Julie P.

Portland, OR

Joined August 2016

Living life one adventure at a time!

Views of Mt. Hood

If you want endless, beautiful views of Mt. Hood I would highly recommend coming here. The views are spectacular, I honestly couldn't get enough of it.

Pros:

  1. Views of Mt. Hood- THE BEST
  2. Lost Lake- Fun water activities. My family brought our kayak, and I spent most of my morning on the water.
  3. Rental Shop- This shop is close by, and is a great place to head to if you need any rentals. My brother went here and rented some fishing gear. They also have a little shop with snacks, which is always great!
  4. Boat Dock- Great for getting your boat in the water.
  5. Campsites are great, and pretty good size. Doesn't make you feel like you are crowding your neighbor. They also take reservations which is great for the busy times of the month. They also have first come first serve sites as well for those people who want to camp last minute.
  6. Great hiking- Highly recommend asking the station what hikes are nearby. They were super helpful and pointed us in the right direction.

Cons:

  1. Bathrooms were a little dirty- but honestly its hard to expect campground bathrooms to be super well kept.
  2. Crowded- I guess this is to be expected during the summer months

Overall- I would highly recommend coming and staying here. The people who work here are super friendly and helpful. I love that they have a little store on site. This was helpful because we forgot to bring smore makings (don't know how we forgot!!) and the store saved us!! They also have little cabins you can rent- not sure what the cost is. They also have spots for RVS with hookups. The rental shop is also super nice!! You can rent canoes ($22 an hr), kayaks ($22 an hr), and you can also rent smaller things like: vest, fishing poles, etc..

Perfect little spot

Great campground located within the Mt. Hood National Park. Honestly, any campground within this national park is worth it in my books. The views are spectacular. I couldn't get enough of the beautiful Mt. Hood. I honestly don't think many people know about this campground, so I am almost afraid to get the word out about this place and it become crowded!! There is only 21 campsites, and they are a good size and pretty private. The campground is on the East side of Mt. Hood, below Bluegrass Ridge.  One of my favorite parts about this campground is that almost all of the campsites are near the river- East Fork Hood River. Who doesn't like a river side campsite?! I love the sound of the water running at night while I am sleeping. The campsites have all the "basics." Picnic table, and fire pit/grill. Again, the campsites are pretty large and are private from the campsite next to you. I love this because you don't feel like you are right on top of each other. If you love water activities, then you will love it here. The campground itself doesn't have any "fun amenities" provided- like most places, you have to do the research beforehand and find things that you like to do. The river provides a great place to swim, fish, and raft. If you like hiking, I would highly recommend some hike nearby. Bluegrass Ridge is a great hike you can do, that provides great views! You can also do Elk Meadows hike and continue up to Gnarl Ridge if you want an extra hard hike and gorgeous views. There are some easier hikes nearby- Umbrella Falls was a good one. For a harder hike, try Lookout Mountain. This was one of my favorites, but definitely a butt and leg kicker. Overall, this was a great place to camp!! I am a huge hiker, so this campground suited me well.

Water Acitivities!

I love the name of this campground- Lazy Bend Campground. This is definitely a place to come if you want to lay back and relax, but they also have great activities for those who want to be more adventurous. It sits right next to the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River, which is great for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and rafting. My family brought some tubes, tied them to a tree, and just relaxed in the water for a few hours. It was great. It is also within the Mt. Hood National Forest, so there are some great hikes nearby. My family and I stayed here 3 nights, and we hiked every morning. We saw some huckleberry bushes that we wish would have been ripe when we were there. I am assuming around September they would be ready to pick and eat. The campsites were good. Just your basic campsite with a table and fire ring. I would advise to bring your own grate to put over the fire ring if you plan to do any cooking over the fire. We brought our own and did breakfast/dinner over the fire. They have tent sites, and a few RV sites as well. They don't have hookups, though. There was a small store a few miles before that we stopped at to get snacks for the weekend. There was a biking trail that looked fun, so if you like to bike I would recommend bringing your bike! Pets are also allowed, which was great because we have 2 dogs. Overall, I would probably come back here- but there are so many other campgrounds to visit in Oregon!!

