Oregon Boondockers Unite

[Mikec1231]

So this weekend Loretta, Gucci and i are up the McKenzie near McKenzie Bridge. We are at the Holiday RV Park in Rainbow. Anyway, we were able to go up to the campgrounf at Hardrock on the south fork and it was a neat campground! We are lookig forward to August to camp there. It is a bit tight but 2 trailers can fit there. Or a number of tents. It is right on the river with some of the best catch and release trout fishing.
We wil keep you all posted.
Mike and Loretta

BTW site #21 at Delta Campground looked pretty nice as well.

[AirChief]

I will be at Hardrock in June, so I will let you know how the fishing goes. Caught a 18+ up there last September. Just got back yesterday from the Mecca Flats area of the Deschutes and my son and I caught caught 18+ inch redsides and mine was a fatty and a good fighter! Hope to post some pics soon.

[BrandonJenna]

Wow, this thread has really taken off. Thank you to everyone for all your past, current and future contributions. Not everyone is open to sharing their favorite and often secret spots but I like to think the individuals who do share, also realize that they are sharing with fellow Airstream owners of the same respect and integrity. I personally will keep these locations private among my Airstream buddies.

Last weekend my wife and I spent a night at Blackberry Campground along the Alsea river. We were one of two people in the whole campground. I have often heard it is a favorite among my friends, customers and co-workers so we set out to experience it for ourselves. Check out the attached picture of our campsite.

Happy Camping,
-Brandon

[AirChief]

Just got back from dry camping on the the South Fork of the McKenzie River. Excellent spot right on the river with plenty of access for fishing and caught 4 redside rainbows and landed 3 and one was a fat 15" with good fight. Perfect camping weather - 70s and sunny and a little chilly at night but rained all day yesterday on the way home. In addition to this isolated camping spot, there are a few other things in the area to know. Hidden Lake is a very pretty high Cascade lake that is easy to get to but seems difficult to circumnavigate - saw a couple folks with canoes and rafts and I could see cutthroat jumping. There is a Christmas store about a mile west of Forest Rd 19 (this is the road that follows Cougar Reservoir and SF of the river) and there is a store with everything you need and gas about 3 miles east of Forest Rd 19. This forest understory is very plush and holds moisture and the thick canopy of the forest keeps it very cool, so great place to be on hot days. Lots of trails and rivers to explore and very pristine snow melt creeks. Best place I have been to yet in the Willamette Forest.

[Mikec1231]

So AirChief,
If you added 8 Ft to your rig, do you think you could get in and out of Hardrock? I have a very similar set-up with an F-150.
I did the "Flash Rally this weekend on the South Fork of the Santiam River Friday and Saturday. Beautiful weather until yesterday. Some really great people in the Oregon Unit
Waterloo Park, a county park in Lebanon is where it was at. Nice campground right on the river.
Saw some big Steelhead being taken. Not me though.

[AirChief]

Mike,

The way the campground was laid out, I don't know if I would pull in straight with a 27'. Seems the layout would not allow for enough room to turnaround. I would recommend backing your trailer down the road to the spot in front of the bigger fire ring.

[AirChief]

Been real quiet on this thread lately. I had a house fire in July, so put the kabash on doing any serious camping. However, my son and I were able to make it out to the Trask River for 2 days of camping and good fishing the last weekend of August and we have another trip planned to the Deschutes in October. Didn't get out near as much as I would have liked but the places i made it to were great. Anyone have any stories or places to share?

[John&Vicki]

As a new (well, picking up the trailer in two weeks) Airstreamer living in Bend, I find this to be the best thread on the forum. I was a California State Park Ranger (beach parks North of Santa Barbara) in a former life and have always loved the outdoors. My wife and I plan to use our trailer in three ways: boondocking; to see the sights in the U.S.; and for extended stays in warmer climes.

The generosity here in sharing off the beaten path favorite sites is really impressive - and really in the spirit of Oregon. I hope to be able to find and share a few also. In the meantime I'm going to follow this thread (and The Small, Small Trailer blog) faithfully.

