Top Tent Camping near Willamette National Forest

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Best Tent Sites Near Willamette National Forest, OR (74)

Showing results 1-10 of 74 campgrounds

Recent Tent Reviews In Willamette National Forest

1338 Reviews of 74 Willamette National Forest Campgrounds


  • Camper-submitted photo from Sparks Lake Recreation Area
    October 4, 2024

    Sparks Lake Recreation Area

    Nice spots near Spark Lake

    There are several spots off of the road to the Spark Lake Day Use area. The road is very rough, but taken slow does not require a 4wd.

  • Camper-submitted photo from John Neal Memorial Park
    October 1, 2024

    John Neal Memorial Park

    As of Oct 2024 - still shut

    As of Oct 2024 - still shut With gate and padlock, shut to even get into but there is a park nearby to use the restrooms if needed but no camping

  • Camper-submitted photo from Humbug Campground
    October 1, 2024

    Humbug Campground

    Love it here

    Humbug is one of our favorite campgrounds. We love the easy access to the beach and the beautiful hikes.  Showers are hot and free, rangers are always friendly.

    Cell service is pretty iffy here, but we manage to make it work with the cell booster.

    There's a dump station and water fill, trash and recycling, water spigots throughout campground, and firewood for sale.

    Tent sites in Oregon don't currently have the 25% non-resident surcharge (though I've heard that's changing soon) and there are plenty of non-hookup/tent sites that will fit RVs. There are also FHU and pull through sites.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Smiling River Campground
    September 30, 2024

    Smiling River Campground

    Beautiful Riverside Campground, Maintenance Could Be Improved

    We went as a group of 8+ families, booking a number of different campsites in two groupings, one on the riverfront, one on the backside of the loop.  The campground layout is a large loop with a road down the center, so was great for kids riding bikes around and playing.

    The riverside sites were beautiful but ours was very close to an outhouse that was extremely full and smelled very bad.  It really needed to be cleaned out and clearly hadn't in a long time.

    Also the river was super cold and very fast moving, which at times was a little scary with a ton of young kids running around.

    Camp Sherman was only a mile away and has fresh donuts in the morning.  I was able to ride over on my electric skateboard and it was a beautiful enjoyable ride.

    There was also a small bridge 7-10ft above the river that folks jumped off of which was fun.

    We didn't have any major problems with bees or mosquitos as some other folks mentioned that they had in previous reviews.

    We had one morning evening where fog was rolling across the river and it was uniquely beautiful.  Overall it's a great spot, but would have been perfect if the maintenance had been better and the outhouse smell wasn't so bad.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Tumalo State Park Campground
    September 26, 2024

    Tumalo State Park Campground

    Like camping at an apartment complex

    Never again, hovering campground hosts kept the place clean but they made us feel like we were on the watch list. Campers left the campsite and no joke, the hosts were in raking the dirt as the people were vacating.

  • Camper-submitted photo from LaPine State Park Campground
    September 24, 2024

    LaPine State Park Campground

    Typical State Campground

    Stayed in one of the cabins, it was clean and made a nice getaway for a couple days.

    Bathrooms are a long walk in the middle of the night so I should have chosen a cabin with a bathroom, my mistake. 

    Campground sites are tightly packed and lack privacy. If you like to take nice long walks there are hiking paths as well as the paved roads in the campground.

  • Camper-submitted photo from COE Dorena Reservoir Schwarz Campground
    September 23, 2024

    COE Dorena Reservoir Schwarz Campground

    Tree covered

    Close to Cottage Grove, COE spot accepted the Passport for half priced camping. 

    The campground roads can be tight if you have a big rig so be careful. Because there is no power in the sites people were running generators for hours, even the tent campers.

    Large groups were utilizing the group areas when we stayed, lots of children having fun. 

    It would not be a destination place but okay for an overnight stay. 

    Alchol ban in the park but based on the trash bins it was not enforced.

  • Camper-submitted photo from River Bend County Park
    September 21, 2024

    River Bend County Park

    Quiet Mid-September

    Beautiful early fall days at River Bend.

    Midweek, Sunday - Thursday the campground was maybe 25% filled. It was quiet! Leaves were beginning to turn colors, needles from pine tree were falling like rain.

