Crooked River Campground — The Cove Palisades State Park

We followed our RV GPS and WAZE, which agreed until we got near the state park. We checked out the confirmation email, which stated to follow the signs. We could have gotten to the campground(CG) following either our RV GPS or WAZE but held steady on following the signs. We arrived at the upper Crooked River CG early, so there was no one at the check-in; however, a ranger pulled up just as we were looking at the information board and she checked us in. We then proceeded to back-in site E61 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). We had no problem backing into our site, and the pad was just long enough for our 40’ fifth wheel and F450. We only paid an$8 online booking fee with the Oregon State Park Disabled Veterans Pass. The utilities were in the middle of the site, so that was convenient. The water pressure was close to 60 psi, and we used a reducer. Verizon was 1 bar, and as we were on the northwest edge of the CG, we had no problem getting a north shot for Starlink. There are mature trees in the CG, mainly on the interior sites, so satellite could be iffy in some sites. We were here the first week of October; only the first loop and the associated bathhouse were open. Sites on the NW edge of the CG from E71- E41 could be good for north or south satellites. Sites E65- E55 on the edge provide very nice mountain views. They have a large(about 1/4 acre) fenced dog park on the east side of the CG. Madras, 15 minutes away, has your major amenities. We enjoyed seeing deer moving around the CG, plus amazing views of the mountains and canyon.

Cove Palisades state park is pretty rad, especially if you’ve got a family! There’s a playground, a fenced in dog park, trail heads, showers, and a cute little camp store. If you’re looking for seclusion, this probably isn’t the park for you. But if you can get roll with the communal feel, Cove Palisades is great.

Warning: gets scorching-hot in high summer!

Great for anyone who loves doing things on the water but be advised, lots of noise from boats when it's busy!

Lovely hiking but limited: there are really only two in total: if you're camping at Deschutes, you can make a lovely 4.5-mile daily walk which is almost all on trails, and it's so nice I'd return to this park just to be able to go on this walk again! There is also the well-known Tamalau trail which goes a mile up to the top of the canyon and then for miles on a loop around the mesa--the complete walk is 7 miles plus the distance to your campsite. The hike to the top is only recommended when it's cool, so early morning or a day that's not hot. It's not particularly hard but it's exposed and murderously hot when it's a warm day. (In other words, "hotter than Satan's XXXXXXX!!") Once you get to the top, it's all exposed too--this hike comes with posted warnings for overheating and they are not kidding! We've done it twice--once when it was too hot and the other time when it was cool and overcast--perfect!

If you want any more hiking, there is another short hike from the campground across the canyon, and one other I believe, but this place is pretty devoid of trails, so keep that in mind.

Biking: good luck on that unless you like roads and sharing them with construction vehicles hell-bent on getting from Point A to Point B. Short rides around the campground loops are very nice though, but don't expect miles of trails--they aren't there and the hiking trails are not suitable for bikes.

Fishing is fantastic here, and you can rent a boat from the marina to go to the two "scum-lines", where the Crooked and Deschutes rivers meet the lake--this mixing water attracts fish like crazy and we've caught many delicious trout there! 

Water Sport Heaven! Anyone who loves boating, jet-skiing and the like will have a fabulous time here, it's a total mecca.

Campsites: this campground accommodates everyone and include primitive campsites to spaces for 60-foot+ RVs like our truck and 5th wheel, and they have plenty of full hookups too. Clean bathrooms, wonderfully kept grounds, this place is a total winner!

Cell Phone and Internet junkies: BE ADVISED, there is NO CONNECTIVITY! Even with our Wii-Boost and 20-foot antenna, there was nothing. The rare person with ATT can get a signal but Verizon users will be out of luck.

Will you be staying at The Cove Palisades?

If you are, would you please help keep the ground squirrels safe?

