Collier Memorial State Park ~ Oregon

Oregon is the land of deep forests and there is a lot of pioneer logging history to discover in this state. In the Klamath region of southwest Oregon, there is a place to experience old west logging history to the fullest extent. The Collier Memorial State Park is the destination to look for and when driving on Dalles-California Highway (Highway 97) this park is difficult to miss. The Collier State Park Logging Museum is located on the roadside and the gigantic logging equipment certainly does have a way of making passers by slow down to take a closer look.

The Logging Museum definitely is the main attraction at Collier State Park and the roadside eye candy sure does draw people in. It is not everyday that age old logging equipment can be seen in mint condition, especially the antique wooden heavy equipment. Much of the logging equipment on display is from the age of natural horse power and steam engines, while several pieces from the early 1900s can be viewed too. Gigantic buzz saws, extra heavy duty wagons and logging artifacts of every kind are on display, which are fascinating to ponder over. Plenty of information about the logging history and railroad operations of this region is available in the self guided tour booklets, so a visit will be a good learning experience for the entire family. 

Collier State Park also features an authentic pioneer village, primitive horse camp and a vast wilderness area where the Williamson River and Spring Creek converge. A Winema National Forest campground is located by the river and the State Park has a developed campground too, so setting up a basecamp onsite is easy to do. Anglers will be pleased to know that the Williamson River is famous for record size Rainbow Trout, which is even more inspiration to camp locally in the area.

Sadly, Collier State Park was affected by the Two Four Two Wildfire of 2020, so the campground will not reopen till 2022. Currently the entire park is open as a day use area and this has always been a great spot for an afternoon picnic, especially for tourists heading to Crater Lake National Park, which is in the same region. Fortunately the Logging Museum was unscathed and it is still open, so be sure to check out this interesting destination when traveling on The Dalles-California Highway!