What a hidden jewel! Howard Prairie is not located on Riverside Ave. in Medford. It is on "Hyatt Prairie Road" which is just off Dead Indian Memorial Road out of Ashland. I drove over Sunday to visit but took Hwy. 140 to 37 through the "Rogue Wilderness" which was a little gnarly. Having never been before, I was STUNNED at the beauty of this large, pristine lake. Many people come to fish for trout and bass. Others come for boating, jet skiing and canoeing. Still others come to hike and bike in the mountains. Some just come to kick back & chill. This is a very well maintained campground/resort with all the amenities you could ask for. The store at the marina sells just about anything you may have forgotten, smokes, snacks, food (gotta have those smores around the campfire) and sundries. The restaurant is absolutely lovely and the food delicious and reasonably priced. I enjoyed a creamy pasta, mushroom & veggie dish that was perfectly done, melt in your mouth divinity. The marina blew my mind ... there were yachts and sail boats in addiiton to speed boars moored! There is a regatta each year and this place is so mellow that many, many people leave their boats, fifth wheels and/or camp trailers here for the "season". Yep, you can store your goods here during the week for just a couple bucks, head up Thursday or Friday after work and rent your campsite for the weekend. Week after week, month after month people do this until they close at the end of October. Just a little ways off the beaten path, I highly recommend Howard Prairie Lake & Resort for a nice get away. read more

Nice Jackson county campground about 4500ft in elevation. Large sites with lots of trees, but not very level for large rvs. There were deer, ducks, geese and two bald eagles fishing across the lake. Sail boats, ski boats paddle boats and of course fishing boats. They have Friendly staff and host. Little store with mostly fishing tackle, cafe, soft serve ice cream and Marina. Clean restroom and 25 cent showers. We had no internet or satellite. Others had satellite dishes on a 100ft cable out in a clearing. We did have cell service. Very peaceful, even with it being a busy weekend. We will return. read more

Howard Prairie Lake Resort - Entrance to park - Hotels Near Me - Ashland, Oregon

Great lake for sailing, but only so-so for other activities. Man made lake, so it's muddy on the bottom and full of people. Camping here is fine - clean, but not amazing. The restaurant is friendly and the food is fairly decent for an out of the way kind of place. Soft ice cream cones for the kids, beer for the adults. Great for fishing if you want handicapped access. They have a jetty with guard rails for fishing. read more

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We really enjoyed our time at Howard Prairie! The full-hook up site we had along the lake's edge (W-19) was perfect for hubby and I and our two dogs. The spots on both sides of us were occupied when we arrived, but as there was ample room between the sites, we didn't feel crowded. The trees kept us shaded most of the day, so our tent trailer stayed comfortably cool even during the ghastly hot spell Oregon was having. The campground has at least 2 live-in host families camped there that keep things in good order. The hosts were friendly and helpful as were the staff at the market/restaurant. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean too! The only disappointment was the muddiness of the lake edge. Although kids didn't seem to mind, it's not my idea of fun to tramp through a 20'-wide mud-sucking area to get to the water. Oh, well. read more

We LOVED every second that we spent at Howard Prairie Lake Resort. We stayed from Monday through Saturday, and the place was a ghost town until Thursday afternoon. By Friday it was packed. The bathrooms are brand new and the showers are FREE and excellent. Our campsite was right on the water, and while the bugs were a little annoying in the late afternoon, insect repellant and a good fire handled them. The elevation is about 5200 feet, so the temperature was about 15-20 degrees cooler than Ashland. The little store and restaurant are super cute, and you'll always have ice and firewood when you need it. Boats are cheap to rent ($80/4hrs) and everyone is amazingly friendly. You can view the beautiful sunsets on the lake and see mountain peaks with snow on them as well. So breathtaking! Book here right away. read more

I don't recommend this lake if you want to swim. We chose HP because it was midpoint for our annual family camping trip. I rarely write reviews but want to provide the information I wish I had known before the long drive. The people at the marina and store were very nice as were the fellow campers. But I have to report: 1) this is not a swimmable lake whatsoever. A boat is required to get to any sort of clean water. The shoreline was thick mud, with animal feces and gooey stinky algae everywhere ( no joke. All along the shore) even the fish we caught had sores all over them we threw them back. 2) there are good bathrooms with flushing toilets and free showers. Take flip flops. Neither were cleaned up at all the entire 4 days we camped. Beautiful area for a boat ride. Not worth staying. read more

having never camped there before, I called the people at Howards Prairie Resort to confirm that they did indeed have "Full Hook up" for a 36' coach that needed 30 amp at minimum. I was told that they did indeed have 30 amp service, sewer and water. The guy at the entrance was the nicest guy we have ever met. When we got to our assigned site, one of us had to get up on the roof while the other was backing the RV into the space because the trees were never trimmed and the large branches were knocking vents off of the roof. Once in we found that their version of 30 amp service was a 50 year old receptacle offering only 110 volts, not a 30 amp service at all! My voltage meter was always in the red at best at a a pithy 108 volts. When I confronted someone about it, the girl behind the counter was so ignorant that she was outright rude and she insisted that our 110v receptacle would indeed provide is with 30 amps of power and she was rude to every customer who was in that store. Oh, don't even think about trying to get a refund at that place for anything! To ad insult to injury, we had at best, 20 PSI of water pressure there. You could get the soap out of your hair twice as fast with a garden hose! For all of that deception, I don't recommend Howard's Prairie to anyone for that kind of money and I will never give them the satisfaction of getting another dime out of me again either. If they were honest about what they really had to offer, I could make an informed decision about driving a very long way for a very disappointing stay. We left early and found a real campground somewhere else! read more

