North Santiam is a small Oregon State Parks campground on the North Santiam River between Lyons and Mill City, an hour and a half from Portland and 45 minutes from Salem.
In September 2020 the Beachie Creek Fire burned straight through it. The canyon’s state parks have all reopened since, but the campground in our photos, with its gravel pads under big-leaf maples and the river a minute or two away, is the one from the year before.
Quick facts
- Run by
- Oregon State Parks
- Sites in 2019
- 13 on our map
- Fee in 2019
- $10 a night
- The fire
- Beachie Creek Fire, September 2020. It “burned straight through” the campground
- Now
- The canyon’s state parks reopened by 2025. Check Oregon State Parks for camping this season
- From Portland
- About 73 miles, an hour and a half
- From Salem
- About 30 miles, 45 minutes, up OR 22
In 2019, before the fire
- Closest to the river: 6, 5, 8, 7 About 210 to 280 feet in a straight line.
- Under the maples: 2, 3, 4, 5
- Sunniest in our photos: 9, 11, 13 Site 11’s tree had been cut down. “Now it’s a sunny spot,” says the note on it.
- Accessible: 1 Its post carried a “Reserved” sign with the accessibility symbol.
Every site, as it was in 2019
| Site | To the river | Next site | In our photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 520 ft | 70 ft | gravel pad; a “Reserved” sign with the accessibility symbol on its post |
| 2 | 560 ft | 70 ft | under big-leaf maples, deep in fallen leaves |
| 3 | 390 ft | 70 ft | gravel pad under maples |
| 4 | 360 ft | 70 ft | gravel pad by mossy maples |
| 5 | 230 ft | 70 ft | grassy, under maples |
| 6 | 230 ft | 70 ft | gravel pad against the brush |
| 7 | 260 ft | 30 ft | dirt pad opening onto a clearing |
| 8 | 260 ft | 30 ft | dirt pad under trees |
| 9 | 330 ft | 50 ft | open and sunny, dry grass |
| 10 | 390 ft | 50 ft | gravel pad |
| 11 | 390 ft | 30 ft | open and sunny, with a stump where the tree was |
| 12 | 430 ft | 30 ft | grassy, maples turning in October |
| 13 | 520 ft | 100 ft | grassy, autumn color all around |
Distances are straight lines from each pin, to the water and to the nearest neighbor, so read them as “about”. Photos from summer and fall 2019.
Questions
- Did the 2020 fire burn North Santiam?
- Yes. Oregon State Parks said the Beachie Creek Fire burned straight through the campground in September 2020.
- Is it open now?
- Oregon State Parks has reopened all of its Santiam Canyon recreation areas, OPB reported in July 2025. Check Oregon State Parks for this season’s camping before you go.
- How far is the river?
- From sites 5 to 8, about 210 to 280 feet in a straight line; from the farthest, sites 1, 2 and 13, about 520 to 560 feet.
- What did a site cost?
- $10 a night when we mapped it in 2019. Check today’s fee with Oregon State Parks.
Checked October 2026 with OPB, September 2020, OPB, July 2025 and OpenStreetMap (the North Santiam River). Been there since? Tell us what has changed: support@tentspots.com.
Amenities
ACCESSIBLE
WATER
13 Camping Spots
