Best Dog-Friendly Camping near La Grande, OR

A medium sized lake with plenty of access, camping, hiking and day use. Plenty of secluded spots with picnic tables next to the lake, kid and pet friendly. Only about 10 minutes from La Grande. In the spring, there are lots of black eyed Susan's (flowers).

Approach the park from the La Grand/Baker Highway. One we arrived, we found the folks very nice. There were very few frees so shade is lacking. Ice is available at the park. The pool was open and refreshing. Full hooks available

We've been here several times and will continue to visit. About a hundred pull through spots, full hookup. Relaxing informal campground with gravel roads and grass strips between sites. Level w easy entry/exit. Hot spring on site in wildlife preserve across the road. Many trains pass by about a quarter mile away and we didn't mind the relatively low noise trains. Interesting college town la grande nearby. Grand ronde River and Morgan lake are interesting

Hilgard junction is a small 18 site campground just below highway 84 west of La Grande. It is right on the grande ronde river which was cool and peaceful when we were there. I am not sure many people know about this spot, I didn't and I have been driving by for 6 years now. Even if you are traveling through the day use area is a great place to stop and stretch your legs. Even though the freeway is about 60 yards away and up the hill the traffic noise was muted.

Hilgard Junction is a small, Riverside day use area, travel rest-stop and campground at the junction of I-84 and Highway 244 on the Grande Ronde river at the base of Mt. Emily.

This park is near La Grande, Oregon so if you are not just resting on your trip, you can run into a cute little university town to explore the Eastern Oregon local life.

Crystal clear water runs this high in the Grande Ronde, making for fun swimming and water play. Make sure to bring your gold pan to this shallow river bed, as it has been historically found all along this river. The RV park has no connections so bring your generator and solar panels with you. This is self contained type of camp, that provides two bathrooms and firewood.

It is an ADA friendly area with paved rv spots and designated well kept tent spots. Keep in mind this park is directly off of the interstate so there are a lot of random travelers coming and going at all hours of the day and night. One minor bit of awkwardness is that there is a youth correctional facility less than a mile up the road. So your traveling children maybe curious and ask odd questions if they see it.

Moss Springs is a quiet campground on the edge of the Eagle Cap about 9 miles up the a forest service road from Cove, OR (which is about 14 miles past La Grande).

Most people use this campground for parking to hike into the Minam Lodge or to backpack into the Little Minam, or to park their trailer to ride their horses into the area, so there are plenty of people in and out, but not many people staying just for the campground. 

The facilities are basic, picnic tables and fire rings at each site. There is also an area for livestock unloading and places for tying up your horses.

There isn't much around, but the road back to cove, while not paved, isn't bad, and there is a great mini mart right on main street where you can buy anything you forgot (including gas).

It's amazing how little things can create a good impression. The front desk lady was so friendly and helpful. The park was clean and well maintained. They had a cute little pet area with a fire hydrant in there. We specifically sought this place out because of the hot tub. It's so nice to soak after a long drive day. Most sites are pull through. Spots are small but they have a nice grass area. Seems that most people stay one night as they are passing through. Bathrooms were nice and very clean. Cute little store in the office. They also had a nice pool (which is currently closed). They offered a 10% Good Sam's discount. We would stay here again.

Wallowa-Whitman NF

NF 21 

aka Spring Creek Campground 

La Grande, OR

45.2125.6N, 118.1843.3W (Campground)

45.3679N, 118.2972W (signboard)

45.36944, -118.29997 (2nd spot)

14 Day limit

V 4g/2-3b, ATT 4g/1-2b (no booster)

Dirt & grass

Campground:

Not for bigger rigs. 4 spots fairly close together, picnic tables, pit toilets.  Loop in is tight, and while we are only 34' long, we're 13.8 on truck and had to do some creative maneuvering to get ourselves back out. Cell signal here was almost non existent, and fairly dense tree cover if using solar.

There was one spot on the left before getting to the Campground we could have fit into, but again, dense tree cover. Didn't check cell signal here.

There is supposed to be more spots past the campground,  but we haven't taken the bikes out yet to explore. 

Signboard:

Easily found a spot, even on Labor Day weekend (Friday).  This area could handle 4 or 5 rigs. Cell signal better, but still bounced in/out a bit. We stayed here 2nts to get past the holiday weekend.  Picked up a lot of micro trash, spent shells, and broken bottles. This is also the area where a lot of a sxs park for Day Use. VERY dusty area.

