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Facilities

Established Camping

Riverside at Detroit Campground

Riverside at Detroit Campground, near Idanha, Oregon, is a solid choice for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors along the Santiam River. This spot offers a mix of tent and RV sites, with many campers appreciating the river access and the surrounding forest that provides a bit of privacy.

The campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-maintained vault toilets and multiple water spigots. Campers have mentioned that sites near the river are particularly desirable, with some even highlighting the starry skies and soothing sounds of the water at night. One visitor noted, “If you can snag a site on the river side, those are definitely ideal!”

While the campground is conveniently located near Highway 22, which can bring some road noise, many find that the river's sounds help drown it out, especially if you choose a riverside site. There are plenty of hiking trails nearby, making it a great base for outdoor adventures, whether you're into fishing or just exploring the beautiful Willamette National Forest.

Dogs are welcome here, so feel free to bring your furry friends along for the fun. With a friendly campground host and a laid-back vibe, Riverside at Detroit Campground is a great spot for a weekend getaway or a longer stay in nature.

Description

National Forest

Willamette National Forest

Overview

Riverside Campground provides 32 single campsites that can accomodate trailers up to 24 feet in length.__ This campground has both reservable and FCFS campsites.__ The campground is situated with two main loops.__ All sites are equipped with picnic tables and fire rings.__ Water is provided via individual faucet risers located throughout the campground.__ There are three double-vault toilets located in accessible locations.__ Trash receptacles are located in the campground.__ Scan and Pay is offered at this campground; you may also pay by cash or check for FCFS campsites. There are no refunds, modifications, cancellations, or other fee changes allowed with Scan and Pay payments. This system is the same as putting cash into a fee tube and cannot be refunded. Please download the Rec.Gov app prior to arriving at the campground as there may be no cellular service or very limited service at the campground.____ Reservations for this site can be made up to 6 months in advance of arrival date by reserving online at RECREATION.GOV or by calling 877-444-6777.

Recreation

Anglers enjoy fishing for rainbow trout on the river. Among the many options for hiking and biking trails, the Mt. Jefferson-Pamelia Lake Trail Area is bound to please all types. Hikers looking for a challenging trail will enjoy the Minto Mountain Trail.

Facilities

Anglers enjoy fishing for rainbow trout on the river. Among the many options for hiking and biking trails, the Mt. Jefferson-Pamelia Lake Trail Area is bound to please all types. Hikers looking for a challenging trail will enjoy the Minto Mountain Trail.

Natural Features

Riverside is located along the North Fork Santiam River at an elevation of 2,400 feet. Surrounding vegetation includes hemlock, rhododendron and fern, among the towering conifers. The campground is in the North Santiam Travel Corridor of the Willamette National Forest. The forest covers 1.6 million acres on the western slopes of the Cascade Range.

Nearby Attractions

The Marion Forks Fish Hatchery, along Marion and Horn Creeks, is an interesting place to visit. Here, visitors can see rainbow trout, summer steelhead and spring chinook being harvested.

contact_info

For facility specific information, please call (541) 967-3917.

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Location

Riverside at Detroit Campground is located in Oregon

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Detroit, OR, take Route 22 toward Sisters. Go 14.2 miles to the campground on right side of the road. From Sisters, head toward Detroit on Route 22. Go 43 miles to the campground on the left.

Coordinates

44.6424194 N
121.9453333 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Market
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Drive Time


Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

7 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2024

Great location

Beautiful campground along the river. No cellphone service. I arrived on a Thursday with plenty of sites to choose from but it did start to fill up over the weekend. Sites are pretty close together but you get some privacy with all of the forest between.

Site12
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Kiri D., June 24, 2024
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Kiri D., June 24, 2024
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2021

Get a spot by the river but overall good!

If you can snag a site on the river side, those are definitely ideal! Sites 25 & 26 are particularly awesome. Our spot was a little small but still nice - there is lots of road noise during the day but at night you can really hear the river and the star gazing is amazing! Each site has a really nice fire pit and grill, the vault toilets are really clean, and there are many water spigots. 

