Visit our Popular Forums

danlehosky · 05-07-2012, 11:46 PM

I agree Airtrekker. We should cooperate and work together to keep this region (OR-WA) pristine. This corner of the country, isolated for so many years both geographically and culturally is in my opinion very special. Take a trip to the Grove of the Patriarchs at the southern entrance (Hwy 12) to Mt. Rainier. Glacier Lake, Hood Canal, Rogue River country, Olympic NP, The Oregon Coast.
I could go on and on. I've somehow always have thought of WA and OR as singular. Anybody else feel this way? Except sometimes around the Rose Bowl game.

When I was a Little kid and they were punching i-5 thru the two States, Oregon Govenor Tom McCall chimed in. He said the freeway could go thru his state only if there were no exits. My Great grandfather fished in a very small village which has become a trendy destination stop and a real estate speculating game for almost half of LA. Sorry but true.

Recently Coastal Living Magazine named Gig Harbor WA as the number one coastal town in America. Another recent survey placed it in the top ten small town for raising families. WHAT IS HAPPENING. I will support any ideas you guys have to coordinate camping experiences that are special in either state.

Having said that Gig Harbor is still delightful for you guys travelling who want to see a very special somewhat still working fishing village. Don't let me put you off. But you should have seen it 40 years ago.

Anyway enuf ranting about out of staters.

What do you guys think of the Geocacheing idea?

Dan

danlehosky · 05-07-2012, 11:48 PM

Airtrekker, that would be the Washingtonions as well.
Dan

rashton · 05-08-2012, 02:29 AM

was born in the "valley" (oregon city) but finaly moved to redmond for more sun and less people. I do love coast state parks for camping try harris beach, honeyman, or nahlem all great also barview in garabaldi is county park but plenty to do there

valmog · 05-29-2012, 06:13 PM

Hello fellow Oregonians...found a great place I wanted to share with you really near PDX. If you'd like some primitive beauty, head up to Camp Creek at the base of Mt. Hood! Just so pretty...and quiet! We were there for the Memorial Weekend. We were the only ones there on Thursday night, one other family on Friday and a handful of campers on Saturday. We can't wait to go back. This was a working camp in the 30's and, although the buildings are gone, working fireplaces remain

We were in site 13 which is one of the spots made for a larger RV (although ours is only 16 ft

)

As with most National Forest Campgrounds...no services besides pit toilets and water pump. Didn't miss electricity one little bit though! We are now planning for summer...and suggestions out there!!

AirChief · 05-30-2012, 03:37 PM

Valmog - this is awesome and thanks for sharing. Looks like a great place to go.

AirChief · 05-30-2012, 04:10 PM

Like most of you, we headed out on Memorial Day weekend to enjoy the Oregon Forests but headed east past Prineville and north up Forest Rd 33 to the western part of the Ochoco Natl Forest. Plenty of dispersed camping to be had and along Mill Creek if you so desire. The designated FS campground was packed, so unless you like crowds don't bother and find your own place. Caught six small redband trout in Mill Creek and we visited Painted Hills (only a 40 min drive away). Quiet, starry and very chilly nights and bright days with gorgeous views. Not a place I would want to camp in July and August but this time of year was ideal. Speaking of camps and places, most the USFS websites have MVUM maps which show forest roads and whether or not dispersed camping is allowed. The maps are 95% accurate and a great resource for doing your pre-trip planning. Happy and safe camping this summer to everyone!

valmog · 05-30-2012, 05:00 PM

Thanks for your tip Airchief..I've read about people just using forest service roads, but I'm a little nervous about it. I'm going to go check out the USFS website though because I can only imagine how peaceful and beautiful it would be. Were the roads easy to pass pulling your trailer? I have visions of gravel and potholes!

Thanks for the pictures, too!

One more neat website that I found that shows photos of different campgrounds and their sites is Oregon Campgrounds - campsitephotos.com This is a wonderful resource to me...I'm visual and like to get a good mental picture of where I'll be before I make reservations!

-Kim

AirChief · 05-30-2012, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valmog

Thanks for your tip Airchief..I've read about people just using forest service roads, but I'm a little nervous about it. I'm going to go check out the USFS website though because I can only imagine how peaceful and beautiful it would be. Were the roads easy to pass pulling your trailer? I have visions of gravel and potholes!

Thanks for the pictures, too!

One more neat website that I found that shows photos of different campgrounds and their sites is Oregon Campgrounds - campsitephotos.com This is a wonderful resource to me...I'm visual and like to get a good mental picture of where I'll be before I make reservations!

-Kim

Hi Kim

Yes, it is a little more adventuresome and you can't plan as well because you don't really know the landscape until you get there. As you know it is very easy to unhitch, so when you look at the forest maps and then look at them on satellite you get a good idea of where you want to go but as good as all the maps are, they cannot lay out the terrain well enough to know if there is a pull off or turn around. I will tell you that you are the owner of a perfect trailer for dispersed camping due to the size and you will be able to turn around on almost any road. However, to put yourself at ease, pull over and unhitch on a main FS road and then drive up the ones you are thinking about staying on. You will get the visual of flat camping areas off the road that appeal to you before you tow the AS up it. Yes the roads are gravel and some have potholes but the AS frame and tires are built to explore. I would recommend for a first dispersed camping trip, the Breitenbush area off FS road 46 and the the FS roads that of shoot from it. Pretty easy to find a spot and roads are some of the better ones I've been on. My son and I went up there 2 weeks after the big snow and it was over 3' high in the forest but we were by ourselves. Awesome!