    The Santiam river is low at this time and was great for wading into, swimming if like cold river.

    Kayaking the river - I dropped in at Cascadia - beautiful float back to River Bend - had to traverse quite a bit due to low water levels / avoiding the small waterfalls (5-10ft drops).

  • Camper-submitted photo from Armitage Park & Campground - a Lane County Park
    September 20, 2024

    Armitage Park & Campground - a Lane County Park

    Very nice setting with roomy campsites

    I’ve been here before. This park has about 37 sites with folks not on top of one another. Clean toilets and baths. $40 per night. Need to make reservations. Fills up fast. Cell service for Verizon, At&T and T-mobile are marginal. Phone calls are fine, internet varies from good speed to barely working.

  • Camper-submitted photo from BEND FS 4610 Dispersed
    September 17, 2024

    BEND FS 4610 Dispersed

    Super easy

    This spot was close enough to town that we could call an Uber to Hayden Homes after we set up, then Uber back when the concert finished. The main red dirt road is gorgeous with various pull offs spaced decently far apart. I saw one or two neighbors to the left and right of our spot but it was far enough that our spot felt private. Really quiet and felt remote while still accessible to town and had cell service.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Deschute County Expo RV Park
    September 12, 2024

    Deschute County Expo RV Park

    Good place to stay

    We stayed here twice with a short gap between our 2 times. Comfortable park, very clean. Big rig friendly especially in the center areas without trees. If you're using Starlink this would be a good choice. Able to do laundry both times we stayed (credit card instead of quarters!). Full hook ups (we paid $50 per night).  Good location for visiting Redmond and Bend.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cascadia State Park Campground
    September 12, 2024

    Cascadia State Park Campground

    Beautiful Park on the Santiam River

    We stayed at what is now Cascadia County Park (per signage at the park) at the beginning of September. Monday and Tuesday night there were only a couple of other campers in the park. Needless to say it was very quiet. 

    Our first day we noticed a man without a shirt sitting, leaning against the bathroom exterior wall for a least an hour or so. Later that day we saw a couple who appeared to be homeless using the shower on the premises. Neither of these people caused any problems nor interacted with any camper as far as I could tell. Near the entrance at the picnic area there is a sign warning visitors to lock their cars.

    This is a beautiful park, densely forested, bordered by the Santiam River. We stayed in one of the pull though sites, number 4. It was more private than most sites. We were happy to stay here to escape the smoke in Central Oregon were we live. We had reservations at Little Crater Campground, but choose not to stay there as the there were fires nearby and the area had an Evacuation Advisory - Level one and there is only one way out of the area.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Maxwell Sno-Park
    September 12, 2024

    Maxwell Sno-Park

    review

    Our friends had very positive reviews about this park, so we definitely want to visit it soon. I think it will be a great getaway. The only thing I wanted to mention is that the provided map in PDF format didn’t open on my PC for some reason. But I was able to convert it online, and the issue was resolved. Using https://pdfguru.com/html-to-pdf, you can convert HTML to PDF, vice versa, and into many other formats. So I find this editor to be a great service if you need to work with PDF files. It might be useful to someone else, just like it was for me.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Lava Camp Lake Campground
    September 8, 2024

    Lava Camp Lake Campground

    Delightful small campground

    This small, primitive campground is just about a mile from the McKenzie Pass on Hwy 242, the old McKenzie Hwy. it has 9 sites, 2 of which are walk-in. Lava Camp Lake is a small alpine lake and most of the camp sites have views of the lake. You can also see Mt. Washington and Black Crater from most places in the campground. Part of the area is a burn scar from a 2017 (I think) fire in the area. But there are a lot of trees around the campsites and plenty of shade. Lots of deer. One well-maintained pit toilet. No water.

    We stayed in site 6 in our small camper van. It was mid-week in early September (after Labor Day) and there was only one other camper there for one night. It was so quiet and peaceful. perfect.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Crooked River Ranch
    September 1, 2024

    Crooked River Ranch

    Amazing grounds for the price!

