Looking for the best options for tent camping near Cheatham Lock and Dam? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
The Macks Canyon archaeological site is a large, prehistoric village locale overlooking the Deschutes River in north-central Oregon. The site is characterized by shallow, circular, semi-subterranean house depressions, surface artifacts, and riverine shell deposits. Limited excavations conducted in the late 1960's indicate that the site was the location of a winter village occupied by Sahaptin-speaking people of the Columbia Plateau. Although the main period of occupation appears to have occurred within the last 2,000 years, the site may have been occupied as early as 5,000 BC. A campground and boat ramp are situated at the end of the Access Road along the east bank of the Lower Deschutes River. The area is popular with boaters and fishermen. The route to Macks Canyon is also a National Back Country Byway. ADA Access: The archaeological site itself does not have accessible facilities. However, the nearby campground has an accessible campsite, vault toilets and parking.
$8 - $35 / night
The https://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/31/About-the-Passs offers you access to millions of acres of recreation lands in Washington.
$55 / night
Pebble Ford is located along a creek and shaded by large, old trees. This small campground is well designed and near the popular biking trails off of Forest Road 44. Located between Eightmile Creek and Ramsey Creek.
Located on beautiful Badger Creek, at the foot of the Badger Creek Wilderness, this popular campground appeals to those who enjoy fishing, hiking, or horseback riding. This quiet campground is located along Badger Creek at one of the portals to the Badger Creek Wildnerness. Visitors who camp at this campground can access the eastern end of the Badger Creek Trail.
$16 / night
Typically open May thru Oct. depending on weather.
Badger Lake Campground is adjacent to Badger Lake and one of the major portals to the Badger Creek Wilderness. It's a rough drive to the campground, but campers are rewarded with a beautiful lake and access to the Badger Creek Wilderness with nearby access to Badger Lake Trail #479A, and Badger Creek Trail.
$10 / night
Located on Rainy Lake. Trailhead access to the Mark O Hatfield Wilderness. See also: Rainy Lake Trail 423A, Rainy Wahtum Trail #409, North Lake Trail #423
Located on Little Badger Creek on the border of Badger Creek Wilderness. This is a very primitive campground, which receives minimal maintenance. Little Badger Campground is situated just outside of the Badger Creek Wilderness along Little Badger Creek.
$10 / night
Traveler
This was a very last-minute stop for us & we didn’t look up the reviews first. To mirror what the other reviews have said, the trains run all throughout the night. Because of that, plus the noise from the freeway, I was surprised by the 3-star rating, so gave my rating accordingly. We’ve been on a month-long trip & would not consider this place 3 stars. The location is convenient & the campground is nestled in the trees, but it’s not enough to offset the noise. Speaking of the trains again — we’ve stayed at many campgrounds where trains can be heard, but never like this… We were woken up by blaring train horns at least 8 times in the middle of the night. So if you value sleep at all, I would say there are plenty of other options in the area to choose from
RangerFirst time here, not particularly enamored with the campground for several reasons.
Nestled in the trees and between Hwy 84 and the Union Pacific Railroad, both are busy and can be heard all day and night.
No dump station anywhere in this campground, you can dump and either campground to the west or the east but not convenient.
Spaces are tight and we would not have been able to get into our spot if the person across from us did not kindly move her vehicle. Our rig is not that large, at 26'.
The good is the river which is an easy walk or e-bike ride. Lots of trails to ride but they say no e-scooters but okay for e-bikes. This was not enforced since my brother and sister in law rode their scooters all over the place.
RV camping is separated from the tent camping which would make it nice for tent campers.
Fun to ride the paved trails, go to the Columbia River and watch the sail boarders doing their thing.
TravelerThis is a nice campground with lots of trees and shade but it sits between I-84 and the Columbia River which has a major train line so it's not necessarily a quiet campground (trains run all night). No dump station available but we had electric and water. Not much grass anywhere and things were really dusty due to dryness and heat of the summer. You can't see the river from the campground but you can walk to it (or drive to it) and there are several picnic tables near the river. There is a nature trail but it is not marked well at all to find the beginning of it. Convenient to Hood River though and an easy drive to Cascade Locks for ice cream at the local dairy dine.
Ranger
Stayed 3 nights and had a great time rafting on the river. Lots of options for RV and tent camping. Group sites are available (3). Restrooms could use an update but functional. All camp staff hosts are helpful and friendly. Will come back again. This campground is popular and books up quickly.
GuideNice find in the forest. Very peaceful with huge sites. There are only 3 sites for tent camping. If you have a camper or RV very large parking lot to camp in. Nice hiking trails throughout the sno-park that we took advantage of. We got up next morning and hike the falls down the Hwy. Camp sites are right off Hwy. A little Hwy. noise but at night fall only a couple of cars. We did pack out a lot of other people’s trash at both sites. Sad to see so much trash left behind when there are garbage cans right next to the pit toilets. Definitely will come back.
