About this place
Two sites, and nothing else. Fawn Creek Campground sits along the river.
There is a small boat ramp. It puts you on the water where Fawn Creek meets the Smith River.
The Smith River is named after Jedediah Smith, the fur trapper and explorer. In July 1828, 15 men of his party were killed in an attack near its mouth, where Reedsport is now.
The facts
- Cost
- Free to camp
- Type
- Specific campsite
- Managed by
- Bureau of Land Management
Getting there
From Reedsport, take Highway 101 north for 1/4 mile. Turn right onto the Smith River Road and go about 25 miles. There is no sign. Look for an old road running alongside the main road, between it and the river.
Coordinates 43.78445, -123.83093
Open in Google Maps Agency page
What is near here
Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.
- Tahkenitch Lake Directions
- Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park Directions
- Cleawox Lake Directions
- Siltcoos Lake Directions
Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.
Nearest town and supplies
- Gardiner, OR Directions
- Reedsport, OR Directions
Reedsport is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.
Why the drive to town is usually twice what the map says — what we found measuring every campsite in this guide.
When it’s time to move on
On most public land you can camp for 14 days before you have to move on. Check this site’s own limit before you plan a long stay. When you move on, the Bureau of Land Management usually wants you at least 25 to 30 miles away. So the free campsites closest to you are the ones you cannot use.
Two in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Hult Dam & Reservoir, Oregon — 36 miles in a straight line, but a 76 mile drive.
This guide covers five states and does not list every free campsite, so there may be something closer that we do not hold. Check this site’s own rule before you rely on it.
Have you been here?
Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.
Thank you, that is recorded. It helps the next person.
Add road notes for this site
The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.
Thank you. A person will read it before it goes on the page.
Where this information comes from
The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Bureau of Land Management’s own records, read in August 2026.