Set above Lake Billy Chinook, Crooked River Campground is located in Cove Palisades State Park, Culver, OR, 45 minutes north of Bend, OR, off US-97. This state park is one of Oregon’s best places to camp and explore. Our review of this campground follows.
Why We Stayed Here
We stayed here in October 2023 for 6 nights on the way to the Oregon Coast. We chose this state park as we were able to use our Oregon State Park Disabled Veterans Pass to stay for an $8 online booking fee and the campground had solid reviews as one of the best state park campgrounds.
Key Points About this Campground
- $44 per night for nonresidents and $24 for residents
- Asphalt pad, picnic table, and fire pit
- Sites that will handle big rigs
- Beautiful Mountain Views
- Dump station
- Dogs are allowed in the campground
Campground Review
We followed our RV GPS and WAZE, which agreed until we got near the state park. We checked out the confirmation email, which stated to follow the signs. We could have gotten to the campground (CG) following either our RV GPS or WAZE but held steady on following the signs. We arrived at the upper Crooked River CG early, so there was no one at the check-in; however, a ranger pulled up just as we were looking at the information board and she checked us in. We then proceeded to back-in site E61 with water and electric (50/30/20 AMP). We had no problem backing into our site, and the pad was just long enough for our 40’ fifth wheel and F450. The utilities were in the middle of the site, so that was convenient. The water pressure was close to 60 psi, and we used a reducer. Verizon was 1 bar, and as we were on the northwest edge of the CG, we had no problem getting a north shot for Starlink. There are mature trees in the CG, mainly on the interior sites, so satellite could be iffy in some sites. We were here the first week of October; only the first loop and the associated bathhouse were open. Sites on the NW edge of the CG from E71 – E41 could be good for north or south satellites. Sites E65 – E55 on the edge provide very nice mountain views. They have a large (about 1/4 acre) fenced dog park on the east side of the CG. Madras, 15 minutes away, has your major amenities. We enjoyed seeing deer moving around the CG, plus amazing views of the mountains and canyon.
Attractions
- There’s a scenic drive around Lake Billy Chinook
- There are multiple scenic overviews of Lake Bill Chinook to explore via vehicle or bike
- There are multiple hiking trails in the campground and state park
- In the summer season, you can rent boats
- It’s worth the 30-minute drive into Redmond to have a beer and burger at The Redmond Burger Company
Dawg Haus Rating
We publish campground reviews on RV Life Campground Reviews, Campendium, The Dyrt, and RV Parky. To date, we have provided over 200 reviews of private and public campgrounds. Here’s our opinion and rating based on what we like and dislike about a particular campground. We rate campgrounds differently depending on if we are just stopping for an overnighter or a few day rester or if it’s a destination-type campground. Our subjective ratings are: The Best (Five Paws), Very Good (Four Paws), Good (Three Paws), It’ll Work (Two Paws), and Not Impressed (One Paw).
Crooked River Campground received our “Very Good” rating. The campground hit many of our likes. We were able to reserve a specific site in this very popular state park; sites were well spaced, we basically did not pay anything per night, and there was a dump station, and dog friendly.
After Blush
We were glad we stayed here as the views were incredible. It was also cool seeing the deer that roamed about early morning and late afternoon. The other loops were closed during our stay. If we were to return, we’d still try to get in the E loop along the northwest side for the mountain views. Below are campground pictures to enhance this campground review.