    Although it's in the middle of the desert, this campground has amazingly soft parade grounds for for tons of outdoor games. The trails around the golf course and the views of the canyon and river are amazing. There is local restaurants and taphouses within a few minutes drive. There is a pool available to you for your stay that has a snack bar directly adjacent to it. If you are bringing an RV or travel trailer, I recommend bringing blocks for your stabilizers as some of the sites have a decent slope to them.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Whitcomb Creek County Park
    August 22, 2024

    Whitcomb Creek County Park

    WIll not come back

    Web site claims "Drinking Water" is available. However, the water coming out of the tap was brown, probably full of rust and minerals. The host told us not to drink the water, only use for toilet flushing and maybe shower. The county claims it is safe, I don't believe them.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Terrebonne West Camp Dispersed
    August 21, 2024

    Terrebonne West Camp Dispersed

    Nice and Peaceful

    EDIT: We had a park ranger stop by and inform us that this location is closed to passenger vehicles. No passenger vehicles are allowed past the boulders. We are currently parked at the one and only camp slot that passenger vehicles are allowed, so this is a 99% dispersed camping location that you have to walk to your camp site location. The Park Ranger also reminded me that all BLM land is a 14-day stay for recreational camping only, and if you are living out of your RV, you are liable to be harassed more often then others.

    Original Review: We parked in a space close to the main road. Minus the sounds from it, the place is very peaceful. There's lots of sage bushes, and trees are plenty but not clustered. There is a lot of wildlife in the area if the animal bones are anything to judge by. There are a lot of ant colonies and other burrowing creatures in the area as well. If you choose to walk off designated paths, watch your step, or you might end up in a shallow hole like I did. Some spots are more solar friendly than others, but none of the trees are overbearingly tall to completely block out the ability for it. Flies aren't too bad compared to other places, and honestly, I'm not sure if the ones we are dealing with are from here or left over from our 1 night stay at another location. The river is only a shortish walk away, and field mice do live in some of the boulders in the area.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Three Creeks Meadow Campground
    August 17, 2024

    Three Creeks Meadow Campground

    Beautiful large sites

    We have been here a few times. Gorgeous hikes and large sites. Sometimes other campers can be obnoxious with motorcycles and road in gets very rough the last few miles. Couple of fishing lakes within 1 or 2 miles

  • Camper-submitted photo from Paradise In Oregon
    August 15, 2024

    Paradise In Oregon

    Outstanding old growth & river campground

    Ice cold McKenzie River water to watch & listen, lull you to sleep, with old growth forest & trails to walk/bike.

    It's a few miles from Tamolitch, Clear Lake, Blue River Reservoir and a lot of trails.

    This campground is quiet, has no electricity or showers (fine by me) and is just pristine. The fires didn't touch it, the river is beautiful and it's well-maintained.

    Verizon & AT&T had 2 bars LTE - enough to text, call & upload photos.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Deschute County Expo RV Park
    August 9, 2024

    Deschute County Expo RV Park

    Nice Fairground Campground

    Our GPS and Waze wanted to take us to the Fair& Expo main gate, but we followed the website instructions to the RV park portion of the fairgrounds adjacent to the Juniper Golf Course. Check-in was quick and easy. We proceeded to pull through site B-1 with FHUs for our two-night stay. The fairgrounds have nice cement sites to include a spot to park your tow vehicle or toad. Utilities are placed in the back center of the pad. The water pressure was good at about 50 psi. We got 4 bars on Verizon and the Wifi was above average for a park this size, i.e. you can check email and surf but not stream. There are no trees around the sites, so no issues with satellite. The sites in the B loop and this CG in general are close together. It was a pleasant surprise to find that they have a laundry, which is located in the office building where you register. There are also restrooms and showers there as well. As we were in site B-1 near the RV park entrance, we took our dog for walks to the left where there were trails into the adjacent state land(identified by a sign on a tree). The site had a picnic table and nice little standup grill. We enjoyed our stay at this CG.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Armitage Park & Campground - a Lane County Park
    August 9, 2024

    Armitage Park & Campground - a Lane County Park

    Great place

    This is our second time staying at Armitage. We usually only stay one night as we are passing through Eugene, but it's a fantastic campground and we would love to stay longer sometime. Site 30 was especially lovely. It is a full hook-up site surrounded by shrubs and trees. There is ample space between sites and we could not even see the site on our right. The pads are paved and pretty level, plenty long and wide for our 32ft 5th wheel and truck. Hopefully next time, we can stay longer and actually explore the park.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Little Fawn Campground
    August 8, 2024

