Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Umatilla National Forest

This site was right next to Fort Walla Walla, with a park and dog park. Not much else here but weird animal statues and long-term RVers. Lots of hookups for RV and trailers. No tent or car camping. The bathrooms were still closed June 2021, need to use your own hookups.

I wish we had more time at this spot. Beautiful scenery. Small but very clean pool. The campgrounds are very well taken care of. Pet friendly, family friendly.

They have an amazing brand new reception, very nice people. These are the cleanest restrooms I’ve ever seen, and we camp a lot! Wifi is okay. Only giving 4 stars because they could add some kids recreation. Other than that, 10/10. Pets cannot be off leash. The pool is mor of a big hot tub, not for actual swimming

Our GPS took us right to the campground (CG) plus there was plenty of Blue Valley RV Park signage to guide the way into a small industrial area and the adjacent golf course. Check-in was quick and we proceeded to back-in site 8 with FHUs. The utilities are towards the back of the pad, so I had to use two sewer hoses to get from the main black tank on our Brinklely G model. The sites on this side of the CG are nicely landscaped with a decent amount of room. After reviewing all the rules on line, we were a little concerned but the management was not overbearing and there are four main rules as displayed when you check in 1) 5 mph speed limit, 2) don’t park in the road) 3) pick up after your pet, and 4) pets on a leash. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi. We got 4 bars on Verizon. There were no mature trees in our area, so we did not have a problem getting a clear shot north for our Starlink. We logged into the Wifi and it was above average, but the CG was not full. The CG is near a small but nice industrial area near the police station and humane society. Go to Walla Walla’s main street area where there are far more wine tasting rooms than you can do in a day. Grab pizza from the Sweet Basil Pizzeria. This CG was a good choice to visit the area.

First, the office staff was stellar! Very friendly & helpful! The park & bath house are tidy & clean. Appreciate that dog poop bags are conveniently located, and wide grassy strips around the perimeter provide places for potty walks (unlike some RV parks where the only grass is at campsites). Great big kudos to other dog owners for cleaning up after their dogs, too! However, for the price, we were not impressed with the rest of the park. Only 2 showers in each restroom with a cramped, shared dressing space. We also were disappointed with the soaking pools, which were small for this size park. Even tho a huge grassy area at one end of the park could be a lovely off-lead dog area, sadly it is not, and dogs are not allowed off-lead anywhere. For those of us with active/young dogs, a safe place for them to RUN, jump, play, & expend energy after a travel day is hugely appreciated.

Seems more like an rv park than a campground. Someone let there dog pee at our site as we were pulling up and it backs up to apartments. Never again.

Usually we stop here for one to three nights when passing through the area. The hot springs are great and lots of room for the dogs. Only downside is there is no off leash area for our pups.

Hurricane Creek Campsite is super nice. Sits right along Hurricane Creek and has a lot of well maintained spots. My one caution would be that if you have dogs keep them on a leash because if they were to get in the creek that would be all she wrote. That creek is appropriately named as it really moves.

This camp ground is extremely beautiful. Good spacing between sites. We were here during the Off season. It was quiet and wide open. The town of Joseph was very close and with the visit. However, there was a lot of dog poop not picked up by their owners. Nothing more frustrating than having to spend time cleaning you shoes, twice.

Other than that we had a great day and would come back.

This is a free First come First Serve National Forest Service campground and thus, there seem to be folks living here full time. Lots of trailers, cars that looked like they didn't run and dogs off leash.  It's down at the end of a long bumpy road and no cell service. There was also a large Class A parked that I didn't see anyone enter or leave. I didn't feel entirely safe, also not unsafe either. 

The hike along the creek is nice. People bring their horses down here.

Late spring was a perfect time to spend a couple days in the mountain wilderness. Wildflowers we’re in bloom and temperatures were moderate during the day and a little cold at night. There is one clean vault toilet for the area, close enough to the campsites. Campsites are essentially a driveway with a picnic table, and suitable for small trailers or tents. Great hiking to the lush, broad meadows, which are fed by a creek cascading from the higher elevations. We let our dogs have the run of the place off leash. Getting there is a bit of a chore: about 20 miles of dirt track, but we’ll worth the effort.

We were swinging south from Seattle to hook up with I80 and this spot was in our wheelhouse. Not too far off of I 84 and really not to bad to find. The road entering was stone but it still easily passable. Most of the sites overlooked a beautiful lake stick among the hills, and we’re in decent shape with a fire ring, table and little grill. We got there on a Sunday and there were still a couple smoldering campfires so the place was probably crowded on the weekend. Not a lot of property associated with the area as most is fenced off and private. Still though enough to walk the dogs around.

Before I drove down here, I'd read some reviews about the road not being pot-holed and washboard, but I decided to risk it with my van and so glad I did! I found a level site for my van with neighbors not too close. (Oddly, they were folks I knew from Portland, go figure!)

Spent one night in that spot then took another closer to the river for the second night where I had to use my leveling blocks. But so worth it. Could hear nothing but the rushing river. Be bear aware here. Didn't see any bears, but they were around the week before I came.  River is fast. Keep an eye on your dogs!

I had originally intended on staying at one of three closer campgrounds that I ultimately rejected and made the decision to drive on to Minam State Park. Was I ever happy I did. The only downside was the 2 mile, narrow, gravel road into the park. A little bit of a nail biter with a bigger rig. Once there it was a nice size, dry campground with lots of sites to choose from and right next to the gorgeous Minam River. Whitetail doe with 2 fawns frequented the campground. Lots of fishing, some small trails and wound up walking down the dirt road with dogs as there was literally no traffic and the views were so outstanding. Apple trees alongside the dirt road provided a wonderful, unexpected snack.

Had a great time here. There are small things I'd change that would make it a 5 star park, but they are small.

The pools that are fed by the springs are great, especially after a long day on the road.

The staff was great and helpful, and a full-time RV family shared their wisdom with this first-time RV-er.

Hookups are well labeled, and RV sites are all 90-foot pull through, which, again, for this first time RV-er was clutch!

The views are great, the nature walk is nice, and the weather was a nice 70ish!

Cons, for me, are that there is no off leash dog area, this is due to the abundant wildlife, but i just wish there was somewhere to let them run and stretch their legs. Additionally, there is no area for the kids to play, there is a horseshoe area, but otherwisr, no play equipment. But otherwise, a great stop, and really, a better stop for a more mature crowd.

Lastly, no wood fires at the camp sites (at least on the rv side) so bring a propane pit for marshmallows!

Nice little pond off 77 Rd an hour or so East of Highway 203 in Eastern Oregon.