Best Glamping near Fort Klamath, OR

This sneaks away from the main road and has a confident small river, plus there’s a huge variety of sites of all sizes (+ a couple of yurts). You’ve got good hiking if it suits your fancy and it’s easy to combine sites if you want even more space. Add professional camp hosts, romantic and amazingly functional hand water pumps and rich greenery, and you’ve got some good memories. An annoying fence separates a lot of sites from the river, and there might be more spectacular scenery elsewhere, but Fish Creek won’t let you down. A good place to not be lonely.

Ranger Review: TEPUI Luxury sheets - Kukenam 3 at Fish Creek Campground

Campground Review:

The drive to Fish Creek Campground on the 224 (Clackamas hwy) is beautiful. You’ll be surprised by sudden breathtaking views of the river along the way while delving deeper into a sea of beautiful green trees. We chose this campsite because it is reasonably close to a few of Oregon’s most interesting hot springs and we ended up visiting Bagby during our trip. The campsite itself has everything you would expect from a somewhat remote campground including a horrifying bathroom scene (not to mention the mouse that surprised me when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night). There are a few sites with river access but ours (spot 8) was blocked from the river with a small fence. There are also a couple of yurts you can rent that include bunk beds and some advanced shelter as compared to tent camping if you have kids with you. I’d give this campsite a 3 out of 5 stars, and can promise you there are many better sites along the way if you book early. This has everything you need for minimalist camping, but be aware that you probably won’t be able to start a campfire if you visit in August/early September. 

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get to review some great and often very practical products. This trip I was lucky enough to upgrade my Tepui Kukenam 3 rooftop tent with Luxury sheets.

I chose the blue sheets to compliment my Haze Grey tent (the other option is green). I have to admit I was a little hesitant to admit that sheets could be a necessary part of camping. It is after all referred to as “roughing it” but I have to say that adding these sheets to my rooftop tent has made a huge difference. I put the bottom sheet on the first night and left it on when I folded the tent down for the night. It stayed in place perfectly, and these sheets are so much softer than the green, rough, water resistant cover that sits on the mattress by default. Now that I have these sheets I can’t imagine sleeping up there without them. I still used my sleeping bag along with the sheets and an extra blanket because it was pretty chilly at night, but the added comfort the sheets provided took my comfort to the next level. I highly recommend them to anyone sleeping in a rooftop tent!

A quiet family campground by an Oregon lake in southern Oregon, at about 4000 feet elevation that has fishing, water skiing, boating, hiking, biking and fantastic chocolate vanilla soft serve cones at the camp store. Close to Ashland, Oregon and the summer Shakespeare festival and Jacksonville, Oregon for the Britt Festival. A great relaxing RV camping spot, with electric, full hookups and hot showers.

Lake of the Woods RV and Cabin Resort in Oregon. It is a lake surrounded by trees 30 min West of Klamath Falls. This is truly a cozy hidden gem! It’s rustic and clean with all the amenities you need. The max stay is 14 days and full hook ups are $50-$60. The restaurant and pizza parlor are fantastic! And in Oregon, you pay zero sales tax!

Nice classic Oregon state park with all the requisite facilities of electric hook-ups, RV dump station, ranger programs. Amphitheater and showers. Camp sites a little on top of each other, especially in comparison to the nearby Williamson River Campground, but still a very nice and popular camp site near Crater Lake and Klamath Falls.

Across the highway there's the "Collier State Park Logging Museum" which we didn't get a chance to get to but looked like a lot of fun.

Collier State Park is a typically nice Oregon State park, with the benefit that there's often spaces open only a few days out that you can book online and just 30 miles from Crater Lake. There's enough to keep kids busy for a day or so, including the free logging museum across the road. Clean bathrooms and showers and tons of rangers/employees getting sites ready, picking up litter etc. Prices were great, just $19 for tent sites and $29 for a full RV hook-up, including a few pull-through spots, plus flush toilets and showers. On our recent road trip in a 32-foot RV, this was probably the best deal of anywhere we went. For a state park, though, spots were right on top of each other, with very little in terms of privacy.

