Generations of campers have stayed here, and if you have little ones, no doubt they'll want to continue the tradition. The park has experienced many improvements since the landslide transformed and closed it many years ago. Available to rent now are yomes (yurt domes) with bunkbeds and inexpensive lake view cabins with AC and heat. A swimming hole, playground and amphitheatre delight little campers, and a store/restaurant/rental business delight adults who run out of ice, beer, fishing tackle, or other necessities. Kayaks, paddle boards and other water sport equipment is available for rent. The lake is long and deep with Kokanee, Rainbow Trout and Bull Trout, but you'll need to make sure you purchase an Indian permit (available at the store) if you want to fish for them. Take a trolling boat up the narrows to the back of Round Butte Dam in the morning and rev up the engine for a mile of skiing area near Pelton Dam to cool off in the afternoon. This is a PGE park with on-site camp hosts and regular visits from the local law enforcement. You'll feel safe camping here solo or with your children. Quiet time is politely enforced. There is a community kitchen available for cooking or washing dishes and clean flush toilets and shower facilities are on site. Electrical hookups abound, even if you are tenting, you can bring an extension cord to recharge, light, or cool off your campsite.

Reservations are not taken at this BLM campground, but it's not usually very full. That could be due to the fact that it's a dry camp with (very nice) pit toilets, or it could be due to the 14' clearance tunnel you need to pass through that limits some RVs, or it could be because of the rutted washboard gravel road that pleads for you to drive 20mph. If none of that scares you off, and you like to camp in a hot, dry spot with few neighbors, this place is for you! Many people use it for the boat launch to start their Deschutes River rafting trip, so not many actually stay. Which is exactly why this place is at the top of my list. You can sit by the river in the shade of an ancient juniper and watch the wild horses from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation collect at the watering hole while dipping your feet in the icy rushing water. And do absolutely nothing but watch the sky turn colors against the surrounding rimrock, listen to the baby ospreys calling for their meal, watch the cows and horses graze across the river (and a mountain goat who thinks he's a cow!) and cook your dinner on your propane stove (grills and campfires are prohibited during summer fire season - leave your s'mores makings at home). Leave your motorized off-road vehicles at home, too. You won't need them here, anyway. There's hiking trails and fly fishing and rafting instead!

Reservations are not taken at this BLM campground, but it's not usually very full. That could be due to the fact that it's a dry camp with (very nice) pit toilets, or it could be due to the 14' clearance tunnel you need to pass through that limits some RVs, or it could be because of the rutted washboard gravel road that pleads for you to drive 20mph. If none of that scares you off, and you like to camp in a hot, dry spot with few neighbors, this place is for you! Many people use it for the boat launch to start their Deschutes River rafting trip, so not many actually stay. Which is exactly why this place is at the top of my list. You can sit by the river in the shade of an ancient juniper and watch the wild horses from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation collect at the watering hole while dipping your feet in the icy rushing water. And do absolutely nothing but watch the sky turn colors against the surrounding rimrock, listen to the baby ospreys calling for their meal, watch the cows and horses graze across the river (and a mountain goat who thinks he's a cow!) and cook your dinner on your propane stove (grills and campfires are prohibited during summer fire season - leave your s'mores makings at home). Leave your motorized off-road vehicles at home, too. You won't need them here, anyway. There's hiking trails and fly fishing and rafting instead!