Best Glamping near La Pine, OR

A few miles from La Pine, this 5-site campground sits along the Deschutes River in the Deschutes National Forest. The campground is pretty bare-bones in terms of basic amenities; there is no tap water available and there are two pit-toilets. There is also no cell service. However, the campground does provide great access to the river and even has a cement boat ramp for easy access.

Each campsite has a picnic table, a fire pit, provided firewood (at least when I was there), either a pull-through or back-in parking space, and a view of the river. If you make a reservation (which are required for at least 2021), the camp manager will post this on the site marker so that your site isn’t taken by another party. The campsites themselves are somewhat dusty/sandy, but are otherwise clean. Sites 1-2 and 4-5 are right next to each other, whereas site 3 is probably the best site for privacy.

One more thing to consider if you are staying in a vehicle is that not all of the sites have flat parking spaces. I was able to make something work with my van in site 1, but site 2 would have been unpleasant for sleeping in a van. Sites 4 and 5 seemed to have the flattest parking.

First time camping/visiting this State Park. Beautiful, lots of big pine trees (including the largest known documented Ponderosa Pine in Oregon!), really close to the Deschutes River just north of La Pine, about 35 mins south of Bend, Oregon. Clean, well-equipped, spacious campsites. We stayed in the South Loop, as the other two (North, and Middle) loops were not open yet. The sites are a little close for my taste, but it worked out fine. The bathrooms are push-flush and heated, which was a great perk in 19° weather :) The hosts seemed really nice, and helpful if needed. Great place to stay -highly recommend!

Tumalo State Park gets only 3 stars from me because it was hot and crowded. Since its only 4 miles North of popular Bend, Oregon, its a convenient stop... but what I consider "pit stop camping," on my way to quieter destinations. They have good campground amenities for this: flush toilets, running water, showers. Its a pretty location, near many fun outdoor activities near and in Bend, but the sites were too crowded together for my taste. Note that, as in most of Oregon in high summer, open flames and camp fires are prohibited. It is a Red Flag zone, meaning there is a high danger of wildfires. In fact, as of last week (late July, 2018) you could see the smoke from several fires in the surrounding forests.

La Pine State Park is a beauty in the desert! Combine the heat and lack of rain of the eastern desert with sme lush scenic views along the Deschutes River. It is not our first choice style of camping, we like more remote isolated stuff, but every now and then we need a reservation site and this one fit the bill for a couple nights while on a longer road trip. And it is open year round! We made a late reservation and got site 136 when someone made a cancellation. This site backs up to the main road and sits right at the park entrance but it was surprisingly private for the less than ideal location. We especially loved being able to ride our bikes on trails right from camp!

We booked site 30, which is up a hill away from the water with a few other sites (27, 28, 29). The site was rated for 32 feet and we were able to comfortably fit our 31 foot trailer and long bed truck. We did have to pull in way too close to the fire pit to make this work but there is a burn ban so we would not have been using it anyway. It would have been nice to know that we were up a hill since we have a toddler, but it wasn’t a huge deal.

The trailer took up the vast majority of the level space available at the site, but otherwise it would be a nice space for a tent and chairs around the fire.

Be aware that the wind picks up around noon and goes super strong until after you go to bed. It’s great for not getting any mosquito bites but it is not a mild breeze!

The lodge staff weren’t overly helpful but not hostile either. I’m sure they are understaffed and annoyed by tourists just like everyone else. They had live music Saturday night and we would have loved to go if our little one wasn’t asleep.

The area has so many hikes and bike trails so close by that you could spend weeks there and not get bored.

If I had to choose my favorite time of year to camp at Diamond Lake I guess it would have to be Winter.

For many years my family rented a cabin a year in advance and we stayed there from December 23- January 2 with a very large group of our friends.

It was totally luxurious!

You can also rent a hotel room there.

Going down the inner tube slide was a blast, also hanging out in the lodge getting warmed by the fire.

They also have a huge market on site - almost like a mini Department store. You can buy warm clothing and other supplies there.

Fishing is kind of a big deal at Diamond also- which we did as a family.

I remember riding a snow mobile to this Pizza Chalet and getting hot pizza in the middle of nowhere!!

Such a cool place. Definitely going there this winter to play in the snow ❄️ ⛄️

I better reserve now !!!!

We loved our stay here. We started on site 2 but it has zero shade so they were able to give us site 8. Right on the river with the beautiful sights and sounds of that majestic McKenzie. We moved up to the upper campground to site 14 for the next couple days. Also shady with sight and sound of the river. They sites aren’t very big but have a table and fire pit. The tent sites across the river that you hike to are amazing!! I want to tent camp there!! So wooded and many have direct river access. They also have cabins to rent. The hot mineral pools were wonderful and the staff friendly. They have a small store with a few essentials but no real food available. Lovely place.