Hot Springs Nearby!

One of the main reasons my friends and I stayed here was because we wanted to experience the hot springs that was nearby. To use the hot springs, it is an additional $5 charge per day but you can use it multiple times that day. It is about a mile hike to the springs, so come prepared with good shoes. The trail was pretty muddy, so make sure to bring good hiking shoes. The hot springs comes from the Collawash River, and it was amazing. I will say that it was a bit overcrowded, but we expected this. We decided one of the days to go really early to be the crowds, which was nice. We saw a lot of people going down to the hot springs as we were leaving. The campgrounds were great/your average campsites. The usual- picnic tables and fire rings. My friends and I had so much fun sitting around the fire, making smores and talking. They also have vaulted toilets on site, but they definitely weren't the cleanest (expected?). Bring your own toilet paper is my suggestion!!! There is also some really great hiking nearby that is part of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness. Gorgeous views!! The cost to stay here was $17 a night, plus the $5 if you want to do the hot springs. You can also come here for just the day and use the hot springs, and I am assuming it is just $5? Possibly another $5 for parking, but not 100% sure. Also, there is no running water (besides the river), so I would highly recommend bringing tons of water…especially if you plan on going hiking. Overall, I really liked it here. The hot springs made it worth it in my opinion!!

First to Review
Gorgeous Lake!!

Jubilee Lake is probably one of my favorite places to visit. I am definitely not the only one that feels this way because it is a little crowded during the summer months. Jubilee Lake is amazing, so it doesn't surprise me how busy it gets. There are 53 campsites to choose from, and it is on a first come first serve basis. I would advise to get there early and grab your spot. The campsites are a decent size, however when it is busy you do feel like you are right next to your neighbor. This really didn't bother my family and I because we were gone most of the day. It cost $17 to camp in a single unit campsite, and I believe its about $5 more to stay in a double campsite. Jubilee Lake is apart of the Umatilla National Forest, so it is surrounded by beautiful greenery. There is quite a bit to do here, which is great for the whole family. You can fish in the river, boat (there is a boat ramp), or other fun water activities. There is a 2.8 mile hiking trail that takes you around the lake. My mom and I walked this every morning, and it was gorgeous. There are also picnic tables, toilets and water available. I would definitely check the website for closures, because I believe it closes for the season sometime in October. You also have the option to either camp OR just come for the day. I believe there is a fee to park for the day ($5 maybe?). I brought my hammock and hung it between 2 trees right next to the water. I love people watching, so this was a great spot to hang. Highly recommend bringing a hammock if you have one. Great way to relax. Overall, I would recommend either coming for the day and enjoying the beautiful Jubilee Lake, or coming and camping! Can't go wrong.

Near River, Quiet

One of the reasons I really like Barton Park is because it is pretty close to my hometown, Portland. It is about 45 minutes from my place, which makes escaping the city a great place. Barton Park is quiet, yet it can get a little busy. Barton Park can be used for both multiple night stays, or day use. I think a lot of people just come to the park for the day, which does make it a little crowded during the day. The day use fee is $5, and you can also reserve covered picnic tables (not sure the price, but you could probably look that up online). When my family and I came, there were a few birthday parties going on under the covered areas. There is also volleyball courts, as well as horseshoe pits. I think both are first come first serve. One nice thing about this park is that it sits next to the Clackamas River. Great for boating, fishing, and other water activities. There was really only 1 hike nearby, which to me was the downfall about this campground and why I gave it 4 stars. I thought there was going to be more hikes nearby, but there wasn't. There was a trail that was about 1.5 miles long. They have 112 campsites ($21 a night- a little spendy), and they have 103 sites with water and electrical hookups ($26 a night). The cost per night could detour people from coming and staying here. I know of a few campgrounds nearby that only cost $5-$10 a night. Overall, I really like this place and would definitely come back someday.

