Southshore at Detroit Lake Campground
Site 22
6.28.19 - 6.30.19
Full cell service, full internet

We were joined by a bunch of friends for this trip and this site was perfect for 5 people. This campground is about 7ish minutes past Hoover Campground where we went last year. Southshore is much more elevated and I thought our site would be right on the lake but it was atop a cliff above the late and the surrounding trees blocked out a lot of what would have been an amazing view otherwise. The site itself was HUGE and spacious, and very private.

This campground has a boat ramp and its a short walk to a rocky lakeside beach. Unfortunately there are really cliffy patches along the lake so you can’t really walk around the lake too much, at least not on the south side. The Stahlman Point Trail is pretty close to the campground but its really steep! Our friends walked the trail (we don’t do steep) and we walked down to the rocky beach and around Cove Creek Campground which was down the road. Their facilities were fancy! They have showers, full toilets, sinks, mirrors, lights! But the sites looked crowded, small, and pretty exposed. I don’t think we’ll book a spot there although they have better lake access, but I prefer Hoover overall.

On Saturday evening we rented a 10 person pontoon from the Detroit Lake Marina which was the BEST. But given its high summer season, most of the boats were reserved and we only got a 2 hour window at the end of the day. Definitely make a note to reserve this ahead of time for next year.

Detroit Lake remains to be my favorite lake in Oregon (thus far). Its unbelievably beautiful and I want to camp here at least once every year, forever.

Pros:

• Hugh private spot with a view of the lake through the trees
• The picnic table, bench, and firepit was close to the carport for maximum convenience
• About 15 minutes to Detroit Marina and town

Cons:

• Outhouse bathrooms - not the worst, not the best
• On a cliff so no direct lake access
• Farther from home, Hoover or north shore campgrounds would be a closer drive