Nice campground well taken care of. Clean restrooms and showers. Tons of deer walking through the sites at all hours. So cool to see these majestic creatures with no fear. No reception or cell service so you really are able to disconnect and relax. Beautiful golden hour sunsets and gorgeous sunrises. read more

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We stayed a couple nights at the Crooked River campground, which is a part of Cove Palisades State Park. We had a great time. The campground was really nice and well tended. Staff and volunteers were very attentive and kept things in tip top shape. Our site was nice, which had water & electric. We went to a couple of the evening ranger programs, where I learned quite a bit. Bathroom facilities were really nice. Park was really windy, which may have just been when I was there but I suspect it's a common occurrence. There were deer that wandered through the campground, owls, and lots of other wildlife. Would stay here again if we were in the area. read more

Well, this is a great place to come if you've got a boat. Huge lake with stunning scenery unlike what you normally see at lakes. The ramps to launch your boat are reasonably spacious and they even have a kayak launch which I was excited to see. I have friends that catch fish here regularly, so I know it has some decent fishing too. We came to spin the kids around on a hot day. They had so much fun and getting in when the heat got out of hand was refreshing. I did t explore too much, but it didn't look like the campground had too much shade, on a hot day you may get not want to be there. Down by the docks they had a nice beach for swimmers and they had restrooms, which were just put toilets, not a fan. Other than that, I will definitely be back here. read more

The Cove Palisades State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Culver, Oregon

Wowza! The locals may be used to this stunning state park, but it was shockingly strange for us to arrive after a long drive from Idaho. If coming from the Bend area, It quite literally is located over a cliff. There is a very, very narrow, and steep decent on a 2 Lane road that takes you down into the middle of a ravine. You drive along the perimeter of the ravine across a bridge and up and over the other side of the ravine until you follow the road to the campsite. Our GPS did not direct us properly to the campsite and the road was so narrow with no signs pointing us in the right direction. There was a moment of dread thinking we were going the wrong way when our GPS said we had arrived but we were in the middle of the road with no turn off. It was an act of faith to keep on going until the road finally delivered us at the campsite on the other side of the ravine. The campsite was well-maintained and had a lot of staff in the form of Park rangers to assist with check-in, selling firewood and ice, and maintenance. Each site had a paved driveway to park on. They have fire rings and picnic tables, with a decent amount of space between sites. read more

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While roaming through the area we spotted the State Park on a map and decided to check it out. It feels like it's in the middle of nowhere as you drive in, and as a result when the lake and grounds come into view it has the feel of a real oasis. It's a beautiful drive in and gorgeous setting. The lakes are awesome, and clearly a lot of fun as the place was pretty packed last weekend. Lots of room to boat, paddle, hike, camp, and picnic. As we were just passing through we really only covered the park and surrounding areas via van, but we did stop in some shade to enjoy a picnic lunch. You definitely need to plan ahead and come prepared, as we didn't see any stores or gas in the immediate area. But it does look like a very serene place to spend a few days....especially if you like sun, as there wasn't a big supply of shade to be found. Lots of soaring birds and spectacular mountain views abound from the cliffs above the lakes. Beautiful high dessert oasis. :) read more

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We reserved a week at the Deschutes campground site B25 and it was a lovely spot, shaded and spacious. My one gripe would be that the park is tiered and the upper B loop is about a 1/4 of a mile uphill from the rest of the park, showers and bathrooms included. Walking such a long distance uphill wasn't conducive to my spinal injury and made traveling to the bathroom difficult. Other then that minor setback everything else was amazing. Showers were hot and FREE (bring shower shoes) the events for the weekend included bike decorating and a parade on Sunday. We rented a boat slip at the marina and our boat was easily accessible for quick stints around the lake at anytime. I would definitely recommend camping here if you have watercraft. They have several launch sites and 97 miles of shoreline. You have many opportunities for water sports and hiking. The rim trails have amazing views so don't just stick to the lake, if you have time to see the balancing rocks head that way and keep going to the dead end butterfly were everywhere. read more

