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Deschutes River State Recreation Area

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About

State Park

Looking for Deschutes River camping? Look no further than the campground at Deschutes River State Recreation Area. Located in north-central Oregon, this campground gives you access not only to the Deschutes River, but also the Columbia, with tons of fun activities year-round. This campground has four loops full of campgrounds for tent campers, RVers and backpackers alike.

This is The Deschutes River Rec. Area, which is on the Columbia River, not the Deschutes campground at The Cove Palisades State Park near Madras.

Welcome to Deschutes State Recreation Area. We have 32 miles of bike trails and 7.5 miles of hiking trails. All sites allow Tents or RVs (with a 24 foot combined vehicle length restriction in T-Loop). A-Loop electric sites have 50/30/20 amp connections available. Restroom building closed from from late fall to early spring. Port-a-potty available. There is no water available from from late fall to early spring.

MAKE SURE YOUR SITE MEETS YOUR CAMPING NEEDS Before reserving, please become familiar with the particulars of your chosen site, including the size of the tent pad area and the type of equipment that you may bring to the park. Site details and tent pad sizes can be viewed online by clicking on the site name.

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Location

Deschutes River State Recreation Area is located in Oregon

Detail location of campground

Directions

Directions to Deschutes State Recreation Area Traveling east: On I-84 travel 12 miles east of The Dalles to the Deschutes State Recreation Area exit 97/Biggs Rufus Hwy. Continue eastbound 4 miles, cross the Deschutes River Bridge. The park is the first right after the bridge. Traveling west: On I-84 travel 34 miles west of Arlington to exit 104, turn left on Hwy 97. Go 1/4 mile and turn right on Biggs Rufus Hwy. Continue westbound 4.5 miles, turn left into park before crossing the Deschutes River Bridge. Traveling south: On Highway 97 travel approx. 10 miles from Goldendale, WA. Cross the Columbia River to Biggs Junction. Turn right on Biggs Rufus Hwy. Continue westbound 4.5 mile. Turn left into park before crossing the Deschutes River B

Address

89600 Biggs-rufus Hwy
Wasco, OR 97065

Coordinates

45.63335654 N
120.90877836 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Showers
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Sewer Hookups
  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

31 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2024

Got some Small Mouth

Caught 4 Small Mouth Bass out of the river. The campground is clean. There is $10 Tent spots on the river.

SiteA29
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Matthew Z., June 14, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 12, 2024

Earwigs!!!

I loved this campground, until I had to pack up & move on. My tent was infested with earwigs. Hundreds crawling around under my tent, & all over the inside & outside.

Aside from that, I had a great time. The campground itself doesn’t allow for much privacy, but if you explore up & along the river, there are a few access points that you can enjoy by yourself. Great for birdwatching, & swimming.

I didn’t mind the train sounds, I actually kinda liked them.

SiteT71
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by hal B., June 12, 2024
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by hal B., June 12, 2024
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by hal B., June 12, 2024
Reviewed Apr. 22, 2024

Beautiful and very clean.

Beautiful camp right along the Deschutes River. Very peaceful except for trains that go by and blow horn. Full hook ups and tent camping areas. Bathrooms are very clean. Good hiking trails along river.

Site17A
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Richard H., April 22, 2024
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Richard H., April 22, 2024
Reviewed May. 21, 2023

Beautiful in May!

Lovely peaceful campground. Very quiet except when trains go by and they blow their horn. Very well maintained with a great field for kids to play in. The trees smell amazing in May in the evening. We would definitely come back.

SiteA30
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Apr. 2, 2023

A favorite spot

We’ve been camping here for over 20-years and every time a memorable experience. Whether your needs are for a full hookup or a simple tent site, they’ve got them all. This evening there were only 3 other sites occupied, on a Saturday! With the river song of the Deschutes in the background and a large population of geese, ducks, turkeys, vultures and, eagles, and deer, the wildlife are never far. Also a popular spot with fishermen, rafters and kayakers, it can get busy in the summer but always a people-watching extravaganza.

SiteA17
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Robert P., April 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Robert P., April 2, 2023
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Robert P., April 2, 2023
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2022

Great cosy stay

Camp is well located , very clean, super great park ranger and very spacious , beautiful river bank and lots of space to walk with a dogs

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Gintare , October 1, 2022
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Gintare , October 1, 2022
  • Deschutes River SRA campground
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  • (13) View All
Reviewed Nov. 22, 2021

Great spot

Beautiful spot right on the Deschutes. Water and bathrooms closed for the season.

Site13A
Month of VisitDecember
Reviewed Oct. 18, 2021

Mostly grass sites

Bordering the Deschutes River the sites were primarily grass with trees. Not crowded in October. Full hookups in one area and no hookups in another. Clean bathrooms.

Month of VisitNovember
Reviewed Jul. 7, 2021

Great Escape!

