Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland

This place is loaded with just about everything you need from putt putt golf to a fully stocked pond (barbless un-baited hooks only, catch & release). We loved the giant dog park, huge sites, and the staff were absolutely amazing. They not only brought the bundles of wood to your site for you but they also come and collect your trash from your site.

We will definitely be going back. The only problem I have with this place (and it can also be considered a good thing when dealing with bad dog owners that don’t pick up after their pets) is that they have signs everywhere saying to keep the dogs off the grass and are pretty rigid about enforcing it.

We were able to score a couple of nights here in Early May.  It's a very popular Oregon State Park and I'm sure summer requires advance planning.  The weekend we were there was pretty full and our site was at the top of the B loop.  Monday, however, the park cleared out to much fewer campers.   The lake was actually mostly full and the views were beautiful.   Some of the amenities were boating, of course, lake views from some sites, a nice dog park along with the normal state park fare.  We'll definitely make another trip!

Cove Palisades state park is pretty rad, especially if you’ve got a family! There’s a playground, a fenced in dog park, trail heads, showers, and a cute little camp store. If you’re looking for seclusion, this probably isn’t the park for you. But if you can get roll with the communal feel, Cove Palisades is great.

We arrived on a Monday afternoon of a long holiday weekend in October and the campground was about 1/4 full with half the sites closed for the season. Lots of trees, level paved pads, and electric and water hookup at all sites. $33 per night as of October 2020. Everything was clean and well maintained including a nice, roomy trash/recycling station and dual dump stations with lots of room for lines. Good distance between sites and the campground was very quiet. There was a separate grassy fenced dog area as nice as some of the dog parks in our neighborhood in Portland. We usually go for a more rustic/dispersed setup because we don’t want to be right on top of our neighbors when we camp, and we were pleasantly surprised by how idyllic this site was. Would stay again!

Decent campground, nicely kept, clean, very friendly rangers. Really nice and big dog park. Nice hikes right from the campground. We couldn't go to the water, since we only have an RV and no tow car, and it seems that the water is the main draw to this campground. Lots of jet skis and boats and screaming kids.

Cell reception was ok.

We went up to the upper campground on our way out to dump, and there is no water spigot there. Heads up. We flagged down a nice ranger who hooked us up but you may not be able to fill your tanks here.

Sites in this campground vary in size. We fit into one of the tent sites in our 26ft class c. You'll probably have to drive through the loop first before picking a site if you're trying to stay here in an RV.

Pelton park was clean and well taken care of during our visit. The park is very family-friendly, with easy physical access to restrooms, the docks and playground equipment. Pet-friendly too, stocked poo bags, poles by restrooms to hold leashes and a small fenced-in area to let the dogs run and play. Docks were clean and safe. Rental boats were well-maintained. The yomes are small, 6 people and 2 dogs is tight and gear had to stay outside with that many people, but we all fit. The lake itself is beautiful, good fishing, and appreciate the 10mph speed limit throughout the majority of the lake.

We followed our RV GPS and WAZE, which agreed until we got near the state park. We checked out the confirmation email, which stated to follow the signs. We could have gotten to the campground(CG) following either our RV GPS or WAZE but held steady on following the signs. We arrived at the upper Crooked River CG early, so there was no one at the check-in; however, a ranger pulled up just as we were looking at the information board and she checked us in. We then proceeded to back-in site E61 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). We had no problem backing into our site, and the pad was just long enough for our 40’ fifth wheel and F450. We only paid an$8 online booking fee with the Oregon State Park Disabled Veterans Pass. The utilities were in the middle of the site, so that was convenient. The water pressure was close to 60 psi, and we used a reducer. Verizon was 1 bar, and as we were on the northwest edge of the CG, we had no problem getting a north shot for Starlink. There are mature trees in the CG, mainly on the interior sites, so satellite could be iffy in some sites. We were here the first week of October; only the first loop and the associated bathhouse were open. Sites on the NW edge of the CG from E71- E41 could be good for north or south satellites. Sites E65- E55 on the edge provide very nice mountain views. They have a large(about 1/4 acre) fenced dog park on the east side of the CG. Madras, 15 minutes away, has your major amenities. We enjoyed seeing deer moving around the CG, plus amazing views of the mountains and canyon.

