The state of Oregon is one of the most diverse and beautiful within the greater United States, and this makes it a particularly popular state for campers. There are numerous incredible campgrounds within the boundaries of Oregon, and we’ll be taking a look at some of the very best in this video. Join ViewCation to find the best camping in Oregon.
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park is one of the oldest of all the national parks across the United States, and it certainly deserves this status! The park is named after Crater Lake, which is the deepest lake in the country. The lake was formed nearly 8,000 years ago as a result of a violent volcanic eruption. Today, the location serves as one of the most beautiful places in the region. Visitors to Crater Lake National Park will be treated to hiking opportunities galore, with some of the area’s more popular hikes including the hike to Garfield Peak and the hike up Mount Scott. The latter hike will take visitors to the highest point in the entirety of the national park, which will offer them some staggering views.
There are a couple of different campgrounds open to visitors to Crater Lake National Park, and these include the Mazama Village Campground and the Lost Creek Campground. Of these two, the Mazama Village Campground is the slightly more popular with tourists due to it’s host of amenities. The Mazama Village Campground features a couple of hundred sites with hookups for RVs, as well as a general store.
While it’s host of amenities make the Mazama Village Campground popular with tourists, tent campers that are looking for a bit more peace and seclusion may prefer to camp at the Lost Creek Campground while staying within the boundaries of Crater Lake National Park. The Lost Creek Campground is a tent-only campground, and it doesn’t have the same amenities as the Mazama Village Campground. However, it makes up for this lack of amenities by allowing it’s campers to get closer to nature. Sites at the Mazama Village Campground need to be reserved, and visitors should be sure to do so well in advance. Contrastingly, spots at the Lost Creek Campground are only available to campers on a first-come, first-served basis. Given that the campground only consists of 16 sites, you should be sure to show up as early as possible! The Lost Creek Campground is a mere few miles from Crater Lake itself.
Toketee Lake
Toketee Lake is located within Umpqua National Forest, and it’s also the location of the venerable Toketee Lake Campground. There’s plenty to do and se here, and visitors could find plenty of beautiful scenery without venturing so much as a few miles from their camping spot. Some of the most impressive things to see while camping at Toketee Lake include the Umpqua Hot Springs and Toketee Falls. Umpqua Hot Springs is just a few miles away from the Toketee Lake Campground, and visitors can access the springs by taking the North Umpqua Trail. Bathing in the hot springs is incredibly relaxing, and you may want to spend your whole trip in the warm water! Meanwhile, Toketee Falls can be seen by taking a similarly short walk from the Toketee Lake Campground, and it’s waterfalls are amazing!
One of the biggest reasons that the Toketee Lake Campground has become so popular with campers from around the country is the immense fishing opportunities that it affords to it’s visitors. Toketee Lake itself is known nationally for it’s brown-trout fishing, but brown trout are far from being the only notable wild creatures in the area! Visitors to Toketee Lake will also get the chance to see eagles, beavers, ducks, and a variety of other fish.
While the North Umpqua Trail is how campers will access the Umpqua Hot Springs, the 80-mile-long trail also offers plenty more expansive wilderness for visitors to explore. There are 32 sites at the Toketee Lake Campground, and only 15 of those can be reserved. Visitors should also keep in mind that the campground has no running water.
Cape Lookout State Park
Cape Lookout State Park is a state park located along the Three Capes Scenic Route. Campers around the country are drawn to Cape Lookout State Park for it’s incredible scenery, with some of the most gorgeous landmarks that visitors can get a look at including the Netarts Spit and Cape Kiwanda.
There are a couple of relaxing hiking opportunities available to those visiting Cape Lookout State Park that will grant them the opportunity to take in a great deal of the area’s beautiful scenery. The most popular trail that can be found within the park is the Cape Lookout Trail, which consists of a five-mile-long round-trip journey that will show visitors some of the most incredible views in the region. The park has it’s own campground, which features over 200 campsites and is open all year. Of these campsites, only around 30 feature hookups, while the rest are simple sites for tent camping. There are also a couple of cabins that can be rented.
