About Detroit Lake
In the summer months, this 3,500-acre, 9-mile long lake in the Cascades below Mt. Jefferson is a popular recreation area for fishing, boating, water skiing, swimming, camping, and picnicking. The U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation and operate numerous boat ramps, campgrounds and day-use areas around the lake. Two privately owned marinas are located near the town of Detroit. Both Detroit and Big Cliff lakes are located 43 miles southeast of Salem on the North Fork of the Santiam River. They are operated by the Corps of Engineers as part of a system of thirteen multi-purpose dams and reservoirs that make up the Willamette Valley Project. These dams and reservoirs work together for the purposes of flood damage reduction, hydropower generation, irrigation, recreation, fish and wildlife enhancement, and downstream water quality improvement within the Willamette…
- Managed by: Willamette National Forest, FS
- Where: 4 mi southwest of Detroit, OR · 44.71042, -122.22038
Things to do:
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jul–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Dec–Mar.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall's Ridge Road | ATV road | 0.1 mi | 5.7 mi |
| Slate Creek Road | ATV road | 1.6 mi | 5.0 mi |
| Tumble Ridge | Hiking | 1.8 mi | 5.2 mi |
| Piety | Hiking | 2.4 mi | 0.9 mi |
| Tumble Lake | Hiking | 2.6 mi | 1.1 mi |
| Blowout Arm | Hiking | 2.9 mi | 0.2 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
Verizon 4G · AT&T 5G · T-Mobile 5G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way shows rich detail, horizon to horizon.
Class 2 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Stargazing nearby: Sisters (Dark Sky Community), 44 mi.
Dump station: 23.9 mi
Propane: 20.3 mi
Camps nearby
- Detroit Ranger District (Us Highway 22) 1.5 mi
- Southshore Campground 2.2 mi
- Detroit Lake State Park Campground 2.6 mi
- Cove Creek Campground 3 mi
- Piety Island Campground 3.1 mi
- Hoover Campground 4.8 mi