Oxbow Regional Park

Oxbow feels like it is in the middle of nowhere but it's easy to get to and practically within the city limits of Portland. Accessibility and quiet is why I chose it for a weekday beginning of the season camping adventure to air out my gear and try out my new [Lily Trotters](https://www.lilytrotters.com/collections/om/products/om).

**Campground Review**:

You can book sites online up to 24 hours in advance, or you can show up to camp one night at one of the few non-reservable first come sites. When I arrived the board read CAMPING FULL, but when I went to the campground I found it to be pretty empty. Check in time is 2pm and and sites are $22 (There are 67 sites). There are toilets in each loop and one block of showers for the whole campground. My site #31 was next to the toilets and therefore close to the water point and trash (good when the campground is empty, but may be a busy and loud location on the weekend). Each site has a table, fire ring, grill and hook to hang your food or trash. Most sites had good trees for hammocking! I also saw some sites designated for campers with disabilities.

Oxbow is well maintained with lots of picnic/day use areas, a beach and lots of nature trails (more for walking than hiking). Since it was the weekday I had most of the campground to myself--there were only a handful of other campers and some deer (when I left nearly all the sites had reserved signs for the upcoming weekend). On most weekend it seems to be the kind of place that would cater to families. There are strict no dogs and no alcohol policies (and lots of rules posted everywhere)

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**﻿Product Review**:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Oxbow, I tested two pairs of compression socks from Lily Trotters: The [Lily Trotters Om Denim](https://www.lilytrotters.com/collections/om/products/om) and the [Lily Trotters Candy Stripes Grey](https://www.lilytrotters.com/collections/candy-stripes/products/candy-stripes-grey). (I give the compression socks 5 stars even though the campground only gets 4)

What I loved about camping with my Lily Trotters:

1.  The first thing I noticed when I put the socks on was that they were tight, but they didn't cut off my circulation as so many pairs of compression socks do. I followed the calf size measurement fitting chart on the site and was skeptical that I needed the size that was recommended, yet they fit perfectly. I wore them to sleep in and they kept my toes warm on a chilly night still without feeling too tight. They also fit well under other socks as sock liners (thankfully it wasn't that cold).
2.  I loved that the heels are padded. I've never seen this in a compression sock before, and it makes them all the more comfortable for hiking about.
3.  The color are really fun. I have both the Candy Stripes grey and the Denim Om. I personally think they looked fabulous in my hammock and I was the most stylish person bouncing around the campground. Both styles fit the same.
4.  I got one pair wet when I was walking too close to the river and they dried out pretty quickly (good for hand washing and drying on extended trips). When I went back to the river I put my dry pair on with my Xtratuf fishing boots to keep dry. (I won these last summer in a Dyrt camping contest!) I was surprised how comfortable and smoothly my socks fit in the boots. Because they are lightweight and snug I was able to get my boots off without pulling my socks off for the first time ever.

I will be definitely wearing my Lily Trotters for camping, hiking, traveling and under my fishing boots in the future!

Ranger Review: Lily Trotters Compression Socks at Oxbow Regional Park, OR

Smaller, but we were able to switch sites away from an area with two families/lots of little kids (so the area is easy for people who don't camp a lot).  Beautiful river, lots of horses and fisherpeople, great trails, tall trees, lots of shade, close to Portland.  Plus you can reserve sites ahead of time.

Super Family-Friendly, Watch Out for the Horses

Entrance fee is per car, $5. You can't burn wood fires or have dogs, which is a big turn off for a lot of folks. However, the river is clean here (makes for good swimming) and there are lots of families enjoying themselves. One of the closest campsites to Portland!

Shallow part of the Sandy

Road noise can be loud here.  Try to get a site as close to the river as you can so you can avoid the highway noise at night.  The bathrooms here are great - showers, running water, and flush toilets!  The river is refreshing on warm days to swim in.  We like this because it's an easy day trip from Portland.  (Avoid camping next to the porta potties - we did that one time and a truck at 6:30am came to empty them. Granted it was a weekday but it was not the best way to wake up.)  Next time we learned and got a site closer to the real bathrooms.  Sites are pretty private though you will hear your neighbors!

Oxbow

The park just added two nature playgrounds that are pretty fantastic. One of the new playgrounds, right before the boat launch, features a trail with a mud kitchen, two a-frame tents and a big area where you can use fallen logs and branches to build shelters. 

The other nature playground is right across from the old playground (still in use) and has a wooden water course with a hand pump and an elevated wooden plank course.

Camping can be a little loud since it's a popular spot and there are no pets allowed, but it's barely 30 minutes away from Portland and right on the Sandy River.

Close to the city with awesome playgrounds

After being on a lengthy trip, it was extremely nice to be in a nice campground that was well established and had showers. Fun trails down the river. Plan to return again some day!

