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About
Schwarz Park
Schwarz Campground is located below Dorena Lake in Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley. The campground is approximately five miles from the city of Cottage Grove.
A variety of recreational opportunities are available, including fishing, boating, swimming and hiking. A number of historic covered bridges can also be found in the area.
Recreation
Dorena Lake is a great location for boating, water skiing, fishing and swimming. Nearby Baker Bay County Park offers a boat ramp and marina.
The Row River Trail stretches 14 miles from downtown Cottage Grove, past the Dorena Dam and along the entire north side of the lake. This popular path is open tor hiking, biking and horseback riding.
The Cottage Grove Scenic Byway Tour meanders past seven historic covered bridges in the area. The bridges were built in the 1920s and 30s, and some are still in use today.
Facilities
Schwarz Park offers several single and double-family campsites and six group sites. Flush toilets, drinking water, showers and a dump station are provided. Younger campers love the park's big playground.
Natural Features
Dorena Lake is situated in the low foothills of the Calapooya Mountains. The campground is surrounded by a diverse mix of marshland, coniferous forests and grasslands.
The weather is generally mild during the recreation season with temperatures ranging from the low 50s to the upper 90s. Chances of precipitation are high from May through mid-June.
ADA Access: N
Sites
65
Operator
US Army Corps of Engineers
Access
Drive In
Boat In
Contact
Location
Schwarz Park
is located in
Oregon
Directions
From Cottage Grove, Oregon, take Exit 174 off of Interstate 5. Travel East on Row River Road for approximately 5 miles; you will cross Row River twice. The entrance to the campground is on the left side of the road immediately after you cross Row River for the second time.
5 Reviews of Schwarz Park
Quiet campground, but watch for Algae
One option when looking for a campground last minute during the summer close to Eugene, Oregon. This one is not usually very busy during peak season in my opinion.
This is a primitive campground so no hook ups for your rv. Bring the generator if your needing a power source during the day.
There are restrooms/ showers on site along with drinking water, a playground, and an rv dump station. Picnic tables and fire pits at each site. Trails are nearby along with a beach/ swimming area at Dorena Lake. Watch for signs of Algae or Swimmers Itch as it has been present the past few years at Dorena Lake.
Overall its a great last minute campground not far from town ( Cottage Grove- Eugene), but doesn't make my list of top 5 if I can make reservations a head of time.
Great fishing near park
This campground has a ton of space for group camping and some gteat spots along the river. It’s close to several great fishing holes and beautiful covered bridges. During the summer, the Army Corp of Engineer Rangers give a tour of the Dorena Dam every Saturday. I highly recommend going if you can!
Paddling on the Row
Schwarz campground is located just past Cottage grove, right on the Row river. I hadn't realized, until I took a nice little walk, it's located just below Dorena reservoir. It has about 60 sites and a few larger open group sites. The inner sites don't offer much for privacy or shade, but found that the outer had a little more privacy and tons of shade from the oak and pine trees. There are many sites with riverfront views and a couple have private access; with public access at the end of the row. The water is slow and shallow, but still very cold. Great place for families and kids, just be on the lookout for poison oak. There are clean showers and restrooms although they are kind of outdated and could have used another, as it gets busy at peak hours. There are also drinking water bibs, recycling and jr. ranger programs, I didn't seem to see wood sales.
PROS
- Short easy 1 mi. trail(good for kids)
- River adjacent
- Family friendly
CONS
- Outdated facilities(too few)
- Poison oak at sites
Decent Camping with Crooked Host
PROS
The campsite was great. There aren't many trees between the campsite, so privacy is limited. The bathrooms and showers were clean and not too crowded. Nice creek near by and plenty of grassy area to throw a ball.
CONS
I didn't like the host. My family arrived before I did and had already paid for everything, including the extra vehicle. I didn't know that until I paid for my vehicle and got to the campsite. When I went to the host to ask for my extra vehicle fee back, he said it would "Cut into his profits." Now it was only $5 or $7 (This was a few years back), but the issue is that our party paid for the extra vehicle twice. The host knew this and still wouldn't return the money. He explanation just straight pissed me off. I haven't been back and never plan to.