There is a dumpster in Loop A for the tent campers and ground squirrels climb in but they can't get out. Which means they die of heat prostration and thirst. The easy solution is to put a branch in the corner so they can climb out, which is what we did. But when I told rangers about the pile of dead squirrels I'd found and the desperate squirrels trying to escape, they nodded and said it was horrible and they'd be right on it, but they did nothing. The next time I checked, I was livid to discover I'd been lied to. I put a branch in and an hour later the trapped ones had climbed out.

If you find this is still an issue, would you please complain to the rangers and make a stink? If enough people make waves, they'll have to fix this situation. And all it takes is a branch or a ladder so they can get out. It's not right. I've often said the worst way to die is in a fire, being burned to death. That is the hell these poor squirrels are dealing with. It really needs to stop, the squirrels were here first.

There is a bit of a nerve-racking drive getting here (especially the narrow bridge), but it’s well worth it. Full hookups, no WiFi, trash and recycling can be found at the beginning of the loop. Fair number of pull throughs, along with back-ins and group sites. There is a full sized volleyball net close by along with a really nice outdoor amphitheater. C Loop has showers and flush toilets Park rangers came by daily to check parking permits (free with campsite) and to address any issues. Very friendly and willing to offer suggestions on what to see. Ask for a map of the local mountains to help identify them! Highly recommend this Park, and would stay again.

Cove Palisades is hands down the best campground I’ve been to, I’ve been going every summer for 20 years. There are sites for everyone’s style. A loop has full hookup sites, with running water, sewage, and electricity. There are toilets and showers for all of the loops and a cute little store for things you might have forgotten or run out of and of course ice cream and normal ice for coolers! The sites are great sizes and many of them have a long enough concrete parking spots for your car and boat or trailer. If you do have a boat this campground will be even better, there are two boat ramps seconds/minutes away from the sites. No boat, no problem there are great day access spots to hangout! This place will not disappoint, it is the best!!

This is a basic campground set in a beautiful location along the shores of Lake Billy Chinook which is actually a dammed reservoir fed by three major rivers in this area - Deschutes, Crooked and Metolius. Sites are large and open, if not super private. It’s clean and well maintained. Easy access to trails and boating. It can get pretty windy.

We stayed at the Crooked River campground in mid October. A few loops were closed as were all but 1 bathroom building. Really nice hot, free (non-metered) showers and nice bathrooms. As with most State Park campgrounds there isn't much privacy between the sites but the amenities are great. We stayed in a rv hookup site in a 40' coach with our tow vehicle.

We arrived on a Monday afternoon of a long holiday weekend in October and the campground was about 1/4 full with half the sites closed for the season. Lots of trees, level paved pads, and electric and water hookup at all sites. $33 per night as of October 2020. Everything was clean and well maintained including a nice, roomy trash/recycling station and dual dump stations with lots of room for lines. Good distance between sites and the campground was very quiet. There was a separate grassy fenced dog area as nice as some of the dog parks in our neighborhood in Portland. We usually go for a more rustic/dispersed setup because we don’t want to be right on top of our neighbors when we camp, and we were pleasantly surprised by how idyllic this site was. Would stay again!

My parents took us kids when we were teenagers, and we really enjoyed the wide open of it all. I mean there are so many things to do, from swimming and hiking to catching lizards and climbing rocky cliff sides. Ok that was just the bro. I did hike to the top of the cliffside across the river facing the campgrounds. That was steep going up! I thought I'd die going down. Butt it was exhilarating! Please If you want to try somewhere cool and new out east? You gotta try Crooked River! You won't be disappointed.

