Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland

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.

While staying here in August 2024: -Dog friendly -No hookups -2 bars on Verizon -No shade -Madras, OR only 10 minutes away. -1 acres fenced in dog park in Madras OR (15 min. drive) -Used my credit card at the automated self pay station (super convenient). -fairly clean bathroom (toilet only). -From travel trailers to Teslas, they all have made down the road and plenty of room.

Situated on the banks of the Deschutes Wild and Scenic River, Mecca Flat Campground is located just a mile and a half from Oregon State HIghway 26 near Warm Springs. The site features 13 individual campsites and one group use area. The southern terminus of the 7-mile long Trout Creek Trail can be accessed directly from the campground.

Know Before You Go:

All campsites, including the group use area are open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis; no potable water is available. The 1.6 mile Mecca Flat Road is narrow with few pullouts; use caution particularly when pulling a trailer. Access the nearby non-motorized Trout Creek Trail which fronts the Deschutes Wild and Scenic River for 7 miles where it terminates at Trout Creek Campground. Cell phone service is not available in the campground. Goathead, also known as puncturevine, is present in the area; protect your pets and bicycle tires Point of Interest:

The Deschutes Railroad ran on portions of the nearby Trout Creek trail and Mecca Flat Road for several decades, competing with the Oregon Trunk Railroad before abandonment in the early 20th century. Look for the historic, now-abandoned tunnel near Highway 26 - but stay clear of this degrading and unstable structure.

Our GPS and Waze wanted to take us to the Fair& Expo main gate, but we followed the website instructions to the RV park portion of the fairgrounds adjacent to the Juniper Golf Course. Check-in was quick and easy. We proceeded to pull through site B-1 with FHUs for our two-night stay. The fairgrounds have nice cement sites to include a spot to park your tow vehicle or toad. Utilities are placed in the back center of the pad. The water pressure was good at about 50 psi. We got 4 bars on Verizon and the Wifi was above average for a park this size, i.e. you can check email and surf but not stream. There are no trees around the sites, so no issues with satellite. The sites in the B loop and this CG in general are close together. It was a pleasant surprise to find that they have a laundry, which is located in the office building where you register. There are also restrooms and showers there as well. As we were in site B-1 near the RV park entrance, we took our dog for walks to the left where there were trails into the adjacent state land(identified by a sign on a tree). The site had a picnic table and nice little standup grill. We enjoyed our stay at this CG.

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.

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.