Palisades Campground

Arrived Thursday. Hot. We found a spot #2 with some shade. Both end spaces were taken. The river ran a bit muddy. Loved the rock formations. Wind picks up in the afternoon

Like the other campgrounds along this section of the Crooked River, almost all the campsites face the river.  They have good spacing and require very little leveling.  Many are pull through, a few back in.  I camped before Memorial Day, so it was very quiet.  The road is very near all the campsites, but we counted maybe one car an hour.

The pit toilet was very clean and serviced daily.  We had Verizon and had rare to no cell service.  The only potable water is at the most southern campground, Big Bend campground, the first below the dam.  During our visit, only the hand pump had water.  You cannot use this to fill your RV, unless you have a bucket and like pumping for an hour.  There were two freeze proof faucets in the other section of the campground where the host has a parking place, but they were not turned on.  Best bet for dumping and getting fresh water is the Crook County RV park, just 15 minutes north on the road in Prineville.  Very nice setup, dump $10, fresh water fill $5 (or free with dump)

This is my go-to spot for a quick weekend getaway. I’m lucky enough that this is only about an hour from home. Usually good fishing! Spacious pull through first come first serve sites. Good for mid-size RV’s, trailers & tent camping. You can generally find a spot if you arrive Thursday evening or before 3:00 on Friday. Right on the river with beautiful canyons surrounding you.

Took a 24’ RV to campsite #5. Little rough for that rig, cars and trucks no problem. Sites are well spaced, many with excellent access and views of the river a few feet away. Cleanest vault toilets I’ve ever seen. Can barely hear the few cars that do go by. Beautiful, dramatic scenery that changes with the angle of the sun.

We camped in tents (and a hammock) in spot #1, and we loved it! There is so much evidence of Beavers! We saw a marten and waterfowl. The river is flowing and shallow with rocky shores; great for Fly fishing, kayaking, or floating. Four stars because there was a lot of glass, dog poo, and random debris to be cleaned up (shotgun shells, airsoft ammo, golf balls), and we kept finding glass. It gets really windy at dusk and dawn. An animal got into our kitchen during the night and stole a soft cooler with dogfood. Our dog and 2 year old loved the site.

We needed a place to camp for two nights at the start of our spring break trip. We were impressed that we found several riverfront sites available on a Saturday evening with several additional sites on each side for our friends to join us. The sites are narrow, wedged between the river and the road, but once we parked our trailer, we had a private spot to hang out. The bathroom was clean and there were trash cans available. Cell service wasn’t great but we were able to send intermittent text messages on Verizon. We did the nearby Chimney Rock hike one afternoon and it was great.

Clean, hot, quiet. Bring your own water, shade and a deck of cards.

Skunk in the area, we were hit with one but it is still a great place.