Emigrant Lake Recreation Area - Oak Slope Campground

Emigrant Lake may not be your destination if you are looking for a lot of privacy and quiet, but is a nice option to get out in nature while still being close to town. Oak Slope has some spots that can be fairly private, with nice tent camping amenities and easy access to the lakeside.

We camped on the slope. Nice view of the lake. Little shade, would be tough in high summer. Lake was full and our dog enjoyed chasing sticks. Camp host Connie was super. Facilities were newer and clean. There is a new bathroom up in the back of the campground that has automatic exhaust fans that are really loud and you have to wait for them to time-out. You might not notice the roar during the day, but if you’re camped nearby in the quiet hours, you will hear them. They are quite robust. Had a couple bars of ATT. For high summer I’d recommend bringing a popup and lots of ice. It’s a 10 minute drive to town or so. Nice place.

Close to town but worlds away. We expected the campground to be full for the weekend so we arrived a day early and had our pick of sites. The RV park was nothing special but fairly new and close to the lake. The Oak Slope “tent” camp has no hookups but easily accommodated our small trailer. Beautifully nestled amid open oaks it was peaceful and full of birdsong. It could feel close and crowded if full but it was 3/4 empty this early summer weekend, and the friendly accommodating camp hosts said it never fills. The smaller RV camp no doubt does, and reservations are a must in summer. The lake was nearly full this year after a solid winter of rain and snow.

Facilities at Oak Slope are a bit tired, but major renovations are planned for 2024. Might be good to call the parks office to check.

Great value. Easily accommodated 40motorhome towing.

Growing up I went to Emigrant often, the lake was once a town that’s now a lake… it’s a nice lake when full and early into summer June-July. August the lake always get a bit warm. The waterslides that were once here were a childhood memory! The lake was ALWAYS PACKED growing up between 1999-2010 and then the lake dried up almost completely. As of July 2022 it’s about 50% full, which you are able to dock a boat and enjoy the lake at that point. Beautiful place for a day trip for a picnic and to swim, lots of good places to BBQ all around the lake! The campsites are a bit slanted but have always been nice. A huge playground for the kids too!

This portion of the camping area is called Oak Slope, the other being on the lake for RVs for residents displaced by fires.

For Oak Slope:   Imagine a steep tiered parking lot with narrow spaces. The whole campground is on a hill so the higher sites just look down on the lower sites. Most sites are visible from any other site. The sites were not very level and they were narrow, as was the loop. The campground also backs to private property. All sites are dirt with paved parking, with picnic tables and fire pits. Some pull throughs.

 There were bathrooms, one of which someone decided to dump a washer and dryer at. There weren’t too many campers when we went but I can imagine that on a weekend it would be awful. It is close to the lake which has bathrooms and playground. 

We did not stay here. We picked a spot but then changed our minds and then left. There is an RV dump here. Cell reception with ATT, Verizon and TMobile.

Enjoyed 2 nights here in a 20 ft trailer while exploring Ashland and Jacksonville nearby. Sites are tight but sufficient and quite pleasant wethinks. No hookups on the oak grove side. The larger RV sites around the lake are currently occupied by refugees of the horrific Almeda Fire that destroyed over 2,000 structures last September. The reservoir is still extremely low. But the free showers were hot and the birds were singing! What more do you need?

Ada ok on half of the spaces. Not all but plenty to choose from if it’s not busy. Went and it was busy, said reservations only. Couldn’t reach anyone so drove through found a gem of a spot. Perhaps the best view in camp. Not any privacy really anywhere though. We just overnighted and jammed out before most folks woke up.

Stayed at campsites 10 and 11 which had plenty of space, table and fire pit. Very close to restrooms which are clean. Lake access is a 5-7 min walk away so it’s very close. Campground is shaded so it helps with the sun and water slides (weren’t open) are maybe a 10 min walk away. RV camping is across the lake so no big rigs in this are which was nice.

Not sure why anyone would want to stay here, unless you have a boat and happen to be in the neighborhood. Hot, dry, lack of shade, no WiFi, bad phone signal but having said that, your RV spot will have a great view of the lake below.

You could swim in it, not a great looking reservoir, or launch you're boat but there are so many beautiful lakes in Oregon so I'm not sure why you would pick this one.