Great setting right in the Deschutes! We loved the scenery here and proximity to the river. We stayed two nights, which was perfect. Not a lot here to do other than swimming, hiking, and fishing. We’ll be back for another quick stay. The only drawback was the proximity to the train, which passes by regularly and is pretty loud.

Site15
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed May. 25, 2021

Beautiful campground along the Deschutes River in the Columbia Gorge

We usually cross the Columbia River into Washington state at Biggs Junction, Oregon. We don’t want to stay at Maryhill State Park in Washington as we had stayed there before. We found this campground on our Benchmark Oregon Atlas.

There are separate areas for RVs who want full hookups and those who don’t plus tenters. We fall in the latter category. Actually, our area was quieter than the full hook up loop which was closer tomI84 and the train tracks.

We had clean vault toilets, potable water, picnic table and fire ring. There were camp hosts for each loop. They sold firewood and were very helpful. There was a garbage dumpster and several recycling bins. The sites were in a grassy area with heavenly scented locust trees. There were geese with their goslings. There were trails along the Deschutes River but our neighbor camper said she saw several large gopher snakes.

The only drawback was the goose poop. And, snakes on the trail.

We would stay here again. B49/$10

Site38B
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Judy T., May 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Judy T., May 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Judy T., May 25, 2021
Reviewed May. 21, 2021

Great campgound near the OR/WA border

This is an update on a previous review I wrote.

We stayed here again this time in mid-May and it was completely full. Despite that, it felt peaceful and lovely.  We stayed in loop T with our van. Only $10 per site plus $8 for the reservation online. They allow vehicles up to 24 ft in this primitive loop and in my opinion is the prettiest, most natural looking and furthest from the highway.  Lots of birds, gooses and goslings and great access to the river for a refreshing swim. Very hot this last week-end!  We used the vault toilets near this loop but there are bathrooms with flushing toilet a little further. Toilets were very clean.  The campground host for this part, had ice and wood to sell.  Good cell reception on AT&T.  This will be our to-go- place to stay anything we are heading south east of the mountains. Highly recommend it!

SiteT76
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., May 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., May 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., May 21, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 25, 2021

Clean, beautiful and lots of activities !

If you enjoy hiking, mountain biking and fishing, then this campground is for you. We typically stay in the first come first serve. Great staff and camp hosts. Love this place!

SiteB-41
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jennifer J., April 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jennifer J., April 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jennifer J., April 25, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 25, 2021

Fine campground

We've camped here twice, and it's a fine campground. There are several campsite areas, and we've only stayed in the "T" loop, at the back of the campground. We did here the trains at night, but it never bothered us and we didn't hear any road noise despite the proximity to the interstate.

Facilities near the T loop consist of pit toilets, but we walked to the nicer bathrooms on the A loop when they were open. Most A loop campers were in RVs, and the bathrooms weren't crowded. The bathrooms were clean as were the shower stalls.

A loops has more trees, so I would suggest staying there when possible as it gets hot in the summer.

The Deschutes River Trail leaves from the campground, and it's a nice 16-mile-long bike ride, though it can get a bit rough. This area can get very windy.

SiteT 17
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Mar. 25, 2021

Great spot on the Deschutes River mouth

Found this place on the map while searching for a place to camp at the Washington/Oregon border. This lovely little state park is near the mouth of the Deshutes River into the Columbia and it’s a great location for somebody heading south from Washington into Oregon and beyond on 97.  Staying here will avoid most of the I 84 and allow you to stay in a pristine natural area right on the river. The only disruption might be for some the noise of trains that ran across the river. The state park has several campsite loops, we stayed in the primitive tent site T Loop were there no hook ups and only a picnic table and fire pit. They also have electrical hooked up sites on loop A. A dump station is also available. Bathrooms with flushing toilets in loop A, otherwise many very clean pit toilets all throughout the park. There are 2 hiking trails and an old railroad bed bike trail departing from the state park and continuing south along the River. Many primitive campsites further up with only hike-in or bike-in or boat access. We saw two cyclist with overnight bikepacking gear staying here. We had reservations but did not need them on a midweek day in March but I suspect this place gets quite busy on weekends and in the warmer season. Good AT&T cell reception.

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., March 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., March 25, 2021
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Emma A., March 25, 2021
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Awesome park except for....

Great park...clean, easy access, good hiking, good fishing, beautiful scenery, sites are flat and not jamb packed. Only problem is trains go by at night and blow their noisy, loud horns. Suggest camping at the back of the park, the horn may not be as bad (we were near the front).

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Rich J., October 27, 2020
Reviewed Aug. 22, 2020

Good location

Lots of amenities, and nicely located on the deschutes and Columbia rivers. The sites are pretty close, but the whole place is very well kept. Bathrooms available. It was very busy for the weekend in the last couple weeks of August as you’d expect. Really beautiful grounds, just felt a bit cramped.

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Alex P., August 22, 2020
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Alex P., August 22, 2020
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Alex P., August 22, 2020
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 14, 2020

Well maintained

Not my favorite but a nice park camp area. Nothing too spectacular. Small hiking trail. Beautiful river runs through the ground. Fishing is good. Boat launch on the opposite side of the campground. Privacy is limited between sites.