    Little Fawn Campground

    Nice little campground

    We pulled into this sweet little campground September 2023 and found a clean and quiet place to spend the night.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Three Creeks Meadow Campground
    August 7, 2024

    Three Creeks Meadow Campground

    Rustic and large spaces

    Some spaces are really great with trees and level sites. Some are bare and fully exposed to the sun. We managed to get our 40' DP in here a year ago, but it was rough the last 10 miles or so. I have heard the road is improved. All in all, nice place. No water or other amenities.



Guide to Willamette National Forest

Camping near Willamette National Forest, Oregon, offers a mix of stunning scenery and outdoor adventures. Whether you’re into hiking, fishing, or just relaxing by a river, there’s something for everyone.

What to do

  • Hiking: Explore the many trails in the area. Campers love the access to beautiful hikes nearby. One reviewer mentioned, “We drove about 5 minutes down the road to the Hardesty Trailhead and did some awesome hikes during the day before coming back to the campground to cool off by the river” at Black Canyon Campground.
  • Fishing: The rivers and lakes around the campgrounds are great for fishing. A visitor at Lava Lake Campground shared, “I went out onto the lake with a kayak and fished; didn’t catch anything but it was still fun out there.”
  • Swimming: Many campgrounds have river access for swimming. One camper at River Bend County Park noted, “We spent most of our days at the river swimming, floating in tubes, skipping rocks and looking for crawdads.”

What campers like

  • Scenic Views: Campers rave about the beautiful landscapes. A reviewer at Paradise In Oregon said, “Great, big, private campsites, with many right on the McKenzie. We loved this campground.”
  • Clean Facilities: Many campgrounds are well-maintained. One visitor at Casey's Riverside RV Resort mentioned, “Well maintained, clean, and a beautiful setting along the middle fork of the Willamette River.”
  • Friendly Hosts: Campers appreciate the helpful staff. A guest at Whitcomb Creek County Park shared, “The campground was extremely clean and quiet. The park host and ranger were helpful and made sure they were available for any questions or needs we had.”

What you should know

  • Limited Amenities: Some campgrounds lack certain amenities. A camper at Lava Lake Campground noted, “There are no showers, but the vault toilets were exceptionally clean, odorless and well stocked with TP.”
  • Tight Campsites: Many sites can be close together. A visitor at Creekside Sisters City Park mentioned, “Some spaces are a little tight and not so level.”
  • Wildlife: Be prepared for wildlife encounters. A camper at Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens said, “The sites aren’t very big but have a table and fire pit. The tent sites across the river that you hike to are amazing!!”

Tips for camping with families

  • Bring Bug Spray: Bugs can be a nuisance, especially near water. A reviewer at Big Lake advised, “Bring bug spray, the bugs are outrageous.”
  • Plan for Activities: Keep kids entertained with swimming and hiking. A family at River Bend County Park enjoyed “playing in the river, too.”
  • Check Site Size: Make sure your campsite fits your family’s needs. A visitor at Paradise In Oregon noted, “The sheer size of Site 49 more than made up for it.”

Tips from RVers

  • Check Hookups: Some campgrounds don’t have full hookups. A reviewer at Bend / Sisters Garden RV Resort mentioned, “All sites are paved. Space between sites is reasonable.”
  • Be Mindful of Noise: Some sites can be noisy due to nearby roads or trains. A camper at Casey's Riverside RV Resort said, “If you don't like the sound of a raging river, you would want to get a site further down.”
  • Book Early: Popular spots fill up fast. A visitor at Whitcomb Creek County Park advised, “Book this early. From talking to fellow campers, it's usually full.”

Camping near Willamette National Forest, Oregon, is a great way to enjoy nature and create lasting memories. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy all the beauty this area has to offer!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Willamette National Forest?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Willamette National Forest is Marion Forks Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 10 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find tent camping near Willamette National Forest?

    TheDyrt.com has all 74 tent camping locations near Willamette National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.