John Neal Memorial Park — Attraction in Oregon

Love this park! It is a small one compared to most that are up Santiam Canyon. However it is usually very quiet until camping season arrives. Then it is almost always full so it is important to get a reservation. There are flush bathrooms and a children's play area as well and a covered picnic area for a large group. It has several sites on the Santiam river and a boat ramp as well. There is a large open grass area for volleyball or other team games. In addition there is a group camping area. If course with social distancing most of it is closed to use until the park is free to open completely. There are hiking trails and lots of wildlife to see. There has been problems with vandalism of the areas around the ponds - which has had a negative impact on the habitat. No horses or motorized vehicles allowed on the bike paths and because of the ponds of water children should always have an adult. People with older kids PLEASE explain to them how important it is to leave the beaver dams and wildlife as they found it so others can enjoy it also. Altering what is naturally there does cause beautiful species like the wood duck to have...

We camped here 5 nights and had a decent experience. The weekend gets packed with people who don’t always follow the rules (ie: dogs off leash). The week was pretty quiet with only a couple other campers. Fire pits and picnic tables available. Access to the river. Call host was very friendly and helpful. There’s a 1.5 mile trail you can check out and wild blackberries available for picking (in summer). Our biggest complaint were the bugs. The mosquitoes ate my partner alive and I got stung twice by a yellow jacket. These occurrences made us want to remain in our rig the whole time. Plus, it was hot and muggy. Also, a few questionable people occasionally hang out at the park and seem to be regulars that frequent for the facilities. All in all it wasn’t a bad experience since we were staying here so we could visit silver falls state park and Salem, both about 30 mins away. Not much to do around...

Beautiful park setting with ample parking and good for camping. The river runs along an estuary with birds and a wide array of wildflowers and is clean and well maintained. The host on-site is friendly and knowledgeable. It’s not a big park but it’s a wildlife area filled with natural wonders.

There’s areas for activities with a kid play set and a volley ball court. There’s a boat launch but it’s no longer useable.

Fisherman frequent the area and the campsites are clean. In the summer kids swim in the shallows of the river near the old bait lunch.

It’s a charming slice of wilderness in a natural setting near forest and the local town of Lyons.

It can get quite busy but in my recent visit I enjoyed the quiet solitude of a forest setting and the wild roses in the preserve area mixed with wild flowers and blooming blackberry brambles that had a heavenly fragrance I’ll never forget....