I’m usually not a fan of parking lot camping BUT…the was site was great. No frills parking lot surrounded by options for activities.

Surrounded by:

• super cool bike park
• north America’s longest gondola
• great restaurants
• shopping
• museum
• waking biking paths
• MTN bike rentals AND you can bike down the mountain on one of a few dozen trails
• history
• photo ops

We fell fortunate to have stumbled onto this great camp site. It have two large loops that have 30ish, clean, large, beautiful spots.

There are areas for large group picnics , an area for dogs, a lovely beach and a boat launch.

The place was packed and apparently books quickly.

This little camping spot off of interstate 90 is perfect for all ages. A couple of dozen small pull in, and pull- through, sites that have full hookups and tire rim fire pits. A bit of shade and a bit of noise from the interstate.

But…. there 40 minutes tour of the mine is awesome!! And, it comes with an opportunity to pan for gold and gems.

Don’t count on striking it rich with gold but you will certainly leave entertained and with a great bit of mining education!

The Swinging Bridge campground had the pros and cons of being right off of hwy 55. It’s easy to access the site and Payette River but you can hear the traffic.

Not an ideal site for big rigs. No showers or cell service but there are vault toilets.

This campground has it all!

• clean, large camp spots

• friendly staff

• stunning lake Pend Orielle

• top notch junior ranger program

• Tree to Tree course

• New and totally awesome Brig museum

Great location and campground with a lot of amenities like a playground, pool, dog run, store etc…

Cow Hollow Park is like staying in a big school playground. There is playground equipment, a baseball field, a basketball court/tennis court. and a horseshoe pit. It's big and open with plenty of space for tents and a couple of dozen spots for RV's (no dumping or water, only electric). Restrooms and showers.

Pulled in to find a sign that read “Now Day Use Only.” A large and long parking lot with grassy areas and beachfront. An active train runs on the highway side of the parking lot. Restrooms are closed.

There were a A LOT of dead fish along the beach.

We had so much fun at Chena Hot Springs. There is so much to do! Aurora viewing, cozy cabins, hot springs, pool, Ice Museum, dog sledding, dining, and so much more.

The resort could use a major refresh and there were busloads of tourists when we visited in November, but it is still worth checking out if you can.

The aurora is spectacular and I would love to go back for a trip in the summer.

At first sight, LePage doesn’t seem that awesome, but the more we stay here, the more we love it!

It’s right off of the Columbia River highway, so you can hear a bit of traffic, but it’s not nearly as bad as other camp sights we’ve stayed along I84.

There is a huge grassy area for tents and pavement sites for RV’s. Personally, I like the separation because it allows for two different experiences and separates the unique noises that come with both types of camping; RV generators and group tent camping.

There is a really large beach and roped off swimming area, as well as a boat ramp, dock for fishing, and trails for hiking.

It gets dark enough for night photography and there are always plenty of eagles and hawks for bird watching.

COVID-19 kept this park closed for most of the summer but we were thrilled when it opened up in September.

The first night we stayed at Viento State Park I was unprepared for the very active, incredibly loud trains that ran ALL NIGHT! I was ready to pack up immediately until my family told me that they hadn’t slept that GOOD in forever. They loved the trains. It wasn’t until we spent time walking along the beach, took a few good hikes and bike rides that I started to see the charm in Viento.

There are two campgrounds; one near the water and train tracks, and the other across the interstate that is for tents only.

Take your bikes for a great ride along the Historic Columbia River Highway, or your kiteboards to play in the gorge!

All in all, I think this a great camping spot. Just be prepared for the sound of trains!

The Malheur County Fairgrounds has about a dozen tight spots that can accommodate RV's in a grassy area in the back of the grounds. It is an inexpensive option ($15) for a passthrough overnight. It has power but no water.

The Treasure Valley Mobile Villiage is a residential community in Ontario, Oregon. It is well maintained.

Cove Creek is a popular campground with excellent access to Detroit Lake. It has a long beach and is right across from Piety Island. I found the campground rather crowded and loud but loved the quick walk to the lake.

Several spots are on steep inclines, making it difficult to park an RV.

Whispering Falls is a family favorite! 

Beautiful scenery, river access, monarch butterflies, spacious spots, and great trails. Dark enough for stargazing; we were able to see Saturn and Jupiter.

We reserved spot #22, which the website lists as 50ft long, it's not long enough to even fit a long truck. The camp host was very nice and said that, to no avail, he has sent several messages to correct the error.

The upper campground overlooks the river and is fenced. The lower portion of the campground has very nice river access! There are HUGH tree stumps and wonderful old-growth trees.

The Umatilla Marina & RV Park is a small park on the edge of Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River. The park is clean, well maintained, and has water, electricity, and a dump station. 

The marina has a large parking lot and spots to clean fish. There is a nice park and swimming area for kids.

The McNary Dam and Fish window are a few miles down the road and well worth a visit (when open).

Blackberry has good river access, with warm water for tubing and swimming, but I couldn't get over the poor condition of the park and the general lack of respect from everyone at the site. The dumpsters were overflowing and smelled of dead fish. No one was practicing social distancing and there were so many kids on bikes and scooters that it felt like an unsupervised summer camp.

Memaloose State Park is much bigger than I anticipated. There are several loops and the incline makes it interesting for biking and walks around the park. I like that the park is along the Columbia River Gorge but, it is difficult to access the park if you are driving east and there isn't access to the river. 

The coolest part about the park is that there is a trail leading to an active railroad which is great for train spotting and photos. Not so great for noise.

Humbug Campground is in the Willamette National Forest and on the beautiful Breinbush river. It's small and great for fishing. There are easy, but not ADA accessible, trails with tons of rhododendron flowers and orange rough-skinned newts along the way.

The vaulted toilets were REALLY smelly, and there was dog poop in our spot upon arrival. Otherwise, a nice enough spot.