Susan Creek Campground: Camping on the North Umpqua River

AMENITIES

• Flush toilets
• Drinkable water, with spigots placed regularly throughout the campground
• Hot showers (closed during the Coronavirus pandemic)
• Firewood may be available (check ahead)
• No electrical, water, or sewage hookups

ABOUT THE SITES

• 29 total sites
• Site cost is $20 per night
• Our favorite: #28, where we stayed, is fantastic — spacious, impeccably kept up, and a short walk to the river.
• Many sites are large, very level, and picnic tables and grills are in excellent shape. There are even separate fire pits and barbecue grills, and a paved pad under the fire pit.
• While sites can be large, there isn’t a lot of open space between sites, or any large open public spaces.
• All sites are partially shaded. Trees and greenery separating the sites help provide privacy.
• There are no electrical, water, or sewage hookups.
• The campground is situated on the North Umpqua River, and some sites have direct access to the river trail. Please note that no sites are located directly on the riverbank, nor do they have river views.

FUN STUFF

• It’s an easy walk to get to the river, with opportunities for playing in the shallows, swimming, fishing, or floating.
• In previous years, evening programs have been offered at the campground amphitheater (no programs were offered in 2020 due to the Coronavirus).
• The small campground loop is a popular route for kids to bike, and it’s short enough for many younger kids to use.

NEARBY & NOTABLE

• Waterfalls! The North Umpqua is blessed with a large number of beautiful falls, most of which involve only a short hike to reach. Close to camp, visit Susan Creek Falls or Fall Creek Falls. A little further east, try Toketee and Watson Falls.
• Crater Lake! While I would pick a closer campground if the main focus of your trip is Crater Lake, it’s still close enough to do a day trip from Susan Creek. And if you want to spend one day at Crater Lake, but the rest of your time exploring the Umpqua, this is a great option.
• Enjoy a meal at Steamboat Inn, a beautiful inn and restaurant along the Umpqua River only a 10 minute drive from camp.
• Diamond Lake offers a great day use area for boating, picnicking, fishing, and playing at the beach.
• Fishing and hiking opportunities abound. The North Umpqua Trail system offers hiking, mountain biking, and fishing.

THE VERDICT

Our family loved this campground. It’s in a beautiful setting, and the sites are some of the nicest I’ve seen. Have you had issues in the past finding a nice level spot at your site to pitch a tent, free of large rocks and sticks? Not here! The hosts had actually raked Zen patterns in the gravel! I can’t say that all sites are equal, but this campground was obviously well cared for.

While signs on the restrooms indicated that they were not cleaned to official Covid 19 standards, they were, to the naked eye, pretty near immaculate. I can’t comment on the showers, since those were closed during the pandemic. There were two active host sites, which surprised us considering this is a small campground. Both couples were very helpful and had done great work keeping the place clean and beautiful.

We enjoyed being close to the river, although the downside is that it can get a little buggy in the evening. Bring bug spray, or maybe some citronella candles. But still, our only real disappointment was that we only got to stay here one night. I would love to come back and have more time to visit Susan Creek Falls, Fall Creek Falls, and some of the other wonderful places along the Umpqua.

Our introduction to Susan Creek Campground got off to an unexpected start. We had just turned off Highway 138 onto the campground entrance road, which took us over a surprisingly hefty speedbump.

“Wait! What’s what that noise?” I asked my husband, Michael, suddenly, as I glanced in the rearview mirror. Not only was there a strange whining sound, but something about the teardrop trailer didn’t look right.

We stopped directly in front of the camp host’s site and discovered that our trailer had, in fact, come unhitched from our car. Thankfully, the chain kept it from detatching completely, but the trailer tongue had crashed to the ground, leaving a black skid mark down the middle of the road.

Also thankfully, the camp host quickly came to our rescue as we puzzled over how to reattach the trailer. While our trailer may be small, it isn’t easy for two people of average strength to lift up the tongue unassisted. I got out the blocks to keep the wheels from slipping, and with some extra helping hands, we worked quickly to get it back in place. Meanwhile, the road was effectively blocked by our inconvenient stop. Fortunately, our fellow campers were patient, and only a few other cars had to wait.

It was an unnerving experience, and we were thankful to be back on our way to our site. We always double-check that the hitch is securely attached, and frankly, we still aren’t sure how this happened. In any case, we’re incredibly thankful it happened here, and not on the freeway (yikes)!

Our troubles were forgotten when we reached our site. I reserved six months in advance, and we were lucky enough to snag one of the nicest spots in the campground. As soon as the tent was up, the kids were off exploring the riverbank, only a couple minutes’ walk down the trail from us. A lovely shallow area with good trees to climb was the favorite spot. While Michael and the kids explored, I prepared dinner over the fire — macaroni and cheese prepared at home and warmed in the Dutch oven, and broccoli and garlic roasted in foil.

Our stay was over too soon. The next morning, we packed up and headed south to Farewell Bend Campground near Crater Lake. The trip was off to a wonderful start, and we left Susan Creek with the hope that we’ll soon return.