Things to see and do in central Oregon (Bend, Newport: RV parks, appointed)

[curly5759]

Hi, my wife and I will be spending some vacation time in Or and would like to see some other area of the state besides the Coast. We will be leaving the Newport area and heading to Crater lake on our way back to Az. I want to avoid driving on I5 so I am planning on driving on Rt 20 to the Sisters area, spending a full day in that area and then on to Crater lake.

I am looking for decent budget camping place to stay for 2 nights somewhere in the Sisters area. (Truck and 18' trailer) and I would like some suggestions.

Also, suggestions for things to do/see along the route? Sisters is just a spot I picked on the map, I am open to different routes to Crater lake that would be scenic and or have interesting things to do. Easy hikes, waterfalls, historical homes, museums, etc. I found some info on Proxy falls near sisters, as an example of what we like.

Also, same questions, headed south from Crater lake towards 395 in Cali
Thanks!

[Larry Caldwell]

Improved campgrounds (showers, hookups, dump station, fire rings) are typically by reservation, and you don't say when you will be going. Get your reservations in now. Oregon State Parks are your place to start. After that, there are BLM campgrounds, which rarely have electricity or water, often no toilets, so you need to be prepared for FSC living. The BLM web site will direct you to those. Any place there are national forests there will be USFS campgrounds too. Accessibility will depend on fire conditions, so in mid-summer they may be closed. I don't recall seeing any KOA or other private campgrounds, but they are probably around.

If worst comes to worst, offer a rancher $50 to park overnight in his pasture.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by curly5759

Hi, my wife and I will be spending some vacation time in Or and would like to see some other area of the state besides the Coast. We will be leaving the Newport area and heading to Crater lake on our way back to Az. I want to avoid driving on I5 so I am planning on driving on Rt 20 to the Sisters area, spending a full day in that area and then on to Crater lake.

I am looking for decent budget camping place to stay for 2 nights somewhere in the Sisters area. (Truck and 18' trailer) and I would like some suggestions.

Also, suggestions for things to do/see along the route? Sisters is just a spot I picked on the map, I am open to different routes to Crater lake that would be scenic and or have interesting things to do. Easy hikes, waterfalls, historical homes, museums, etc. I found some info on Proxy falls near sisters, as an example of what we like.

Also, same questions, headed south from Crater lake towards 395 in Cali
Thanks!

I can't give you any specific suggestions, but I can tell you, you won't be disappointed in that area. There are dozens of campgrounds around Sisters, from RV parks to small campground in the parks. Whatever you want I think you will find it. This article should give you some ideas to get started.

5 Oregon campgrounds near stunning and easy hikes

[Flylooper]

This time of year you'll need reservations for a campsite for just about everywhere. Oregonians are HUGE outdoors folks and just about everyone has some form of RV / camping setup.

I spend a lot of my time in the Camp Sherman area, just west of Sisters. Go here for reservations.

[PNW-type-gal]

For a beautiful place to stay near Sisters, look around the Metolius River/Camp Sherman area, there are great campsites there by a beautiful little river. They are USFS, so they don't have electricity or sewer, but there is a dump station just outside Sisters.

Metolius River Area - Hoodoo Recreation

There is also a state park (Tumalo) right outside Bend that is very pretty and very, very popular - sort of a problem out that way, it is a huge summer recreation area and somewhat crowded. There are also USFS campgrounds in Newberry Crater/Paulina Lake - again, not improved. I think there might be water at the sites there. A little further south there is La Pine State Park - some sites have full hookups, all sites have water, many have electricity, the campground has showers.

When you go up to Crater Lake, make sure to stop by the headwaters of the Rogue River, where it pops in and out of lava tubes. Just beautiful. There is camping at Diamond Lake and Crater Lake - only the private campground at Diamond Lake has any kind of hookups, the several USFS campgrounds at Diamond Lake don't. A little further down that road is Joseph Stewart/Lost Creek Lake, a state park with hookups and showers.

Those are just starting places, there are a ton of camping spots in the Cascades. As Larry mentioned, most of the camps are on reservations and Oregonians love to camp, the spots are usually reserved well in advance. SOME campgrounds hold a couple campsites back for first-come, first-serve, but not all.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

The city if Sisters has a nice rv park in one of the city parks at the south east edge of town. Most likely you would need reservations.

There are several commercial rv parks in Sisters.

Sisters is surrounded by national forest which is full of primitive campsites. There are several on the road to Three Creeks, but be aware, no amount of effort can keep that road graded and it can be rough.

Sisters is fun, full of nice little shops and good places to eat. The location is beautiful.

Just before you get to Sisters ( maybe 20 miles?) Is the turnoff to the headwaters of the Metolius. There are several campgrounds along that road and the actual headwaters is a beautiful photogenic place.

Tumalo State park, closer to Bend is a good central location, with a nice river view and in the day use area is a Sandy beach on the river for wading. You will most certainly need reservations.

[wolfdog]

I'll put in a plug for the campground at Williamson River, on the way to K Falls. Walk across the highway to a rather large logging museum.
We had a great stay there, though the river wasn't flowing much.
The raptor center, south of Bend was terrific.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

I'll put in a plug for the campground at Williamson River, on the way to K Falls. Walk across the highway to a rather large logging museum.
We had a great stay there, though the river wasn't flowing much.
The raptor center, south of Bend was terrific.

Collier Campground - there is also an unimproved USFS campground further down the gravel road at the entry. Collier has showers. The stream that goes under the highway is spring-fed and is always very cold - if you stand at the bridge and then go down the path under the highway, the temp usually drops about 15°. The Williamson has been low for quite awhile now due to the drought.

[curly5759]

Thank you for the replies so far! I did forget to mention we will be in that area the 2nd week of Sept. We are hoping some of the crowds will be gone by then.

[wolfdog]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

Collier Campground - there is also an unimproved USFS campground further down the gravel road at the entry. Collier has showers. The stream that goes under the highway is spring-fed and is always very cold - if you stand at the bridge and then go down the path under the highway, the temp usually drops about 15°. The Williamson has been low for quite awhile now due to the drought.

That's it!