Best Cabin Camping near Hines, OR

My brand spanking new husband and I drove up from San Francisco to Portland for our honeymoon. We camped along our drive but never had a set destination. Luckily, around sunset, we stumbled across Crystal Crane Hot Springs. The staff was incredibly nice to accommodate our last minute reservation.

Crystal Crane Hot Springs has tent camping, RV camping, small cabins and family size cabins. I can't speak towards other reservations but the tent camping was walk-in. The tent spots were in the back in a quiet area pushed up against field full of birds and bird blinds.

Guests have access to bathrooms, showers, and the main lobby. The main lobby is a nice place to warm up in the morning and is outfitted with books, games, muffins, coffee, tea and local guides. They also have a little store with towels, bathrobes

There are private hot springs you can rent hourly but there's a giant natural hot spring that's free to campers. You can rent towels, too. You can also buy an hourly pass if you don't want to camp. The main hot spring is the perfect temperature and depth. We even had the distinct pleasure of watching a distant lightning storm while soaking in the evening.

The camping availability is definitely on the luxury side but is well worth it for $25 for tent camping. Despite having a lot of real estate available on the property, it doesn't feel crowded and is surrounded by miles of field land.

This little gem is nestled in SE Oregon and features an assortment of camping options, from private tee-pee, dry camping, to full RV hook ups this place can accommodate any guest. The water is naturally at 160 degrees yet they "hold" the temp at 100 degrees. This may make it a bit cool for some. The spring is actually fed into a pond with a soft, black gravel/sand bottom. There are private soaking tubs available though at 15 bucks a head per hour the cost is on the high side. We found it to be a worthy treat though we must declare that hot springs are our personal favorites. We stayed in dry camp site #2 which featured its own picnic table and fire ring. Fires are permitted yet while we stayed you were required to have a bucket of water on site while the fire was burning. Wood is available at 7 bucks a bundle and the water buckets are provided for use FOC. There is minimal shade though the camp does have a community center with wifi and AC. There is also a communal kitchen. The kitchen is 24/7 and the center is 8am to 9pm. Showers are super clean though a bit cramped. The best part is that the pond is 24/7 and stargazing under an expansive sky while soaking I. the healing warm waters is a magical experience. Check it out, you won't regret it. Last arrival,is at 9pm and mandatory quiet is from 10pm to sunrise. Book on this one was "The Kybalion, and musIc was The Deads Europe '72. Enjoy it boppers….

Crystal Crane Hot Springs has a lot to offer but I'm not sure camping is one them. They have hot springs (which we didn't actually try because it was during the middle of the pandemic) which looked great and I will definitely try if I'm back. They have cabins, glamping, RV sites, tent camping, a small shop, firewood for sale, showers...a little bit of everything.

We stayed twice in December, once in site 5 and once in the overflow area. The camping area feels more like an open field than an actual campground, especially in the overflow area, which I think is just kind of an open area. At site 5 there was picnic tables and a fire ring. Site 5 was good because it was a pull in, at the end of area so it was quiet, and it overlooked the hot springs.

On the plus side, the staff were super nice and the hot springs seemed great and I think that's the main appeal.

What a great campground with the added bonus of a hot springs!  This developed campground offers dry camping, RV rentals, TeePees with private tubs and patios, bunk cabins, and an Inn.  Staying the night allows you to access the hot springs at anytime which is nice during cooler nights where you can soak and stare at the stars.  There is also a full camp kitchen which includes all the required cooking utensils, stove, and table.  There is also a lounge area with couches, a TV, a few tables, as well as board games, and plenty of "To-DO" suggestions for the near by area.  The bathroom/changing room/showers were clean and well attended.  If you are in the area I highly recommended stopping and having a soak at this great campground.

Our truck broke down just outside of Burns and we ended up having our travel trailer towed to this RV park, as it was the only place we could stay for the week while waiting to get our truck repaired. We had a full hookup spot, which was super nice, but the spot itself was pretty small. This is typical of many RV parks I have been too - good amenities but small spot.

There were some other spots in the park that were slightly larger and had picnic tables, but ours did not. We had only a tiny plastic table with 2 chairs, but we were so close to the RV next to us that we were basically either looking in their window or we would have to be right next to the "road'. Not ideal so we didn't spend much time outside.

There was room here for all sizes of campers - from tents (I saw I guy on a bicycle who tent camped for the night) to giant motorhomes with cars towed behind. The park hosts were all extremely nice and helpful, given our circumstances. They also gave us a military discount since my husband is a veteran.

Restrooms and showers were fairly small (only 2 toilets and 2 showers in each bathroom) but I think most folks used the facilities in their RVs. The shop/office sells propane and ice, so we were able to restock on both (plus they have wine and ice cream if you need a little splurge).

The park is right off of the highway so you may get some truck/traffic noise but it didn't seem to bother us city folks too much. :)

Wifi was fairly decent and you can get some local channels in the TV, if those things are important to you.

Dog and kid friendly, but there is really not much for either to do here.

Overall, this suited our purpose, in that we had a nice safe place to stay while our truck was repaired, but I'm not sure I would stay here just for kicks. Close to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and a great stopover if you need a night to rest while driving through the high desert of Oregon.

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.

FEATURES:

PROS:

-A firepit with wood is provided for guests. The owner says he sometimes hosts "Smore Nights," for guests in peak season. 

-a propane grill is also available for use.

-Our back-in site for our 30 amp travel trailer wasn't too hard to get in too.

-Good wifi, though there weren't that many other people in the park at the time we were there.

-The campground is on a river, though you can't really sit by it or see due to growth along the banks.

-The office was closed when we were there, but according to their website, they have local beer, wine, and snacks for sale.

CONS:

-Bathrooms are small, two showers, two stalls.

-Our site was unlevel so we needed our levelers.

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Overall a fine stay. We didn't hear the road much at all inside our trailer. We enjoyed sitting out on the picnic table at our site. Owners very nice.

The Cabin

Besides the pullout couch leaving a lot to be desired, this little guard station was wonderful. Perfect for two, this cabin comes with propane heat and powered appliances, so no need to sacrifice meal quality or comfort. We were here for Thanksgiving and it was great to be able to explore the Malheur National Forest during the crisp days, and come back to a warm cabin late in the afternoon. In the spring, I imagine you can fish the creek behind the cabin.

The Wildlife

If you hike a little off trail, there's plenty of wildlife to be seen. We ended up hiking to Horse Mountain (about 3.5 miles from the cabin), and saw wild horses early in the morning. We also saw mule deer and turkeys. Maybe it is because it was November, but there were very few people out exploring the area.

The Terrain

The forest was super easy to move through, and if you're driving from western Oregon, the terrain is quite an amazingly unique site given its golden hills and red rocks. All in all, I highly recommend staying here for a nature filled getaway.