Looking to get away and reconnect with nature? Cabin camping near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla is the perfect choice. The Dyrt is the ultimate place to find cabins for your next outdoor adventure near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla. You're sure to find the perfect cabin for your Oregon cabin camping excursion.
$10 / night
This recreation area is part of The Dalles Lock and Dam, Lake Celilo
$55 / night
What exactly is an Octadecagon? At Lothlorien Woods our "Yurt" is an 18-sided, custom-built and exquisitely appointed wilderness cabin unlike any other. Over two years in construction, Roy Conant, allowed the spirit of the "Yurt" and the materials incorporated therein to guide the realization of a sweet, peaceful, and relaxing accessible wilderness respite, Accessible from inside the "Yurt" is a bathroom with a roll-in shower with seat and other facilities with transfer provisions.
NOTE - everything is Wheel Chair Friendly except for the hot tub
Largely constructed from materials lovingly and gently harvested on-site, the Yurt at Rivendell is a sanctuary of peace and serenity, a place for rejuvenation and inspiration. Step back in time to a stress-free existence while the sun, the moon and the stars wink at you through the gentle undulations of the 100 year-old Douglas Firs Trees and the "Dome" of the Yurt itself. Relish the radiance of tranquility in your sojourn to heartsease and inspiration.
Privacy abounds in this Awesome Cabin, situated all by itself in the midst of forest and meadow, of breathtaking beauty and sumptuous simplicity with wild life all around. One can normally expect to see deer, wild turkeys, squirrels (especially those scampering across the roof, deck and trees adjacent) and sometimes bear, bobcat, cougar, and elk -- Along with native birds, plants, and butterflies in season!
Relax in your very own teakwood hot tub on a private deck overlooking the wonders of nature. Be at peace with life and nature in our pastoral cabin while being just a short distance from the wondrous Columbia River Gorge, it's world-renowned spectacular scenery and waterfalls, and the bucolic villages which line its shores. From Spring through Autumn, the Wild and Scenic White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers, just few miles away, offer White Water Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Fishing, Swimming, and other water sports
The Yurt at Rivendell is "Glamping" at its finest, proffering essential amenities of the built world in a completely natural and stunningly beautiful environment. Whatever the season (Our Respite at Rivendell is available year-round) you are bound to be enthralled by the natural spectacle of nature and the opportunities therein to animate, energize, and satiate your entire being -- body, spirit, and soul!
NOTE: Due to insurance company policies outside fires are not allowed in our Fire Zone between May 15th and October 1st or during other times when a burn ban may be implemented by regional or local authorities.
$149 - $175 / night
Relax and restore on the top of the hill on our 20-acre, private property. You'll have the property and 750-square foot cabin to yourself. With views of Mt. Adams, the Simcoe mountains, and a million stars, you can hike, star gaze, and enjoy fireside games at this updated cabin with a classic aesthetic. This is off-grid with electric lighting. We have a sink and pump that provides running water like a household sink. There is a porta-potty near the house and an outdoor heated shower. You'll bring your bedding, extra water for showering, and towels to make yourself comfortable. We have blankets and kitchen equipment as well as an outdoor grill and solo stove firepit. Come recharge among nature.
$90 - $200 / night
Enjoy serenity and peace of nature at Tree House Tranquilatree -- Step back in time to a stress-free existence while the sun, the moon and the stars wink at you through the gentle undulations of the 100 year-old Douglas Firs Trees in the peace of Tree House Tranquilatree. Nestled in the foothills of snow-capped Mt. Adams, Tree House Tranquilatree is a charming, one-of-a-kind Tree House!
Privacy abounds in this Awesome Tree House with wild life all around. One can normally expect to see deer, wild turkeys, squirrels (especially those scampering across the roof, deck and trees adjacent) and sometimes bear, bobcat, cougar, and elk -- Along with native birds, plants, and butterflies in season!
Situated all by itself in it's own grove of majestic, 100 year-old fir trees, enjoy your very own hot tub on a private deck along with all the other amenities of the tree house. Be at peace with life and nature in our pastoral cabin while being just a short distance from the majestic Columbia River Gorge, it's world-renowned spectacular scenery and waterfalls, and the bucolic villages which line its shores. From Spring through Autumn, the Wild and Scenic White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers, just few miles away, offer White Water Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing, Fishing, Swimming, and other water sports
Tree House Tranquil-A-Tree is adjacent to the Columbia River National Scenic Area and offers an abundance of outdoor activity -- including white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, wind surfing, ultra-light planes and gliding, fishing, mountain climbing, snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing and numerous other activities.