Pros:

• Nice, well maintained facilities
• Good deal, especially for RVs with hook-ups.

Cons:

• Spots felt very crowded and on top of each other.
• Horrible mosquitoes kept us inside the RV in the evening.

What a fantastic lake! Secluded in the mountain back country of the Southern Oregon area - not far from Medford / Grants Pass / Siskiyou National Forest / Crater Lake

Great boating lake for water sports, good fishing, excellent hiking and great campsites and in nearby campgrounds not listed on The Dyrt yet, you can get some really secluded sites that are just beautiful... but do not expect more than an outhouse and a spigot, a picnic table (maybe a bear box?) and fire-ring- which to me is PHENOMENAL camping. Fresh water, a bathroom and nature. Works!

The Willow Lake County Park offers more amenities though and great wilderness. Its a beautiful little gem and gets amazing weather- from warm and sunny to random rainy thunderstorms that do not last long. Truly God-sent sunsets and sunrises.

Great place to make some wonderful memories with streams, creeks, the lake, the forested areas, trails, canyons, fishing, hiking, canoeing and more.

Campground Review: This was an unexpected overnight stay on our month-long backpacking trip and it was well worth it. My husband, dog, and I accessed the camp ground by foot so I cannot attest to how easily accessible it is by car but there were lots of paved roads around the campground. The campground is located on Howard Prairie Lake which is beautiful and provides a great backdrop. The campground is pretty spread out which allows for a lot of variety in campsite experiences. We stayed in the center area which had really open campsites (not a lot of trees) so you could see your neighbor very easily. The sites are standard: fire pit, picnic table. There is also water spigots strategically placed throughout for drinking and an area for grey water disposal. One big highlight of this campground is the bathroom facilities. The showers are free (a huge benefit for hikers) and are all around great—space to change, strong pressure, and unlimited hot water. The bathroom side is very clean and gives a great experience.

The only negatives I have are the open-ness of some of the spots—you don’t have the camping in the woods feeling. It is also a bit pricey per night (think $20 minimum for tent spots). You cannot reserve spots so getting there early is key. When we arrived, however, it wasn’t and didn’t get overly crowded. Summary: Great campsite that is a bit expensive but great for a car camping weekend on a lake!

Gear Review: Gregory Maven 55 Backpack

As a Ranger of the Dyrt, I am given the great opportunity to test the Gregory Maven 55 on my month long backpacking trip along the Oregon section of the PCT. While I stayed at Klum’s Landing in the first week of my trip, this review is for my entire experience on the trail. I am also throwing in a couple of notes about my husband’s pack, the Gregory Paragon 58. This pack is the male equivalent of the Maven so it has all of the same features and is slightly bigger and cut for a male body. I also want to note that packs are very personal pieces of equipment and selecting one ultimately comes down to how comfortable it is for you and does it meet your needs. Take the time to explore and try on as many packs as you can to make sure you are selecting the best one for you. With that being said, Gregory has a very long history of creating fantastic packs and definitely take a look at all the options they have.

First of all, I really liked this pack and didn’t think that I needed the amount of versatility this pack provided. The Maven is lightweight but provides a good balance of structure and comfort not really seen in other designated lightweight backs. Even though this pack is not the lightest lightweight pack on the market, it makes up for it in comfort and stability. It does provide a lot of lumbar support which added some of the weight and took a little getting used to but once I got it adjusted and fit to me it was great. The Maven is a half-pound lighter than my original pack with everything on it, but Gregory paid attention to details and I was able to cut pack weight by taking off unneeded items without sacrificing the performance of the pack. 

