Best RV Parks & Resorts near Christmas Valley, OR

Camping for 4 nights. Pay is per person and $10 extra for full RV hookups. It’s open, and hot. It would uncomfortable without air conditioning. The hot pool and outdoor smaller pools are hot but not super hot. It’s mineral water and lovely to float in the indoor pool. No picnic table or shade. There are cabins.

Been camping here for a week at a time for 20 years, during the summers.  Fire about 10+ years ago took out the outhouse.  If it rains, you most likely will be there till the road into the campsite dries out.  Deep ruts in the road now, so regular cars aren't recommended.

Two campsites, but Forest Service says 3.  One site has no shade in the middle of the day.  Other site has a picnic table, but it may or may not be in usable shape.

No services of any kind - cell, WiFi, RV hookups, etc.  You can be there for several days and not see anyone.

Along the Oregon Outback cycling route, there are few options for anything but rugged bush camping in this area. The roads are dusty and the scenery beautiful.

Driving into Fort Rock, I saw the sign for RV Park but it was not on any map or service. I went into the bar at the Waterin’ Hole and asked if they had a spot. $35 a night with a 30 amp shore power. No bathroom, but a rather nasty porta-potty. The bar serves bar food and cold drinks. Simple solutions, never a bad thing.

Really nice big Campground with bathrooms and water.  

We were at campsite 59 which was full of ants (the camp host said that one was one of the worst and the people before us who had severe allergies had to leave).  Also in front of a mini trail to the lake so lots of people walking through our site.  Also had to walk all of our stuff in as the parking lot is right there but a bit down (Which I prefer but people with ADA issues may want to be aware). Overall more of an RV park but a nice place.

At the end of the road, after passing several other campgrounds, RV parks and cabins, you'll come to Cinder Hill campground. Quite a few spots, so if you've tried to get something at East Lake campground or another nearby and it's booked up, this may be your best bet.

In general, a nice campground with lake access and a beach and bathrooms. The main thing to know about this one in particular is that there are some really nice spots and some that are way less nice. As you're approaching the campground, for example, there's quite a few very tiny spots that are right on the road with no privacy at all. Others closer to the lake are huge with semi-direct access to the beach. Some are super deep with lots of room but no easy access to water, others are on weird slopes but with great views.

Overall, if you can, take your time and you may find a really nice spot. Or at a minimum, a place to lay your head if others are booked.

Hard to find, but finally found the driveway beside the restaurant. There is no sign of the business. Once there we called the telephone number and got a strange recording, but they called us back right away and had their onsite person meet us and tell us to park in spot#1 where the weeds were almost 10" high in front of our door after parking so we could not put out our 10x10 door mat. The follow Jim who was the onsite rep was very helpful. According to Jim the RV park, Restaurant and other out buildings were just purchased by a new owner who is suppose to make many improvements to the park. The spot they gave us was right out in front of every other site so the road noise and the fact there was no shade that was not helpful. There were several things that were very nice. There was a grocery store only 400 feet from our site as well as a Wash and Laundry building and because the town was so small everything was very close such as the gas station, hardware store and more. They had a building that was suppose to be two showers but both doors were locked. Maybe for security, who knows.

Another very popular resort, this one is on the shores of East Lake. Rustic cabins built between the 1940s and 1960s, but quaint and cozy, most with toilets and showers and close to the shoreline. Prices vary between cabins.

A boat launch is available. Nice beach to put in for kayaks, sups. Cafe at the small lodge with good food and snacks plus a general store for supplies. RV spots available across the road.

Another beautiful location to use as a base to explore throughout Paulina/East lake area. Very popular in the summer.

Our first time here at East Lake Campground in the last week of September 2023 just 1 day before the park closed for the season. Because East Lake Campground is 6500 feet in elevation the nights were very cold, from 44 to 31 degrees but normally the days were in the morning windy and about 62*. The camp has 29 sites and NO hookups.

There is flush toilets, NO showers, but had drinking water. East Lake also had 1 boat launch but the water was very low, some 40' down from the edge of the bank to the water. Great fishing and a great place for kayaks. Each site has a picnic table and fireplace. Most Sites on the lake side has pull-thru that were about 50' long. Some back-in sites were only 35'. Very quite campground and not too close to each others camp site. We camped at East Lake Campground in a Travel Trailer.

Restrooms Flush toilets, faucet water. No hookups, No electric, No water hookup, No sewer hookup. You can fill your water tank FREE at the ($10) Dump Station so you don't have the weight in your rig. Dog-friendliness Lots of space to run and play.

Campground Review

About 25 miles south of Bend, Oregon, Paulina and East Lakes are twin calderas located in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument area of the Deschutes National Forest that have an amazing amount of fun things to do including camping, fishing, paddle boarding, boating, hiking, biking and hot springs.

We pulled into the Paulina Visitor Center just before 5pm on the Fourth of July to scope out our walk-up camping options (we didn’t make reservations) and the rangers let us know that Paulina Lake Campground still had two or three spots open, or we could keep on heading to Cinder Hill on East Lake, which had several spots. The East Lake campground, they said, was pretty much always full, so no need to stop there to check.