If you don't have a river site, there is still river access. It's not a super long drive to the Detroit Lake day use area. This campsite is waaaayyy less busy than the main Detroit Lake campground as well.

Site32
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jun. 17, 2020

A roadside campground with river access

This is a decent campground right off the highway. You will incur noise from the cars on the highway, even on the sites closer to the river. There are some sweet sites to the right as you enter the CG with nice river access. The sites to the left offer little access due to the high embankment on the river. We stayed at site 15 and climbed down to the river. The sites are nice, you might be able to see your neighbors on some, others are secluded. If you have a big RV this might not be the place for you. There are a couple sites that might accommodate 18+ feet but it will be tough. This CG is very clean. The 3 pit toilets are kept very clean, at least while we were there. We gave this CG 4 stars because of Tom the campground host. This guy works hard, is super cool and very friendly. We got there around 12 on a Friday and Tom really squared us away, showed us the open sites and was very pleasant. Its a good place to crash for the night in between Central Oregon and the Valley or Coast. There are 37 sites here and you can reserve them on recreation.gov.

Site15
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Pat S., June 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Pat S., June 17, 2020
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Pat S., June 17, 2020
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Apr. 25, 2019

Great campground. Very smokey from the 2017 fires.

There are several Riverside sites at this campground. I had booked last minute and this was the only one available in the area. Nice vault toilets, lots of room for RVS the river is nice and back from the lake. Late checkout time at 1pm which is nice. Lots or restaurants and mini stores in the area. Black berry picking available All around the lake. Several hiking trails. I didn't explore much due to how bad the smoke was.

  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Andrea R., April 25, 2019
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Andrea R., April 25, 2019
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Andrea R., April 25, 2019
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2018

Should be called “Roadside” instead of Riverside

Don’t be alarmed, this campground sits along HWY 22 AND along the Santiam River in the Willamette National Forest. Despite the road noise, if you can grab a campsite along the water you will feel at peace with the whispering waters and tucked away in the old growth forest that surrounds you. This site has a feature that many others do not, which is a little roundabout at the end of the site. The pathways are paved which makes this site great for families with kids who may want to ride their bikes or scooters while not in the water fishing/playing/swimming. Potable water is available as well as vault toilets. (Bring soap!) There are no showers at this location. Dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.

This site is both walk-up and reservable through Linn County Parks & Rec. See more info here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=4224

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Play button icon
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Kelly N., October 1, 2018
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Kelly N., October 1, 2018
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2018

Close to road, but lake side is quiet

This is a narrow campground with limited sites. Some have full parking pads for two vehicles, but mostly parking is dirt next to the drive lane. Spacious sites for the size of the campground.

Sites on the side near the road are very noisy, so make sure to check the map before you reserve.

Dog friendly, tent sites, bathroom, river access, no showers.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by Nicolaus N., September 30, 2018
  • Super noisy at site 6
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  • Play button icon
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

Close to road but nice

This campground is very close to hwy 22. We purposely picked sites on the river side, and the river was fast and loud enough to drown out most of the traffic noise, so it didn't feel too bad. I wouldn't want camp on the other side though.

Our site didn't really have river access (sites 14/15), but there were a few that did. Ours were beautiful sites that had a ton of spaces for tents, so it's great for small groups. Since we had two consecutive sites, we felt pretty private.

There's a ton of good hiking nearby, and detroit lake is just down the road, which we did do one day to go jump in.

Site14/15
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by trena E., August 9, 2018
  • Review photo of Riverside at Detroit Campground by trena E., August 9, 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does Riverside at Detroit Campground have RV hookups?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Riverside at Detroit Campground has water hookups.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Riverside at Detroit Campground?

    Riverside at Detroit Campground allows vehicles up to 55 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Riverside at Detroit Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Riverside at Detroit Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Riverside at Detroit Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Riverside at Detroit Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Riverside at Detroit Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Riverside at Detroit Campground?

    There are 38 campsites at Riverside at Detroit Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts