Last summer we had a fun filled week of cousin time in Southern Oregon. We golfed, took a jet boat ride, attended a private backyard concert, did a little winetasting, laughed a lot and spent three amazing days playing in the Oregon Dunes north of Coos Bay. It was a great time.
Before all that fun, we had to get there. The drive from Arizona to Oregon is a long one, even for us with our monster drive days. We stopped at our usual spot in Bakersfield, arriving after dark and departing early. We spent a few days in Pleasanton so we could spend time with family then continued our journey north. Our spot on that journey north was Red Bluff KOA. It’ll be our stopover spot for any trips that take us into and through Northern California.
It’s a little oasis tucked behind a shopping center and borders the Sacramento River and Interstate 5. Up until recently, it was Durango RV Park.
The staff was friendly, our check in was a breeze. Our space was close to 100 feet making it plenty long enough for our RV and RZR trailer. The sites were clean with pretty level concrete pads. We got level with minimal adjustments, which is perfect when you’re only stopped for a night. Since it was just a night, we only took our two camp chairs. The grass was a nice buffer between sites; we saw several groups camping together that gathered their camp tables for one long one.
Our site was on the quieter side of the park, far from the freeway. There are three large fountains in the middle of the park that help mitigate freeway noise. They also group the long-term guests in the spaces closest to the freeway.
The entrance is gated, the building where you check in is also the camp store stocked with the usual camp store items. The main lodge is a beautiful building with a large gathering room and smaller rooms off to the side. It also serves as the pool house with a large patio opening to the fun pool.
The River Room at the back of the park close to the river serves as an activity room and shower area for the tent spaces. It’s next to the nice walking path that meanders along the river which we used to burn up some of Daisy’s puppy energy after we got set up.
The couple that checked in before us asked about a place for dinner within walking distance. Our ears perked when the staff member told them about the fabulous pies at Shari’s Café and Pies, not even 200 yards from the campground entrance! We already had an easy dinner ready to go so we decided to just get a piece of pie. It was after 7 by the time we walked over for our pie and they were out of my first two choices. The marionberry pie was a delicious “third choice.
It is more expensive than a usual KOA. There are many activities nearby for a longer stay. Mount Lassen National Park is about an hour and Lake Almanor are about 1.5 hours along with nearby jetboat rides.
We’ll definitely stay here the next time our adventures take us north along I-5.