Great location and the amenities were those of a full service RV resort. Bathrooms & showers, pet area, trash service, fire pit rings, and more. Big pull through spots. Right off the road so there was a bit of road boise but still overall great.

There are 2 campgrounds in The Cove Palisades; Crooked River Campground, which is the upper or rim campground, and Deschutes Campground, which is the lower campground at Lake Billy Chinook level, another 5 miles drive down into the canyon past the upper campground. This review is for Deschutes Campground.  We stayed at Deshutes a week with our travel trailer in loop A in mid May.  We would stay here again.  I would not want to stay here during wildfire season due to the smoke and low visibility (personal preference), plus I'm not crazy about hot weather and it would certainly be hot in the high desert in summer as well as crowded which is also not my thing. Every time you come and go from this campsite, you have a 5 mile drive in or out of this canyon. I have Republic Wireless on Sprint and had no signal within the canyon but did at the top.  Husband has Cricket on AT&T and had a signal in the canyon. Our antenna did not pick up any TV channels so download some Netflix to your device before coming here, or maybe have a better antenna than we do if you desire to watch anything. The hosts take great care of the grounds. I do not know the condition of the bathrooms but heard and read they were very clean as well. We spent most of our time away from the campground but the time we were there was pleasant and quiet.  Our spot backed up to the road which was slightly above us so didn't really affect our view and there were some trees and shrubbery between us and the road.  Occasionally a vehicle would go by that was quite loud which would be louder and more frequent in the busy season. We had a large gap between us and the campsite to our right as well as a view of the palisades on that side.  We usually travel with our dog, but she recently passed away unfortunately so this trip was dogless, but I still view things from the eyes of a dog owner.  They had a large, grassy, fenced-in dog park that would be a great respite as the campsites aren't that grassy, mostly dirt with some juniper trees, sage, and boulders.  Watch for foxtails which we saw in spring, as well as rattlesnakes.  We didn't see any rattlesnakes at the time we were there - a rainy, cool week in mid May. Because of all the rain, everything was still very green and all the wildflowers were in bloom. On a clear day you can see at least 6 mountain peaks from the top of the canyon.  This is a great spot to explore Central Oregon.  In fact, we need to go back because we didn't get to everything we wanted to do but we visited Richardson Rock Ranch, Smith Rock, Bend, Lava Lands, Oregon High Desert Museum, Glass Buttes, and more.

Arrived after the office closed and started to read late check in rules and available spaces. Helped to look up to see on the other side of the door envelopes with names, including ours. Access is easy for even large rigs. All sites are paved. Space between sites is reasonable. On site restrooms are very nicely presented. There is an on site pool and outdoor gathering place, a general store, propane vending, a dog walking path and large property behind the park to take pets with a reminder to clean up and pack it out. Garbage service is nice - place the bags by the road and maintenance staff will take it away.

You are a few miles from sisters and about 15 from the outskirts of Bend (the side that has the big box hardware and all purpose stores).

The RV park is quiet and comfortable. There are plenty of trees and green grass at each site. The way the park is laid out, it’s more of an RV neighborhood of travelers.

I love wild cat! It sits right on the edge of the Wildcat wilderness area, a beautiful and rugged piece of nature.

