Best Tent Camping near Talent, OR

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.

Large campsites with provided fire rings and picnic tables. Water spigot near the sites but no electrical hookups available, so this is dry camping. The flush toilet bathrooms in the campground are clean, but old, which makes them appear, at first glance, to be worse than they are. The bathrooms in the day use area on the outer edge of the campground are clean. I’m sure fish Lake is nice for swimming although when we went there water was 20% lower than normal and upon wading in you get stuck in the mud bottom before you can make it out to deeper water. The fishing was good! Our friends went fishing and had a great time. Firewood is available for sale from the camp host for 9 dollars a bundle. We brought firewood we purchased at the grocery store. The campsites are large and widely spaced enough that you can’t overhear people’s conversions around you but you can see them, so privacy is a little less here. The campsites are standard soft dirt floor. Its so fine that it gets everywhere though; especially if you have dogs with you. we had to sweep out the camper a few times. Fish Lake resort is within 5 minutes walking distance and has a little restaurant that serves breakfast during the morning and burgers, fries and local (some bottled, some on tap) microbrews for lunch and dinner. The restaurant is a bit spendy though. Attached to it is a small grocery store with food and camp supplies, which came in handy as we forgot D batteries; so $6 and 3 D cell batteries later and our indoor lantern worked great. The camp hosts are great! Very little to no bugs which surprised me being near a lake! All around a great 2 nights. On the last morning before we packed up the toilets had to closed because they couldn’t flush and the sink didn’t have running water. The water spigots also stopped working and we were told that the well the campground gets its water from just went dry. The nearby campground of doe point also had their well run dry. Bring extra water just in case. I would recommend this camp ground to people.

At highway 66 near Ashland this park has both RV and tent sites. The RV sites are full/partial hook up (30 amp only) and dry camping. Note though that even if you pay for partial or dry you will still need to pay $10/dump your tanks. We opted for just full hook ups here. The tent sites are near the creek.

There was some work being done that appear to be some upgrades. There is a nice pool area, a pond and the creek. The sites are level with picnic tables and fire pits. There are bathrooms, free hot showers, laundry, dog run, playground and store. Also available is propane ($3.50/gallon) book exchange and ice. Wifi was fast and free.

The road noise is noticeable but not too bad. Some of the spots can be close but for a night it wasn't bad. Pets are allowed on leash only but there were a couple of loose dogs running around so be aware. 

NOTE: Google tells you to turn on the street (Neil Creek Rd) just after the park so if you have a big rig then turning around could be difficult. Keep an eye out for the campground and turn into it directly from the main road instead.

All the office and maintenance staff were friendly and helpful and neighbors were friendly and quiet.  We didn't get the tweaker vibe mentioned in some previous reviews. This place is cute - maybe there are new owners (who changed the name from Glenyan to Ashland Creekside, maybe?) who are trying to turn things around.

Good cell service ATT, Verizon and TMobile.

Now branded as Smoke on the Water, the former Lake Selmac Resort is one of Oregon's first cannabis-friendly campgrounds. The tent camping area is shaded by huge, old pines and firs, keeping your tent fairly pleasant even on a hot day. There are electrical hookups and some limited RV spots, as well as picnic tables and fire rings. Along one side is a fence separating the campground from a neighboring property.

The whole campground is right across the main road from Lake Selmac. There is some traffic noise at night, but very little. This is a small town and the road isn't very busy late. You're more likely to hear the wild turkeys calling or a bullfrog down by the lake. There's a nice dock and plenty of toys to enjoy the water. You can take out a paddleboat, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, or inner tubes. You can also just sit on the shore or fish.

There's also a large lawn area at the campground that is great for larger gatherings, as is the thee sided barn on the property. While basic, the restrooms are clean and accessible with showers. There's also laundry facilities and a general store on site. The signs say no alcohol is allowed, only cannabis, but they do sell beer in the general store along with food and other basic supplies. If there's something you need that the store doesn't have, town isn't far away. Eventually the owners intend to have a dispensary on site, too, though right now you'll have to plan ahead.

Despite those private campground perks, this isn't a hazy party spot, however. Tou don't have to partake to feel welcome or have a positive experience here. Everyone seems nice and respectful, and the campground host makes the rounds and keeps up with chores like taking out the trash on the regular. In addition to the campground host, the owner is sometimes on site as well in the living area behind the general store. The hospitality is genuine and you can tell that management really cares about making Smoke on the Water as inviting, comfortable, and pleasant as possible.

------- Product Review -------

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - on this trip I got to test out the OOFOS Women's OOmg Black and Black Shoe.

This is one of OOFOS's first closed-toe offerings, providing the same support from their proprietary sole design and foam recipe as their sport slide sandals and clogs. The OOmg shoe upper is a breathable mesh sock, not unlike water shoes, but softer. The sole is thick enough that you don't feel the ground beneath you, yet somehow is also soft enough to sink into, all while feeling supported. I appreciate the way the sole encourages a heel-strike gait and takes the pressure off my toes. I have very high arches and experience frequent foot pain after walking and hiking. OOFOS felt like they were realigning my feet and I did feel a lot of relief after trying them all weekend.

While OOFOS are intended as a "recovery shoe" you slip on after you're done working out in your sneakers, I found they work really well as an all around leisure shoe. I wore them all weekend while I was camping, and they remained ultra comfortable even in very hot weather that caused my feet and legs to swell up. They were breathable, provided good traction, and stayed aligned with my feet despite plenty of moving around on my part and experiencing different temperatures throughout the day.

Since this first weekend trying OOFOS at Lake Selmac, I've worn my OOmg around town to run weekend errands, on a hike to the top of Spencer Butte in Eugene (quite the uphill slog), to ease foot pain after a day in heels, during a long day in the car without cruise control. In every setting they've remained comfortable, supportive, and don't seem to wear down even after hours of my weight pressing into the foam. They clean up easily and seem really durable. They lack some of the traction and control sneakers or hiking boots would on steep descents, but are perfectly adequate for casual tromping around.

The only downside I can find with my OOFOS OOmg is that the heel is made of a harder rubber substance than the mesh upper or foam sole. I assume this is to help give the shoe some structure and keep your foot where it needs to be. If you're like me, however, and sometimes put your shoes on in a hurry and step on the heel and sort of slip on your shoes like they're clogs, you might mash down that hard material and either wrinkle it or find it doesn't bounce back. If you smoosh it too much, it could kind of get stuck in a way that rubs uncomfortably or blisters a bit. So always be sure to tug the heel part of your OOmg up all the way and finish putting on your shoes so they stay the right shape.

Overall, I'm really happy to have a pair of OOFOS in my closet and I'm definitely bringing them on all my camping trips. They're so lightweight they go right in my pack and I don't have to worry about my feet getting tired of my one pair of hiking boots or sneakers. These are perfect for when you need to get up and poke the fire real quick and don't want to shove your feet back into a more fitted pair of lace-up shoes that you were already wearing all day.