For those who want to experience Umatilla National Forest, but still want the creature comforts of home, consider glamping for your trip. Glamping is not only a fun alternative to traditional tent camping, but also allows you to pack more or less gear as you see fit. The Dyrt makes it easy to find glamping near Umatilla National Forest.
Some campsites and all cabins are open year-round. Note that park roads are often snow-covered or icy in winter. Book reservations up to 6 months in advance at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com. Reservations are required Oct. 1 - June 1 for the duplex totem cabin and six rustic cabins.
16 full hookup sites Five sites open year-round (water available only at restroom/shower building in winter) 1 electrical site with water (closed in winter) 32 tent sites with water nearby (closed in winter) Hot showers and flush toilets Horse camp with seven sites (closed in winter) Six rustic log cabins open year round (four pet-friendly) Duplex cabin (Totem) Group tent camp (closed in winter) Universal Access: Tent site A19 is accessible to campers with disabilities.
$12 - $36 / night
First-come, first-served This park is located in a remote steep valley. Large pine trees dominate the landscape. More than 20 primitive sites with water Vault toilet River rafting access Riverside trail for anglers
Spring Creek Campground is located in an open pine forest near a small meadow. Just a short drive from Interstate 84, this small campground offers 4 campsites which are occassionally used for family reunions or group camping.
$10 / night
Located just off the historic Kendall-Skyline Road, this high-level campground offers 6 campsites to choose from that are in close proximity to several wilderness trailheads. Spend your days hiking in the beautiful and scenic Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness and your nights relaxing in this tranquil and secluded campground. Mottet even offers clear, cold, and delicious drinking water, straight from a mountain spring!
Spool Cart Campground is nestled in the forest on the banks of the Grande Ronde River. This is a developed campground with paved roads and accessible toilets. Historically, trains stopped here and left spools of cable; for loggers to transport to work sites using carts.
Located along the Hurricane Creek riparian area, this Hurricane Creek Campground offers 3 tent/small trailer sites and 8 tent-only sites. Three of the campsites are now accessible for people with disabilities. The access road to this campground is rough and not recommended for low clearance RVs and trailers. Please click this link to proceed to the Hurricane Creek Trail #1807 webpage.
At an elevation of 7,100 feet, this campground keeps cool in the summertime heat. The sites sit among boulders and mixed conifers on a bluff over Anthony Lake. For questions for Anthony Lake, Grande Ronde Lake, Mud Lake, Peavey Cabin, and Anthony Lake Guard Station call (541) 894-2332None of the sites offer lake views, but campers can enjoy gazing on Gunsight Mountain and the surrounding peaks of the Elkhorn range. Anthony Lakes Campgrounds Website
There is a boat ramp available at the camp. Activities on Anthony Lake include boating, canoeing, kayaking and trout fishing. Trails in the area include the 22.6-mile Elkhorn Crest (foot and equestrian), 1-mile Black Lake (foot and equestrian) and the 1-mile Shoreline (foot).
The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, 2.3 million acres of varied landscape, extends from the Blue Mountains and rugged Wallowa Mountains down to the spectacular canyon country of the Snake River on the Idaho border. Anthony Lake Campground is located in the Southern Elkhorn Mountain/Powder River Basin Area, with the highest peak in the Elkhorn Mountains at 9,108 feet. The area around the lake is known for conifer forests, wildflower meadows and the resident mountain goats.
The Elkhorn Scenic Byway is a 106-mile drive through the Elkhorn Mountains. Along this drive are ghost towns and an abundance of lakes and rivers.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees. For full details see NRRS Reservation Policy
$12 - $100 / night
Traveler
On our way to Portland from SLC we decided to book a Yurt on AirBnb at Grande Hot Springs Resort. We arrived the evening of 14 April after a long day of driving from Burley. Checking in was a snap. The Yurt was clean and fresh with a private courtyard and soaking tub backing up to a pond looking up a hillside. Being early spring it was cold enough at night to keep the mosquitos at bay. From our Yurt we walked around the hot lake to the Historic Hot Lake Hotel. The glow of the setting sun against the hotel facade is best described as a scene from "The Shining." Creepy in a stepping back in time kind of way. I'm attracted to those old west neo-classical buildings that have survived and being revived. Back to the Yurt, the only downside was having to take a hike to use the toilet.