NOTE: Due to insurance company policies outside fires are not allowed in our Fire Zone between May 15th and October 1st or during other times when a burn ban may be implemented by regional or local authorities.
$145 - $165 / night
$350 - $500 / night
Camped at site 5 with an E-Pro 19FD. Sites are back in and have well maintained level sites of crushed gravel. The first time I haven't had to level the trailer side to side. Water and Electrical hookups well maintained. Site is all gravel.
Walking to the Columbia River and viewing the petroglyphs is an enjoyable stroll. Restrooms and Showers are well maintained and clean.
Watch out for the incredible amount of goose poop. There was an area roped off so as not to disturb a nesting Eagle that could be viewed with the naked eye.
If your a fan of trains you are right next to the BNSF tracks.
Best Park Hosts that I have ever meet. Very knowledgeable on local sites and and things to do/visit. They are constantly busy keeping the park in order.
Pretty amazing State Park, lucked on weather. Trails on either side are both nice cruisers on bikes - green runs, but can make them more work, and the views are sublime.  The park amenities were top-notch, including a nice windbreak. Stars at night were spectacular.
Sweet little campground. Mostly close together, family oriented sites. Early September there was still plenty of water in the reservoir and they were still renting kayaks and boats, which was appreciated given the glorious weather. Moderate Verizon cell signal. Enough to text and receive and send email. Laid-back and friendly place.
What a beautiful RV park! Large spaces, easy to drive through, 30 and 50 amp, most sites had full hookups with fire pits and picnic tables. There is a park right on the lake, wonderful wildlife viewing, an adult size set of swings just made my day. Took me back to small kid times! Wifi available at the pavilion near the park. Very clean bathrooms. Large dumpsters. and a dump station. We also saw a propane fill station as well. We will definitely be back.
The park is extremely well maintained. We used what was labeled a “primitive” campsite. Each site is huge and well maintained. There are provided wind breaks and covered picnic tables as well as dedicated fire pits and firewood ready for sale. Be aware of fire season as there are no open flames allowed during certain times of the year. The river was beautiful and flush full of fish and crayfish! We will be making this a regular visit for our outings!
Great place that has everything one could want, including some of the most incredible views of mount Adams.
We camped here with our UMCI Motorcycle Group, and had a great time. Good power sites, even though we were in our Motorcycle tent trailer. Open area sites, but also some with trees. Beautiful areas to explore close by. Saw our first lawnmower races in Wamic, so fun!
Started our recent road trip with 3 nights at Cottonwood Canyon State Park in the Lone Tree Campground. Best time to be here! So much green and great weather. A bit of rain but plenty of pleasant sunshine! Large sites, generously spaced. Would perhaps prefer the sites around the perimeter but all we’re fine. No hookups. They have cabins as well. There were several possible walks and hikes at varying levels of difficulty. Lots of stars at night. Great area and reservable!
My wife, son, and I stayed at The Klickitat Treehouse for two nights in early March 2022 and had an amazing experience! The treehouse is furnished with 3 queen-sized beds + a couch. It also contains most modern amenities that you would find in a hotel suite, including A/C, 2 heaters (bedroom & bathroom), a wood stove for heating the main area, an indoor shower, a stove, refrigerator, glasses + mugs, board games, plenty of firewood, and much more. In addition, there is an outdoor shower and fire pit available to guests during specific seasons (no outdoor shower in the winter and no fires during fire bans a.k.a. late summer in the PNW). Note, however, that there is no wifi or cell service (this was a plus for me, as I was looking for an "unplugged" experience).
The Treehouse is on private property off of a dirt/gravel road about 15 minutes from downtown White Salmon (AWD not required, but could be useful for rain/snow). We received specific directions ahead of our stay via email that took us directly to the house.
Some other miscellaneous things to note:
There is a tiny home that shares the property and accommodates overnight guests. It's not close to the treehouse, but expect to share some of the common amenities (e.g. deck, firewood, Mt. Adams bench, etc.) if somebody is staying there.
If you're coming from Oregon or want to spend some time in Hood River, there is a $4 toll to cross the bridge. So a round trip across the river will cost you $8 as of 2022.
Everything you need to make meals is in the treehouse, but we explored White Salmon and Hood River for some food. Highlights included White Salmon Baking Co., Everybody's Brewing, Pfriem, Ferment (though there are many more that we would still like to explore!)
The only thing I wish had been provided in advance was fire starters for the wood stove. There were matches, a hatchet, and an instruction manual, but I had to spent quite a bit of time chopping wood to make kindling and meet the wood size specifications of the stove itself.
