Best Glamping near Sumpter, OR

After dry camping for 3 days, we needed a hook up site but prefer campgrounds to RV parks.  This campground fit the bill with a water and elec hook up.  We made reservations about 2 weeks in advance.  

The campground is on Lake Phillips but you can’t see the lake from most sites.  The water level was pretty low when we visited.  The camp host was nice enough to deliver ice to our site since the concession area was closed due to Covid.  We spent our days hiking on some great trails nearby and our friends kayaked on the lake and visited the historic town of Sumpter.  Some sites are pretty exposed and hot if it’s sunny.

We stopped by Anthony Lakes on our way back to the Willamette Valley from Baker City. The campsite is on a property that becomes a ski resort in the winter (it's at over ~7000 ft). The campground was immaculately maintained and had lots of recreation options. On weekends in the summer, the ski lift becomes a mountain biking lift, there are hiking trails, and of course lakes. The lakes themselves are pretty small, but big enough for some kayak adventuring and swimming. We got caught in a summer thunderstorm, so we were glad we had a shelter to pop up.

Our site was private with access to the lake trail. Pit toilets, but everything was very clean. There are also walk-up sites around the back of the lake which had more mosquitos, but were very spacious.  It looks like there is one yurt on top of the mountain. The mountain bike path goes by it, and it looks like it has great views.

This was an easy drive from Baker City, a little far from Portland unless you're going to make a multi-day vacation out of it. On the way through the mountains, there's plenty of gold mining history, a historical dredge, and some ghost towns to stop by. 

Lots of chipmunks, so watch what you leave out (even momentarily).

I stayed at the teepee next to the John Day River. There are two total and they are a little isolated from the campground. They provide a large camping area and fireplace with a beautiful view of the mountains behind the camp. The front view, however, leaves a bit to be desired. There is a highway in front of the campground and a big parking lot with rv water hookups, so vehicles are constantly coming in and out. There is also a restroom, which is a considerable walk from the teepee, and makes it feel more like a reststop than a campground.

The rest of the campsites are in a wooded loop and seem much nicer than the teepee area. The teepee inside is very bare bones compared to the luxury of yurts offered at other camp grounds. The floor is a concrete slab. There are six green acrylic mats and a small stool and very small space heater. There are holes in the bottom parts of the teepee and a giant gap in the ceiling. All of these elements would be nice in the summer. Trying to sleep in here when its 27 degrees is another story. Next time i will stay in a tent. The campground provides a free bundle or firewood.

Note this is NOT the southern Oregon campground near the Rogue, this is on Phillips Reservoir lake in eastern Oregon.  Nice campground, some sites with hookups.  Sites are nicely spaced and private enough, and the basic facilities are clean.  Nice atmosphere.  Minimal cell service on Verizon.  I'm giving 4 stars ONLY because with the current drought the reservoir itself was unusable, which was the main attraction for us picking it in the first place, but not a fault of the campground itself.

In general, Oregon State Parks are great. This is another nice one with plenty of tent and RV sites available. Bathrooms and showers on-site. The park sits nestled in a picturesque treed area, near the Painted Hills. Great location if you are wanting to get to the Painted Hills area of central Oregon.

We were looking for a campground to stay at on our way from eastern Oregon to the John Day wilderness area. Bates State Park was a perfect overnight spot, just far enough off Hwy 26 to be quiet and exceptionally clean and well maintained. There are no hookups, and it will be a few years before vegetation matures to offer more privacy between spaces, but the park was uncrowded and felt private nonetheless. There are very interesting signs telling about the logging history of the area as well as a playground and nature trails.

We headed this way to get away from smoke caused by the 2020 Central Oregon fires.  It was a great choice.  Still hazy long distance views but had great views of the stars at night.  Peaceful and lovely spot.  We paddled on the lake, hiked around it, drove up to the top of the ski area for the view and part of our group hiked down from there.  We were able to drive through the campground with the 27' trailer we had rented but none of the spaces would have accommodated us (that we could see). We were lucky, though, they let us stay in the group camp since there were no reservations for a few days.  It was a little snug, but worked out beautifully.    The campground proper looked very pretty as well.

This really is an RV spot. Yes, you can tent camp here but it's expensive ($24 for Oregon residents, $34 for out of staters) and it's right next to the road. It's loud. Really loud. Wake you up when you're sleeping loud.

That said, it does have all amenities: good Verizon service, firewood for sale, hot showers, tables, fire pits with grills, etc. And it's close to town. So for that it could be the right fit for people needing all that.

For me, I'd skip it, especially if you're in a tent.

This is always such a great place to stop when traveling between Idaho and western Oregon. It has lots of shade, lawn, and hedges that offer privacy between the large camp sites. Super clean showers and restrooms, dog friendly, and a nice trail to walk along next to the river. Yes, the sites closer to the road are noisier due to traffic, while the ones closer to the river are the buggiest in the summer, but if you want hook ups, easy access, and an RV dump and don't mind paying for all these amenities, this is the place. We stayed in site 9, which has a super long paved and level driveway giving you lots of peace and quiet.

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.

General: 31 site state park that does not take reservations. There was plenty of availability at 4 pm on a Friday in April.

Site Quality: Sites are all level with paved pads, ranging in length from 37 to 84 feet. Good separation between the sites and some have foliage providing some amount of privacy. A large picnic table, fire ring, electric hookup, and wastewater drain complete each site. There are also two teepees. Sites along the river are better; road noise would obviously be louder at the sites that back up to the road. 

Bathhouse: Up to many Oregon State Park standards with hot water, soap, utility shelves, and paper towels. Clean. Showers are free ($2 for non-campers) but did not use so cannot comment on their quality. 

Activities: Not too much to do but there is a nice nature trail about a half-mile long that meanders along the John Day River. It forks a couple of times and if you keep to the left each time, you will eventually end up at a fence at the boundary of private property, but it is easy enough to loop around and return to the campground. 

Although this campground is close to the road and you will hear road noise, it was also peaceful and quiet during our stay.

It’s absolutely beautiful, campsites are pretty private and it smells so fresh! They sell firewood and have great area for tents in each campsite with a fire pit.

Great hikes and access to clean water pools during the summer. A small stream flows off the mountains and is a beautiful site to see. Not over populated. Lodge nearby for food and rest from the weather.

Beautiful campsite, nice walk around the lake. It was mostly empty with some snow patches still on the ground.