Don't waste your time or money! The campground is too congested and the host was a complete ass. We booked a full amenity campsite for Labor Day somewhat last minute (we now know why spots were available). When we arrived, the check-in folks were nice and helpful. Unfortunately that's where it ended. The first night the camp host was constantly pestering us about our fire and making up stories about forest service fines for not tending to our fire. I've camped in the forests of Oregon for over thirty years. I'm very cognizant of fire danger and always tend to and have water available. He then tried to get us to snitch on a group of ladies down the road who were laughing and having fun. Isn't that what your supposed to do when you camp? He wanted us to complain so he could tell them to quiet down. It wasn't even 9 pm yet. We advised they were not bothering us. The next night was the season opener of college football. We put the game on our car stereo. The neighbors were also fans . We turned it up so they could listen also. Within minutes we were paid a visit by the meddling host. It wasn't even dark out. The third night we were enjoying ourselves around the fire. We had six adults. It was later in the evening, our children were sleeping so we couldn't have been too loud. The rude and arrogant host would not leave us alone. We ended meeting another group he was pestering for laughing around their fire. If questioned the host became irritate and hostile. He threatened to have us arrested. I'm an attorney, we hadn't broken any laws, we were merely camping. Unless you don't want a campfire, you lIke camping on top of your neighbors, and you enjoy a camp Nazi pestering folks non stop Howard Prairie resort campground is not for you. We will not return. The're are much nicer campgrounds within the area for better rates read more

Howard Prairie was a nice place. Had a enjoyable time with my wife and friends. Sites are spacious. The lake was low due to maintenance on the dam but still was enjoyable. Great place to catch fish and sail (first time on a sail boat, a great time). There's a lot to do (fish hike boat) or do nothing but relax. read more

If I had rated this place last year when we went I would have given it 4-5 stars. Since Jackson County took over ownership, a lot of things have gone down hill. I come back up to Oregon from Southern California to vacation over Labor Day weekend. It's a pretty good spot if you're looking for a place either tent camp or bring your RV. They do a pretty good job of keeping people in line and making sure it doesn't get too loud or rowdy which is good. Where I really feel they're dropping the ball is with the amenities. They don't carry as many supplies at the store as they used to. They did a great job of entertaining people last year by getting a band or someone to DJ and play music in the evenings. There wasn't really any of that this year. It's a great place to go with your family though. There are fishing boats you can rent and plenty of fish to be caught out on the lake. read more

What a great place this is. Great place for the family, or quite time. Nice restaurant on premises. Less than 30 minute drive to Ashland. 4,000 ft. elevation makes for cool clean air. read more

We go there any time we can, we love the staff and the dj music on the 4th of July was awesome. The kids dances all night til midnight and so did we. The people that work there are very nice. We needed wifi and they helped us get online. We had a small problem so they brought the cook out from the kitchen and he helped us. We will continue to go there for years to come. Love love love this place! read more

We stumbled upon this resort accidentally after driving on backroads for hours looking for a place to stay. It really is a gem and I would recommend it without hesitation to just about any crowd. If you have kids (we do not), there is plenty for them to do. I also think this would be a great place for a group reservation. And as an added bonus they have trailers for rent, which appear to be nice. The campsites were spread out - a fair amount of privacy. We lucked out and got a spot on the water, worth it if you can get one. The resort amenities make you feel like you stepped back into the 60's, but that was what I loved most. We rented a little boat and spent a day touring the lake. The lake isn't that busy, so you can pull up and have a beach entirely to yourself. The minor downside. There are no amenities nearby and the resort store has a few things to offer, but nothing fresh. They do have a restaurant at the resort, we gave it a try for breakfast and it was only average - nothing special here. The restrooms were clean. The showers were mostly clean, but they have some ongoing issues keeping the quarter dispenser unjammed. The night when all the showers were broken they sent a guy to fix them immediately, so I can appreciate that. And finally, the shoreline at the campground is muddy, but hey...you can't have it all. There are other beaches on the lake that are much more enjoyable. Overall...I would go back for sure. Check it out, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. read more

Nice size campsites, cool mountain air and good fishing. Good bike riding, boat rentals for only $25 1/2 day. Small general store and restaurant. Lake was low but lots of wild life including dear, dozens of different bird species, etc. Warm showers and well stocked bathrooms. Bathrooms could be cleaned more often but that can be said of most campgrounds. Bottom line, good way to beat the summer heat. Lots to do or just relax in a hammock and enjoy nature. read more

Helpful, friendly staff! Love the upgraded South Loop and new showers/restrooms. The store, restaurant, and marina are fabulous!

We enjoyed some time out in nature, while in Ashland. The swimming area for day use was not large or sandy, but perfect for reading while overlooking a pretty lake. The water was cool, but swimable, if you're a hearty swimmer. Our main disappointment was there were no kayaks available to rent in the Marina; yet, there were plenty of other boats. There is a store and cafe; the people were down home and friendly. read more

Great little place, excellent staff, clean restrooms, small restaurant on premises. HOT WATER in showers, which are now free! Birders take note: the lake is on the migration route for white pelicans. Residents include osprey, Steller's Jays and juncos. There is a Bald Eagle nest near the lake. One item: Keep food in hard plastic or heavy cardboard containers outside your tent. The local deer and chipmunks have no fear of people and will walk right into your campsite and steal food. read more

Since I am a sailer, it's the best sailing lake in Southen Oregon, I've been going to the lake for years. This past weekend I camped there and it was good, but not great. a little crowded and they sure need wi-fi and a better cell (hard to connect with friends that were coming up). But what was great was their restaurant. Now, I'm not talking about fine dining. But for afforable, family dining, with very friendly and attentive service, it's better than any chain (Denny's, Sharis) and it is better than I remember when I hate their in 2010 (when I had my sailboat). Good job in upgrading the experience. read more