Cheers,
Poppy

[John&Vicki]

I was reading a thread here last night doing a little research on solar panels. Came across a blog done by some dedicated boondockers. They are currently camped in Bend, Oregon and rave about their current campsite.

I thought, um that's interesting, given that I live in Bend, Oregon. It would be great to find some good boondocking here. They posted their current location and I brought it up on Google Maps along with my address. As it turns out they are about a mile from my house - what are the odds!?

Poppy

[Mikec1231]

Just thought I would give an update of our 1st year with our AS. We absolutely love it! We just finished adding solar to our 27' FB so we could really enjoy Boondocking without the noise of a generator. We went for 200W of panels but I sized the system so that we could add 2 more panels for a total of 400W if needed. I left the original batteries for now since it is a new trailer and I thought it would be a big waste. Storage is everything when it comes to solar I have found. Quick recovery is noce but you reall need those amp hours.
We used the trailer about 1 out of 3 weekends since April. We joined the Oregon unit of WBCC and have met bunches of Oregonian AS'ers in the club. A really great bunch. We are hoping to get in a couple more weekends before winter is upon us and I winterize our unit. I know everyone is concerned about posting their special secret spot on this site but I would love a few suggestions for this time of year since we are pretty new to boondocking. Just send it to in a PM and I will protect the confidence.
Thanks for all the great posts all!
Mike

[AirChief]

This thread has really gotten slow but wanted to post that our last camping trip was to Mecca Flats on the Deschutes River in October. Fishing was good and the weather was what I consider camping perfect - cool and sunny during the day and very cold at night with a nice campfire. This is a great place to go in October because its not crowded and the fishing can be good. I have a previous post of the Deschutes with pics so no need and I didn't catch anything big. We have a trip planned to the Trask River in March, so just about another month before I can break it out. I am trying to sell my trailer though, so when I do go camping it may not be in my own. What will be everyone's first trip out in 2014?

[El Gitano]

Originally Posted by AirChief

This thread has really gotten slow but wanted to post that our last camping trip was to Mecca Flats on the Deschutes River in October. Fishing was good and the weather was what I consider camping perfect - cool and sunny during the day and very cold at night with a nice campfire. This is a great place to go in October because its not crowded and the fishing can be good. I have a previous post of the Deschutes with pics so no need and I didn't catch anything big. We have a trip planned to the Trask River in March, so just about another month before I can break it out. I am trying to sell my trailer though, so when I do go camping it may not be in my own. What will be everyone's first trip out in 2014?

AirChief, how is the road into Mecca Flats with the trailer? I'd like to get in there for the salmon fly hatch this year.

I understand Salem has gotten some snow... We're in Tucson now but plan on being back in the valley in early May. As for 2014, I'm hoping to spend time in Colorado and Utah. Visit some friends and do some fishing.

[AirChief]

The road is fine, so no problem driving on it. Problem is the width of the road in certain spots and the blind spots around some curves. The best thing to do is stop and check for oncoming vehicles with trailers and then move quick to get to the berm they built up, once there you can see the other side and if vehicles are coming. I don't know/see how 2 people with vehicles and towing trailers can back up or move to get by each other . So scout it out before forging ahead. Yep, the area got hammered here with snow between 12 to 18 inches. Rivers area all blown to hell so not sure when I can get out for steelheading. See you on the river!

[Valacidor]

Hello fellow boondockers,
Oregon is on of my favorite states to camp in, so diversified.
If you are looking for NFS developed campgrounds, look at Directory of Campgrounds in U.S. National Forests and Grasslands - Buy Books, National Forest Forum, News
Started by a retired couple, they have spent I think 20 years visiting ALL NFS campgrounds that will fit a RV, then listing them by forest or grassland. Each has directions, site descriptions, lists of ammenities, local attractions, cost and anything else you could need. The NFS even helps them keep it updated.
CDs are also available if you don't have internet on your travels.
Nothing on dispersed camping though.
Tom J

[Ag&Au]

Is it possible to drive to Gold Beach from Grants Pass by using the roads that follow the Rogue River? If so are they appropriate for towing a 31 foot trailer? Are there places to camp along the river?


