Hills Creek Reservoir

LOCATION: Hills Creek Reservoir is located 45 miles southeast of Eugene.

ACCESS: To reach the reservoir, travel east from I-5 to Highway 58. Proceed on Hwy 58 to the east end of Oakridge, near milepost 37. Turn right onto Kitson Springs Road. After one-half mile you can proceed straight ahead, or turn right and continue about one mile to the reservoir.

FACILITIES: There are three boat ramps located on the reservoir.

* CT Beach is on the east side of the lake. CT also provides a few sites for picnicking. There is a vault toilet and a Northwest Forest Pass is required to use this site.

* Bingham boat ramp is located at the south end of the reservoir. Just before the developed parking area is a bridge that crosses the reservoir. Many anglers line up along the bridge to fish on a sunny afternoon. There is a vault toilet and a bench located at this site. A Northwest Forest Pass is required to use this site.

* Packard Creek is the only year round ramp available on the reservoir. It is utilized all winter when the water is low. The boat launch is situated within the campground and adjacent to a day-use swim area. The swim area offers a nice grassy area to lay your towel out and a dock to swim to. Both day-use sites in Packard Creek are operated by a concessionaire and require the user to purchase a daily or season pass from them.

Packard Creek Campground is a 36 unit campground with a reservation group site available. The campground is situated on a large flat beside the reservoir. Many families will spend a week here so that they can enjoy all of the available water activities.

Larison Cove and Cline Clark are two small picnic areas located on the west side of the reservoir. Larison Cove has a canoe dock and as you paddle up the cove you will discover five picnic sites with a table, fire ring and dock. Larison Cove requires a NWFP.

There are several dispersed camps available along Forest Road 2118, which travels down the east side of the reservoir.

ACTIVITIES: Boating (motor and non-motor), kayaking, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing, fishing year round. Visitors find many opportunities for dispersed camping, picnicking, swimming and wildlife viewing.

SERVICES: Food, gas and lodging are available in nearby city of Oakridge

ABOUT the RESERVOIR: The 2,735-acre reservoir is located in the mountains of the Willamette National Forest, near the community of Oakridge. The Army Corps of Engineers built Hills Creek Reservoir in 1961. The dam was built to provide flood control, irrigation, power generation, water-based recreation and improved down stream navigation. The 44-mile shoreline of this reservoir is managed to provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and waterfowl.

WATER LEVEL: Water levels and boat ramp accessibility information is available from the Oregon State Marine Board website link offsite Look for Hills Creek Reservoir in the section titled "Willamette Valley Basin."

COMMENTS: Packard Creek Campground has an abundance of Poison Oak through out the campground. See the posters with a picture and description that are located on bulletin boards within the campground.

Larison Cove is a non-motorized portion of the reservoir.

Power boats must follow the 5-mph speed limit around the swimming area, boat ramps and spillway area before the dam.

(Data provided by the US Forest Service (Willamette National Forest)