Few People Know There’s A Beautiful State Recreation Area Hiding In This Tiny Oregon Town

There's a state recreation area about an hour east of Salem that's beautiful you should visit it. However, there's a pretty good chance you've never even heard of it. It's right next to the town of Detroit, Oregon. Have you heard of that? Probably not - it only has a population of 194.

Unfortunately, much of this area and town burned in 2020 when the Beachie Creek, Lionshead, and P-515 fires merged into one big fire and passed right through town. Over 1,500 structures in Santiam Canyon were destroyed, but the Detroit Lake State Recreation Area adjacent to the town of Detroit is still a wonderful place to spend a weekend. The area is bouncing back and Detroit and surrounding towns can really benefit from tourism and visitors as they rebuild. Read on to learn more about the Detroit Lake State Recreation Area in Oregon and then go there soon!

The small town of Detroit, Oregon, is itty bitty! This small town doesn't have a lot of residents or businesses, but it has plenty for a town of its size, even after the devastating fires that passed through this area in 2020.

This small town is in the Santiam State Forest, about halfway between Salem and Sisters.

The big draw to this area, though, is Detroit Lake State Recreation Area. Detroit Lake is a reservoir that was created in 1953. It's nine miles long and one mile wide, and it has a surface area of 3,500 acres.

This reservoir was created by this dam. Before the dam was built, the Oregon Pacific Railroad ran through here, but it went out of service in 1950.

The dam was built as part of the Willamette Valley Projects and was initially intended for flood control and power generation. However, today it's mainly used for recreation and to store water for the city of Salem and other nearby communities.

Detroit Lake is a wonderful place for all sorts of water recreation. You'll find boaters here most of the year and there's a marina in Detroit.

Unmotorized water sports are popular here. Kayaking, canoeing, row boating, sailing, and paddle boarding are all things that people love to do on this lake.

Of course, there's lots of motorized boating here, too. This lake is great for waterskiing.

Fishing is a popular past time at Detroit Lake. It's stocked annually with 125,000 rainbow trout. You also might catch chinook salmon, brown bullhead catfish, or other species here.

Plus, the lake has 32 miles of shoreline, so there's lots to do on land as well. You can hike around much of the lake and enjoy beautiful views like this one.

There are nearly 300 campsites within this state recreation area. Approximately 107 of them have full hookups, 68 are electric with water, and 96 are tent sites. In the campgrounds, there are flush toilets and showers, swimming areas, firewood, a playground, sports fields and courts, boat ramps, and more!

This campground was mostly unaffected by the fires.

There's also a good chance that you'll see some wildlife during your visit.

Some of it may even come right up to you!

If you take the time to explore the surrounding forest just off the shoreline of the lake, you'll see pretty streams and creeks like this one, too.

Although some of the forest near this recreation area burned in the fires, most of the trees survived and it's still a very woodsy area.

Detroit Lake State Recreation Area is a fantastic spot to visit to enjoy some outdoor recreation in Oregon. You'll love it!

Detroit Lake State Recreation Area is a special spot in Oregon that you should not overlook. It's still amazing - even after the fires of 2020 - and it's calling your name. As you can see, there are plenty of fun things to do there for a weekend - or longer. Book a campsite there this summer and fall in love. You'll want to go back every year. Visit Detroit and patronize the local businesses and help the fine folks who live in this part of Oregon to rebuild.

If you're looking for more great places to camp in Oregon, check out our Camping in Oregon page for more inspiration and ideas!