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Green Mountain Campground
Another peaceful campground open to tourists visiting the state of Oregon is the Green Mountain Campground, which resides in the south of the beautiful state. The Green Mountain Campground is especially secluded, with the campground only consisting of a meager six sites. While this means that visitors might have a hard time finding a place to camp, those who manage to do so will be treated to an unprecedented amount of seclusion. Given the secluded nature of the campground in general, it should come as no surprise that the Green Mountain Campground doesn’t have much to offer in the way of amenities. The campground is also slightly difficult to access, with access to the campground only being granted via an unpaved road.
While the seclusion of the Green Mountain Campground makes it plenty special enough in comparison to the majority of it’s competition, there’s also the fact that the campground is located next to some fairly impressive volcanic landmarks. Some of the notable landmarks residing near the Green Mountain Campground include the Four Craters Lava Field, as well as the aptly named Crack in the Ground. The Crack in the Ground is a two-mile-long volcanic fissure. Brave visitors can scramble their way to the bottom of the fissure and up again, with the fissure only being 60-feet deep.
The Green Mountain Campground is open to visitors all year round, and it’s campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Given that the campground can be fairly difficult to access, visitors are advised to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle before taking the journey. They’ll also need to bring their own drinking water.
Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area
One of the unique things about camping in Oregon is that visitors may be afforded the opportunity to camp along the coast. If camping along Oregon’s coast is your thing, you may want to check out the Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area, which features the Devil’s Lake Campground. Devil’s Lake Campground is one of several coastal campgrounds in the state of Oregon, but it’s the only one located within the boundaries of a city. While this means that the campground can get a little bit crowded, it also means that campers will have easy access to stores and eateries in the town.
The centerpiece of the Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area is it’s namesake Devil’s Lake, which spans over 600 acres. You can go out on the water any way you choose, or simply sit back on the shore and check out the plentiful wildlife. Visitors might even get the chance to see a bald eagle!
The Devil’s Lake Campground is another campground that’s open all year round, and it features plenty of sites. There are 28 sites with hookups for RVs, as well as over 50 tent-camping sites. There are even sites for handicapped people.
Silver Falls State Park
Silvers Fall State Park is the largest state park in all of Oregon, and it’s also home to the Silver Falls State Park Campground! The park itself is staggering, and is located along the foothills of the beautiful Cascade Mountains. The park comprises over 9,000 acres, and features plenty of forest and waterfalls. There are numerous hiking trails available to visitors, and also some horse-riding trails.
Silver Falls State Park takes only around an hour to drive to from Oregon’s capital of Salem, which makes the area fairly accessible for the average tourist. Visitors to Silver Falls State Park should be sure to check out the Trail of Ten Falls, which is a loop trail spanning roughly eight miles. The Trail of Ten Falls will allow hikers the chance to check out some of the region’s beautiful waterfalls, and much more!
There are around 100 sites available for guests visiting the Silver Fall State Park Campground, with half of those sites being for RVs and the other half being for tents. The campground features plenty of amenities, and there’s even an off-leash area for visitors travelling with their dogs.
Willamette National Forest
Finally, let’s take a look at the Paradise Campground, which stands within the confines of the greater Willamette National Forest. The Willamette National Forest is one of the more unique wilderness destinations in the state of Oregon, and visitors may feel as if they’ve ventured out of the country while ambling along it’s dense, wet forest. Some say that journeying through Willamette National Forest feels more like being in a rainforest than it does being in Oregon, with the forest featuring plenty of waterfalls and hot springs. Running through the forest is the beautiful McKenzie River.
Willamette National Forest is an especially popular location with fishermen, as there are plenty of trout. There’s also whitewater rafting, which can be done along the aforementioned McKenzie River. Finally, hikers may want to take the McKenzie River Trail, which is 25 miles in length.
There are a staggering number of campgrounds to choose from within the state of Oregon, and the aforementioned picks represent the very best! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there’s a campground in Oregon so secluded that it only features six campsites, and that there’s another campground located near a two-mile-long volcanic fissure that goes 60 feet into the earth? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!