ScoutStayed in one of their yurts. Super clean and quiet. Very friendly and accommodating staff. Private soaking tubes were fantastic.
GuideMainly for rv's but they do have yurts available and nice tents spots. Very clean bathroom and shower, nice place all around. The tent sites are away from the rv's so the view is spectacular.
RangerWe stayed here for 2 nights in early August. Great campground that you can tell a lot of love is being put into. The tent and yurt sites are beautifully situated next to a stream full of cattails and lily pads. Wild deer roam nearby and horses graze in the fields around the park. Not far from town either. A great spot if you are in the area.
Legend
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).
Ranger
We stopped for a night in a rustic camping cabin at Emigrant Springs in July of 2015. It was a welcome dose of green after a long day of brown along the interstate through Idaho and western Oregon. The cabin was rustic, the shower house was in good repair with nice hot showers. There seemed to be good space and shade around the sites offering some privacy. Great spot! Take the time to stop in Meacham on the West side of I-84 tomstop at The Oregon Trail Cafe - literally the ONLY store in this teeny town. Wonderful hospitality, the local ‘scoop’ and great breakfast.
TravelerOregon always has beautiful state parks. This one is no different. It is close to Hwy 84, so there is road noise. The campsites don't seem to be as on top of each other as some places.
ScoutExcellent 1/2 point between home in Idaho and the Oregon Coast. Tent and full hook ups with helpful campground hosts.
Yes, you can hear the freeway from the campground - so it may not be recommended for tent campers.
LegendThis has been a historic place to stop on the way through the Blue Mountains since the Oregon Trail. It has a fair amount of freeway noise these days, though. Reasonably private sites with good shade. I would recommend it as a traveler's stop, but probably not as a multi-day vacation destination.
TravelerWe have stayed here many times. 10 years ago was one of our favorites. Our families came from all over Oregon and Washington, even California. We came from Missouri. What an amazing family reunion. The park rangers were so nice. They had informed classes about animals in the forest. The Jr rangers program for the children was wonderful and hands on.
Guide
This place is amazing. Clean, convenient, and right on a productive stretch of the Minam River. Near the confluence of the Minam and Wallowa rivers, this is a perfect base camp for exploring the waters and towns of the Wallowa mountains. An outfitter/camp store sits a half mile upriver, and the towns of Lostine, Wallowa, Enterprise, Joseph, and Elgin are nearby. For $6 (!) you get a great spot literally just a few dozen feet from the water. Fan-freaking-tastic! Oregon parks are the best.
GuideWe stayed here in a tent site (no hookups) on our way back to Portland from Nevada. As an overnight cut-off campground, it’s lovely: Nice-sized sites set in beautiful Oregon forest (we’d been out of state for a couple weeks and REALLY appreciated the trees); clean bathrooms and showers; long “tent” sites that allowed us to back in our 18ft trailer without uncoupling for the night.
However, it’s right on the interstate. While you kind of tune it out after a while, the road noise is constant and definitely interferes with any sense of “wilderness”.
GuideVisiting in April on a Sunday to do day use has defined my idea of heavenly. The snow-covered peaks, the clean air, the sounds of the spring birds, and the silence are magical. The hot tubs are small, but it really doesn't matter if no one is there. They are pool noodle friendly when it's not high occupancy. The Verizon signal is strong. Day use is open until 5:00 p.m. and next door there's a lodge that has even more hot springs that I'm going to have to visit sometime. The setting is pretty incredible with views all around of lovely Eastern Oregon mountains and valley. Spring green is abundant and it is an enchanting time. Very cute tent campsites, as well as a variety of lodging. This place is wonderful.
GuideWe 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.
Legend
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.
Legend**Ranger Review: Midland Radios at Anthony Lakes Campground Review: **
This is my favorite place in Oregon. It’s vast and quaint- everything that you would imagine from a 7,000 elevation retreat! We arrived a couple of days prior to when the site was officially supposed to open (July 1- depending on snow) so, we ended up staying in the Anthony Lakes Ski Area parking lot. A combination of snow and mud prevented anyone from using the official campsites but that didn’t stop a handful of people from camping and fishing nearby. During our three-day stay, we had snow, rain, and sunshine. It was wonderful!
