Reviews

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: Lovely campground. Sites are fairly level. DanC was right about the geese. We were there when there were a lot of baby geese. Too cute! We were right next to the river. Quite peaceful, even if a bit windy. Sites are separated by small grassy areas. Saw some people fishing and saw some boats. The river seems to have quite a rapid current. Bathrooms and showers ok. A bit old but they worked. Would definitely stay again.

Posted May 11, 2022 by Magentarose from California . This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: When I made my reservation on line I didn’t realize that my Motorhome would not fit in the space I chose. When I got here the Rangers bent over backwards for me to locate appropriate spots and they were all SO NICE about it. They all get gold stars from me for their helpfulness in accommodating me. Park is beautiful, clean and I would definitely come back!! Kudos

Posted Jul 19, 2021 by June from Oregon. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: March 2021: This is a very nice campground, but with a few things that should be considered. FIRST: As other reviews describe, there are large areas of nice green lawn all through the campground and in the day use/common areas. But literally almost every square foot of the extensive and attractive looking grassy green lawns is covered under an almost continuous layer of wild goose poop. This park is a destination for migrating geese. Many hundreds or even thousands of wild migrating geese occupy the entire park for nearly all year, each and every year. A smaller group (maybe 100 geese or so) stay permanently in the park year-round. The result is that you cannot walk around on the grass without stepping into goose poop with every step. Neither can your kids, or your dog. Goose poop is fairly soft and sticky when fresh. It does not go away even after many weeks of the routine lawn irrigation during the summer. Luckilky the geese eat mostly the lawn grass, so it's not smelly so much as messy. You can enjoy the lawns from a distance, but up close you will be surprised at how much goose pop the short grass hides. SECOND: A previous review mentioned there being no nearby rv dump to empty waste tanks. That's simply incorrect; there are a few different rv dump stations, some also offering potable freshwater, just a reasonably short drive from the park. Do your research and you will not have any problem finding a place to dump nearby. THIRD: This is a VERY popular campground year-round. If you do not have an advance reseervation, you will be VERY lucky to get a camping spot during most of the year. The only exceptions are mid-week days in the winter., when it's a little easier to find a spot on your day of arrival. FOURTH: The available amenities vary widely depending on season. Check the official Oregon State Parks website carefully for seasonal details and daily updates on what is and is not available.FIFTH: This park is in the Columbia River Gorge, where there can be sudden extreme winds. Be cautious about your use of lightweight tents, rv awnings and roof hatches, and similar items that can be damaged by high winds. It's not unusual to see the typical "dome" tents blown flat to the ground with their fiberglass poles snapped like dry twigs; or rv roof vent covers snapped off their hinges and blown the length of the campground. SIXTH: As a previous review mentions, the Oregon State Parks registration form and attached payment envelope are incomprehensibly complicated and printed in a ridiculous format. Compared to a US Forest Service form, or even the Washington State Parks form, the Oregon form is not user friendly at all. Read the instructions very carefully. Despite saying the instructions were read and followed, the previous reviewer who also described how confusing the form was GOT IT WRONG! But it's understandable. Whoever designed the form and envelope obviously never had to actually use it for the first time on a dark rainy night, much less in a normal check-in situation. If you pick up a registration/payment form on your way into the park, take two copies, because you might need to throw your first one away and fill out another.

Posted Mar 20, 2021 by DanC from Oregon. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: We arrived late. State park. Many spots reserved for walk-ins. Options for both full hook ups and primitive sites on a walk in basis. Camp host was super helpful. Campgrounds are nice, green grass, right on edge of river. Bathrooms nice. Standard state park. Quiet except for distant road noise and the trains. We have a van and the train noise is tolerable. Would definitely want to earplugs if we were in a tent. A Sites are spacious on outside. A little tight on inside but still room for privacy. A sites are asphalt and primitive sites are mostly grass and some sand. B and T sites go quickly and not all are level. You are closer to your neighbor here but really not an issue. There is parking available for extra cars for a fee and some good hiking nearby. $24 at the time of our stay. $10 for primitive. It was super windy when we were driving i84but this campground is fairly sheltered and there is more of just a refreshing breeze blowing through.

Posted Aug 20, 2019 by Maude Wallace from Indiana. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: I agree with the comments on what a well kept lovely green park this is. My site was right on the river and I had a great view out my back window, it was very peaceful. When I booked this one night stay at the tail end of a much longer trip the comment before mine had not been submitted yet. The one about some noise that might affect a slight sleeper was. At home I have trains off in the distance and I don’t mind the noise at night at all. I am not a light sleeper but when you think you have a train in your campsite every hour blowing it’s horn and shaking the ground it very makes for a terrible night. I slept with a pillow over my head all night, which by the way didn’t help. I know there is an app out there you can download to see what trains are close to campsites, first thing I do when I get home.

Posted Jul 10, 2019 by Dianne graham from . This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: To add to and clarify what others have said: 1) beautiful camping / rv spots. lovely grounds. excellently kept. Clean, nice facilities. Great trails. You can't play in the river w/o a permit. It can be very, very windy here also. 2) It's not a missing feature, there really is NO DUMP STATION for rv tanks. Nor is there anywhere close by that offers this service. (now you know and can plan accordingly). 3) Train Noise. If you're stone deaf, this place is great. If you have any hearing left, be forewarned that the trains run at all hours, all night, and they LEAN on the horns plenty. We got almost no sleep at all. There's two tracks close by, and a grade crossing that requires they blow the horns plenty. Trains started at 4:30pm and kept it up, every 20 minutes at least, all night and into the morning. Road noise is also an issue, but not such as would wake you from deep sleep like the trains (when you hear your first one, you'll swear they're going to run right over you; it's that loud. We were in the A loop, and could literally feel the trains through the floor.) Personally, I would day trip here or, dry-camp in the B lot which is a bit farther from the road and trains. It might be a bit better.

Posted Jun 21, 2019 by Dwight Swisher from Mid-Coast Maine. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.

For Deschutes River State Recreation Area: Price is good for a very nice place. Great trails. Pretty much hike as far as you’d like. The spots are all back-in. No pull-through at all. Showers are nice and it’s a pretty quiet place. The outer ring of A Loop all back up to a very large grassy area which makes the spots seem a little further apart. We have a 37 foot motorhome and didn’t have much of a problem backing in. I did see a few spots that made me wonder how tough it would be.

Posted Jun 12, 2018 by Josiah from Washington somewhere. This is the subjective opinion of a traveler and not of AllStays LLC.