Guide
Quiet campground with clean vault toilets. Many of the sites are very close to each other and some do not accommodate even a small trailer. Small stream near by with limited access. Monte Carlo and Monte Cristo trails are close by but were under repair by WTA. There were some mountain lions near the camp while we were there, 2 separate sightings, probably moving because of the work on the nearby trails
ScoutOverall experience was great…. with a caveat. It’s a small camping park, sites are small and close to each other. However the park is clean and well maintained. Our only issue is that our first night, at about 2am, I was woken up by footsteps outside our trailer window. I looked out to see we hat appeared to be a younger adult male dressed in all black who pulled the coolers and chairs out from under our trailer and pulled two booze bottles out of the cooler and had them on the picnic table getting ready to take them. I opened the door and scared him into running by yelling at him. This is my first time, in 40+ years camping that I’ve had anything like this happen. So at 2:15 this morning, I was outside hauling all of our gear into the trailer. Joke was on him though, the bottles were filled with water to freeze and use as ice. Just beware, this is a nice little park, but don’t leave your valuables out overnight.
We reported it to the office, who told us they’ve been having the issue recently, that they think it’s local teens, but their hands were being tied by local police on how to catch the thieves. I called local non emergency and reported the incident to them in hopes they might step up patrols or something.
Traveler
Wonderful little place between a park and an orchard. Camp hosts are cool, they all live in Skoolies. Right on the river. Clean facilities. One star off for the noise. There’s a highway and railroad tracks in the backyard and the same across the river. If you’re a rail-fan, you’ll dig it. But it never really quiets down, you get used to it a bit. Campers are courteous and friendly and quiet. Sites west of the entrance seem to have a bit more shade than sites to the east. The wind can be a factor. Nice place to bring the dog. This is my second time here, I’ll keep it on the list.
Scout
This is a nice little park, it’s a little misleading when you pull in as there is an Indian reservation next to it that looks like a bunch of homeless camps, so be careful where you park your rig. Also if you’re tent camping, I found out from the camp host that you may want to check with him before you set up a tent as there are automatic sprinklers that come on certain days
Legend
We had no issues finding this campground(CG). We followed the instructions on our confirmation email where we got off I-84 east of the CG where there was signage to the Recreation Area and CG. We entered the park and there was no check-in gate, so we proceeded to back-in site A-27 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). Our nightly rate was$0 due to the Oregon Disable Veterans Pass. You do not have to be a state resident to get this pass. The back-in was fairly easy with plenty of room to maneuver. We had enough room for our 40’ fifth wheel and parking our F450 truck at an angle. The electric worked fine and the water pressure was on the low side, but fine for our overnighter. The A loop has water and electric where the other loops are dry camping with B loop able to support RVs or tents. Our site was about 50 yards from the Deschutes River and there are tie downs along the river for boats. There are a lot of mature trees in the A loop so satellite could be iffy. We did not put out Starlink for this overnighter. We got 1 to 2 bars on Verizon. There was a shower house not too far from our site. There isn’t dump station in the CG, but there’s a COE and other options near the CG. We had a nice view of the Deschutes River. There was loud train noise as they blow the horn and the trains run all night. There's an Oregon Trail and other historical memorials within the CG area that are worth checking out. The nearest gas/diesel and minor amenities are about 15 minutes away in Rufus. All in all we enjoyed our overnighter and would not hesitate coming back.
ScoutDay I arrived was very windy and being a first timer I thought that was normal. Spoke with many campers who had been coming to Peach Beach for years and they said it was very unusual. Next few days, glorious. Lots of trees so shade from hot sun is plentiful. Tons of stuff to do: Maryhill Winery (ya gotta try their charcuterie board!!), Marhill Museum (better set aside at least an hour for this), Stonehenge. In July the peaches are plentiful and delicious. Camp was quiet (except for trains all day and night - bring earplugs and you'll be fine), bathrooms are extremely clean and modern. Shower did rotate from hot to cold every 30 seconds or so...not sure what that was about. Overall, had a good time with friends and will go back for sure.
Traveler
Good parking area for us, not many here or could get a little tight depending on how people park. It does not have shade so a little warm in August! Be self contained 😀
Traveler
The price for FHU was very reasonable. Access to the wifi was great. The views were interesting. Once you get past the big industrial plant, the sunset in the river was nice.
4 trains rolled by in the middle of the night. They blew their horns every time.
Traveler
There's a handful of dispersed campsites throughout NF44 and various side roads. I had several options to choose from and never saw another person. This was on a Thursday afternoon.
