Best Campgrounds near Frenchglen, OR

Free BLM camping. Camped here on Oct 1, 2024. About 10 campsites scattered about the area. Some with metal firerings, others with rock firerings. One vault toilet; clean & supplied with tp, but full of flies. Sites are level and have a dirt surface; can get muddy & slippery when wet. Access from Fields-Folly Farm Rd not too bad. Very quiet. Coyotes crying at night. Sites appear to be level; large. One site had a picnic table. No cell service. Set well off of Fields-Folly Farm Rd; no road noise. Lake is full of waterfowl. Good overnight stop. Would stay here again. Bird photographers would enjoy this location.

Normally don't stay in RV parks while traveling in our camper van, but we needed to do laundry, take showers, replenish our water supply, and recharge our power storage units after days of dispersed & primitive camping. We really liked this RV park. Tina, who checked us in, was fantastic - very friendly and welcoming. She even gave our dog treats! She put us in site #39 which was not next to big rigs. We used the water & electric at the site. Reasonably priced. The park was very clean. The laundry room and restroom/shower rooms were also clean. The meals at the cafe were good, along with good service. We weren't enthusiastic about staying at an RV park, but we were glad we did. Fit our needs for an overnight stay.

Syayed here on Oct 2. Paid $8 with senior pass. Nice campground. Level sites. Can accommodate all sorts of rigs, except big bus campers & long travel trailers. Trash service. Water. Clean vault toilets with tp. 2G T-Mobile service. Most sites are open with partial shade. No privacy between most sites. A few sites may accommodate hammock campers. Tent camping possible. Steens Mountain Loop Rd closed at the campground entrance.

We had RV spot #20 in the newer section and away from the lodging area. I think we would choose one closer to the pond next time so that we can get in more often! The pond is beautifully landscaped and clean, and everything is very clean. There are quite a few "rules", and the texts seemed a bit rude....but all of that resulted in a quiet, pleasant stay. A few up charges to watch for: $20 per extra guest $2 towel rental $10 per person early arrival charge. Great place. We'll stay again next year!

General: To say there are not many choices to camp around here would be an understatement! Fortunately, our stay turned out to be decent. We were greeted cheerfully by Tina (she and her husband Scott own the park). This place mainly attracts birders in the spring, hunters in the fall, and people passing through (this was us). There is a mix of back-in and pull-through sites. The back-in sites are along the east and north sides of the property with the pull-throughs in the center. There is a coin-operated laundry, store/gift shop, and restaurant. We didn’t eat in the restaurant but did indulge in Tina’s delicious homemade fruit turnovers! 

Site Quality: All sites are level on gravel. Each site has a nice patio with a plastic picnic table, fire ring, and bbq platform. There are some trees scattered throughout but when we were there, they had not quite bloomed yet. Our site (34) was at the end of the row which gave us privacy on one side. Backs up to a fence and you will hear some road noise from the road behind it, but it is minimal. 

Bathhouse: Three all-in-one units with a code to enter. Entering was a little tricky until we got the hang of it but once in, the units were clean. Showers take quarters. 

Activities: Not much for us as we were passing through but a nice haven for birders (the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is close by) and convenient for hunters. Note that on GPS it looks like Mudd Lake is fairly close by, but the lake has been dry for at least 10 years according to Tina! Again, this was a pleasant stay for us as we were traveling through.

Wonderful hot springs! Included in camping fee. We are dry camping but the do have full hookups. Beautiful night sky.

The camp ground was great. It has the basic needs for most camper trailers. There are a few sites there with shore power but I didn’t see any water hook ups. There is water there if you need to fill up jugs, tanks or water bottles. There is a single flushing toilet that is available for overnighters as well as small store with food and drinks for sale. The staff was very nice and helpful. Be aware of the wind! Our first night in our teardrop was pretty rocky. Almost lost our awning because the gusts were at or above 60mph. We talked to the staff and they said to orient the trailer front towards the mountains. It seriously helped a lot. If you tent camp, I would recommend some sort of windscreen or just use your vehicle to block it somehow. Overall the scenery is majestic and is worth the drive out there. 10/10

We camped 3 nights with a group, with our hot air balloons.  But a great time!  Flew balloons and a drone, road ATV's, watched a plane fly in and flip over on landing (a bunch tipped it back over and off he flew) and, OH, the stars!

Hot in the summer, beware of the mud after a rainstorm, but otherwise an amazing experience!

A lovely spread out BALM campground. I've never seenit full. Enjoy the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and Stevens Mt for a few days. Just watch out for mosquitoes in the early summer.

Great campspot. Came here 4th of July weekend and camped in Alvord first night and decided to camp somewhere else the next night.  70-80% of the campsites were open.  Large campsites and private.  It was a great find.

Excellent 'dry camping' .. not crowded .. exceptionally good natural hot mineral water in a large pond that varies in depth to about 5 feet .. clothing required .. family friendly .. tipis, cabins, and suites also available for lodging .. clean .. no food nearby so bring food .. shared camp available for preparing meals .. hot mineral water pond open at night for those staying overnight .. day use welcome from 7am to 10pm ..

I’ve camped here twice in the last couple years. The hot spring is incredible. 24/7 access to the spring and no extra fee (comes with your camping fee) they’ve got all sorts of lodging accommodations. First time I was car camping, second time I brought a camper. Both times it’s been lovely and I always recommend it to friends

Generator quit working so we couldn’t boondock. Way too hot outside. Checked in on a day they were closed so the only signs of life we saw were the people who live here full time. Most sites are 30 amp. The ones with 50 amp were not marked at all and there was no information in the welcome email indicating what site we needed to look for so after driving five hours with four children and a dog, we had to go site by site to look for the proper hook ups in 100° weather. Was not very thrilled about that. Good stop over spot in a pinch. Served us well for what we needed it for

This place is unbelievable! The pictures and descriptions can not fully explain the feeling of the Alvord Desert Playa. You should know you have to drive very far on dirt roads to get there. They are a little rough but not terrible. You will want to go slow. I recommend entering through the Alvord Hot Springs. They do charge but their entrance is much better than the Frog Spring entrance, which is very rough and not well maintained. The staff at the Alvord Hot Springs is also very knowledgeable on the area. You cannot have fires on the playa and there is no water so plan accordingly. Also the closest gas station is in Fields and the gas is very expensive. If you are thinking about going here just go. We had a camper van so we were not concerned about the elements. Do your research before you go and it will be an experience you will never forget. I can't wait to go back!