Russian River Complex

Sites are large and level. This is a rising spot! If you don't fish, there are a few hikes to do and the forest is nice. Water is readily available throughout each loop. Bathrooms are more sparse! Good fire rings. many access paths to river. Road getting into campground is quite rough with pot holes and heaves; once in the campground, there are large speed bumps. Single bar of ATT cell service.

This campsite is part of the National Forest. We stayed on a weekday so there were available sites but I suspect they are more difficult to find on weekends. There was water nearby but you could not hook up. No power or sewer. There was a dump station on the way out. Although it feels remote it is close enough to the highway to hear highway noise constantly. No cell or TV service. This is bear country so bring bear spray. The main attraction is salmon fishing in the nearby Russian River. The park did not allow re-entry so once in you stay in. The sites were paved but tight for long rigs. There is excellent separation from other sites. It is a bit of a walk to a pit toilet. No showers.

We were looking for a place to camp that would be convenient for hiking in the area. We're self-contained in our 25 foot MH and don't use the facilities. We stayed on a weeknight in mid-August. We arrived late in the afternoon without a reservation and were able to get a site. The CG did not fill during our stay. Fees are $18/night, $9 with a senior pass. This is a very nice CG located near several trailheads. There are 83 sites arrayed in 5 loops. Most sites are generously sized with level paved parking pads. Most sites are in the trees with a mix of sun and shade and good privacy. The CG is away from the main road and was very quiet. There's potable water and a dump station along the main road into the CG. There're dumpsters in each loop. There was a strong Verizon cell signal and no ATT service. Many people in the CG were fishing in the nearby Russian and Kenai Rivers. The hike to Russian River Falls was fun.

We pulled in here without any reservations. The sign at the road said the campground was full but we knew they had an overflow lot.

Checking in at the ranger station, he informed us that it was not a problem as they had plenty of sites (1:00 on a Wednesday in Aug). He gave us a map and said we could have any of the following 5 sites spread across 3 loops. Off we go to loop 1 - wow, the campground loops are narrow and curved! We ended up in the last loop. Very little solar due to all the trees.

Easy access to hiking and the river.

Russian River campground is a NFS campground with excellent paved roads and paved driveways. Driveways are long and most sites have good separation. AT&T is available but very weak - varies between 1 & 2 bars usually, and very slow. I tried to upload photos but the connection was too slow.

This campground is VERY popular during the salmon runs - reservation will almost certainly be required. I was surprised to see that it wasn't full during mid week in mid July, but we're apparently a bit early for the second Silver run.

Bear awareness is very important. The salmon attract the bears and it's your responsibility to stay out of their way. Inappropriate food handling and food storage can be very problematic from a bear perspective and from a pocketbook perspective if you're observed leaving food and/or ice chests sitting out and about.

Drinking water is available around the campground, and there is a spigot with threads to top off your tanks as you enter the campground across from the dump. There are a couple very nice composting toilet complexes, positioned to be accessible to the many fishermen who pay parking fees to use the two large parking lots interspersed with the camping loops.

I'll try to get pictures posted in the next few days.