FAQ

Commonly Asked Questions

Linn County Parks & Recreation Office Hours:

  • Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Office is closed on all major holidays.

Linn County Parks & Recreation cannot guarantee reservoir water levels/access, swimmable water conditions, open showers or restrooms (except portable toilets), use of open flames or generators as seasonal and/or weather conditions arise.

 

Camping Reservations:

  • All reservations MUST be made at least 24 hours prior to your desired arrival date.
  • Reservations can be made up to 9 months to arrival date. 
  • It is strongly recommended that you book reservations online at Linnparks.com.  You may also make reservations by calling the parks office, at 541-967-3917, during regular business hours; M-F, 8:30-5:00PM.  The parks office is closed on all major holidays.
  • What you see on the availability grid is what our reservations specialist see as well; if the diamond is red, the site is not available for reservations.
  • It is strongly recommended that you set-up an account on the parks reservation page; by setting up an account you can view current and past reservations.
  • If you are making a reservation for Memorial Day, 4th of July or the Labor Day Holiday; a three day minimum is required.
  • If you did not receive your reservation confirmation, via e-mail, please check your spam account.
  • Camping fees must be paid in full when reserving.  We are unable to take payments.
  • We cannot “hold” sites.
  • You must be at least 18 years of age to make a reservation.
  • The registered camper is directly responsible for the activities of everyone at the site, as well as financially responsible for any damages that occur.
  • Reservations are highly recommended to secure a campsite; reservations can be made nine months to arrival date.

Group Camp Reservations:

  • John Neal Memorial Park Group Camp, Quartzville Group Camp, Rocky Top Bridge Group Camp & Sunnyside Group camp can be booked by calling the parks office at 541-967-3917.
  • River Bend Group Camp can be booked online by visiting Linnparks.com or by calling the office during regular business hours.
  • Camping fees must be paid in full when reserving.  We are unable to take payments.

Picnic Shelter Reservations:

  • Picnic shelter reservations must be made by calling the parks office at 541-967-3917 during regular business hours.
  • A special-use permit form is required if you plan on any large structures such as; bouncy castles, water slides, stages, an event tent, portable toilets, etc. in our parks. You will be required to provide insurance for these items.
  • The following parks have picnic shelters:
    • Cascadia County Park
    • John Neal Memorial Park
    • River Bend County Park
    • Roaring River County Park
    • Sunnyside County Park
    • Waterloo County Park
  • Shelter fees must be paid in full when reserving.  We are unable to take payments.

If you are having issues with making camping reservations, via the internet, please check the following:

  • Create an account prior to reserving online.  By having an account, you will have easy access to current and past reservations.
  • Turn off your pop up blocker.
  • You will not be able to book online if it is within 24 hours of your preferred arrival date.
  • Make sure you are not trying to reserve more than 12 months prior to your arrival date.
  • Weekends are a two day minimum; the reservation system will not show you available sites if you are attempting to only book one night.
  • Holidays are a three day minimum; the reservation system will not display available sites if you are attempting to only book two nights.

USFS Reservations/Cancellations:

  • Reservations/Cancellations must be made through Recreation.Gov.
  • Linn County Parks manages the following USFS Parks within the Willamette National Forest:
    • Fernview (Group Camp, you may book this site up to 12 months from arrival date)
    • House Rock (Individual Sites, you may book sites up 6 months from arrival date)
    • Longbow  (Group Camp, you may book this site up to 12 months from arrival date)
    • Lost Prairie  (Group Camp, you may book this site up to 12 months from arrival date)
    • Trout Creek  (Individual Sites, you may book sites up 6 months from arrival date)
    • Yukwah  (Individual Sites, you may book sites up 6 months from arrival date)

Reservation Changes and Cancellations:

  • You cannot cancel or change your reservation through the reservation system; you will need to call, or email, the office during regular business hours.
  • Cancellations within 4 days of scheduled arrival date will not receive a refund.
  • Cancellation within 5-14 days of scheduled arrival will be refunded all but the reservation fee ($12) and the 1st night camping fee.
  • Cancellations of overnight stays made 15 or more days, in advance of your scheduled arrival date, will be refunded all but the reservation fee ($12).
  • There are no additional fees to extend your arrival or departure date.

