Cascadia Day-Use Area is a beautiful destination along the South Santiam River just off Highway 20, near the Short Bridge, one of Oregon’s historic covered bridges.

In the 1930s, the Cascadia Ranger Station was built here, and this site was part of the Santiam National Forest and later became part of the Willamette National Forest. In 1963, a new ranger station was completed in Sweet Home.

This is a beautiful, small park with picnic tables, an information kiosk explaining the area's history, and the only remaining historic covered bridge over the South Fork of the Santiam River.

The river, flowing between rocky slopes, is deep under and downstream of the bridge. There are shallows and gravel bars upstream of the bridge. This is a place for sunbathing, wading, and rockhounding.

The historic Cascadia State Park, managed by Linn County, is located 2 miles east.

Cascadia Day-Use Area doesn't have camping, but the nearby Cascadia County Park does. The park campground sits along Soda Creek and has 25 single, first-come, first-served campsites with picnic tables and fire rings at each site. There are also 2 group sites for groups of up to 50 people, which should be reserved in advance.

If you are looking for more comfortable accommodations, you can find plenty of options in Sweet Home.

Affordable vacation rentals for short and long-term stays at Sweet Home