My wife and I are working remotely and exploring the PNW, and certain amenities are important: full hook up for our trailer, pet friendly, laundry, WiFi, and good location. The Camp HAS it ALL. Located in Bend, close to a Safeway grocery store, Walgreens, Starbucks and Dutch & Bros plus a lot of other places...easy drive to the freeways so you can go explore around. We’ve met a few people that are regulars there and they love it. We loved it too and will be back when in the area. Tyler, the manager is great, cool guy, knows all the details of the trailers and he can tell you a bit about Bend and about things to do since he is local. He takes good care of the place! The Camp is a small campground and very cozy. It has vintage trailers for people to rent as well as a tiny house plus full hook up sites. They also have a common area with gas grills (2), a gas fire pit with blankets available, two tables with umbrellas and chairs, great laundry facility, awesome bathrooms (individual toilette, sink and shower, 4-5 hooks, which is great so you can hang your stuff. Pass code needed for bathrooms and laundry rooms. There is a gated pet area which is great for the dogs to be off leash for a bit (kinda of hidden by the office). They have trash and recycle, which is great. We’ve seen half and half in terms of campgrounds that recycle vs those who don’t. We wish they all had a recycle option and The Camp had glass, plastic, paper, can recycle. The sites are very close to one another and there are not mature trees but you are in the city so that’s expected. While there we went on a cool drive and stopped to see the sea of lava...we are still talking about it...those lavas have been there for over 1,500 years...it is amazing and picturesque. After stopping at the sea of lava, we went to Dee Wright Observatory, walked to the top and enjoyed the beautiful view, then continued on our scenic drive to the proxy falls. It was an easy 1.25 mile (round trip) hike. It was raining so it was a bit muddy and slippery in certain areas but super fun (we had our two dogs with us and we were fine), people were doing the hike with their kids-so good for families too. We loved it. While in Bend, we went to a park in town, which was cute and people were walking around, laying in the grass, paddle Bording, kayaking and we also saw some people getting into the river on a raft. Lots to do in Bend...scenic drives, hiking, mountain biking, road biking, river water rafting, etc. This is a super cool campground, well maintained, super clean and it even has a hair salon in an air stream! This place has personality! We loved it and will be back.

Amazing spot with some great views road past the gate a bit rough but nothing any 4x4 can handle. Very peaceful and secluded. Watch out for Siberian tigers, house cats and sugar gliders. I would recommend bringing at least one can of beans. Again please he aware of the crazy tigers. Also land leaches and water rats. As long as you bring ham and cheese you should be fine (tigers are scared of ham duhh) anyway bring your family here maybe a cousin or two.

This is open year round and I would not say it's hugely populated. There is vault toilets but not much else. It's so wonderful just to drive up to a spot on the river and camp, what's better is it is free! The stars are wonderful here, as there isn't much light pollution. The canyons show an interesting history. In the spring the wildflowers are truly a site to see! Watch for snakes and cats! Make sure you bring everything you need, there isn't anything near by. Road in is gravel, take it slow.

This is the best Oregon State Park in the entire state!!! Better than anything on the coast. Been to all so I know of what I speak!!! There isn't a lot of privacy in the sites, but I didn't really want to spend time in my site. There's the 6 mile Tam-a-Lau trail that starts on the west side of the park. With a 1 mile, 600' elevation gain, you find yourself up on the rim with about 3.5 miles of trail over looking Lake Billy Chinook and "the island". There's also a wonderful, huge, fenced off leash dog area with green grass. Only Farewell Bend SP has a nice large dog area like this. Always appreciated. The hosts and rangers really work to keep this park clean and in great repair and it shows.

Maybe kid friendly but not dog friendly.

The lower loop is very nice- as a full time vanlifer, definitely would revisit that area again when I’m not feeling up to boondocking. The upper loop is geared more towards families with children and retired folks who are looking to camp surrounded by other people.

We got reprimanded a few times by park staff for our dogs barking at passersby in the middle of the day, so I chose to leave before my second night at the park. Never had an issue an any other campground in all of my years of travel- dogs bark, I was actively making an attempt to distract them and it was 4pm. This place is run more like a private campground- where noise is frowned upon (ironically screaming children in the background the entire time this exchange was occurring wasn’t a problem).

The lower loop was much nicer, quieter, more privacy, and the park staff aren’t breathing down your neck. We stayed there the first night without any issue and will book any future stays at that end of the park.

You can hear the road nearby, though I didn’t think it was too loud. Good walking area for dogs across the street, lots of riverfront to play in. Overall a decent park, but I didn’t feel welcome with my dogs in the upper loop.

Also they made a comment about dogs not being allowed on tie outs, but most of the dogs I saw were tied out. No tie outs for dogs at a campground is a weirdly restrictive rule (that isn’t listed anywhere that I can find).

We love going to Prineville Reservoir State Park because it isn't too big- lots of grassy spaces, great boating and beach area. The swim area is marked and dogs are not allowed in that area so you don't have to worry about dog messes where your kiddos are walking barefoot and swimming. The campsites aren't very big but they have a nice layout that makes you feel like you have your own space. The restrooms are nice with showers available as well.