Camping near Umatilla National Forest

We've never camped here, mainly because we live nearby.  Yes, it is windy here, great for windsurfers.  

The directions offered are a little off.  From North Powder Hwy 237, you will turn right on Government Gulch Road.  When you get to the RR crossing, turn right, cross the tracks onto Telocaset Lane.  

You can get there from the other side too.  Stop at Pondosa Store for a little local history and some snacks.  From Hwy 203 near Medical Springs, you go West on Telocaset Lane to Thief Valley Reservoir.

Well kept and nice rangers. Accommodating and quiet, lots of wild life. This is bear country so it thats not your thing, i wouldnt camp there. Lots of things to do close by both inexpensive and more expensive.

The road to the site was not plowed. Several feet of snow. Not many alternatives in the area so plan accordingly if you hope to stay here.

I got here on a Sunday in April and the campground was completely empty. There are 8 spots total, most which are right on the river. They are spread out with lots of trees so you can't see the other sites at all. The sounds of the river have me in a meditative state all the time. Just so peaceful and pretty.

The campground is divided into 2 sets of 4 with one set of spots further up the road in a different unmarked entrance. I guess they used to be connected but a flood made them two separate divided areas. Directions are easy. Waze took me right here with just the campground name.

No cell service at all with TMobile. But most sites have good sky for satellite and solar.

While we don't gamble, we enjoy staying at this resort. The sites are reasonably spaced. The park is rarely full. Over the years, the casino has added many family activities, including an arcade, a cinema, a food court, and recently a bowling alley with multiple lanes. Plus restaurants and a sports bar. Both the hotel and the RV park have separate swimming pools.

Very nicely maintained campground with full hookups. Clean showers. Level spots.

The only drawback is the close vicinity to Hwy. 84 which made it quite noisy.

This campground worked great for our small teardrop trailer. It wasn’t the quietest campground we’ve stayed in, but people were respectful of the quiet hours. Sites were clean. Restrooms were acceptable. Last several miles of the road were very washboard-y - something that has not changed from previous visits over the years.

This campground is pretty busy during the summer season but was fairly quiet on the last weekend of the summer. Weather was good but temperatures did get down to 26F.

This park accepts Good Sam discounts. There are a few full timers but are kept clean. The park is right on the edge of town. Nestled between a river and a horse farm he will hear a rooster everyday you will hear a donkey. There are wild turkey in the area but they're quite quiet. I paid just under $150 a week. Laundry machines work well there are two washers and two dryers buck and a quarter each. They have showers. They have a tent area for tent camping. There is usually no one on duty but they do have propane I just don't know how to use it or get it. There is a Wi-Fi password and the cell phone signal is not bad. I use T-Mobile. 5 minutes away from a decent grocery store. 30 minutes away from Miller's home improvement and Walmart. And did I mention full hookups.

The sites are nice and most are lake front. There were a few other campers but none near our site. The road up is steep and bumpy gravel but we managed in our two wheel drive van. Would definitely stop by again.

A group of friends and I went and tent camped in spot 14 for a couple days and had a great time. The site was fairly trashed when we got there so we did some cleanup but besides that it’s surrounded by a beautiful forest and even on a 95 degree day the shade is perfect and the water was refreshing to swim in. I liked the spot we stayed in, it was spacious enough for 3 tents (10 person, 5 person, and 2 person tents) it was shaded and fairly spaced out from other spots. The lake was pretty busy and there were lots of people but it’s easy to find places on the water to have to yourself. There was also an awesome rope swing maybe half a mile from the camp site, super fun!

Sites are far apart but some lack privacy. I saw Lots of elk and turkeys(?) and a rattlesnake. Outside of the lack of privacy there are some people who it appears that they live there(I a have no issues with that) my issue is the drive up and down the road multiple multiple time a day at high rates of speed leaving dust flying. When I was out walking I walked past one of their campsites on accident I didn’t get close and they started firing a gun in the air. I slept in my car that night and left the next morning. Also trash is an issue as well as people using the bathroom right on the ground and leaving used baby wipes everywhere. So watch out for human waste if you use a tent.

Many options for private pull-offs once you drive past established NF campgrounds—likely tough to do without high clearance and/or 4WD when wet. Only “traffic” was the occasional ATV/OHV. Tons of great hiking around.

Large well kept park. Casino, pool and restaurants.

Lake is beautiful. This campground is what you expect from a state park, appreciated having showers and running water for the day we were there. Plenty to do in and around the lake.