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The Fernview Group Site is about 20 miles from Sweet Home on Highway 20 at an elevation of 1,360 feet. Fernview is a small group area perched on a bench above the South Santiam River. The Rooster Rock Trail is across the highway from the group site and numerous other trails and lakes are in within a short drive. Recreation Fernview Group Site is close to the Menagerie Wilderness with Trout Creek and the Rooster Rock Trails accessing Rooster Rock within the wilderness. Numerous lakes and trails are within a 45 minute drive of the site, including the Santiam Wagon Road (10 minutes), Gordon Meadows, Iron Mountain and Browder Ridge. Facilities Fernview has 11 sites, some suitable for RV's. One Hand pump provides water and there is a newer single CXT toilet on site. River access can be difficult from the campground, but is nearby via a short walk or drive. The Fernview Group Area was originally a campground that has been converted to a group site. Below are the details on the individual sites within the group site; every site has a picnic table and fire pit/grill. There is a parking area adjacent to the bathroom that can also be used for RV parking; this area is suitable for 1 large or 2 small RV's, maximum 2 RV's. Site 1: Back-in, gravel surface, 15 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 2: Back-in, gravel surface, 30 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 3: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 4: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 5: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, is adjacent to bathroom Site 6: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 7: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 8: Back-in, gravel surface, 35 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 9: Back-in, gravel surface, 30 feet long, slight grade, suitable for tent or small camper, sits above river Site 10: Back-in, gravel surface, 20 feet long, hard access due to grade, suitable for tent, sits above river Site 11: Back-in, gravel surface, 20 feet long, medium grade, suitable for tent, sits above river Natural Features The group site is nestled in the trees on a bench above the South Santiam River. Nearby Attractions The Santiam Wagon Road (trail) is ten minutes from the site and provides over 20 miles of hiking, biking and horse riding opportunities. Iron Mountain is located ten miles east and known to have over 300 species of wildflowers growing on its flanks. Early July is the best time for viewing wildflowers. Crescent Mountain, House Rock Falls, Browder Ridge and the Middle Santiam Wilderness are nearby and provide excellent hiking opportunities. ADA Access: N
From Sweet Home, Oregon, follow Highway 20 east for 22 miles and look for signs for the Fernview Group Site.
It's great for a big group. No curfew, no noise complaints, great access to water for fishing or swimming.
I think there are only two sites to camp. Both incredibly isolated. This is not camping sites nearby were all where you are camping right next to another camping family. The closes group is a quarter mile away and the road is a bumpy mile away. We had a make shift rock fire pit and plenty of space.
We rented the entire site for a group event. My understanding is that you can only reserve if you reserve the whole site. Park patrol that came by was very friendly. We had live music for a larger get together of family and friends pre-covid and nobody hassled us! It is a good spot where you can make some noise without being a nuisance to anyone. The spot was very clean when we showed up and we were careful to leave it as clean as possible. Thank you to the service out there for making this a no-hassle, awesome camping event for us!
We just returned from a fantastic weekend where we used about 6 of the sites. Site number three is by far the best with a really nice river view, a large site, and two picnic tables. All of the sites can hear the river so we slept like magic. I’m only rating at four stars because 4 to 5 of the sites were either overgrown or very small that they would only fit a two or four person tent. Had we shown up with a bigger group, I think we might’ve been disappointed. We had a great experience but i’ll have to think through next time whether the value is there for only using about half of the sites. Having privacy and not having to deal with any other campers was pretty freaking awesome though and definitely worth paying more for.
This turned out to be a favorite of ours, lush and shady and quiet and easy access to water. Day use folks came and went each day and were pleasant neighbors as we stayed as an extended family gathered from all over in the group site. Bathroom was as clean as a vault bathroom can be, water provided by a single spigot and pump. We had an RV with us and had no trouble maneuvering in and out, but for RV’ers this is a dry camping scenario. Recommend this location for groups looking for a pleasant place in the hot summer - tree cover and immediate access to the South Santiam made this a delight when the weather was too warm for my comfort.