We ended up grabbing a great spot at Paulina Lake Campground even though it was a holiday weekend. Large camp sites, lots of trees, flush toilets, and access to Paulina Lake all made this a great spot for camping.

There’s tons to do in the area. My two favorites were the hot springs near East Lake boat ramp (when facing the water, walk left about 8 minutes along the shore line…pass the first couple spots until you get to a good one around two bends) and the trail up Obsidian Butte. There’s also a lodge nearby with delicious food (homemade rum butter apple cobbler…yum) and the beautiful Paulina Falls day use area. We’ll definitely be heading back to spend more time here, next time maybe with some paddle boards.

The main down side to this site is there doesn’t appear to be specific hours for generators, so they can run loudly whenever.

Tips:

Parking. You’ll need a day pass ($5) to park at various day use areas at the lakes, but if you have a National Park Pass it will get you in for free. Ask at the Visitor Center and they can give you a holder to hang your pass from your rear view mirror.

Firewood: Unlike many national and state parks, you can harvest camp firewood for free here, which is pretty awesome. Check with the rangers at the visitor center, but the rules are pretty basic (pick up dead wood instead of chopping it down, etc.).

Other Area Campgrounds. If you’re looking for reservations and Paulina Lake is booked up, they hold many of their sites for “walk-ups” only. There’s also several other campgrounds in the area, both private and public, if for some reason Paulina Lake is full.

From West (at the Visitor Center) to East, campgrounds and cabins on the lakes include:

• Paulina Lodge (Private I believe. All cabins, some right on the water).

• Paulina Lake Campground (this campground review. No beach but does have a boat dock and water access)

• Newberry Group Camp Site. Three group sites. $75-$100. Didn’t stay here but looked fun.

• Little Crater Campground. Didn’t visit, but listed as one of the“most popular” campgrounds in the entire Deschutes Forest. Books up Thursday for most weekends.

• East Lake Campground. Great lake views from most spots and flush toilets.

• East Lake RV Park. Newer, clean but somewhat cramped and dusty.

• East Lake Resort Cabins. (Homey in a good way).

• Cinder Hill Campground, East Lake. Some sites are better than others. Amazing beach.

Product Review: Firebiner by Outdoor Element

On our recent trip to Paulina Lake we got to try out several products by Outdoor Element, including their Firebiner, in exchange for our reviews. The firebiner is a carabiner with a "spark wheel" that can start fires and also includes a bottle opener, screwdriver tip, and a very sharp tiny blade for cutting strings and other lines (like fishing lines):

https://www.outdoorelement.com/product/firebiner/

The whole concept is pretty cool, and we had extra fun with the "EverSpark" technology trying to get the fires started. Nearly every time we turned the wheel it sparked, but we quickly learned the power of having a good "tinder" (a dry bit of material used for starting a fire). When we tried starting fires with items such as dry moss, napkins, or small kindling, the sparks didn't catch. But when we used the tiny "Tinder Quicks" from Outdoor element, we normally could start a fire within 2-3 turns. We even tried other options for tinders...from corn chips to cotton balls covered in Vaseline, and as long as the tinder was good, the sparks caught quickly.

Overall, a fun addition to our camping packs. The carabiner itself is handy for keys and hanging on backpacks and probably the element we'll use most, while the Spark Wheel is a fun, handy back-up when we need to light something on fire.

This campground has the most beautiful location. Right along the lake which is a collapsed volcano. There are plenty of hikes nearby that go into the woods and also all around the lake. Just be aware of what time you go. We stayed in late June and the bugs were terrible. Make sure to plan for a later season stay or bring a head net with you.

Back in July 2019, my buddy and I rode our motorcycles to this camp/hot spring.  I had heard of this place from another friend on Facebook & this was our  destination.  A wonderful ride to this easy-to-find site.  Everything from full-service cabins to rent and RVs, down to what we used, tent camping.  Beautiful but spartan tent camping area, portable toilets (clean), and cable spools used as tables.  The hot springs were WONDERFUL, with both indoor (bathhouse) and outdoor pools.  If I recall. clothing optional after 9pm.  The operators of this facility are extremely "green" in thinking, with the re-use of most building materials, etc.  Their website is excellent and gives more details.  Highly recommend!!

Small campground along the edge of the lake; every spot has a beautiful view of the mountains and the lake, and has quick access to the water. Spots on the eastern side of the campground are bordered by a steep hill or thickly forested area, great for providing morning shade and a fun area for kids to hike up and play "I'm king of the world!" Spots on the western side sit right on the lake and all have unobstructed sunset views. All sites have picnic tables and fire rings, nearby vault restrooms, & dish washing stations. The camp host sells firewood.

Campsites are a bit close together, with trailers and tents all in the same area. Some are much bigger than others, but each is unique. Sites near the boat ramp get more traffic, but it's not too busy.

Great for kayaks, paddle boards, or just floating. Hiking trail from the campground goes all the way around the lake, with natural hot springs on the way. There's also the nearby Paulina Lake Lodge, serving meals & cocktails.