While the cabin is certainly pricey, it is such a truly unique experience that I would highly recommend for any season. Looking forward to staying here again in the future!
This State Park is absolutely a beautiful part of the country. The canyon is steep and unique with the John Day river running right through it. The campground is nestled right near the water and has gorgeous 360 views. The campsites are well kept and have all the amenities for a nice pull in site to camp with either a trailer, van, or tent. The only downside is how windy this canyon can get. The state park definitely took this into consideration and provided each campsite with a wooden wind break for tents. So they make it manageable but be prepared! Heads up, there's no cell service at this campground.
Lots of things to do and see in the area and this is a nice place to rest as its very quiet but easy to get to.
This is a county fair grounds with lots of RV space for all sizes. Self register at the gate and find your spot. Nice rest room and showers. Borders a large cattle ranch so you may hear cattle mooing but that’s about it. Very peaceful!
Cute little campsite just off the highway tucked away next to Horse-thief lake. It is very windy due to its location in the gorge. The lake access and surrounding land is beautiful.
July 2020 - We stayed one night on our way to another campground. We were pleasantly surprised. All the campsites with drive up parking were taken so we stayed in the hiker's/backpacking area. There is a parking lot with wagons to haul your stuff to and from the campsite. There was also a small bathroom and trash can. These sites did not have their own campfire but it looked like there were shared areas for the fires. It is a great spot for star gazing and overall beautiful.
What a gorgeous place. Elk Meadows is far up a well paved road just before the entrance into national forest land. The spots at the northern edge of the park look out over a beautiful meadow backed up by astonishingly huge and beautiful Mt Adams, snow covered now and towering over the green mountains around it. The hosts are good for their word, and as nice as can be. Gravel roads and sites through the park are dragged regularly to stay flat and easy to navigate. Hookups were well maintained. Hiking, rafting, and Cascade mountain oogling opportunities abound. Book ahead for the prime view sites, but really, even back from there into the shady and adequately spaced RV sites, you can stroll along the edge. Saw elk splashing through the meadow at night while we watched stars and satellites. go.
We stayed in a 20' trailer.
Very nice place to camp with the family. Exceptionally clean facilities for bathrooms and showers. Great bike trails too.
Had a great time watching trains, fishing etc.
Very nice place to camp.
I don’t recommend coming here during the summer due to heat. This is more of a winter camping destination. We had clear skies and beautiful sunny weather. It got cold at night. I like that there are solar charging stations all over the park and free showers. There is no cell service so it’s great if you want to truly unplug.
I spent two nights here and made sure to explore as much as possible with the limited time I had. There are plenty of trails for hiking and biking. You can fish along the River. We saw big horn sheep on one of the ridges. Can’t wait to come back to see more.
I second that Cory from Colorado might have been describing a different place. Elk Meadows is a lovely site with plenty of shade on the vast majority of the spots (the ones that sit on the edge of the meadow, with the best view, have less shade than those in the center).
I don't believe that Cory from Colorado was at this resort as his description does not reflect what I saw when there the middle of August 2020. Very private RV spots with thick trees around. Wonderful people working/owning this place. The cabin we also rented was just right. We'll be back!!
**The Good: **This is an absolutely beautiful park surrounded by a lake with lots of nearby opportunities for short hikes with amazing views of the mountains and water. The lake is great for canoeing or paddle boarding. The campsite hosts were welcoming and provided local firewood for a small fee. (There were no fire bans in effect at the time we camped.) It felt very safe.
I typically prefer roughing-it on a dispersed camping site. This is definitely not that. For camping at a site with bathrooms, this is the way to do it! The facilities were some of the best I've seen - super clean with running water and flushing toilets. There were even indoor and outdoor showers and 2 single occupant bathrooms which is great for privacy, and for folks who may not feel comfortable using a gender-specific bathroom.
The Bad: The site had said it was good for an RV or 2 tents. It is basically a large parking spot on gravel and our tent space was sandwiched in between 2 RVs in a long line of RVs. The camp area is also on the most open and least scenic part of the site. _So - not really good for a tent. We actually drove past our site twice because we were convinced it couldn't possibly be the correct camp site. _Really- it is like camping in a parking lot at a rest stop or maybe like a tailgate party at a college football game.
The RV campers told us they were also super disappointed in the site as there is no privacy whatsoever. I don't usually chat with other campers, but it was a bit like a big family as we were practically sharing one campsite. And happily, we had good neighbors.