Gregory really paid attention to details and the little things in the pack. Besides having the standard big three adjustments (hip belt, top load lifter, and shoulder straps) you could micro adjust your hip belt forward and back as well your back/torso length up and down. This pack is sized by a range (small/medium or large/extra-large) so you can really take the time to find your sweet spot. There was a few days on the trail that the pack and I just couldn’t get in sync no matter what I did. This could be because my body had changed enough that I essentially had to refit the pack. Once I did that, everything fell into place and the Maven was essentially an extension of my body again. There are pockets on the hip belt—one mesh and one solid for easy snack or other item access and it comes with a rain fly in flattened front zip pocket. I never took my rainfly out and used the pocket to hold my valuable items (cash, ID, cards, etc.) as well as my compass. My husband, other the other hand, used his rain fly as a pouch to hold his water bladder as well as a small ground cloth for his other gear when he had to unload his pack. Another little feature was an elastic sunglasses holder on the shoulder strap. This also worked well to hold my dog’s ultralight water bowl. Again, something very little but very useful and it shows that Gregory thought a lot about functionality vs. features and ensured that these two ideas matched up.

Other benefits of the pack or features that I enjoyed: The outside mesh pockets really stretch! It has two side pouches and one front that fit so much stuff it was crazy. It does have two openings: the top drawstring and a zippered bottom which makes accessing your gear much easier. Finally, as I noted earlier, you are able to cut pack weight without sacrificing performance or functionality. Specifically, you can remove the top and any unneeded straps as any potentially unneeded straps are not sewn in rather they are looped through. And while this may seem silly, when it comes to cutting weight, ounces can really add up quickly. Cutting weight was a huge challenge and learning experience for me throughout the trip. I started the trip out at 42 pounds with 3.5 liters of water and full food for 4 days and ended at close to 35 with almost 5 liters of water and food for 4 days. I wouldn’t recommend putting more than 45 pounds in this pack. While the pack may be able to take it, you will not like it. Funny aside: one group of through hikers saw us on our first day then again a week later and asked if we changed packs. We said nope, we just cut both gear and pack weight. This just shows how versatile the pack can be based on your preferences and needs. The final benefit I want to note is that the water bladder pocket is actually a removable backpack. This is a feature that may seem silly but I loved the fact that I could drop my pack and pull out the backpack and use it to take all the water bottles down to a stream to refill. I could also do bonus miles without lugging my whole pack with me. My husband dropped his pouch (hence why he used the rainfly). Since we only needed one, it worked out really well.

While I really liked this pack, there were a few things that I wasn’t too crazy about. The first is that it doesn’t free stand very well, especially if you have any gear in the front mesh pocket. We took the tops off so it didn’t have that counter balance to the pack which may be part of the reason. But in any case, the constant need to hold your pack up (or propping it on a tree) while packing or having it tip over and spill out your gear was a bit annoying at times. It also has an opening for on-the-go water bottle access. That feature just didn't work for me. Either I wasn't flexible enough or you couldn't have other things in the pocket. In any case, I needed a second person to get water bottle in and out of my side mesh pockets. I also managed to tear a few seams over the course of the month. They did not really affect the performance of the pack (even if one tear was right where my shoulder strap met my back) but I was bummed that I tore them. My husband also noticed that two adjustment points are not sewn evenly so his pack never was completely balanced. We also got holes in the side mesh pockets from getting caught on trees or branches. While this type of wear is expected, we thought it would take a little more wear before we got holes. I called Gregory and customer service told me to send it into warranty for evaluation. The customer service lady was super friendly and I will be getting that in as soon as I get it clean. I really like that Gregory will stand by their packs and let us know what is normal wear or what is due to a manufacturing defect.

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better pack to take on my month long trip. For you ladies reading this, I have long legs, short torso and a large chest and I was able to comfortably fit this pack. They seemed to have designed it with a women’s physique in mind. I only got a couple of rub areas on my hips and under my arms but that is standard when you are breaking in a new pack and they didn’t hurt. They just looked worse than they actually were. This pack was provided a great balance of weight, features, and comfortable suspension. As I said, it is not the lightest pack on the market, but when you are looking for more of a luxury lightweight pack, the Maven (or Paragon if you are a guy) should definitely be on your list to look at and try on.

At Crater Lake taking the rim road it leads you the highest point in the park. This road is 7,860’ above sea level and the highest point around the rim drive. We stayed at Manama campground where our site D1 was facing the opposite way so that the fire ring, picnic table and amenities was on the non door and side of our trailer. So if you pick a numbered site be sure you pick a even numbered site so your rig is in the correct position.

