Would like to find a quiet campground within 2 hours of Salem. Been to the coast a lot so I'm looking east maybe in the Cascades? We aren't fond of lots of noise like speedboats, or dirtbikes.... This would be for August, maybe Sept.

One of my favorite spots is the Metolius River area - nice campgrounds right beside the river, short drive to Sisters and Bend
Its a beautiful area

http://metoliusriver.com/

I agree with Sunbum, that is a great area.

Also take a look at Coldwater Cove on Clear Lake. It is pretty quiet and there are no motors allowed on the lake.

I would like to camp at Silver Falls State Park, so you might check it out.

The Mt. Hood National Forest has many campgrounds that might suit you. How about this one with a glacial stream behind it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57622981132189

Or this one in the coastal range:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57622981132189

Spiro--SFSP is nice, but it isn't real quiet.

Michael--I think you missed the part about 2 hours from Salem, with the Mt Hood area suggestions. But I agree, there are lots of great places to camp there!

Just a guesstimate. It's 2hr40 minutes according to Google. But south of Mt. Hood there are also National Forest campgrounds, and as long as the water nearby is not navigable, one need not worry about the speedboat noise. We discovered that reservations are allowed in many NF campgrounds, and those on the western slope of the Cascades will tend to fill up more quickly than the ones on the eastern slope. The OP might want to look into reservations.

The very quietest place is the park on Mt.Jefferson at the end of a 12-mile hiking trail--if you like to hike. There may be Indian Paintbrush and CA poppies that time of year, too.

Michael--We are at Mt. Hood a lot, so I am very familiar with drive times.

hopeingtotravel--You are spot on! We have done that and it is beautiful!

Have you been to Champoeg? It is where the state charter was signed in 1859. On the east side of the Cascades we also have East and Paulina Lakes in the Newberry Caldera.
Several State Parks, including Champoeg have yurts if you don't want to set up a tent or camper.

hmmm some good suggestions! Metolius is a bit far, but Clear Lake sounds good. I'll check into Mt Hood. I'll definately want reservations for August! I'm hoping for hookups for our little camper, but we can do a primitive campground too. We do like to hike but at our age 12 miles is a bit much, lol. Three miles is more realistic. Waldo Lake is our favorite but I was looking for somewhere new!

Thanks, everyone, keep the ideas coming

Just remember, many places that take reservations also have nonreservable spots. If you come midweek, before Thursday, you can usually get a spot. At Clear Lake, I much prefer the nonreservable spots at the end. We have done that in August midweek. Even up around Mt. Hood there are quite a few places to go without reservations. If you have a boat, even better as some are not accessible by vehicle.

I like the look of Coldwater Cove, we'd be arriving on a Thursday so maybe one of the nonreservable spots would be available?

There are several sparsely furnished cabins at Clear Lake. They can be reserved. There is 1 outhouse to serve them all.
The last time I was there was 4 years ago in February. I had to put chains on to get out of there. A couple of my friends did a polar bear swim then.

That sounds pretty cold Tom!! lol We have a little camper so we don't need cabins. I'm just wondering what the odds are of a nonreservable spot open on a Thursday in August? How are the non-lakeside spots? can you see the lake?

If you don't like what you see at Clear Lake, head down the road to Belknap Springs.
There are a lot of big old Douglas Firs around Clear Lake.
A spring on the north side of Clear Lake is the head water of the McKenzie River. My friend Odder (polar bear swimmer) has a geocache hidden within 100' of the spring.

bashawik--If you arrive in the morning, you should be fine. We have done that on Thursdays in August, but if you arrive after noon or so you might be out of luck. The cabins there are sparse as mentioned, and pretty close to each other. There are a couple campsites near the cabins at the "resort", but I don't think they are near as nice as the spots at Coldwater Cove. BTW, the little store at the resort does sell ice, but that's about it.