We moved our tent slightly off our spot next to a bush so we could have a bit more privacy. There appeared to be a few tent only sites that were on the grass - I would only stay here again if I could reserve one of those sites. I found the site arrangement strange as the park area is huge and there is ample opportunity to have the sites distanced apart and bordering the lake rather than a dusty open field.
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW: It is windy! I love the wind so I found it invigorating - but it was even a bit too much for me at times. Winds hit 29 MPH at some points of our stay. Make sure you plan accordingly and have a tent that can withstand winds and look for heavy rocks to weigh down your ground stakes. I'd recommend loading up your tent with packs etc to keep it from blowing away. If you have a canvas tent, that would probably fair better in the wind and dust. There are not trees near the camp sites so there is no shelter from the wind.
Bonus - with all that wind, I didn't hear, see, or feel one mosquito or no-see-um!
There is a train nearby and you can hear the horn. Personally, I found it haunting and a bit romantic - I enjoyed hearing the train as it went by. If you're sensitive to noise or a light sleeper, it may be something to consider.
At night it is incredibly dark. This was the best part! You can almost forget that there is an RV 5' away. Open sky and the stars are beautiful!
Final Thoughts: I like to visit the gorge and might consider staying here again only if the tent site at the far end of the campsite is available. I would definitely come here for a day trip.
Cottonwood Canyon is a beautiful, well-maintained state park. We have not camped here because it is not our camp vibe (too developed), but I just want to clarify that there is NO dispersed camping here. This page incorrectly states there is dispersed camping in Cottonwood Canyon SP. There are a handful of what the park has called “hiker” spots, which are about 25 feet from a parking lot. Campsites on literally on top of each other. Camping is prohibited essentially everywhere else on park land, which is frustrating because it’s over 800 acres and there’s plenty of room to accommodate the handful of adventure seekers to disperse. Piggybacking what others have said: canyons get very windy and tent camping can be tricky in these conditions.
Overall, a lovely campground for families and campers who prefer less primitive amenities.
This is an absolutely gorgeous place on Horsethief Lake, there’s really cool petroglyphs down the road as well and close lake access. Lovely green grass and what appeared to be outdoor showers and lots of water spigots around. The sites are pretty close together and at our time was $50 for hookups and $42 for walk in tent site, so definitely expensive, boat launch fee included is what the sign said. Honestly it was gorgeous, the weather was beautiful but it was just expensive for very close sites.
This campground in along the John Day River with access to the river from the campground but no water views. Most sites have a pergola over the picnic table for shade and a sturdy wooden fence, I assume for wind protection. The sites are nicely spaced but the wind, blowing dust and heat made it pretty uncomfortable to be outside. The river here is broad and shallow so not deep enough for watercraft. The water was pretty warm. There are several hiking trails along the river.
This beautiful campground was loaded with amenities. The gorgeous John Day River, was perfect for fishing, swimming, floating. There was several trails within the campground as well as trailheads around the perimeter. We brought our own bikes but if you don’t bring yours, they offered loaner bikes and there were little bike workstations on the grounds. Pet friendly! Including a fenced in dog area (about an acre) and doggie poo bags readily available. We have a truck with camper but the tent sites each had a solar panel to provide electricity for charging the essentials. The grounds must have been a farm originally and the campground designers did an awesome job of using the existing structures to add to the rustic nature and maintain the land’s historic relevance. Cottonwood Canyon surpassed our expectations, especially considering the very low price tag. I cannot recommend highly enough.
I’m not normally the type of person that does reviews, however I feel compelled to do so this time because of the absolutely ridiculous experience I had here. This place is great - for people who have never been camping a day in their lives.
From the pictures in the gallery on their site, elk meadow appears to be a relatively small campground with some RV space and cabins. In reality: Elk Meadow is simply a large dirt lot with 0 shade or tree coverage. The tent “spots” are simply the borders around the lot which is filled by RV’s in the center. You’d literally be setting up a tent less than two feet away from strangers on either side. The cabins are also a similar story. The lack of shade makes it so intensely hot in the cabins such that we found guests cooling themselves on porches of the vacant cabins because the ones they rented were unbearable.
My father and I were so displeased we cancelled our stay, but low and behold: there are NO REFUNDS HERE. I repeat: NO REFUNDS HERE. Even after finding this out, we still left.
Camping near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla, Oregon, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful getaway or an adventure-filled trip, this area has something for everyone.
Camping near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla, Oregon, offers a unique blend of outdoor fun and relaxation. With the right preparation, you can enjoy everything this beautiful area has to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla is Lone Tree Campground — Cottonwood Canyon State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 28 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 cabin camping locations near John Day Lock and Dam, Lake Umatilla, with real photos and reviews from campers.
