Richardson Park Campground

The sites at Richardson Park are pretty close together - the prime spots seem to be on the perimeter.

The main attraction here is Fern Ridge Lake for boating and swimming. The water temperature while we were there was about 70 degrees.

We only stayed one night because there wasn't any cell service and we have to be able to work.

This is an all-round good campground, a county park. Located about 15-20 min outside Eugene it has the convenience of being near the city and the benefits of being away from it. The only two negatives would be that there is a bit of road noise early in the morning in the sites near Clear Lake Rd, and the showers run out of hot water by mid-morning.
The weather was cooler than in Eugene (see Alvadore on WeatherBug forecast).
The price reflects the $25/night + $10 reservation fee

There are a Day Use area and Marina at the same location although accessed by different roads and the gates to the Day Use area are closed at night. There is overflow parking at the marina so if you arrived early or came looking for a site you are able to park there for the day.

SITES: The sites are HUGE, most are surrounded by trees (except pull throughs in Camp A which are open to the sun, it looked as though there were some shaded pull throughs in Camp B), most can accomodate big rigs (we’re 33’ and easily fit) and most are completely level, some look like they may be a bit off. The back-in sites are very easy to get into and there is plenty of space on each side for slide outs and walking past them. There is complete privacy in the site and, other than those in the center of the campground, you will not see your neighbors on the sides or back.

OFFICE: The office hours are 10-12 and 2-4 (except Thurs-Sat when they stay open until 6). The hosts wear bright yellow vests and are often in the campground, cleaning, hauling wood, etc. so they are available. Reservations are HIGHLY suggested and if you don’t have them for a summer weekend it’s probably hopeless to think you’ll get one but it never hurts to ask as they do have cancellations (and they only hold no-show sites until 12n on the first scheduled day) Check in is at 2p and check out at 12n. (the overflow parking is available if you get there before 2) If you have reservations you can check in when the office is open and get your pass, etc. They have ice and firewood (and popsicles) for sale but otherwise provisions are available from a small store down the road or in Eugene.

HOOK-UPS: Sites have water and electric (20/30A in sites 1-26-except 6-11, 46, 47, 50 and 30/50A in 6-11 and 29-94 except 46,47 and 50. Sites 27 and 28 are Camp Host and Office areas) All sites in Camp B are 30/50A. There are 3 reserved ADA sites.

TENTS: They allow as many tents on a tent site that the space can accomodate but a 2 car and 8 person limit per site. There are dishwater disposal sites in a number of places which are excellent with a food trap screen on top and a spigot next to them. The RV dump is at the exit/entrance.

TOILETS/SHOWERS: The toilets are separate from the showers and were clean other than bits of paper on the floor next to the toilets (which may have reflected the fact that there were dozens of kids there when we were.) The showers are in huge stalls with an outside locking door with a hook and bench. They are operated by sliding an empty coin slot (like at laundromats) to start it and then turning the handle. One slide gives you 5 minutes, even if you turn the water off while soaping up, but it can be repeated. They request that showers be limited to 5 min and with the lack of hot water by mid-morning, even if not trying to save water it’s a good idea to consider the other campers. The pressure is STRONG.

CELL: There is extremely variable cell reception in the campground itself but if you walk (~5-10 min) to the far side of the marina/day use area, ATT gets 3 bars as does Verizon. We could receive texts and get a slow internet connection in the MoHo but calls dropped almost immediately so we’d make them over in the day use area. The most we got IN the MoHo was 2 bars of ATT and Verizon but most of the time it was 0-1.

RECREATION: There are no real hiking trails around the area but walking along the lake is delightful, as is bike riding. The path is paved and smooth and wide. There is a ramp to put in your canoe/kayak/boat all of which are wonderful to do on the lake. The marina is active and there are usually sailboats out (in the warm weather at least), there is a swimming area at the day use area (however, there is blue-green algae so wash off and tell kids not to drink the water and prevent your dog from doing so.) Dogs are VERY welcome and a number of people brought their dogs to swim on the hot days we were there. Sunsets and sunrises range from sublime to spectacular but there are mosquitoes at dusk so wear bug juice.