Really liked this campground

This is a huge park (like 1,000
acres) with several camping options. Plenty of hiking, swimming, and fishing through the park. It’s truly a great oasis just outside of Portland. I hope to visit again soon! 

Oasis Outside of Portland

Husband and I spent this past weekend camping in Oxbow Regional Park and thoroughly enjoyed it! Given it's late October and a bit chilly out, the campground was pretty quiet with only a few other campers around. We were able to hike the area and enjoy a serene weekend in nature. Clean campsite with the basic amenities, conveniently only a 30-minute drive from Portland (but doesn't feel like you're near the city at all when you're there). Because of COVID, the facilities (e.g. Welcome Center, restrooms, showers) were all closed, but that was okay for us given the short weekend trip. Overall had a great weekend!

Quiet campground near Portland!

Jan 8-10, 2021

If you live in PDX and want to get away from the city for a second, I highly recommend this campground. It’s a regional park not a state park so no dogs or alcohol allowed. You have to make a reservation online (which charges you the extra $8🙄). We reserved campsite 71 which is right in front of the trail to go down to the river. It got very cold at night so be prepared. Also, no cell service so download movies on Netflix or bring games lol. I will be coming back, loved it.

Great location!

First off this place is quiet and beautiful! Last i went, i reserved a spot online, highly recommend you do this! The ranger there was overwhelmed with tons of people trying to get in but no availability. It was a sigh of relief when i told her i reserved a spot. Great trails to hike and an area to play in the river.

Perfect family spot

Employees were great. Wood was waiting for us upon arrival. Portable toilets only and must bring your own water for cooking and drinking.  Due to COVID, showers and water spigots have been disabled. Once they find enough staffing, and showers and bathrooms are open again will easily rate a 5

Great getaway 

Needed some good quiet time and got it at Oxbow. As usual, employees are OUTSTANDING. 

Another great lazy day


Another great trip to our local campground. Had a great time. Ranger love is very nice. (Along with the rest)

Ranger love is awesome

+ No cell service so it’s the perfect place to go off the grid and disconnect
+ While it feels very remote and removed from civilization, it’s just a few miles from town if you need to pick any supplies or food up
+ We got to see deer every day! They stopped by our campsite multiple times a day and it was so cool to see 
+ The river is easy to get to and there are so many activities to do around the river — birding, rafting, swimming, fishing, etc 
+ There is so much shade that even during the summer, we were never hot 
+ Restrooms are decent here. The showers are small, there are not enough hooks or space to put all your stuff so bring a large bag for keeping things off the wet ground. And hope you’re not afraid of spiders! The showers had dozens of large daddy long legs crawling around 
+ Great playgrounds for children
+ Fantastic hiking trails. This campground is huge so there is a lot of exploring and walking to be done

Hidden gem

Oxbow is so lush with old growth forests. The playground is very nice and big. The campsites are very private and you frequently get deer hanging out with you. Great trails throughout. The river has a nice beach, but the undertow doesn’t make it suitable for swimming. It looks calm on the top but is not underneath. Cell service is non-existent. You have to drive to the entrance in order to get service. 

Beautiful forest

This is the perfect spot for first-time campers and hikers, especially for families. With only a short walk down to the water, the cold river is a great spot to cool off not too far outside the city of Gresham. There is not much cell service in the park so make arrangements accordingly. After spending many summers in this park I will definitely be coming back to this beautiful campground.

Beautiful campsite on the Sandy river

This is a great park to visit and camp at- it's far enough away from Portland to allow for peace and beautiful stars at night, yet close enough to be a quick trip back to civilization. I stayed here for 2 nights while visiting Portland. I found this to be the closest campground to Portland that wasn't specifically for RV's. I stayed on a Thurs&amp; Fri night in September and it wasn't crowded at all- most sites were empty. The bathrooms here are really clean and warm, they have showers with hot water, and best of all- security at night! The park gate closes at 8pm and a security guard is on duty for the night. This level of security offers a real peace of mind. There is no service available here, allowing for true un-plugging. They also have life jackets hanging near entries to water which I found to be a nice amenity. The park itself is nice enough but my 5-star rating is really for the camping- I would certainly recommend this campground for anyone looking to camp close to Portland.

Far enough yet close enough to Portland

The ancient forest is enchanting. Close proximity to Multonomah Falls. Pros - bathrooms with electric outlets, free showers, deer come close and are fun to watch, quiet &amp; fairly private stay. Cons - air port close by has low flying jets, recent bear sightings posted &amp; no bear box or bear safe trash cans. The trash can located at our site had half eaten McDonald’s left in the can. 

Mostly Good Stay

Great little Campground is located on a popular river for swimming and boating.

Cell: None