Charming full service camp ground on a quaint little river. 23 miles south of the actual Crater Lake. Bucolic, peaceful, quiet. Forget Wi-Fi - as even the enhanced barely works - but we didn’t care - it was a perfect getaway —

site: large site. wooded. near river. quite private. amenities: nice. clean. attractions: logging museum. Wildlife. I would definitely go camping here (just drove through checking out the campground while visiting the museum).

Ranger review: Leatherman OHT at Collier Memorial State park , Or.

Collier State park is located off of Hwy 97 about 20 miles north of Klamath falls and approximately 25 miles from the southeast entrance of Crater Lake N.P.

Campground review

This campground is moderately sized with about 40 hookup sites and 20 tent only sites. The tent sites were $19 and the rv $22. It is set into the woods a bit off of the Hwy, but unfortunately you can still hear the Hwy noise (Jake brakes), even at night. There were also a couple trains that came nearby at night and a few planes as well. I stayed Friday through Sunday, so these issues may increase during the week. Not a huge deal, unless you are looking for a more remote campground with peace and quiet.

I stayed @ site A25 on the inner ring. I suggest trying to get a site on the outer ring. Some of those are just off the river with private trail access. The inner sites don't allow for as much privacy and are very close the bathrooms.

Down the easy 1mi. trail along the spring creek, they have a super cool old pioneer village and lumber museum. It's full of olde tyme cabins and era timber industry tools and equipment. They even offer a wagon ride pulled by an old Cat-30, for free, and in June they do a reenactment of the time period in costume and all.

Collier also offers many programs to keep the youngens and young at heart busy, very family friendly. There was wood sales, potable water pumps and clean, HOT powerful showers as well.

http://www.leatherman.com/oht-49.html

Product review

As a ranger I get to test products from time to time and give my feedback. This is my review of the #Leatherman OHT.

This tool is great!!

It has all of the secondary tools that my Swiss army doesn't, allowing me to be prepared for whatever comes. It has a nice retractable design, instead of the old fold style Leatherman, which allows for easy one handed operation.

The pliers have a spring load so it is easy on the palms. I used them to fix the zipper pull on my backpack, worked well.

You do not need to open the main tool to use the secondary. This makes for a great handle on any of the tools you are using.

All the blades are made with 420HC stainless steel, and are super sharp. I have used it to cut sticks to size with the saw, and widdle/ sharpen sticks with the standard blade, it keeps an edge nicely. I didn't get a chance to use the wire cutters, but it has hard and soft wire cutters and they are replaceable. It also comes with Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, seatbelt cutter and can opener.

I highly recommend this specific Leatherman as it has many of the tools any average or pro camper would need.

OHT review video:

https://youtu.be/LXIxSjFoAP4

Product page:

http://www.leatherman.com/oht-49.html

Very well maintained camp, with friendly helpful host! Even with a spot very near the restrooms it was rather quiet and peaceful. Showers were nice and hot and the shower area and bathroom provided a plug which was nice to quickly blow dry my hair. The logging museum was a pretty walk across the river and very interesting. At &T phone service was spotty, though enough to keep in contact with loved ones and for emergencies. Stayed only one night, tent camping.

This campground is beautiful! Walking distance to the river and logging museum. Logging museum is huge and worth a visit. River is clear and beautiful. Sites are clean and nice. Tent and RV sires available. Beware of the Chipmunks! They are everywhere and for some reason people life the goods to protect their cars. Some spaces can be tricky for large RVs.

We felt our campsite was plenty big enough for our 30 ft. trailer, chairs, dog, and equipment. The chipmunks are everywhere and will steal food. Our dog was quite annoyed.

Follow the walking trail to the logging museum. Logging equipment, buildings, train cars (all outdoors) with guided tours and a gift shop. The nearby river is small and beautiful.

Really nice park off of hwy 97. It has a neat museum and the facilities were clean. There is a neat clear creek is just down the road and has trails to explore. There were people kayaking on the creek. Lots of places available to park and it was a little crowded but still a nice park.