Vacation help

[blacktail]

I know this is short notice, especially to get reservations, but I need your help for ideas of where to go on vacation next week with the family.

It will be a family/fishing vacation with the boat. My wife wants to be where she can take a shower everyday which pretty much excludes tent camping.

First thought was the Camp Sherman area - flyfish the river, then take the boat up to Suttle Lake for fun with the kids. However, everything seems to be booked there.

Second thought was Wallowa lake, but having trouble finding somewhere to stay there as well.

Please throw out any ideas you may have. Not really looking for a coast trip as we will be doing that in August.

Thanks for any help.

Mike

[BrionLutz]

Blacktail,

Well...the wife will like this suggestion but I'm not sure the pocketbook will like it <grin>.

Stay at the DoubleTree at Jantzen Beach. Separate room for the kids. Tie the boat up to their dock.

You've got Summer Chinook season. You cruise upriver to Gov't Island, setup a day camp, BBQ, swimming, wakeboarding, fishing.

In the evening...luxury bath for madame. Hand the daily Chinook to the chef for dinner or putter around the corner on the boat for burgers and fries at the Island Cafe at sunset.

Brion

[Pete]

I gotta tell you, in spite of the helicopter traffic, Bar View Jetty County Park has some excellent facilities. They have both tent and camper facilities and most are within about 50 feet of clean flush toilets with showers! Beach 10 minutes walk away, boat parking at most camp sites and hot showers ... if it had been a different weekend, I think I would have had a great time. The campground had a police officer until 4 AM enforcing the noise limits (10 PM quiet time). I knew the camping in the trees would keep the wind away, but I didn't anticipate the quiet privacy and delight of the hot showers. I'd consider it if you like the beach, the kids like biking on good gravel roads and you want proximity to good fishing opportunities.

[djb]

One of my favorite camping spots in the local Portland area is Promontory Park wich is located about 5 minutes above Estacada. The Promontory resevoir is stocked heavily with trout and the campgrounds are superb. The campground offers showers and cooking facilities and even has yurts available if your not into pitching a tent. For the kids 12 and under there is a small pond that is stocked heavily with trout right next to the campground. Hope this might help

[Reelentless]

Did you give this site a shot?

http://www.reserveamerica.com/

I entered in 6 nights in a tent at Wallowa starting 6/21 and came up with a spot. Actually I entered OR and browsed all the sites.

It can be tough finding a spot for a week this time of year. You may have to move around within the campground.

[birdhunter]

Hells Canyon. Right below Oxbow dam at Copperfield. Plenty of camping sites for RV's and tents. Hot showers, bathrooms, electical outlets, right on the Snake. You're inside the Canyon which is an awesome site in an of itself. Great fishing for catfish, crappie, perch, bass and huge trout in the river. Brownlee is close by too. Could take a jet boat tour of the lower river or just go down below Hells Canyon Dam and check it out. Tons of game. I guarentee you'll see some huge bighorn sheep. It's an awesome site. E-mail me if you want more info. It's a long drive, but you wouldn't regret it.

[Smj]

Try Westlake Resort on Siltcoos Lake, 6 miles So. of Florence. Resonably priced rooms/cabins with stocked kitchens, private moorage, fish cleaning station and free boat ramp next to the resort. There are other lakes near by that are stocked with trout. E-mail me for more info if you're interested.

Smj

[AtWorkALot]

Lake Simtustus. Good trout/kokanee fishing. Nice facilities. Nice people running the campground and concession. Showers, electric, water, playground, horseshoe pit, volleyball court, small ampitheatre, etc... We enjoyed an informal hoseshoe tournament with the hosts and some other campers. Lots of fun, and not as crowded as Billy Chinook can be.

We caught some nice rainbows (Deschutes Summer Steelies) and a few fat Kokanee while trolling. The guys jigging for Kokanee at first light at the log boom were blasting some big fish in the 14-18" range. I even heard of a really big brown. The rainbows are really aggressive biters, much larger, and firmer (flesh) than standard stockers. You can be pretty selective as to the fish you keep, you'll catch a lot of them. The only drawback is the 30 minute run up to the good fishing near the upper dam. Randy at Abbey's Concession can give you all the info you need, I can give you some tips as well.

It's three miles up the hill from the Deschutes crossing at Warm Springs.

Pelton Park- 541-475-0517
Concession- 541-475-0516

RV, tent, and Yurt sites. $12 for tents, $25 for yurts.

[greenbuttskunk]

you might try odell lake. Cabins and a lodge at both ends of the lake. You can fish odell for the 25 kokanee limit, or trailer the boat over the short drive to crescent. There are also a few other lakes nearby. Odell creek even offers some flyfishing.