For some reason, the navigation programs I have tried insist on going south to Crescent City and then up the coast. They resist all my attempts to reroute via Rogue Rover Road.


Ken

[Spamcan]

It is possible, but not advisable. The last time I drove that route was on my motorcycle, and my recollection is that it was narrow, winding, and not entirely paved. I wouldn't recommend towing a 31-footer on that road.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Airstream Forums mobile app

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Spamcan

It is possible, but not advisable. The last time I drove that route was on my motorcycle, and my recollection is that it was narrow, winding, and not entirely paved. I wouldn't recommend towing a 31-footer on that road.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Airstream Forums mobile app

Thanks, I thought that might be the case. We are going to be in that area later this summer or perhaps sooner. I will do a round trip in my truck to check it out while we are there.


We have 90% decided to make a move back to the west coast after doing proper research. Medford is high on the list right now, primarily due to the climate. I'm a Washingtonian, but would prefer a bit less falling moisture. Warm temperatures are also high on the list, but my wife, having grown up in rural Iowa, does not like dense population. That vetoes my first choice, San Diego County. I have deep roots in Oregon. My father grew up as the son of the lighthouse keeper at Umpqua.


Ken

[Mikec1231]

Ag & Au
Please read this short article about the road. Not sure if I would take the AS down this route.
#57 Grants Pass to Gold Beach Scenic Drive » 101 Things To Do Southern Oregon
It sounds like a great trip with the truck, however. The husband of one of the girls in my office is a guide on the Wild and Scenic on the Rogue and I know they use this road to get the camps set up for the boats ahead of time. I will talk to her and find out exactly how bad it is. She has traveled it numerous times.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Mikec1231

Ag & Au
Please read this short article about the road. Not sure if I would take the AS down this route.
#57 Grants Pass to Gold Beach Scenic Drive » 101 Things To Do Southern Oregon
It sounds like a great trip with the truck, however. The husband of one of the girls in my office is a guide on the Wild and Scenic on the Rogue and I know they use this road to get the camps set up for the boats ahead of time. I will talk to her and find out exactly how bad it is. She has traveled it numerous times.

Thanks for the link. That was enough to convince me not to tow the trailer without a prior complete trip without it. However I'm now convinced that it looks like there are some great recreation opportunities in that area. I will be saving the link so I can check out the other 100 things to do. A glance looks like a lot of them are familiar. Washington and Oregon are my favorite states for recreation opportunities. They will remain that way until the floating bridge to Hawaii is completed.


Ken

[John&Vicki]

I just bought a copy of Ray's Guides: Free Camping Oregon Campgrounds
free camping oregon campgrounds camping ray's guides

Here's a representative listing (I think we're going to visit this one):

Oregon Mine Campground

From Mt Vernon, travel west on US Highway 26 for about 10 and take a left onto Forest Service Road 21, the Fields Creek Road. Follow Forest Service Road 21 to Forest Service Road 2170, take a right and continue on to the forest Camp. Oregon Mine Campground offers 5 camp sites with tables, fire rings, toilet and a buck and pole corral. A beautiful setting with big yellow pine, adjacent to a stream for fishing. Stock water is available in the adjacent Murderer's Creek. Be aware that wild horses roam in this area. 4300 foot elevation.


Ray's a nice guy. Many of his listings say that the site will accommodate a small trailer. I emailed and asked if thought a 25 footer would fit in most of them and he wrote back to inform me that it should be OK.

I like the idea of these campsites. Not disbursed camping but small campgrounds. Most have fewer than 10 sites and have fire rings and tables. Sometimes a potty, sometimes not. Same with water. There are hundreds of these campgrounds scattered around the Great State of Oregon (I love this state). Ray also has guides to Washington and Idaho.

One question to any horse campers out there... There are a lot of horse camps with corrals and such. Do you think it's OK to camp in these without horses? I hate to displace someone with horses as they don't have as many campground choices as we do.

See you on the trail.