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The Cove Palisades! What more do you have to say. One of the best places in the state for boating and water recreation. The weather is almost always sunny and hot in the summer months. This is a high desert man made lake, with warm water. The resort has a nice marina with a bunch of friendly helpful employees. They also offer some cabins to rent if you need a place to stay! If that doesn't fit your needs or you feel like roughing it a little, there are state campgrounds nearby. The biggest drawback to this area is the green tint of the water and the amount of algae mixed in. read more

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I'm a big fan of national and state parks, so they get 4 stars as a baseline. Cove Palisades actually isn't my kind of state park as the prime attraction seems to be boating on the reservoir. If I was into boating I'd definitely come here. They have several ramps and ample trailer parking. Note that I say ample without seeing what the summer crowd is like, so maybe you'll want to consider that. There are some hiking trails but again, that's not what the park is about. Really nice views of the Crooked, Deschutes and Metolius river arms of the reservoir. And check out the great columnar jointing in the cliffs, including rosettes. Maybe I'll get a boat ... read more

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We sort of accidentally booked our vacation week here when the park we tried to book had no empty slots for a five day stretch, months in advance. So, after driving through farmland following the automated voice for miles and seeing NOTHING that remotely resembles a state park, we descended a narrow road into what appeared to be a pit of some sort. Lo and behold! A lake! Don't remember anything about a lake in the reservation process but that was months ago. There's a campground, but that's not ours... Keep going the sign said. 4 miles further, we came to this Arizona looking place. At first disappointing. The lake we passed was green. Very unappealing. Got settled in and wondered if we should look for another campground. The next morning I went for a walk and fell in love. This place is awesome, remote, quiet, beautiful and unusual. There's a playground, an amphitheater, a fenced dog run and trails. So glad to have been here. read more

It's off the beaten path, but we'll worth a trip. The local HS has several recycling stations set up around the campsites. There is poor cell reception and a steep decent. So make sure you have everything you need and your tank is full. read more

The Cove Palisades State Park - Great job recycling - Campgrounds Near Me - Culver, Oregon

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This is a must see We will be back with my brothers Pontoon Boat Good roads steep going down 6% grade to the lake but good The viewers are wonderful and the water is very clear The camp sites looked inviting and clean Looks like fun times for family and friends read more

Great Clean Suburban Camping!!!! This is a great place to go, if you want a taste of the outdoors, but not really toughin' too much. Its near Lake Billy Chinook, which I was told is considered the "Baby Grand Canyon." The views and scenery is very breathtaking & its usually very warm/hot there in the summer. Some site has grass so its not so dusty. I prefer Deschute campsite, but Crooked River isn't so bad, it has ALOT of grass there. The temperature can drop dramatically at night. There's tons of water activities there. Let me list the Pro/amenities they have: * Very Clean * Paved Roads * Full bathrooms w/showers (they don't charge you a fee to shower) w/electrical outlets * Water Line at site * Electrical hookup (it's based on what you booked) * Dog Run * Day Use Area * Small Store, sells wood & necessities * Play Ground Area * Lake full of Bass! * Restaurant & Marina Nearby * Extra car fee is only $5, unlike most places that charges $10+ * Great Hiking Trail (7miles, 550ft elevation) The Con is no Lakeside camping, but Lake Billy Chinook is just around the corner & your parking pass allows you to use the day area for free. If you go there on the 4th, you're not allowed to light fireworks, but you can go by the Indian Reservation, which is about 20minutes away (they got a warm spring water slide there) and their firework is awesome there. Another minus is that its pretty crowded, but the site is reasonably distant enough from your neighbor that you do have some privacy. Recommend: * Deschute Campsites * Bring your own wood, its way cheaper * Sunblock, its pretty hot there * Fish in the Day Use Area near Crooked River, less rocks there * Buy a Mr. Heater, its a miracle saver at night Check in is 4pm & Check out is 1pm read more

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Great clean campground, even has a fenced is area for dogs to stretch out and run off leash supervised thats gated