Guide
If you're in an RV, be prepared for some SERIOUS white knuckle driving if you cross the Hood River bridge. It's two lane, NINE FEET WIDE. Most RVs will have inches to spare. I had to slow to a crawl and was trying my best not to rip the side of my rig open.
Now, regarding the campground. The host, Shirlene, who runs the office, has the poorest customer skills I've ever encountered. She never could remember what she discussed with me, and was very rude and short over email. I had a two month reservation which I actually cancelled because she scared me away with her terrible people skills.
I'm sure the campground is well maintained, but the management sucks. Too many other places in the area who are happy to have your business. Avoid this turkey at all costs.
P.S. Be aware that this outfit expects you to pay IN FULL for the reservation at the time you make it. This might be OK for a day or even a week, but I was planning to stay for 2 months. No damn way am I paying a grand for the place a year in advance. They should learn how to TAKE A DEPOSIT like every other campground in the United States.
Guide
We stayed here for two nights and snagged some nice waterfront spots, it was a nice area and relaxing. They have a toilet, no shower. The vault toilet is not super gross thankfully, but there are a couple potential long term campers here beware of that. If you stick close to the entrance side then you will have some good spots and not too many neighbors.
Guide
We arrived in the late afternoon in a search for a campground with space available for our rental RV C-25. We were met by the staff, who were very helpfull and friendly. They drove us around to show the available sites, inspite of the fact they were very busy. Enthusiastic and customerfriendly ! We could pay at the entrance later on at a machine.
GuideThis is more like a large parking lot for day tourists with a few spots right by river side. There are no designated camping spots. There is one vault toilet which is clean. There are mostly fisherman or boaters staying here. No shade. For a overnight stay fine but I would not stay longer.
GuideTook a while to discover this spot, but clearly seems well used for dispersed camping. I parked nearest the access road, as my van would have hit trees to go a little further in. For smaller vehicles (e.g. roof top tents), you can get in a little further and off the access road. There was actually someone else back there, and we can't hear nor see each other.
TravelerArrived late and found an envelope with all my check in details posted in front of the office, including park map with highlighted route to my site. All of the facilities were clean and the ground were clear of litter and well maintained, which must be a challenge considering the lawns between the sites. Rufus itself is not a destination; we were in and out in one night, but we found the Rufus RV Park to be a peaceful and dog-friendly stopover.
Guide
In the lower deschutes area, maupin is a busy spot. Oasis is straightforward, no frills, and just a few spots. They have electronic fee machine which was convenient.
Guide
While you can't see the mountain from the site itself.There's a great turnaround point and views on the way up and down! Past a few vans pulled over on the way up, But no one drove past me the entire night
ScoutCaught 4 Small Mouth Bass out of the river. The campground is clean. There is $10 Tent spots on the river.
ScoutI loved this campground, until I had to pack up & move on. My tent was infested with earwigs. Hundreds crawling around under my tent, & all over the inside & outside.
Aside from that, I had a great time. The campground itself doesn’t allow for much privacy, but if you explore up & along the river, there are a few access points that you can enjoy by yourself. Great for birdwatching, & swimming.
I didn’t mind the train sounds, I actually kinda liked them.
Guide
This is not a fancy place, but it is clean, well tended, quiet and beautiful. After 10 hours driving, I just wanted a quiet place to sleep. This was exactly that. I paid $35 for a pull through and a 30amp hookup for my teardrop. There are bathrooms which are immaculately clean. All in all, this place is a great find.
Traveler
A nice spot nestled up in the hills. Yes, as stated, it is in a hill and there are areas that if you are walking could be an incline. Nothing serious but I suppose if you’re using the facilities and walking back in something like flip flops then yes, it would be a pain. I only have it a 4 star because we didn’t not use the showers and only went to the office to check in. Staff was friendly and helpful. We stayed in space 31 and didn’t have very good reception for WiFi and Verizon was a bit sketch inside the trailer, outside was better. The spot is long, however #31 slopes at the back of the spot so it isn’t as long as we’d like it to have been. But we made it work. We stayed June 7-9 and our spot was shady.
ScoutThe campground is pretty nice. Clean showers and restrooms. Spaces are small and you will see your neighbors. It is a good place to establish a base if you want to do hikes in the eastern half of the gorge. You can hike / walk to Starvation Creek SP and Lindsey Creek SP. This CG also has river access for activities like wind surfing or kite boarding. No boat launch that I saw. WA side is also accessible via the bridge in Hood River. Hood River is close for resupply or a meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Cheatham Lock and Dam?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Cheatham Lock and Dam is Hike in from Lower Deschutes State Rec Area with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Cheatham Lock and Dam?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 tent camping locations near Cheatham Lock and Dam, with real photos and reviews from campers.