Small campground, no reservations

The Keenig Creek Campground to me was pretty average. They don't take reservations, which can be a good or bad thing. If you are a planner, not being able to make reservations would probably be hard for someone like that. Some downsides to Keenig Creek Campground:

  1. No potable water- luckily my family and I brought enough water!! We planned to do some hiking, so we definitely brought enough water to last us the weekend. Highly recommend buying jugs of water.
  2. No electrical hookups- We were planning to bring our smaller RV, but found out they didn't have electrical hookups. We just brought tents, instead.
  3. Fire pit does not have a grate over it, so I would highly recommend bringing your own grate to cook on.
  4. Hard to get to the river. You definitely have to go up/down a trail to get to it. It rained the night before, so the path was pretty muddy.
  5. Don't choose a campsite close to the highway…you will hear every car/truck that goes by! My advice would be to get as close as you can to the river. You cant hear anything.

Positives about Keenig Creek Campground:

  1. Cheap- it was only $10 a night! Definitely a cheap adventure weekend.
  2. The campsites are shaded which is great during the summer months.
  3. Clean bathrooms. This was a shock to me, so I was pleasantly surprised!!
  4. Only 20 miles from Tillamook if you want to do some exploring or shopping.

Overall, I did like this campground but there really wasn't anything special about it. Just your average campground.

Very simple, quite

Lockaby Campground is a very simple, yet quiet place to camp. Some friends and I stayed here one summer break from college. There is some great hikes along the road, and close to the campground. We did drive about 15 miles from the campground for one hike that was amazing. There is also a river close by- Wild and Scenic Clackamas River. My friends and I had fun cooling off in this river while we stayed. We did see a few people fishing in the river if that is something you are interested in. We also heard/saw that there is a great place you can white water raft. We wished we would have signed up for this because we did see some people doing this, and it looked like a blast. The campsites themselves were your generic/basic campsites. They had fire pits at each campsite, with grates on top which made it nice for cooking. Also, each campsite does have a picnic table too. They did take online reservations which was nice (and simple). There was no running water, so definitely bring a good supply of water!! Especially if you plan on doing some hiking. The campsites were pretty close together, but luckily it wasn't too busy when we went and there wasn't anyone right next to us. The campsites are also pretty shaded, which helped during the heat of the day but it was pretty chilly at night. I would definitely recommend bringing a jacket for the evening. The toilets weren't the best- pit/vaulted toilets. Bring your own toilet paper!! Also, make sure to bring enough food/snacks because the nearest store is about 15 miles away (not bad, but who wants to drive?). Also, no showers onsite-this wasn't a big deal for us because we just went in the river to wash off. All in all I would say this campground was "average." Nothing super special about it, but it was great to just be outside with close friends.

What an experince!

This place is not your typical "camping" experience. You are able to rent adorable cottages, cabins, yurts or RV spots. My family and I rented a cottage, only because he fit our family of 4 perfectly. This would be a perfect place to come if you like the outdoors and want a romantic getaway for the weekend. It is also perfect for family reunions or long weekend getaways with the family. It's great for everyone. The views are gorgeous. Mt. Hood on a clear, beautiful day just shines!! There are wonderful hiking trails nearby that my family and I took advantage of. My dad enjoyed playing golf at one of the golf resorts nearby, while my mom and siblings went for a hike. There truly is something for everyone- hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, golfing, rock climbing, fishing, mini golf, volleyball, and so much more! The resort itself has a fitness center, swimming pool, and there are a lot of great restaurants close by. You really can't be bored here! One downfall I would say is that it was a bit over priced, and it was busy. Luckily for us, we were exploring and adventuring all day so we really didn't notice how busy it was until dinner time. We got smart and ate early to beat the crowds.

