If you're in Oregon and searching for a real get-back-to-nature RV camping escape, you'll have found it when you pitch up at Falls Creek Lake. The eye-pleasing reservoir is the result of the damming of Fall Creek by the US Army Corps of Engineers back in the mid-1960s. The reservoir, impounded by the Fall Creek Dam, covers almost two-thousand acres and has a twenty-two-mile long shoreline studded with towering Douglas firs right down to the waterline. Although the Corps still manage the area around the reservoir with the ideal of maintaining the natural habitat of its flora and fauna, the two primitive campgrounds at Fall Creek Lake come under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Forestry Department.
As well as two campgrounds, Fall Creek Lake also has five day-use areas and is just half an hour from Springfield, which makes it popular with city residents for boating, water sports, and wildlife viewing. In summer, the locals flock to Fall Creek Lake to make the most of its swim dock, beaches, and lakeside picnic areas. If you've motored in your rig from out of state and haven't been to this part of Oregon before, you won't want to miss exploring either the Willamette National Forest or the Deschutes National Forest. Both are within a short distance of the lake. When you're at Fall Creek Lake, you'll be in the heart of pioneering country, and if you feel the pioneering spirit take hold, head over to the Dorris Ranch, a living history farm, near Springfield. There you can hike through the filbert orchards, explore historic buildings and even learn how to light a fire the pioneering way. That's a skill that could come in very handy when you're out RV camping at Fall Creek Lake.
If you're bringing your rig down from the north of Oregon or been over on the coast RV camping at the Siuslaw National Forest, head for Eugene or Springfield on the I 5, and you'll be going in the right direction. You'll have a decent run along the OR 58 from either to get to Fall Creek Lake. If you've been down in the south of Oregon in the Winema National Forest, you can look forward to a fantastic drive along the OR 97 through the Crater Lake National Park until you reach Crescent, where you can branch-off on the OK 58 in the direction of Eugene.
The recreational area, Fall Creek State Recreation Area, where the campgrounds are located is on the lake's northern tip. To reach them, you can either take the Big Fall Creek Road or the Peninsula Road, which run along opposite sides of the shoreline but eventually take you to the same destination. Both roads are kept in decent condition as they carry heavy traffic in summer when the day boaters are heading to the Winberry day-use area or the North Shore Park boat ramp.
There are parking facilities at the Winberry day use area which are capable of holding one-hundred vehicles plus one-hundred and fifty boat trailers.
The Cascara Campground is the largest of the two primitive campgrounds at Fall Creek Lake. The campground has thirty-nine gravel-surfaced campsites located around one continuous loop. There are no utility hook-ups at the pitches or on the campground itself, though drinking water is available. A few of the campsites are right on the waterfront, but the majority are situated slightly inland under the shelter of tall pine trees. The campground, which operates on a first-come-first-served basis throughout the peak season, has only the most basic amenities of vault toilets, but the sites are furnished with grills and picnic tables.
Fisherman's Point is a small, primitive campground in the Fall Creek State Recreational Area in the northern region of Fall Creek Lake. There are just eight campsites at the campground which can cater for up to sixty-four people only. The campsites are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis with special rates for groups. The campground offers no amenities other than lakeside campsites, drinking water, and portable toilets.
Boating and water sports are the top activities at Fall Creek Lake, so don't expect to have the reservoir's expanse of water all to yourself. Sit on the shoreline or join the sailors out on the water, and you'll see just about every type of craft imaginable. There'll be speed boats towing water skiers or inflated tubes, sailing catamarans skimming over the waves, and jet skies scooting from one shore to the other. You might even spot a seaplane coming in to land.
You won't need to go far from the campground to enjoy a decent hike at Fall Creek Lake. Close to the recreation area, you'll find the trailhead for the Fall Creek National Recreational Trail. It's a twelve-miles plus out-and-back trek through the beautiful Willamette Forest.
If that trail leaves you wanting more, head over to the Deschutes Forest and you can stride along almost one-hundred different treks through the woods and the Cascade Lakes Area.
Fall Creek Lake is just one spectacular feature in one of the most scenic locations in Oregon. See more of it by getting behind the wheel of your vehicle and motoring along one or all of the nearby Oregon Scenic Byways. Head south from the reservoir on the OR 58, and you'll be on the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway, which takes you through the forests up to Mount Bachelor.
For volcanic views of black rock lava fields and snow-capped peaks, take the McKenzie Pass – Santiam Pass Scenic Byway. The awe-inspiring vistas will leave you open-mouthed for the entire eighty-two miles.
Visit Dorris Ranch in Eugene, and you'll take a step back to the pioneering days. Explore the village of wooden cabins and homesteads dating back to the mid-nineteenth century then stroll the four and a half miles of gravel pathways running through the filbert or hazelnut orchards. Be there from August to October, and you might even get roped in to help with the harvest.
If you're RV camping at Fall Creek Lake with youngsters, don't miss taking them into Eugene for a visit to the Eugene Science Cente. While they might love the time spent outdoors at the lake, they'll be totally wowed by the center's hands-on experiments and the laser show in the planetarium. They'll learn so much about astronomy and the stars, they'll be telling you which planet is which and naming the constellations when you're sat outside your rig by the campfire stargazing at night.
For a complete change of scenery from forests and lakes, head over to Winchester Bay on the coast, two hours from Fall Creek Lake. At Winchester Bay, you'll discover America's longest stretch of sand dunes, which extend as far as the eye can see in a desert-style landscape for over forty miles. The Umpqua Dunes are also the tallest sand dunes in the state, and while it is an excellent spot for beach walks and swimming, what the dunes attract most are off-road riders with their ATVs. The sections for off-roading are restricted to signed areas, so it's not all noise and mayhem unless you're there at the end of July when it's the annual off-road DuneFest event. That's the week you'll need your earplugs.
