Crooked River Campground

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. We only paid an $8 online booking fee with the Oregon State Park Disabled Veterans Pass. 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.

We booked a week here during the first week of May based on prior reviews that included manageble cell coverage. The biggest personal drawback for us was there was no cell or wifi coverage that would allow us to work. We had to go to another park above the canyon and only 10 minutes away. Not the same excitement for us but we could bike the canyon from that location.

The park ranger, Cheryl, (I think this is the spelling) was incredible. She tried everything to help us. We tried several locations throughout the park. Nothing worked. She suggested several other state parks and also trying one overnight in the overlook. This woman is an asset to park system.

I would return here for a long weekend when not working. It is a great location on the river. Spectacular views.
Clean, nice lots and well laid out.

The camp hosts were gracious and informative as they did a morning check of irrigation. We particularly enjoyed our site on the outside west loop of the campground, which provided beautiful sunsets. I’m not sure that it would have been nearly as nice on the opposite meadow side or the inside campsites. The showers were open on a rotating basis due to the pandemic- they & the restrooms were immaculate. We walked both the Crooked River Rim Trail & the Wetland Nature Trail, which are accessed from the campground. Both are enjoyable with the Rim Trail providing some lovely views. This really is a beautiful green spot in the desert.
The only downside are some noisy campers with lights, music and group gatherings after boating, which might preclude a summer stay.

The sites are nicely spaced, some with a view of the Cascades and Palisades. It's a nice little state park that offers some exploring. One trail goes from the Campground up to the viewpoint. Definitely worth it on a clear day. Some noise from the engine breaks of the trucks going down to the park. I don't usually care that much about noise but in the valley every sound got amplified.

Showers were super clean, super hot and big. They had a spacious dog park which was a huge plus and very nice camp hosts.

Verizon was a hit or miss. If we parked the car in an angle to the trailer and at an exact distance we had skypeable 4G. If not there was no coverage at all. But once you're up the hill you're right next to the tower. Also the viewpoints up there make for a nice view for work calls.

As the previous reviewer noted, this place is a lovely oasis in the high desert. The sites are extremely spacious and the ones on the west side enjoy terrific of the Cascade mountains - still snow covered as of now. The property does have a dump site and places to dump gray water. Each site has a table and fire ring. Now .... the bath and showers -- oh la la! Immaculate and the showers cannot be beat. At the lake's edge (about a mile) is a marina with a small coffee shop that has a great deck overlooking the reservoir and its namesake basalt palisades. While we did only have 1-2 bars on verizon phone, the jetpack connected. Also, there is an open wifi in the campground that we were able to connect to at no charge (ranger said something about charges to come). We can see that things might get noisy in the height of summer - but for now in mid-June, all was quiet.

Cove Palisades State Park has two campgrounds which are separated by approximately four miles. The two campgrounds are Crooked River campground and Deschutes campground. Crooked River Campground is located on the east side of the park and Deschutes campground is near the center of the park. Most of the park is located in a deep canyon near the confluence of the Crooked River and the Deschutes River.

Visitors approaching from the east on Jordan Road will begin descending into the canyon and will find the Crooked River Campground about 1/4 of the way down into the canyon. The Deschutes Campground is at the bottom of the canyon. There is a bridge that crosses the Crooked River that leads to the Deschutes campground.

The campgrounds are located in the high desert of central Oregon, so I was expecting to camp in desert terrain. Actually, the campgrounds are like an oasis in the desert with green grass and many trees. The sites are near level with the nicest hookup pedestals that I have seen. There is even a light on the pedestal that automatically turns on at night. There is not much vegetation between campsites, but the spacing between campsites is very generous.

Just a short walk to the west of the campground is a spectacular view of the vertical canyon walls and the Crooked River below. It looks like a miniature Grand Canyon.

There was a wildfire here in August 2015. The fire burned low grasses and brush to the west and north of the campground. The burned area did not detract from our enjoyment of the area.

We camped at site E55 in the Crooked River campground which had large shade trees to the south and west. The campground has a wide variety of sites from mostly sun to mostly shade. Other partial shaded to mostly shaded sites that we liked were E17, E19, E21, E23, E49, E57, E69 and E79.

We had 2 bars of Verizon 4G in the Crooked River campground. We visited the Deschutes campground and only had a 1X signal.