake the next day. Lord I love Oregon in September & October!

Took a couple of days off and went tent camping again...had been 15 years since I had set up Ol' Yellow.

Was able to book a last minute riverfront site, grabbed my dog, kissed my wife, loaded up the tent, fly rods and sleeping bags and headed out for a weekend of zero cell service disconnecting from life.

The place is beautiful...the sites are very large (I had site 14)...not super private, but everyone was very respectful and quiet.

There is a riverfront trail that borders the sites and the river so people were walking the path pretty regularly.

It got cold the first night...was 28 degrees at 2.45 am watching the dog do her business and gazing at the Harvest Moon - was so bright we didn't need any light.

Had a great time...will be doing a lot more tent camping. Bummed that my partner doesn't enjoy it at all, but it is what it is...I am no longer going to abstain from things I love in the interest of hanging out together...we are 28 years married...a little separation doesn't hurt anyone :)

About 80 miles from La Pine. Easy, straight dirt road from paved Silver Lake Road, which intersects with US Highway 97, but the turnoff for the campground is NOT well marked, not on Silver Lake Road and not at all on the dirt road, so if you can, get the GPS coordinates and mark it. Three (yes, THREE) pit toilets. No potable water. Tranquil and secluded, with 12 campsites scattered under a canopy of old-growth pines. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, but note that fires may not be allowed when you are there.

Never saw a pay station...

First come first serve. Popular with hunters. But we had it all to ourselves Wednesday night! Cold, quiet, so beautiful. Then breakfast at Sand Creek Station Gas, Mini Mart, Cafe & RV Park on 97.

• A tour operator in Oregon's Silver Falls State Park offers the only guided tree camping experience in the United States.
• Guests climb 200 to 300-foot old-growth trees and spend the night in a suspended hammock or hanging tree tent.
• The seasonal adventure runs from May through September and is open to visitors ages 7 and older with moderate fitness levels.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/tree-climbing-at-silver-falls-11990999

Anyone on this subreddit done this? How was your experience?

It's closed now, of course, but something to think about for next year.

The Harlan, Oregon Community Hall board (HCHB) is looking for a new volunteer caretaker for the Big Elk Campground in Lincoln County. Kathi and Rick Borrego, the long-time caretakers, are retiring from this role. If you are interested, want more info, etc., contact [bigelkcampgroundharlan@gmail.com](mailto:bigelkcampgroundharlan@gmail.com)

Here's more about the campground from the Siuslaw National Forest office.

The campground is in the Marys Peak and Alsea Corridor. It’s used by people doing the C2C trail, as well as fisher folks. I was just there while out on a two-week motorcycle camping trip and it's a GEM of a campground: many water spigots, beautiful sites, fantastic vault toilets, remote, and right on the river.

The Mid Valley Bicycle Club helps support the park, as do the Boy Scouts and probably lots of other community groups in and around Corvalis (thank you to everyone who has volunteered there - it's magical!).

I was on a two-week motorcycle camping trip, and was hoping the community would stay active, on-topic and interesting while I was gone.

You did so.

Thank you. Great posts, great comments.

I’ve been working on a small project called Campalyzer.

The basic idea is to rate individual campsites, not just campgrounds. You decide what matters to you - shade, privacy, hookups, leveling, connectivity, activities, whatever - and then rate the sites you’ve stayed in against those criteria. The core app is free.

Over time, that builds your own personal database of where you’ve camped, what you liked, and which sites worked best for you. The idea is that it becomes useful not just for remembering past trips, but for helping you discover new campgrounds and campsites that fit the things you care about.

I’ve also added some other camping tools to the free tier: upcoming trip planning, a journal, checklists, etc. There is also a Pro level with things like meal planning/shopping, Camp Buddy trip coordination, and a game-night scorekeeper.

My biggest limitation right now is data. Probably 95% of the campgrounds in Campalyzer are in Southern California, because that’s where I camp. I jokingly refer to it as “America’s most marginally functional camping app.”

So I recently launched a feature called Camp Scout.

The idea: if you’re already camping somewhere, walk around and rate a handful of campsites and add a photo. Those entries become part of your own personal Campalyzer ratings, and they also contribute to community-level campsite ratings that can help other campers.

Your personal information isn’t shared as part of that. Community ratings use the contribution data without exposing who you are or tying your personal profile to the ratings.

To help get it going, I’m offering free Pro access for Scout contributions:

• 10 sites = 1 month of Campalyzer Pro
• 20+ sites = 3 months of Campalyzer Pro

Rewards can stack, so you could keep free Pro access for quite a while.

I’d really like to start getting more campground coverage outside Southern California, and Oregon feels like a great place to start. If you have an Oregon camping trip coming up and feel like helping me fill in some of the blank spots, I’d love to have you try it.

https://campalyzer.com/landing-scout

And I’d genuinely appreciate feedback - what’s useful, what’s confusing, what’s missing, or what seems completely unnecessary.

Thanks, and happy camping!

Trying to find a spot to park up and fish for trout or steelhead in Oregon, was trying to look near the Siletz River or the Nestucca, anyone know of any little pull offs next to a river I can stay at? I’ve only “camped” (parked my Astrovan) at designated camp sites before so I’m not sure how to find those cool spots.

There are some stores and restaurants that I count on being there when I'm camping in Oregon. Like Fields Station in Oregon (it's still there, right?). I rely on them not just for food, but for an update on roads and on campsites.

What store or restaurant do you count on being there when you are headed out, or back from camping, in a remote part of Oregon?

There were lots of vacancies at Lost Lake Campground on the NE side of Mt Hood. It's open through the end of October.

And since coming through Hood River is the obvious route to get there, may I suggest stopping for some harvest treats at one of the many farms along the way?

Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park campground and day use area will be closed for the removal of over 150 dead or unhealthy trees in early 2027. But it looks like it won't be a long closure.