2nd Spot:

WOW what a difference.  After we decided to hang out in the area for a bit longer, we knew we had to move off the main road as the dust was making our solar pout. As you come in, just before the signboard there is a road going up a hill to the right. It looks intimidating,  but can be done going slow in 4wd. We found 3 great spots up there without going back very far. 

There are spots further back, as we saw people pulling trailers out, but we haven't explored them yet. We chose the 1st spot on the left for the full solar and gorgeous view of the meadow, tree line, and mountains in the distance. Cell signal comes in stronger on this ridge, but still a little fickle without a booster... note to self, get booster. Picked up medium sized and micro trash here, as well as bullet casings and broken bottles... and a special thanks to whomever left a bag of rotting frozen chicken wings...that was fun, but the view is worth it, and SO MUCH LESS dust.

There is a spot across (right side of road) where we've had over nights pull in late, but they left by 9am and both were very quiet setting up. Other than them, and the people from further back pulling out after the weekend, we've been alone up here.

There is a GORGEOUS spot further up on the right, but I couldn't get any signal.

From all but the campground,  you will hear road noise. I84 is just beyond the trees. I pretend it's waves (don't judge), my husband uses ear plugs. We've both had no issues sleeping.  

If we had only had the 1st 2nts experience I would say we would only be back as a last minute overnight, having discovered this other area, yep we'd be back no problem. 

As with all boondocking,  scouting out is the key.

We stayed at Grande Hot Springs RV Resort in June and September 2021. We really enjoyed our stay at this park. We stayed in site 2 which was a large pull-thru site for our fifth wheel. Sites are long, flat, and level with 50 amp, water and sewer hookups. We enjoyed the great walking paths around the perimeter of the park to walk our dogs. The pool and hot tub are heated geothermally and are warm, soothing, and oh, so relaxing. We can’t say enough about the professional staff, who were warm, friendly, and helpful. We even had some packages delivered here, which was a big bonus for us. We a lot of other friendly campers here. The WiFi is top-notch. This is our favorite Oregon campground and we highly recommend a stay here. For videos on the campground, visit YouTube: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

Fairly level site 95 fit our trailer & truck totaling 55”. People tend to not leash their dog which is a problem for my dog. Full hookups, check in is 3pm out is 11am. About 10 miles outside of Pendleton, OR (post office for mail and packages, Walmart Supercenter and Safeway. Arrowhead travel center for gas or munchies that has easy RV access. Free WiFi and 2 bars of Verizon LTE. Just off of Hwy 84. We did not enter the casino. Roosters restaurant in Pendleton provided safe distance dining in a clean environment.

Dog friendly. Water is refreshing. Perfect weather. Super relaxing. Worth the long drive to get there .

Amazing location! amazing staff! super clean and calm! Dog friendly! We stayed longer then we actually planned :) Thank u !

amazing place ! amazing staff! very clean ! super dog friendly ! have full hook ups! comfy cosy parking ! we stayed longer than planned :) so it says a lot about the place . we will be back!

This is not an official campground. There is a lot of space for campers, though, and it is not heavily trafficked. The trek to Echo Lake is about 8 miles (one-way) from the start of the Hurricane Creek Trail. When you arrive at Echo Lake, beauty awaits you! This location is a remote and peaceful retreat. The lake is so clear and serene. The views of the mountainside are breathtaking. This is a great site for groups and there is enough space to spread out. The stars are vivid and you can see the movement of the stars and moon along the mountains.  The trek to the lake is SO WORTH IT! This is probably one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to. It gave me the wilderness escape that I needed. It is a hidden gem! Whenever you visit, leave your stressors behind you and enjoy the preserved beauty. The lake is very cold, but I definitely enjoyed the shock after the hike in! 

The hike into Echo Lake is an intense incline! We tracked about 3,500 feet of elevation gain in about 5 hours during our hike in. The way back only took us about 3.5 hours and is mostly downhill. I would not recommend this hike for a beginner hiker/backpacker. I carried 60 lbs on my back up and down this trek and it was A LOT for me as a relatively new backpacker (with endurance conditioning). It is a hike that one should work towards, for sure! This trek is would be great crosstraining for an endurance athlete (like me!). At times, the incline felt like a 10-15% grade, but I do not know this for sure. It is pretty steep and challenging if you are carrying a lot of weight. I recommend going as minimalist as possible to avoid extra weight, if possible. I brought my bull mastiff dog along with me and she had a blast! I would recommend conditioning your dog for a trek like this. It can be pretty gnarly and steep at times! My dog wouldn't have made it if she had not done treks like this before. There are creeks along the route to the lake and I would bring extra water to hydrate your dog in between water sources. As always, leave no trace and keep this spot pristine and clean :)