Looking for the best Willamette National Forest tent camping? Finding a place to camp in Oregon with your tent has never been easier. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Willamette National Forest campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Adjacent to the Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, Marion Forks Campground is a great 15 site (one pull through) campground tucked away from Highway 22 and a quiet place to relax. Enjoy a 1/4 mile leisurely stroll along Marion Creek on a paved loop path through the picnic area and fish hatchery and learn about spring Chinook salmon and the history of the area. Nearby, on Forest Service Road 2255, you can find the little used trail (#3431) to Independence Rock for a short hike. If you drive further up to the end of Road 2255, you'll reach the trailhead to Marion Lake (Trail #3436) leading to the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.
Heading north from Ikenick Sno-Park, you'll have good views of Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Washington. Heading south from the sno-park, you go through second growth and older forest. The trail system includes both roads and forested trails. Good trail conditions from this lower elevation sno-park depend on lower elevation snows and big snow years. * Please follow Share the Snow guidelines in shared use areas. Map of Ikenick Sno-Park Area (pdf 787 kb) Map Legend (pdf 14 kb)
In the summer months, this sparkling lake in the Cascades is a great place to fish, paddle (no motorized boats allowed), hike and mountain bike. While the clear waters might seem tempting to jump in to, the nearly freezing temperature of the lake makes it unsuitable for swimming. A picnic shelter, built by the Civilian Conservation Corp, is at the day use area near the resort. Osprey and bald eagles, and native cutthroat trout call the lake home. Non-native rainbow and brook trout are also found in the lake. The "lake born of fire," is the headwaters of the McKenzie River and was formed 3,000 years ago when lava from Sand Mountain reached the river and backed up water to form the lake. The original forest lining the riverbanks was submerged. Remnants of some of these submerged trees still stand under 120 feet of water and are visible from the trail and by boat. View more Popular Lakes & Rivers ACTIVITIES Biking Camping Fishing Hiking Picnicking
$70 - $135 / night
This recreation area is part of Fall Creek Lake
This primitive campground is located on the north shore of Smith Reservoir and is accessed by boat only. This site is popular with people looking for a remote, off the beaten path camping experience. Basic facilities such as tables, vault toilets and fire pits are provided. There is no potable water (drinking water). Garbage service is not provided so please keep a pack-in pack-out camp and follow Leave No Trace guidelines.
ScoutThe camp sites were decent size and they have life jackets for little ones
Guide
We rolled into this park in a torrential rainstorm just at dark. Thankfully, site 10 was perfectly level, and hookups all worked great. Clean bathrooms and gorgeous setting, even in the the rain
Traveler
The best thing this park has going for it, is also a negative. The campground is in Sisters, OR., which is a great little town in Central Oregon, a jumping off location for lots of outdoor activities. Sisters also is yupped up with several cafes, bistros, art galleries, breweries, and tap houses too numerous to list here. It's also the home of Preston Thompson Guitars! The negative is that US Hwy 20, a main East/ West artery and vein for Oregon runs right through the middle of Sisters, and within just a few yards from this campground. So, you do get a lot of highway noise. However, the speed is low there and so that helps.
The campground manager was the friendliest manager that I've ever met. She makes it feel like home for you and genuinely wants you to like the park as much as she does. Mind you, she is probably a city employee as the the campground is part of Creekside City Park. But, she treats it as hers, and she wants you to come back. We had a FHU unit which rocks after spending several nights on the Oregon Coast in State Parks w/o FHUs.
The sites are close to one another, and the road around to the sites serpentines throughout the campground. Be mindful if you pull off in your rig in front of the office, as that gravel parking lot also serves as a drive out for the dump station. You very well could block off someone who wants to leave the dump station. I had an altercation with such a RVer because a Class A pulled right behind me, blocking the guy in, while we were getting directions from the manager. But, he saw it all as my fault and that is where the rub was. He wasn't very nice about being blocked in, even if it was for about a minute, and certainly ruined my day.
ScoutQuiet, close to Bend, numerous sites in Ponderosa forest.
Traveler
Whether you’re visiting friends or simply seeking a tranquil getaway, this camp provides a perfect blend of nature and comfort. While you're planning your trip, if you find yourself needing assistance with any writing tasks or essays, consider the academized.com/write-my-coursework writing service. They offer professional help that can elevate your academic experience. Enjoy the serene beauty of the forest and create lasting memories at Whispering Pine!
TravelerI stayed at Armitage for an overnight visit in the area and thought the location was quite nice: wooded with adequate facilities and plenty of space between sites. The RV park staff disappear a little before 5 pm and who knows when they come in the mornings. No wifi reception (at least where I was). Not bad overall.
Guide
Not near Eugene
TravelerI have stayed here a couple times on motorcycle trips around Oregon. There are lots of sites that have been used and it's a great place to spend a night or two. It's close to Sisters so you can grab what you need.
You're close to the Rodeo grounds so you can hear what's going on if there are any events there. Overall, great free place to camp if you're in the Sisters, OR area.
Guide
This is an active shooting range, so if you're looking for peace and quiet or a spot that is not littered with pulls of trash, you've come to the wing place.
On the upside, when there is not shooting, the quarry is an ok view (if you can get past the litter), and there is endless space and open skies for solar or starlink. It's also easy to reach and rig friendly, but not far from main highway for access.
GuideLong term campers and trash. Some interesting folks for sure. Prob harmless but camp at own risk.
Guide
Well groomed, park like sites, with a backdrop of this epic lava flow, and Davis lake water.
Toilets nearby, away from main highway.
If you get the right spot at edge of campground, there is ample sky exposure for solar and starlink
Guide
Only about 70 yards from main road. Super fine dust, everything will be dirty.
Tall trees so no good vantage point for starlink or solar.
No water features right at site.
Guide
Amazing views. Access to water. Gorgeous sunsets. Not far from toilet if you're up for a walk, or have wheels. Firepits. This site has it all.
Room to back in 15' trailer to camp or of.
Early October, 70 f during day 30 f at night.
ScoutThere 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.
Traveler
This campground is such a hidden gem. Just outside of Oakridge it feels like you are back country but you are 15 minutes from anything you would need if you forgot it. The elk walking through blew my mind and the views even more so.
Traveler
As of Oct 2024 - still shut No access to bathrooms but can pay 5 for day use of their picnic benches
Traveler
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
Legend
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.
Traveler
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.
Guide
i was in campsite 3 very short walk to see the river very quiet $28 dollars a night
Ranger
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.
Guide
This is across river from Big River Group campground. Only about 10 sites. Most of the Sites are small. Pit toilets. Fire pit. Picnic table. Close to road. Somewhat on the dirty side. Some sites back to Deschutes River.
Ranger
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.
Ranger
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.
Traveler
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).
GuideI’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.
Scout
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.
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 77 tent camping locations near Willamette National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
