Best Tent Camping near Dexter, OR

We loved our stay here. We started on site 2 but it has zero shade so they were able to give us site 8. Right on the river with the beautiful sights and sounds of that majestic McKenzie. We moved up to the upper campground to site 14 for the next couple days. Also shady with sight and sound of the river. They sites aren’t very big but have a table and fire pit. The tent sites across the river that you hike to are amazing!! I want to tent camp there!! So wooded and many have direct river access. They also have cabins to rent. The hot mineral pools were wonderful and the staff friendly. They have a small store with a few essentials but no real food available. Lovely place.

Yukwah campground is found along hwy 22 East of Salem along the Willamette National Forest in Linn County. Most of the sites along this stretch are first come, first serve walk up sites - but you can reserve by connecting with Linn County Parks and Rec (see photo for info) for $18/night plus $5 additional vehicle fee and reservation fee. This campground has ada access camp sites and tent sites. Most of the RV sites along the Willamette National Forest can be used for tent camping. The day use area at this site is great for swimming, fishing, and possibly a small hike. I advise camping near the day use area (#3) if you have a large family or kids for larger sites and easy access. Yukwah is near wagon wheel bridge with access to trails for those wanting to hike while camping. Vault toilets are available (bring soap) - there are no showers or additional amenities. There is access to potable water at this location.

Not the place to take a big motorhome and no cell service but nice if you want to tent camp in the woods

Not super geared toward tent camping, if you have an RV or trailer it may be better. Super open with sites right on top of one another.

Great for any kind of camper or non-camper. Tents, RVs, cabins, the lodge, they have it all. Staff is friendly and the hot spring pools are wonderful. We have tent camped here and have rented a cabin and had a great experience both times.

We love this campground. We’ve only tent camped here. The site we’ve always stayed at is huge, way far from any other sites, and has a neat little trail between the parking spot and camping spot. The river is a short walk away and has wonderful spots for the kids to play in away from the main channel. The one downside is the train that goes during the night across the river, but we were usually tired enough it didn’t bother us too much. We’ve since moved away from Oregon but will always remember this spot fondly and will camp there anytime we can when we’re back in Oregon!

Blue Pools is a great family campground, open for walk-ins during the summer. The sites are large and versatile between RV and tent sites. There are paved paths that are great for bike rides. Some campsites require a walk in with parking nearbye.

Beautiful. About 30 min away from groceries and stores. Came in late to this campround. No reservation needed. Lucky they had a couple of tent sites open. We ended up staying an extra day. About $21 for a night with a car. Extra vehicle extra $7.

Nice tent sites removed from the lodge and RV sites. Lovely walking trails and accessibility to soaking pools with hot spring water. Staff as very friendly, but the one bathroom was very dirty. They do sell firewood and ice at the checkin - which was nice. 

Overall - a lovely getaway.

Staff was extremely friendly, professional and attentive. They have everything super clean on bathrooms, kitchen and around the park. Tent sites has electricity and picnic tables. They also a full kitchen to cook with free coffee and perishable food. They had free movie night on big screen with free popcorn and a nice forepit.

Great spot for a quick stay. There are only a few flat spots for RVs but quite a few decent spots for tent camping next to the pond. The west side of the pond has at least 2 spots that are a good distance away from the others. At the moment, no fires or barbecues allowed but propane stoves and lanterns are fine. Look for Bandits blue squeaky disk! We lost it and never found it.

I stayed here on a Monday night (and reserved ahead since it's small and popular with boaters) in a tent site. Sites are big, some face the water but ours was a bit further in the trees. There is a road to a dock on the water and a trail that leads to Shelter Cove. Mosquitos were pretty awful, so we made a fire early and left at dawn.

The on-site host is available by phone at 1pm to 2pm and I believe 4pm to 5pm. Otherwise you have to call the main line and book a space. It’s $20 or $30 for a tent site and $30 for a rv site. I have stayed there multiple times. It has showers and bathrooms and it is clean and safe. It’s a great place to stay close to town and avoid the hotel scene.

Tent campers beware! The tent sites have cats that roam the area and the world is their litter box. The smells at night were rough. The cats caused dogs to bark all night. People playing loud music throughout the night. Screaming kids and adults all night. People throwing rocks. And again, the smells are awful. Very Overpriced. Go up the road or just find somewhere else. I camp 6-7 times per week for the last few months across the country. This is by far the WORST campground I’ve ever encountered.

This was a great campsite. We were in a walk in Tent site right on the lake which was quiet for the most part. Right next to hiking path that went around the lake. There didn't appear to be a boat put in around the area, but there is one down the street. We stayed in Campsite 28, which helped get away from the chaos of the big group sites which I would strongly Recommend! Beautiful place.

Large, spacious tent sites with fire rings & tons of trees. The hosts are great and deliver firewood to your site. The showers are HOT and have great water pressure. Dumpsters & a recycle bin near the bathrooms. There is a road near some of the campsites but I didn’t mind the road noise. I was able to show up and get one of the 6 camp sites for 2 nights without reservations. There are a ton of mosquitos - bring bug spray!

I stayed here in two tent sites with my son and my parents early June. Because it was forecasted to be raining, we had chosen a drive in site. The sites are very close together, good for families, otherwise you better hope for compatible neighbors. The tent sites that require packing in your things may be different, I don’t know. Lots of RVers who literally never seemed to come outside. The population who seemed to be camping felt very safe to me as a female who typically adventures alone. Elders, families, no partiers. Quiet. Front desk staff is helpful. Couldn’t get a phone signal the whole time, so freeing and easy to be present! Pools were definitely relaxing and easy to reserve. My parents liked the main pool near the lodge because it’s bigger and more open, I preferred the smaller pool because it was quieter and more zen like. Right off the site loop is the McKenzie River Trail, spanning over 20miles, beautiful for exploring on foot or bike. I didn’t go over the bridge to the lodge gardens myself but my parents enjoyed them. The bridge itself though is right over the river, and the loud, fast, wild water was terrifyingly beautiful during the day and again at night in the complete darkness. Four stars instead of five because I do wish there was more secluded and private sites.

This campground has 0 privacy, even the picnic tables for the RV spots, you have to walk thru a tent site to get to them. Half the sites are reserve online. The entrance to the park is hard to find in the daylight, and near impossible to find in the dark. There is one good thing about this place, it is only a couple minute drive from a great hot spring....so if you can put up with everything I have already said, I strongly recommend you go just for that hot spring.

This KOA is pretty similar to any other KOA on the west coast. We stayed at one of the back-in / tent sites with our RTT and only had one neighbor beside us. Though we were close to the entrance of the KOA, we heard pretty much every vehicle that came in and out of the park. Washrooms and showers were clean, just wished for a little more shower water pressure. WiFi is pretty slow but enough to check email and the weather report. The campground staff are very organized and efficient.