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Brian B., August 14, 2020
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Brian B., August 14, 2020
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Brian B., August 14, 2020
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Aug. 2, 2020

Fun spot to body surf rapids

Camping on this stretch of the Columbia doesn’t offer many choices, but we were so glad to have found Deschutes River SRA. The campground doesn’t seem like much when you first arrive, but walk along the river towards the end of the park and you’ll find lovely shallow beach areas and fun little rapids. Kids had a great time walking among the rocks, building sand castles and swimming down the rapids. I did see a rattlesnake in the beautifully maintained lawn, so be aware when walking around.

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2019

Nice, clean and great location

Had a great time here. Kind hosts, lots of amenities and close to lists of activities. Just a hope to wineries, Stonehenge and hikes. Right on the river. Really enjoyed this campsite and would definitely stay again.

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Karinne C., August 9, 2019
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Karinne C., August 9, 2019
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Karinne C., August 9, 2019
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jul. 29, 2019

Oregon Trail Outdoor Education Classroom

We've stayed at the Deschutes River State Recreation Area twice now. It's the perfect spot if you are traveling across Oregon and need a nice place to stop before continuing to another state, or eastern Oregon. 

The campground is relatively small. The bathrooms and showers are clean and the spots are flat. It has an accessible path along the river and is great for family fishing. 

Due to it's proximity to the gorge, it can be very windy but, it is quaint and the sunsets are amazing.

The best part of this spot is the incredible outdoor Oregon Trail Interpretive display! I highly recommend this park for families with small children.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 29, 2019
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 29, 2019
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 29, 2019
  • (10) View All
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2019

Right along river

Lovely secluded area. Vault toilets a bit meh (off season, not sure about now). Right along the river. Take a hike up above the river as well, not just along it!

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2018

A Fishers Delight

Our family really enjoyed this campus my spot. It‘s right along the Deschutes River and is a fishers delight. Even the kids were pulling in fish both in the morning and evening.

It is near the interstate and train tracks are across the river so don’t be surprised by a bit of noise. Fortunately, the lovely campground and gorgeous river make up for the noise.

Additionally, they have a nice educational structure that talks about the Oregon Trail. This park was really close to the substation fire. Note how close it came to the ranger station - yikes!!!

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 27, 2018
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 27, 2018
  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Jill T., July 27, 2018
  • (12) View All
Reviewed May. 25, 2018

tent, rv or hike/bike in

easy water side access for tents and RVs. Bonus: 24 mile gravel path from the campground with dispersed camping through out the trail of you are willing to make the hike in

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Kevin L., May 25, 2018
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Reviewed May. 25, 2018

Great spot!!

big wide open park with lots of green space. overnight parking available for bikers looking to pack in.

Reviewed Jul. 6, 2017

Glamping

The upper hike alone makes this campsite great. It's very clean and well maintained. If you are into glamping this would be a great place for you!

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Apr. 30, 2017

Deschutes Dud

This campground really has nothing exceptional to brag on. The river isn't terribly safe to swim in and to put in any sort of flotation device you have to leave the campground and drive over to the other side of the river to pay a fee. If more than one person is using the device, they must also pay. The outhouse toilets are not well kept and smell awful. And the most frustrating thing is the nearby train tracks with trains running through a few times in the night, making for a bad night's sleep. I do not recommend!

Reviewed Oct. 1, 2016

Desert air

If you like the desert and a little more solitude, come check out this site. The amenities are simple, be sure to bring plenty of water.

  • Review photo of Deschutes River State Recreation Area by Ryan L., October 1, 2016
Reviewed Sep. 26, 2016

Small Near Freeway

This is a fairly small Campground with a lot of room to play and access to fly fishing in the shallow part of the river. It's pretty open and flat butt a great time can be had with family.

Reviewed Sep. 6, 2016

Beautiful high Desert with refreshing dip in river!

We recently stayed at Deschutes State Park while attending a concert at Maryhill. We stayed in the primitive camping Loop at the South End of the campground.

Spots were basic with picnic table and fire ring. Not a lot of privacy between Camp spots but it didn't really presented itself as an issue and fellow campers were quite friendly.

It was an extremely hot afternoon when we arrived and really sweat quite a bit setting up my tent but was so happy to find the river a mere 50 feet through the grasses. The water was so amazing and refreshing !

We didn't have a lot of time to spend there but did manage to squeeze in a short hike up the river trail and really enjoyed the scenery.

Overall a great experience at Deschutes State Park! Would definitely recommend!TV

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Deschutes River State Recreation Area have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Deschutes River State Recreation Area has water hookups and sewer hookups.

Are fires allowed at Deschutes River State Recreation Area?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Deschutes River State Recreation Area, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Deschutes River State Recreation Area have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Deschutes River State Recreation Area does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Deschutes River State Recreation Area?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is good.