We really loved this campground and wished we could have stayed longer but did not make reservations until a week before so could not get the weekend, which was of course HOT with record highs and we had to park at Valley River Center (see review)

I was here in off-season and in Loop B which was closing for the season in 2 days. So Loop B only had a smattering of campers which turned out perfect for me. Site #91 is near the open grassy area and was great during my stay as it was a bit colder and I could get some sun. The sites in Loop B on the perimeter are mostly private and shady but as stated sit next to the road. Sites in Loop A, especially the back perimeter are pretty close to the marina and the water. Definitely cell service is variable, was able to get 2 bars LTE near the marina but at my open site in Loop B, the service was mostly 1x or for a few minutes 3G. With a booster at my site, I was able to get 4G LTE, however I don't know the speed or whether it would have stayed all day like that. This is a good alternative if you don't get into Armitage Park Campground which is closer to Eugene, OR. Now this might be due to lack of other campers in the campground (Loop B), but I actually enjoyed this park better than Armitage Park (even with no real cell service). I guess I will have to come in the high season and see if I still say that. During my stay Loop A was full but didn't seem overcrowded at all, and most of the Loop A perimeter sites (#13 - #25) seemed to have a lot of privacy.

My rate reflects a Back in, Pull thrus are $30.

Hi there. We stayed at Richardson Park because we were going to Eugene for a concert over the weekend. It’s a decent park. Very clean. Camp hosts very friendly.
2 loops and a short walk to a marina. B loop is a bit nicer and has better connectivity. We had a hard time getting Verizon signal in our site. We were there in June and it basically rained all weekend. So it was fairly quiet.
Bathrooms are basic but very clean. And shower rooms are private (which is always nice) and have very good water pressure and very hot! (Yay!)
The only reason we won’t visit again is the location. We’ve explored Eugene enough to not go back. And everything is a drive from the campground.

We stayed here for one night in September, had to pick a spot from a big board due to staff having to leave early but the park host was super nice & assisted. Drive thru, large spots and it was a really nice well-kept park. Took the pups on a walk over to the marina, very peaceful and lovely water views. Would stay here again! Happy travels!

This is a great campground. Electric and water at each site. A gorgeous lake and marina right at the campground. Paved streets and campsites. Super clean.

I've lived in Eugene for 21 years and never camped here. Not sure why, but we sure have missed out!

Clean, spacious sites. Nearby lake. Friendly hosts.

My only complaint was the lack of cell reception. They do have county WiFi, but it is weak and unreliable if you need it for work.

Can't wait to come back in August!

This county park had a lot of things going for it. Wide drives, easy curves, water and electric available, quiet, pleasant hosts, pull through spots for easy overnight stops, good spacing between the spots on the outer edges (not sure about the middle), close to the lake, lots of trees and some of the back in spots provided amazing privacy. Only negatives were lots of duck/geese poop along the path by the lake and the lake water was pretty cloudy.

This was the first camping trip in our travel trailer. We chose Richardson Park because it is only about 50 miles from our house and no windy mountain roads to get there. It is close to the town of Veneta for groceries if you need them. Our campsite felt secluded, with dense vegetation separating us from the campsites on either side. Other sites were less secluded but there is plenty of space between campsites. The bathroom and showers were clean. Our site was next to the road so we got some road noise but it wasn’t too intrusive. This is fire season in California and Oregon and there was a lot of smoke from the fires in southern Oregon and northern California. The ash was falling like a light snow and the air was grey.

80 plus county park with water/electric and tent sites. Many sites feel private with vegetation around them. It’s an older park and lacks clear signage as to what sites are in which loop. There is a walking path that leads to the Marina at Fern Ridge Reservoir and a paved walking path around the water. Excellent for dog walking in any weather. There is a busy road next to the B Loop that has a fair amount of traffic noise during the day but not bad at night.