Reservations of 6 or more nights changes and cancellations:

  • You cannot cancel or change your reservation through the reservation system; you will need to call, or email, the office during regular business hours.
  • Changes to your arrival date will be charged the nightly rate plus a $12 change fee. No refunds will be given and all fees for overnight stays will be retained.
  • Early departures: Shortening of the departure date will incur a $12 reservation change fee. The nightly camping fees for the night(s) dropped will be refunded.
  • There are no additional fees to extend your arrival or departure date.
  • This policy came in to effect as folks were booking ahead of the year to arrival date policy and then canceling the dates off of the front of their reservation at a later date; in essence cheating the system.

Group Site changes and cancellations:

  • You cannot cancel or change your reservation through the reservation system; you will need to call, or email, the office during regular business hours.
  • Cancellations made 31 days or more in advance will be refunded all but the $50 reservation fee.
  • Cancellations made within 15-30 days of arrival date will be refunded all but the $50 reservation fee and 1st night camping fee.
  • Cancellations made within 14 days of scheduled arrival will not receive a refund.

Boat Moorage

  • Sunnyside County Park has boat moorage available; moorage is reservation only and is $15 per night.
  • Edgewater has both seasonal moorage and daily moorage.
    • Daily moorage is for camping guests only.
    • Seasonal moorage, May 1 thru September 30, is by application only.  Contact the parks office for more information.

Boat Ramps

  • Buell Miller Boat Ramp
  • Foster Reservoir
    • Calkins Boat Ramp
    • Gedney Boat Ramp
    • Sunnyside Boat Ramp
  • Green Peter Reservoir
    • Thistle Creek Boat Ramp
    • Whitcomb Creek Boat Ramp
  • Lyons-Mehama Boat Ramp
  • McCartney Boat Ramp
  • Peoria Boat Ramp
  • Stayton Bridge Boat Ramp
  • Waterloo

Oregon State Marine Board

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Accessing Park Rules:
  • Booking of multiple camp sites:
    • If you are booking multiple sites, you are responsible for the guests in all camp sites under your name, and for the condition in which the site is kept and/or left.
    • Should there be an issue with a guest in one of the sites you reserved, you may all be asked to leave the park and you may be issued a notice of violation even if you are not the one who has caused the issue.
    • If you are entitled to a discount, you will ONLY receive a discount on one site even if the other guests would be entitled to a discount.  If they are eligible for a discount, they will need to book their own site in order to receive the discount.
  • Camping Fee Discounts:
    • Stacking of discounts is not permitted – one discount per site.
      • Booking of multiple sites for the same period of time; only one discount will be allowed on one site.  Other sites will not receive a discount.
    • Senior citizens are persons age 62 years and older.  50% of the adult campers in the site must be senior citizens in order to receive the discount.
    • Linn County residents who possess a valid Oregon Drivers License with a Linn County address are entitled to a $4 discount on one campsite per night.
    • Disabled Veterans who possess a State-issued Disabled Veteran Discount Card are entitled to the Linn County Senior Citizen rate; one campsite per card.  Veteran must occupy site and display state discount card.
  • Camping stay limit:
    • There is a 14-day camping limit, in any 30 day period, at Linn County Parks.  This is a rolling 30-day period so any number of stays totaling over 14 days within 30 days of each other is not permitted. It is not sufficient to change campgrounds; this rule applies to all parks in the Linn County Parks system.
    • Linn County Campgrounds are for recreational use only.
  • Clear Lake Resort:
    • Row boat & kayak rentals are first come, first serve.  Renters of a row boat are required to bring their own Coast Guard approved flotation device(s) (life jacket) for each occupant of the boat; limited vests are available at the resort.
    • You may bring you own non-motorized boat or stand up paddle board.
    • Power boats of any kind are not allowed on the lake.
    • The year-round average water temperature is 43 degrees. (Swimming is not recommended due to the near freezing temperature).
    • Clear Lake does not have WIFI or Cell Phone service.
  • Extra Vehicle Parking:
    • Campsites are limited to the camping unit (Tent or RV) plus 1 tow vehicle; additional vehicles are charged a $7 per night fee unless parked in the overflow parking area.
  • Fires:
    • Do not leave campfires unattended.
    • Campfires must be in a designated campfire ring.
  • Fireworks:
    • Fireworks are not permitted in any Linn County owned or managed facilities.
  • First Come, First Serve Site Availability:
    • House Rock has 3 FC/FS sites.
    • John Neal Memorial Park does not have FC/FS sites.
    • River Bend County Park has 13 FC/FS sites.
    • Sunnyside County Park has 20 FC/FS sites.
    • Trout Creek has 7 FC/FS sites.
    • Waterloo County Park has 11 FC/FS sites.
    • Whitcomb Creek County Park does not have FC/FS sites.
    • Yukwah has 4 FC/FS sites.
  • First Come, First Served Campers:
    • Select an available camp site.  An available site does not have a camp permit on the kiosk board.
    • If the site is paid for, it is considered occupied whether or not someone is physically in the site.
    • For reservable sites, verify check-in dates on reservation cards for site availability. You may stay one night.
    • You must fill out all information on the camp fee envelope and include full payment.  Envelopes must be legible.
  • First Come, First Serve Do Nots:
    • Do Not remove Reservation Tags or Camp Permits from the kiosk board.
    • Do Not register for a campsite that has a permit on the kiosk board, whether the site appears to be vacant or not.  Campsites will be available only when park staff remove the permits and/or reservations cards from the kiosk board.
    • Do Not contact current campers to determine their departure date.  This behavior will be considered a public nuisance and a violation of park rules.
  • Group Camps:
    • Group camps are not exclusive usage.
    • The general public can still walk into a group camp, use the river frontage and/or use the public restroom facilities.
  • Park Hours:
    • Day-use areas open dawn (30 minutes before sunrise) to dusk (30 minutes after sunset).
    • Lewis Creek County Park opens at 10:00AM and closes at dusk.
  • Pets:
    • Please do not leave your pet unattended at the campsite.
    • Dogs must be on a leash of six feet in length or less or kept in an adequately ventilated vehicle, or secured in an animal crate or carrier when outside of a vehicle or camping unit.
    • No more than two pets per campsite.
    • Pets are not allowed in the cabins or yurts at River Bend County Park.
    • Pets are not allowed in the yurts at Whitcomb Creek County Park.
    • Pets are allowed in the cabins at Clear Lake with payment of a pet fee, however, they are not allowed in the yurt.
  • Quiet Hours:
    • Quiet hours are 10 PM – 7 AM; generators must be turned off during quiet hours.
    • No person may make any noise that would reasonably disrupt normal sleeping activities during quiet hours.
  • RV Dump Station:
    • RV dump stations are for usage by park patrons only; must be camped at the park.
    • There is a $7 fee to dump at River Bend County Park and at Waterloo County Park.
  • Showers:
    • Showers are offered to registered guests only.
  • WIFI:
    • WIFI is not available in any of the Linn County Parks.