This campground it totally amazing from the camp sites to the day use. So much to see and do. The hiking , swimming , camping, boating , floating, The host and ranchers are so helpful. Great place to camp read more

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This is clearly a boaters lake campground. Nice clean sites. Some shaded sites in the interior area. Lots of young kids on bikes. Cleared out during the day since everyone is at the lake. I'm not sure which rules they chose enforce. We saw well over 30 cars and boats parked on the grass throughout the campground and never saw anyone being told to move. The campground really needs to make some site changes. Many sites can't accommodate an RV and car and even a trailer and truck is a tight fit causing some to park very close to the road making it a tight fit for some rigs. They need to add some additional drive way space at the rear or the sides. This was one of the best staffed state campgrounds we've stayed at on the east side of the state. There are plenty of volunteer hosts and even rangers abound. Even the gate house was open and staffed. Sites had hookups with 30/50 amp service and good water pressure. Dump station was very clean and modern. Two dump spaces kept things moving quickly. Lake itself is nice though it's very focused on being a boaters lake. Day use area was clean and grassed. Bathrooms were also clean. Keep in mind no pets near the swimming area. There are other fine places for your dog to join you read more

Beautiful place the camp sites are clean and the bathrooms are cleaned daily! They are very strict on their rules but if not then it would be chaos. The sites very in size. Our site was almost 55ft long! This site had full hook ups and bathrooms close by as well. read more

The Cove Palisades State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Culver, Oregon

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The campground itself was fine. Employees and hosts were nice. Playground for kids, rocks to climb around on, a trail or two to take. It's beautiful a canyon area around Lake Billy Chinook. However, if you want to swim...and who doesn't when it's 90-100 outside?....you'll want to drive somewhere else. Lake Billy Chinook is as green as a protein shake! So...Much...Algae! Probably fine for a boat. My husband and daughter rented a waverunner and had a great time, but no one wanted to swim in it. Pelton Park and Lake Simtustus are within driving distance and they are clear for swimming, fishing, boating, etc. We stopped along side the road and climbed down the embankment to swim in a creek. My daughter saw some good sized fish while swimming. Like I said...if you want to just hang out at camp, then the Cove is probably fine. Good showers, although the water was SO hot I could barely stand under it. (And I get teased about being part asbestos because I use such hot water at home.) There are two campgrounds in the area...upper ridge is Crooked River...lower is the Deschutes. The upper ridge tends to be about 5-6 degrees cooler than the lower. Crooked River looked to have a more greenery...Deschutes is rocks and dirt, with some large spots of grass - which you're not allowed to put your tent on, but can put chairs and the table. read more

All the rangers/staff we met were friendly, polite and informative. Super clean cabins. Pristine nature, an amazing find in Central Oregon! Can't wait to camp here again. read more

There really isn't much to do around this campground other than boat, but it is a magical place to visit if you do take a boat ride. We wouldn't stay here without taking a boat ride. There are waterfalls, wildlife, amazing palisades and rock "art" to entertain. Although there is a floating toilet near the main waterfall, pee before you go. I had to use the bathroom so bad, but I nearly vomited (seriously) while using the floating toilet, and so did others in our party. If you are here for several days, I recommend visiting the Indian museum in Warm Springs. It is very interesting read more

Lower Deschutes CG sites really close compared to the older site above. Love the recycling center! It is city camping. Great CG for families with children. Playground, hiking in lower CG. read more

Make sure you have your tetanus shot if you go down to the park by Lake Billy Chinook. The water has oil floating and there is a lot of broken glass in water & sand. Camping grounds are really nice but not the beach. read more

Very nice, clean campground just don't breath to loud after 10 .. they will tell you to be quite! There was a mixup with my reservation at marina but staff there made it work and got us out on the water. read more

This is a beautiful park that anyone travelling to the area should make time to see. The water is warm in the summer and everything is very accessible. The only drawback was in August when we went the campground was very crowded, very little chance for privacy. On the other hand, it felt like a little community with kids riding around on bikes and people's clothes drying on lines. The picture opportunities and fantastic!! read more