mefly2 · 06-01-2012, 06:59 PM

Enjoy!

day tripper · 06-29-2012, 10:02 PM

valmog....love your blog!!! just became a subscriber...thanks!!

sakthorp · 06-30-2012, 09:32 AM

shouting out from southern Oregon...... hopefully will own a Airstream in the near future, this thread is a great idea

valmog · 07-09-2012, 09:36 PM

Thanks Day Tripper

We found another great place on Mt. Hood called McNeil...super quiet and no services. Located near some amazing trailheads, too! There were lots of people pulled off of the road just camping along the Sandy River as well. I wouldn't do that with our Airstream but I sure saw some neat tent camping opportunities.

Hello sakthorp...good luck on your search! Will be great to get great camping tips from all over the state!

Here's a picture of McNeil. Very different landscape than a typical campground on Mt. Hood.
-Kim

AirChief · 07-10-2012, 11:32 AM

Dry camped near Crown Lake and very close to Mt Jefferson. Great views and a quiet trip but a little warm this past weekend as the humidity was high up there but the lake was cool and refreshing. Happy camping in the PNW!

valmog · 07-10-2012, 01:18 PM

Okay, Airchief...did you guys just pull off the road for this beautiful spot or was it a forest service campground? Lovely views!

Thought about you this week when I saw all the tent campers set up along forest service roads...I'm still feeling nervous about taking ours down roads that are that rough and bumpy. I was cringing just feeling our car bounce the semi-paved road we were on to our campground. I was imagining all kinds of things crashing and breaking in the AS!
-Kim

AirChief · 07-10-2012, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valmog

Okay, Airchief...did you guys just pull off the road for this beautiful spot or was it a forest service campground? Lovely views!

Thought about you this week when I saw all the tent campers set up along forest service roads...I'm still feeling nervous about taking ours down roads that are that rough and bumpy. I was cringing just feeling our car bounce the semi-paved road we were on to our campground. I was imagining all kinds of things crashing and breaking in the AS!
-Kim

Hi Kim,

Yep, we dry camped off FS 4685 and had our site to ourselves with no one else around. This was by far the best FS road we have ever been on. Some forest roads are not so great but this one was maintained very well. I've been down a lot of the FS roads around Detroit Lake and the South Santiam river enroute to Santiam Pass and most are in good enough shape for you to find a nice private spot to camp. We have dogs and desire the need to have our own space without bothering the neighbors and them bothering us. We like to run a generator to watch TV sometimes and don't to worry about it bothering someone. I would say the number one thing to do is if you aren't sure, pullover and unhitch and run up the road a few miles and scout it out and thenmake sure that the ground is not so eneven that it could damage your tank dump pipes since they hang so close to the ground. - Tom

BrandonJenna · 08-02-2012, 05:44 PM

Thanks to everyone who has participated in this thread. I would like to ask if anyone on the forum lives in the Willamette Valley, near Corvallis, OR? If so message me, I would like to get together with someone who lives nearby sometime this summer.
Viva Airstreams!

Airline · 08-02-2012, 07:27 PM

Hi Everyone

I am in Grants Pass

After 1 year renovating my 1987 Avion 32S,I am just about ready to tow it somewhere.

I want to boondock as well,I am looking for some sweet spots to camp.

valmog · 08-03-2012, 12:23 PM

A couple of weekends ago we spent time exploring the Opal Creek Area on the Willamette Pass....Beautiful!!!!! Lots of people boondocking around there. Amazing sites located just off the roads on the way up to Opal Creek. We still haven't been brave enough to venture down forest roads with our AS because I'm still nervous about getting stuck but we explored a bit without our trailer hooked up one afternoon and noticed others had found some nice spots!

If you're heading over the Santiam Pass...give this place a look...beautiful country and the water is the clearest water I've ever seen!

AirChief · 08-04-2012, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valmog

A couple of weekends ago we spent time exploring the Opal Creek Area on the Willamette Pass....Beautiful!!!!! Lots of people boondocking around there. Amazing sites located just off the roads on the way up to Opal Creek. We still haven't been brave enough to venture down forest roads with our AS because I'm still nervous about getting stuck but we explored a bit without our trailer hooked up one afternoon and noticed others had found some nice spots!

If you're heading over the Santiam Pass...give this place a look...beautiful country and the water is the clearest water I've ever seen!

We haven't camped that way yet either but I have up there and fished the Little North Fork river along the way. Glad to know you saw some good boondocking spots. Was it before the the developed campsites or after? Thanks for keeping us posted.

Tom

KarleefromOR · 09-01-2012, 03:06 PM

Hi all, I'm new to this site and I'm looking to buy an airstream soon. Want to know of others' experiences with using it in Oregon. I have heard that there is a lot of BLM land in Oregon that people are free to camp/trailer on but that there is a time limit for your stay. Something to check into. I want to research camping on someone's acreage, perhaps working 10 hours a week with their farming or other work in exchange for living on their property. I'm making initial plans, gathering information now. Would be open to living in the High Desert of Oregon too. As much as I love the W. Valley, the cloudy winters get me down. Also, are any of you females traveling alone and how is that?
Enjoy the sun,

Karlee