Oregon: Camping at Joseph H. Stewart State Recreational Area
Over Memorial Day weekend, we went on our first camping trip together! We've both been camping before, either with family or scouts. But, this was our first time on our own. We decided to drive down to Oregon to check out Crater Lake National Park.
We decided a little late in the game to go down there, so a lot of the reservable camp sites were already booked. And we didn't want to take our chances with a first-come-first-served spot since we were driving 8 hours to get there.
I ended up booking the last spot at Joseph H. Steward State Recreational Area. The park is about a 45 minute drive from Crater Lake.
After our 8 hour drive, we arrived at the state park. We got a nice camping spot that included a parking spot, a fire pit, a picnic table, and a water faucet. A short walk away was a restroom with flushing toilets and showers.
You can also buy firewood from the ranger there. Only $5 for a decent sized pile of wood. Two bundles lasted us the whole weekend and we even had a few leftover logs. Just make sure you bring something to carry it back to your campsite. We totally forgot.
We quickly set up our tent and managed to get a fire started to cook our dinner.
Day 1 was just setting up and resting by the fire. Day 2 we did all our exploring. There are a lot of nice things around the area. The big thing being Crater Lake.
Along with that, we stopped by Beckie's Cafe by the Union Creek Resort for lunch and some fabulous pie! And the walked along part of the Union Creek.
Our last stop was at the Rouge River Natural Bridge. We thought this was pretty cool. The river actually goes underground into a lava tube for a short distance.
There are a ton more places to check out in the area, but we only had one day of exploring. Right next to the camping site, is a huge lake that you can go boating on.
I would definitely recommend this spot for a nice camping weekend, especially if you aren't into peeing in the woods. But, if you like more of an alone feeling when camping, then this spot may not be for you. The campsites are pretty close together, so you will see people around you. Our neighbors on the one side were pretty load (during the quiet hours) and played loud music. But everyone else was quiet and I didn't mind that we could see them. Just depends on what type of camping experience you are looking for. But, the campgrounds were clean and had everything we needed. I would go back there again.
Happy Camping!