Beautiful Views

Redmond/Central Oregon KOA is such a beautiful place to come and camp. The views are incredible, and is one of the reasons why I really enjoy this place. You get views of the Cascade Range anywhere you look, it seems like. You can see Mt. Hood (one of my favorites!), and Mt. Jefferson. If you love to hike, I would definitely recommend this campground as well. Smith Rock State Park is driving distance away, with incredible hikes as well as rock climbing. If you rather spend the day on the water, you can drive about 15 minutes and hit the Lake Bill Chinook. This is where the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers meet. This is great for boating and any other fun water activities. The campground itself is really nice. They have a pool (which was always crowded), and they also have a place where you can rent bikes and petal-kart rentals. My family and I did this one morning and had an absolute blast. They also have a great place for your pets! When we were there they also had a little ice cream place, which was delicious! The only downfall I would say is that it is pretty close to the highway, so at night we did hear cars/trucks going by. It is right off Highway 97. Someone said there is a dump station close by? We thought maybe that is where all the noise was coming from. Other than this issue, we loved our stay because of the hiking and water nearby.

First to Review
Great hiking nearby

One thing my family and I always look for when we camp is if there are great hiking spots nearby. The Buckhorn Campground, located within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has some great hikes nearby. Not to mention the campground is great too. There are also some great spots to see waterfalls. There is the lovely Buckhorn Tower Viewpoint which is a must see if you come here. The views here are spectacular, the pictures don't do it justice. So many beautiful ridges and canyons. The campsite was pretty popular, maybe because of the great hiking? You can also fish, and I hear/read it is a great place to hunt in the fall. The campsites were great, although I don't think there are very many spots. We got their super early and were able to snag a great spot next to some picnic tables. We also brought our dog- which is allowed. We kept him on his leash the majority of the time, because it was busy. One hike we enjoyed was the Indian Village Grove located about 5miles away from the campsite off of FR880. There is also another hike along this FR, but I cant remember what it was called. Great place to visit!!

Quite getaway!

The Boundary Campground located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon is a great place to go for a quite getaway. It is located on Bear Creek Road. This campground wasn't busy when my family and I went which was really nice. It almost felt like we had the whole campground to ourselves. There really isn't many campsites- I believe there are only 8. I'm assuming this campground isn't well known by people, which again is really nice because you can escape the craziness. The campground itself is pretty basic- each campsite has its own picnic table and fire ring. It is pretty cheap to stay here as well- only $5 per night. We had a Northwest Forest Pass and were able to use that instead of paying the $5 fee. There is a great hike that is nearby called Bear Creek Trail. This trail does run along the river, which makes it great for fishing. My family and I hiked this, and stopped on our way back to do some fishing. They also have trails that you can ride your horses. We actually saw a few people doing this when we were on our morning hike. Overall, I thought this was a great place to camp. We really enjoyed the peace and quite. I feel like during the summer months most campgrounds are super busy, so it was really nice to experience a camping trip that was not overly crowded.

Love It!

The Wildcat Campground in Oregon is great, however it does get pretty busy during the summer months. My family and I visited this campground for a few days at the beginning of August and it was packed. Thankfully we went early on Friday morning and got a spot before the rush of people came. It is a "first come first serve" campground so you are not able to call ahead and reserve your spot. You just have to get their early! The campground is located in the Ochoco National Forest. It is definitely a beautiful place to camp. It is relatively close to town, which is why I think it gets busy during the summers. There were a lot of college aged students camping, which did make it pretty loud. My family has a camper, which is allowed in this campground. They have spots for campers, and spots for tents. Each campsite does have a picnic table which is nice. We always bring extra chairs because we are a family of 5 so the picnic table gets a little overcrowded. My family and I really enjoyed doing some hikes nearby (can't remember the names of the hikes), but we looked everything up beforehand. Gorgeous views, but lots of ticks on the hike. Thankfully we all wore tick repellent and smothered our dog in it as well. One thing I wish this campground had was a river/lake within walking distance from the campground.

