Thielsen View Campground - Umpqua National Forest

While my book about camping in Oregon gave this campground very high marks, I was not so impressed. Sitting right on the shore of Diamond Lake, there are a few lakefront sites with an incredible view of its namesake, but most do not have that advantage, and seem crowded and tucked back in the dense trees. This campground is obviously popular with fisher folk, and maybe for good reason. We stopped here in late June on a Thursday evening after finding the campground at Crater Lake National Park snowed in, and Thielsen View was completely full, so make plans accordingly if you are headed here. We went back up the road just a few miles and easily found a site at Broken Arrow Campground.

Tahkenitch Campground- Siuslaw National Forest- Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

First let me say that the Oregon Dunes area is a great place to camp. The beach is always an exciting trip for the kids, but adding in the elements of tall sand dunes to climb and warm freshwater lakes to swim in really makes for some serious fun.

Warning: This area has very heavy OHV use, so you must use caution in choosing both a campground and your beach for day trips if you are not into that sort of thing. I would really rather not hear the drone of a 4-wheeler all day long, so my goal is to avoid that entirely. Some campgrounds in the area allow and cater to OHV use, and others do not.

We stayed at Tahkenitch Campground, which was a smaller, relatively nice spot. There is a big dune right among the trees at the campground, which the kids loved to climb. There is also a trail leading right from the campground to Threemile lake, and beyond to the ocean. The sites are small, so plan for that. We did get 2 medium sized tents in one site, but the walls were practically touching. The campground is too close to Highway 101 for me. You could definitely hear traffic noise. And there is nothing like some nosey campground hosts to put a damper on the fun. 

However, we really enjoyed the area despite those negatives. We spent one day at the beach in the Siltcoos area (the beach is near a plover nesting site, so no OHV use allowed). The Waxmyrtle Campground near the beach access looked like a good option for a return trip. And many years ago, we camped at J.M.Honeyman Memorial State Park, which I remember being very good.

We had one very rainy day, and still had a great time with the kids, going to the Umpqua Discovery Center museum in Reedsport, and touring the lighthouse at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. Stop at the Reedsport Coffeehouse for a good cup.

Relevant links- Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/oregondunes/index.shtml

http://www.umpquadiscoverycenter.com/