What's so different about personal camping at Camp Colton?
What can I expect?
• What will I need to bring?
You will need a sleeping bag and tent (it does rain in Oregon, even in summer), camp stove or grill to use over a wood fire in a fire circle, sturdy protective shoes, and flashlight, along with any food and beverage you will need. It can be very dark an night and this is a pretty natural place, without electric trail lights. Assure that you are prepared to find the way to your car or the bathroom on a moonless night.
These days it just makes good sense to have a fully charged cell phone when you leave civilization. At our place, just as it would be at a public camp ground, there are no house mothers.
Come prepared to put your food away at night in tightly sealed containers, set in your cooler, and perhaps left in the car, to avoid attracting unwanted animals to your camp site. You will need matches or a reliable lighter, and the basics of a first aid kit containing your family's favorite version of aloe or comfrey for whatever might irritate your skin.
If you think you'd like to fish in the creeks or, catch and release, in our trout lake, bring the fishing gear that will suit you best. And old tennis shoes for creek walking (look up mudpuppies, and crawdads).
No one is forced to stay longer than they want to be here, but everyone pays for at least two nights, when camping. Our rationale is that we can feel secure in knowing there is a mutual accountability to one another, guest to owner and vice versa, if the guest has made a bit of an investment. No hit and runs. People who stay around, or at least pay to stay around, are naturally more invested in outcomes.
We love to find as many ways as possible to share this amazing forest setting, but can't afford the emotional wear and tear of the presence of visitors who are unconscious of their surroundings and of the commitment we have made to sustain them. More investment, more time, more awareness all result in more rewards.
We are so sincere about our desire to have you really experience this forest that we will refund the fees for the second night, one time, to the carload of guests who can bring us a sample and state the correct common names of fifty native plants from our forest (Holly, an invader, does not count.).
• Really? $30 a night?
Yep. And guess what? You won't stay in campsites lined up in a row, each looking directly into six more! There are only four camping spots at Camp Colton. Some of them can accommodate a joint family outing, but you will not be listening in on the conversations of strangers. Each camper area is sited to take advantage of a rich, different type of "room" in the forest. And yes, you can change to another spot for a unique experience for your second night.
We provide the use of our canoe at your discretion, without supervision, with the understanding that you provide your own supervision of children, and accommodate for any life saving equipment you deem necessary. And in addition to the lake, there are two very different creeks, that run the entire length of the camp, for you to explore.
The bathroom provided is light and pleasant and has a lovely shower and hot water, without feeding a coin machine to keep it coming.
• Excuse me! What is this about the Indians?
As descendants of early occupants of this wonderful property, bona fide members of the Molalla tribe receive a two-night stay free at Camp Colton, any time.