Best Dispersed Camping near Cottage Grove, OR

Our weekend at Hult Pond was unforgettable. I know because I have tried.

Disbursed camp sights sprawl along this man made log pond and nightmarish horror movie set along a footpath seamingly designed to dump its evening travelers into the muck that is Hult Pond. Jagged old logs poke out of the stagnant water as a reminder that someone used to get paid to spend the day here.

 If this doesn’t sound like the most picturesque of settings I would direct you to the strange log loading equipment rusting just on the forbidden side of a gated barbed wire fence. Upon closer inspection you see what must be tetanus’s way of luring barefoot boys and girls into a summer of drooling lockjaw.

The access road is a still functioning rock quarry road that hosts a never ending parade of old rattling dump trucks and loaders. Nothing says ,”getting away from the hustle and bustle”  quite like a convoy barrelling down a narrow road spilling basketball sized boulders before returning bouncing back up  empty and clearly attempting to meet a quota.

The whole thing gave me an uneasy sense of nostalgia. Reminding me of the days we would gather by the dozens with red solo cups full of Hams. We would drink ourselves into a vomiting delirium in a parking lot off some old logging road. We would wake up with profanities drawn on our faces as punishment for succumbing to alcohol poisoning sooner than at least one of our classmates. 

In fact I believe that’s exactly what the 58 kids in the campsite right next to ours we’re doing each night of our trip.

The girls  learned all sorts of colorful language and I believed, based on the way my ten year old son  was drooling that the tetanus had succeeded. I was not relieved to discover on our final morning, him wreaking of cheap beer and cigarettes and moaning how horrible he felt while proffering his undying love to a high school girl named Tiffany. 

Not recommended.

The marker on the map is where the information kiosk is. If you follow the road to the right of the reservoir there are some developed campsites/boat launches with a fee (and composting toilets). Keep driving. This area is freshly burned, but there are still very treed dispersed sites past the more developed ones. Pass the sign for Mona campground but before the bridge and signs that warn about falling rocks. On the left side there are five dispersed sites along the river. There is a small marker "180" at the entry to the turnoff. Beautiful and quiet. Minimal trash that we cleaned up, steep routes to the river. We were there early March, no snow.

My visit near Fawn Creek Campground in Oregon was a refreshing experience, surrounded by dense forests and rolling hills. The campground offers a quiet retreat with well-maintained facilities, making it a great spot for nature lovers. With temperatures ranging from 30°F in winter to 80°F in summer, it’s a beautiful destination year-round. Nearby attractions like Siuslaw National Forest and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area provide plenty of opportunities for hiking and exploration. For families with kids, keeping them entertained is easy whether it’s exploring the outdoors or enjoying Toca Boca games, a fun and creative way for kids to play and imagine. Overall, this area is a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, making it a great choice for a weekend getaway!