What is the reservation fee for?

  • The non-refundable reservation fee helps cover the cost of staff overhead, the reservation computer system, maintenance and reservation software.

What is done with the camping fees that are collected?

  • Visitor fees are vital to sustaining Linn County Parks.  100% of the revenue collected, through visitor fees, goes right back to parks and sites to fund new construction, improvement projects, park maintenance and personnel.

Do you have a plan for future parks development?

go View the Linn County Master Plan
Comments are encouraged, as this will help us plan for the future of our parks.
go Recreation Plan for Green Peter Reservoir

Are all of the Linn County Parks open year round?

Cascadia County Park, John Neal Memorial County Park, Sunnyside County Park & Whitcomb Creek County Park close for purposes of camping, in the fall, and re-open in the spring.  You can still access trails in these parks as well as the boat launch at Sunnyside County Park.

The Lewis Creek County Park gate closes the end of September and reopens in late May.  You can still access the park by parking on the road and walking in.

Clear Lake Resort, River Bend County Park and Waterloo County Park provide year round camping, and/or yurt and cabin facilities (some services at these parks are reduced in the winter months).

Are there other web sites you suggest I visit?

Albany Chamber of Commerce

Build Lebanon Trail (BLT)

Jackson County Parks

Lane County Parks

Lebanon Chamber of Commerce

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

Oregon Department of Forestry – FIRE

Oregon State Marine Board

Oregon State Parks

Recreation.Gov

Reserve America

Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce

Plan Your Trip

Linn County Parks offers family-friendly well-maintained parks, fishing, boating, camping, museums, and historic sites.

Find a Park

Hiking trails, waterfalls, covered bridges, and swimming areas are among the points of interest at our 30 parks.

Places to Camp

Spend a weekend in the heart of the Willamette valley at one of more than 400 campsites.