Great place to visit

Big Bend Campground in Oregon is a great place to visit. My favorite time to come is during the summer months. Although the weather can get pretty dang hot, the river close by provides a great place to cool down and have fun. The last time my family and I came here we brought tubes and laid in the river. We tied really long rope to each of the tubes, and tied the rope on a tree that was next to the river- That way we didn't float away. This provided great entertainment for hours! Highly recommend doing this. It truly is a peaceful place to come and enjoy the outdoors. The campsites themselves aren't "oh-la-la." They are a bit small, and there is NO shade whatsoever. My family has a camper so that made it nice to escape the heat. It has a but of a "desert" feel to it. We didn't see any snakes, but I definitely feel like with the conditions and heat, they are out there! There were some fun hiking trails also. My favorite one (can't remember the name) was along the river. Bring lots of water!! Another recommendation I would have is to bring your own toilet paper. There was a few times that the TP was out!! The bathrooms aren't the greatest, but at least they are there.

Hiking, adventures, and more!

Some friends and I decided to camp during our time off from college. We decided to head to Cottonwood Canyon State Park, and I am definitely glad that we did. This area is really cool, and has an almost "desert" kind of feel. The canyons are really pretty!! This park is very open- all you see are canyons, hills and mountains all around you. It doesn't get much better than this. The only downside I would say is because it has that desert feel, you definitely have to lookout for snakes. This was my biggest fear, and we ended up seeing a few on our hikes. There are some really great hikes you can do nearby. We did the Pinnacles Trail and Lost Corral Trail. Both of these hikes were "moderate/difficult." They were both a little over 8 miles roundtrip. The scenery is gorgeous on both hikes- you follow along the river (John Day River). We also saw some bikers on these trails too, so if you like to bike I would definitely recommend bringing them! There are about 20 different campsites, and they were pretty large which was nice. There are also toilets on site, too.

Love the cabins

This is a great place to come to getaway from the fast pace life. They have really cool cabins here at Hilltop Hideaway that are great! The cabins, however, are not very big. The max occupancy is 4 people. We had 4 people and I would say it did feel crowded but we managed. They only have 1 room, but there are bunk beds. There is a kitchen with fridge which is also nice. There is also an oven and microwave which made making food easy! The living room is cute, very "cabin" like feel. There was a couch and some chairs. We also brought a few folding chairs, which helped with more seating. The cabin also is equipped with a bathroom, running water, and shower. This piece was nice after a long day of exploring and getting dirty! Just FYI- and it does say this on their site- but there is no running water the months of October-May. We didn't have any issues with this because we went in June. Outside the cabin they do have a picnic table and grill, for those who want to do more outside cooking and activities. We BBQ one night, and it was a lot of fun! Another great thing about these cabins are dogs are welcomed. We brought our lab, and he had a blast! We enjoyed outdoor activities nearby- hiking, mainly. This place was great, however my only complaint would be the size of cabin (4 max), but it is obviously more room than a tent :)

Gorgeous Views

If you want to visit a place that has the best views ever, then I would highly recommend Hoodview in Orgeon. It is within the Mt. Hood National Forest, and the views of Mt. Hood are spectacular. The campsite itself is near a beautiful lake, Timothy Lake. There are plenty of campsites that are on the edge of the lake, which is one of my favorite parts about this campground. Who doesn't love a lakeside view?! I brought my kayak and had some fun playing in the water during the mornings and late evenings (watch for mosquitoes at the lake- they are no joke!). I also brought my bike so I was able to ride on some really nice flat trails. I would highly recommend brining your bike if you like that activity. Hiking is also a big must if you enjoy that. There are some really great trails and hikes you can do close by the campground. The Timothy Lake Trail is very close by, and is a pretty popular/easy hike. If you want to go around the entire lake, that is close to 12 miles. I really love the campsites themselves, also. Each campsite has a table and fire ring which makes it nice for eating. My family loves doing smores at night, so the fire ring definitely came in handy for this. Another thing we really liked about this campground was that the Ranger Station was very close by. We were able to head here and get information on the best hikes and biking trails. The gentlemen we talked to was super nice and extremely helpful. From Hoodview Campground to the base of Mt. Hood it is about 35-40 miles. On our last day we decided to drive to Mt. Hood early in the morning to do some adventuring. Such a great experience, and a wonderful campground. I would highly recommend it!