Top reasons I love this campground:
Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, occasionally I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Midland Radios X-Talker Extreme Dual Pack T77VP5. Being in a vast wooded area, I was thrilled to have radios that worked well and could be easily charged with a USB cord and a power block. Lightweight and easy to attach to a backpack or belt.
**Pros: **
ScoutThis is a beautiful area and clean campground. There is too much road noise to enjoy the outdoors.
GuideNice campground, with cabins that you can rent. Lots of nature to explore! Nice big bathroom area at campground. Lots of space for picnics at the day use area
TravelerWe stopped for a night on our way to Joseph. It seemed like a good stopping point near the highway. The campground is very well kept with nice touches such as a lit pathway through the woods to the washrooms. It is a shame that the campsites are directly by the highway. A half-mile into the forest would have made all the difference! The noise was very loud and traffic did not slow down at night. Eventually we got used to it and it faded into the background as white noise. Convenient but not idyllic.
ScoutThis is a really nice and maintained campground but the traffic noise from the interstate was awful. It was sometimes hard to carrying on a conversation because of the noise. I probably will not stay here again.
GuideWe stayed at a cabin toward the end of the park. The cabins are great and super comfortable and the bathrooms are clean. Saw park staff cleaning and taking out the trash frequently. It is about 10 feet from the highway so loud all day/night. Interesting history but the springs themselves have mostly been paved over by 84. Hiking trails a bit confusing and mostly gas line right of ways. Would recommend if you need a comfortable place to stay on a road trip but not exactly a "camping" getaway.
ScoutMy husband and I love this campground. It's close to the mountains without being too far away - about an hour and a half from us living in Tri-cities. There are showers and water spickets, room for horses, and great hiking trails. There is room for both tent and RV camping. We have only ever gone tent camping, and the size of the campgrounds for us has been great. There is room to set up hammocks and chairs.
The only unfortunate aspect about this campground is that it is somewhat close to the highway. After the first weekend we spent there, we got somewhat used to the sound - it can sometimes be soothing. It's also a good idea to bring something to provide added shade to either the tenting area or sitting area as it gets quite sunny in the morning.
GuideI loved this campground! Park managers were friendly and knowledgeable about the area's rich heritage. It's centrally located to many great adventures, and really easy to find. I have to admit that the road noise got to us... it's right off I-84 and the traffic does NOT let up in the summer... but some earplugs were a good solution for my husband.
We had a blast here!
RangerTerrible tent camping experience. This campground is TOO close to the highway and too noisy even with ear plugs or music. We could barely sleep nor have a conversation while sitting across each other for breakfast. I would advice to only stay here if you have an RV camper. The bathrooms were very clean, great trails and the interpretive center was very educational. No complaints there.
GuideWhen we arrived after dark the 200 ft path to our cabin was cleared and we could easily drag our items stacked on a tarp to our cabin. The cabin does share a wall with another party but it was funny to hear the children laugh and play. It was below zero but the electric heater kept us toasty warm. The bathroom and shower is about 300 ft away if you walk through two feet of snow. We brought a collapsible toilet to have on the covered porch. Drove up to the bathroom when needed. The park ranger spent all day moving snow and keeping the roads through the campground excellent. The bathrooms and showers are always clean. The day we left the park ranger came and moved another foot of snow so we could easily pack out. We brought our instant pot and warmed are already prepared foods. If you don't want things to freeze you got to keep them in your cooler. We brought lots of cozy blankets and could hotspot the computer to watch movies. Make sure you follow trip check for closures of i-84 if camping during snow.
TravelerThis location is pretty nice with full hookups and a fair amount of space per site. I’m not sure what the policy’s are but during booking I was told there was only one side available and it was a full hook up RV site that was the most expensive rate. I didn’t need that being fully contained in my truck camper, but I though having electrical and water would be nice. When I arrived o found 95% of the campground empty and saw only 3 other campers over the course of the weekend all in spots right next to mine even thought nearly all spots were vacant.
ScoutThe campsites were very well maintained and the facilities (bathrooms and showers) were kept up nicely as well. If you choose to stay here I would definitely go for a site away from the freeway. Ours was in B loop and you could hear all the vehicles cruising on by on I-84
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Umatilla National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Umatilla National Forest is Grande Hot Springs RV Resort with a 4.4-star rating from 37 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Umatilla National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 glamping camping locations near Umatilla National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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