There are 2 campgrounds in The Cove Palisades; Crooked River Campground, which is the upper or rim campground, and Deschutes Campground, which is the lower campground at Lake Billy Chinook level, another 5 miles drive down into the canyon past the upper campground. This review is for Deschutes Campground.  We stayed at Deshutes a week with our travel trailer in loop A in mid May.  We would stay here again.  I would not want to stay here during wildfire season due to the smoke and low visibility (personal preference), plus I'm not crazy about hot weather and it would certainly be hot in the high desert in summer as well as crowded which is also not my thing. Every time you come and go from this campsite, you have a 5 mile drive in or out of this canyon. I have Republic Wireless on Sprint and had no signal within the canyon but did at the top.  Husband has Cricket on AT&T and had a signal in the canyon. Our antenna did not pick up any TV channels so download some Netflix to your device before coming here, or maybe have a better antenna than we do if you desire to watch anything. The hosts take great care of the grounds. I do not know the condition of the bathrooms but heard and read they were very clean as well. We spent most of our time away from the campground but the time we were there was pleasant and quiet.  Our spot backed up to the road which was slightly above us so didn't really affect our view and there were some trees and shrubbery between us and the road.  Occasionally a vehicle would go by that was quite loud which would be louder and more frequent in the busy season. We had a large gap between us and the campsite to our right as well as a view of the palisades on that side.  We usually travel with our dog, but she recently passed away unfortunately so this trip was dogless, but I still view things from the eyes of a dog owner.  They had a large, grassy, fenced-in dog park that would be a great respite as the campsites aren't that grassy, mostly dirt with some juniper trees, sage, and boulders.  Watch for foxtails which we saw in spring, as well as rattlesnakes.  We didn't see any rattlesnakes at the time we were there - a rainy, cool week in mid May. Because of all the rain, everything was still very green and all the wildflowers were in bloom. On a clear day you can see at least 6 mountain peaks from the top of the canyon.  This is a great spot to explore Central Oregon.  In fact, we need to go back because we didn't get to everything we wanted to do but we visited Richardson Rock Ranch, Smith Rock, Bend, Lava Lands, Oregon High Desert Museum, Glass Buttes, and more.

The location of this campsite is surreal. There is a beautiful short hike you can do for sunset to get above the Palisades. Camp hosts are lovely and firewood for sale. Showers also very nice... especially when they are the first you’ve seen in a bit!

All kinds of good stuff. Has everything you need including a small convenience shop. Popular place for families. Not what you want if you’re looking to escape people.

Ranger Review: OOFOS Recovery Shoes at Crooked River Campground

Campground Review:

The Crooked River Campground is one of two campgrounds in the Cove Palisades State Park. Located in Culver, Oregon, this high desert gem is just above Lake Billy Chinook which lies at the confluence of the Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius rivers. It is open, airy, and has amazing views of Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, Three-Fingered Jack, and the Three Sisters. Super clean restrooms and friendly camp hosts, this family-friendly spot is sure to please. There is a swing-set, a couple of nice horseshoe pits, an animal exercise area, and a volleyball pit.

Top reasons I love this campground:

1. Views!! On a clear day, you can easily see the majestic mountains of Oregon.
2. Open year-round! It’s sister campground, the Deschutes Campground, is only open from May - September.
3. A short hike up the Crooked River Rim trail offers a spectacular view of the entire area.
4. Tons of wildlife including, owls, deer, hawks, and lizards to name a few.
5. Awesome fishing on Lake Billy Chinook. Brown trout, rainbow trout, bull trout, salmon and Kokanee.
6. Cool geology such as rimrock basalt and lava flows.
7. The Erickson Air museum is a quick trip into Madras.
8. Thunderegg digging!!! Dig for your very own Thundereggs at the Richardson Ranch. If your lucky, you will see hundreds to sheep grazing on your way out to the claim.
9. You can rent a houseboat, kayak, canoe, or fishing boat from the Cove Palisades Marina.
10. National Natural Landmark - The Island.

Note: VERY busy in the summer. We prefer to go during the off-season when we have the campground, hiking trails, and lake all to ourselves.

…………….

Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the OOFOS Recovery Shoes. I had previously heard of OOFOS from friends who run and spoke highly of how great they are. Well, after a long day of hiking, my tired feet fell in LOVE, love, love, with these shoes! They are insanely comfortable and like walking on two-inches of shock-absorbing heaven! Their revolutionary OOfoam technology absorbs 37% more impact than traditional footwear foam and it’s awesome for aiding achy feet and joints. And that’s not enough, these bad boys are machine washable and bacteria resistant!

I tried two different shoes; the Women’s OOahh Luxe Slide Sandal in Latte ($59.99), and the Women’s OOlala Luxe Sandal in Rose Gold ($64.95

The OOlala Luxe Sandal is my favorite for during the day. It is easy to slip on and off and look cute. I prefer the OOahh Luxe Slide Sandal for the evening when I get super Klassy and wear them with socks.

I give these shoes 5 stars and will be purchasing another pair to keep at work when I kick-off my heels.

I love The Cove Palisades area and this is the second time I've stayed at the State Park. Normally I stay at the Deschutes Campground. This year I stayed for 7 days so I could take more time to check out the area. Crooked River looks like just another RV Park, but I went up there and spent some time checking it out. It's a great place and I would stay there in a heart beat!!!! Lots of trees and shade (this place gets super hot) and the best sites for views are on the West outside of the campground where you get stunning views of Mt. Hood. It also has a super easy to access Rim Trail and another nature trail that are super nice.

Perfect spot to launch your boats! Wonderful

A nice place for watercraft. Was semi crowded in July. Has a shallow swimming area surrounded by wood docks to protect swimmers from the wake.

This is a great spot for families. Plenty of room to play outdoor games and it has a neat outdoor amphitheater. Lots of wildlife and nice restrooms. Close to the beautiful Lake Billy Chinook.

Driving around Oregon for a few days, we dropped our tent in the grasslands in early March. There was a little bit of snow on the ground in the morning, but the quiet of the area couldn’t be beat. we drove through the OHV area near by and decided to camp outside of it, although we didn’t see anyone there. There was obvious residue of gun fire and trash all over, otherwise it was peaceful

Amazing campground

Watch out for rattle snakes

Excellent boating/kayaking from the campground

very nice, beautiful. There is do much to do here. Fishing, boating, swimming. Nice clean campgrounds

Make sure you leave a couple days in your schedule for hiking, swimming, and exploring this area, looks almost like something in the southwest. There are many other national forests to visit in the area too. There is a marina, modern bath house, store. A few different camping options, tents & cabins, plus group camping. The campsites are a little packed together, but it’s still very pretty and worthwhile. They had ranger programs in the early summer that were quite nice. Make sure to pay the little extra for a guided kayak tour!

Beautiful basalt cliffs. Otherworldly landscape. Nice swimming area. Very nice lake. Group campsite was awesome, on a ridge, overlooking the lake. Very good ranger program, and a nice outdoor amphitheater.

Cove Palisades has a ton to do including lots of swimming and hiking. It also seems to be a hang out for college/high school kids drinking and having fun. Combine that with the driveway-like camp sites, and we were very glad to be in one of the larger, group sites rather than in the main area where everyone is on top of one another.

Though we came with only a tent, due to the type of year, we stayed in the E loop which is not on the Peninsula and is designed more for RV's. We did get a site with a great view of the river, though (at the West side of the loop), and since it was early in the year, there were few other campers. We hear gets very busy other times of the year, though. There were bathrooms with showers and there was a playground in part of the loop. There is a nice hike in the Peninsula with views of the river and the surrounding mountains. Driving up to the trailhead took us by the the Deschutes Loop of the campground (which looked cuter with only tent sites, but didn't have nearly the view we had). The Cove Palisades Resort is close by and rents boats and kayaks for the lake. For early Spring, it was a great option and felt like a vacation from the wetter parts of the state. Despite the warmth during the day, it did still get very chilly at night though, so come prepared. We drove through Warm Springs Reservation to get here from Portland, and there is a Native American history museum en route that is worth a trip!