Loved the River!

Sixes River located in Oregon is a great place to camp. It was a little confusing when we got there to check in because there is actually two different campsites in the same area. There is the Sixes River and also the Edson Creek. Thankfully, the people working there were super helpful and pointed us in the right direction. The campsites are really cool because they are right along the Sixes River (probably where the name came from!! :) ). There aren't very many campsites, so I would suggest getting there early to reserve your spot or go during a slower time of the month. The campsite had a great fire ring and also a picnic table. This was nice for my family because there were 7 of us total- so the picnic table was great. My family and I enjoyed the river- some people swam while others fished in the river. We also did some hiking around the area (we drove to a few different hikes but they weren't too far away). The sites themselves were okay- a little crowded and some garbage in places. They do have toilets on site as well as running water.

A Must Go!

Paradise in Oregon (located in Oregon, DUH!), is one of my favorite places to go. I have been there twice- One with family and the other time with college friends. It is located within the Willamette National Forest, and it is absolutely gorgeous. The smell of the trees is probably one of my favorite parts (weird, I know!). You are surrounded by amazing Douglas Fir trees, which are great if you have a hammock. I brought my hammock both times- it's great for relaxing and reading! I would make my morning coffee and hang in my hammock, listening to the birds chirp. If you love to fish, then this would definitely be a great place to visit. The park sits next to the McKenzie River where you are able to fish. My dad had fun catching trout the last time we went together. When I came here with my friends, one of the morning we did white water rafting. There was a water rafting business close by that we were able to rent the rafts from. We chose to have an instructor come with us since none of us had done it before. You can also rent kayaks from this place too (sorry I don't remember what the rental was called, but you cant miss it). Another really enjoyable adventure is hiking. The McKenzie River National Recreational Trail is close by which I would recommend to do. It is gorgeous, and the views are awesome! You walk alongside the river which was fun because you can see all the people white water rafting, kayaking and fishing! It's great people watching :) The campsite itself is really nice and clean. I liked that the campsites weren't super close together, so it didn't feel like we were right next to other people. When I went with my family we went at the beginning of August. It was pretty busy, but not too crowded. When I went with my friends we went the first part of July and it was PACKED!! Although it was busy, we didn't feel overwhelmed with how many people were there. Overall, I would highly recommend Paradise in Oregon! I personally can't wait to come back.

So many great hikes!

Hiking is one of my favorite things to do when I am not working. I spend a lot of my free time doing this. Granite Creek Campground is a great place to camp- but it is also a great starting point to hike. You can start at Granite Creek Campground and hike to Sunrise Point which is in the Wonderland trail in the Mount Rainier National Park. It takes me about 5 hours to do a roundtrip loop from one point to the next and back. It is about 8 miles roundtrip, and I would say it was "middle' level experience. The scenery, wild life, and greenery are to die for. My favorite time of year to do this hike is in the spring time because there are so many gorgeous flowers that are blooming. I almost feel like I am in some sort of flower painting, because everywhere you look there is a different color flower. I have yet to stay at Granite Creek Campground but it is on my list to do at some point. Going through the campground in the summer, it is ALWAYS busy. So many RV's and tents all around- I would definitely say this was a great sign and tells you a lot about how much people like staying here. It is always clean too. There are bathrooms on site (I usually use them before and after my hike)! They are clean, and always stocked with toilet paper and toilet seat covers. I would highly recommend coming here! To camp or to hike!!!