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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2017)
Applegater Summer 2017 15 Camping is trendier than ever! BY SHELLEY MANNING Do you love camping and the great outdoors? With the abundance of campgrounds in the Applegate Valley, why not unplug from your daily routine with a camping adventure! A hot cup of coffee in the morning chill can become a sublime experience. You can play, watch nature, hike, swim, make art, bicycle, meditate, paddle, and fish until you snuggle up at night in your cozy sleeping bag. Camping has become trendy, as evidenced by Hipcamp (hipcamp.com), a website like Airbnb, but for camping, that helps you find public and private campsites across the US (including in the Applegate and neighboring areas). Fees and length of stay at campgrounds vary. For more information on specific campgrounds, search the internet or visit recreation.gov. Star Ranger John McKelligott invites you to contact him at jmckelligott@fs.fed.us or 541-944-1176 if you have questions about camping in the Applegate. Beaver-Sulphur Group Campground. Popular for hunting and family reunions, Beaver-Sulphur Group Campground has six tent sites and four trailer sites. The entire campground must be rented. There is a vault toilet. Bring your own water and pack out any trash. Access hiking trails Charlie Buck/Baldy Peak Trail 918 and the Little Grayback Trail 920. Cantrall Buckley Park and Campground. One of only two public access points on the Applegate River, Cantrall Buckley Park is 88 beautiful acres on 1.75 miles of the Applegate River. The campground has 30 campsites under native laurel and pine trees with fire rings and picnic tables. The group site can accommodate up to 100 people and can be reserved through Jackson County Parks. The park recently added two RV sites, with water and power, within the group camping area. Individual sites are first come, first served. The restrooms are modern, with coin operated showers. Currently there are no RV hookups on individual sites, but fundraising efforts for improvements are under way. For more information, see the Cantrall Buckley Park article on page 10. Carberry Campground. Four miles past the dam on Applegate Lake you will find this quiet and peaceful campground for tent campers. Ten campsites have picnic tables and fire rings. Cool off in Cougar Creek or practice your trout-fishing skills. Campers bring their own water and use vault toilets. First come, first served. Harr Point and Tipsu Tyee campgrounds. Both are accessible from the Payette Trail, which winds around the eastern shore of the Applegate Lake, and can also be reached by boat. Each has five campsites. Campsites are first come, first served. Bring your own water and pack out your trash. Hart-tish Park and Campground. Located on Applegate Lake, Hart-tish Park and Campground has a boat ramp and a grassy day-use area for swimming. Just past the dam are seven tent sites, eight RV sites without hookups, and a group site. Campfire and barbecue pits are provided, along with showers and restrooms. The general store has snacks, sells day passes, reserves campsites, and rents kayaks. Fishing enthusiasts can catch trout and bass. Hart-tish is across the road from the Collings Mountain “Bigfoot Trail.” Be sure to reserve a site. Jackson Campground. Located on the Applegate River, Jackson Campground provides swimming, fishing, and hiking along the river. Eight shaded tent sites and one group site are first come, first served and open year-round. There are modern restrooms and a day-use area for picnics. Reserving a site may be possible by calling the camp hosts, Tom and KT. Squaw Lakes. High in the pristine wilderness you will find secluded Squaw Lakes, a breathtaking campground with abundant wildlife. Nineteen campsites around the lake are spread out for privacy. Advanced reservations are mandatory. Paddle boats are permitted, as are swimming, hiking, biking, and fishing. There is a one-mile interpretive hike to Little Squaw Lake. Porter service for $10 a trip may be available to help with your gear. Watkins Campground. Rustic Watkins Campground has 14 campsites with picnic tables (some of which have seen better days) and fire rings. It is located on a steep hillside with no terracing, so pitching a tent is a challenge. From the top of the campground you can peek at Applegate Lake through the trees; trails lead down to the Lake. Bring your own water. Vault toilets are provided. Wrangle Campground. With access for hikers to explore the Pacific Crest Trail, Wrangle Campground, at Wrangle Gap, has five campsites, picnic tables, fire pits, a rustic shelter, a community kitchen, and a cabin built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Seven Miles Ridge Trail is also accessible. Opens in June. First come, first served. Bring water, pack out trash. Vault toilet. From hiking adventures to still mountain lakes, make the Applegate the place for your next camping experience. Shelley Manning manningshelley@icloud.com Left photo: View of Applegate Lake from Hart-tish Park and Campground. Right photo: Jackson Campground on the Applegate River. Photos: Shelley Manning. Campground Locations Beaver-Sulphur. Take Highway 238 to Upper Applegate Road 8.5 miles, left on Forest Road 20 for three miles. $50 for group campsite (entire campground). More information: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov. Cantrall Buckley. Take Highway 238 to Hamilton Road approximately one mile, turn right on 154 Cantrall Road. Individual campground $16/night; group campground $65 the first night, then $50/night (reservations required). More information: 541-774- 8183 or jacksoncountyor.org/parks/Day-Use/Cantrall-Buckley. Carberry. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 18.5 miles to junction of Forest Road 777, take right for .3 miles. $15/night. More information: 541-899- 9220 or applegatelake.com. Harr Point and Tipsu Tyee. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road to Applegate Lake, cross the dam, follow County Road 959 about three miles, turn right on Forest Road 100 for a half mile to Squaw Arm Parking Area. Hike about 0.25 mile (Harr Point) or 1.25 miles (Tipsu Tyee) west along Payette Trail. Also accessible by boat. No fee. More information: search fs.usda.gov. Hart-tish. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 16 miles. $20/night. Reservations: 877-444-6777 or reserveamerica.com. More information: 541-899-9220 or applegatelake.com. Jackson. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 7 miles. $20/night. More information: 541-816-2115 or applegatelake.com. Squaw Lakes. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 15.5 miles to Applegate Dam, cross the dam and continue up for 8 miles. $15/night. Reservations mandatory, bring documentation. Reservations: 877-444-6777 or reserveamerica.com. More information: 541-899-9220 or applegatelake.com. Watkins. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 18 miles. $15/night. More information: 541-899-9220 or applegatelake.com. Wrangle. From Highway 238, take Upper Applegate Road 8.5 miles to Forest Road 20 for 18 miles to Wrangle Gap, then left on Forest Road 2030 for less than a mile. No fee. More information: search fs.usda.gov.
