Crystal Crane Hot Springs

Didn’t know what to think at first.

We we’re heading back fro the Oregon coast on vacation and wanted to extend our vacation a day.

My Wife pick it out. The hot springs are amazing.

You do have water and power, but you are literally in a parking lot. They do have a dry camping area with fire rings. Much more traditional in the way of camping. If we were to come again for the hot springs, I would probably choose the dry camping area.

They do have a common kitchen for use. I didn’t have to break out my BBQ and use it for a quick overnighter. It literally has everything a household kitchen would have.

The sites are level as far as I could tell.

They do actually have working WiFi. A little slow, but a plus to be sure.

Overall, I am pleased. Just not my first choice for a camping trip.

Crystal Crane Hot Springs offers partial or full hookup and dry camping sites. Sites 1 thru 5 are partial hookup gravel pull-thrus (Water & 30 amp power) sites 6 thru 9 are full-hookup gravel sites. North of the hot spring there are about 10 dry camping spots with picnic tables and fire rings. Our campsite wasn't private and did not offer much in terms of a campsite beyond the hookups, the real draw here is the hot spring.

Before we arrived, I thought we'd likely do a couple private soaks (based on photos I had seen), and did not anticipate going in the outdoor hot springs due to the cold weather temps. Instead, we never tried the private soak because the hot spring itself was fantastic! Outdoor temps were in the 40's and 50's and the hot spring was around 101 degrees, and depending on where you were it was warmer or cooler, so you could always find a temperature that worked for you.

The bottom of the hot spring was gravel, so it didn't feel gross on our feet and the middle is so deep that we couldn't touch the bottom.

We rented bathrobes from the office for $3 a piece (you can also rent noodles for floating for $2 a piece) for the duration of our stay. We went in the hot spring daily.

For our evening walk, we would go through the dry camping area and the opening in the fence. You'll see a picnic table and a path that leads you to a pond. The walk around the pond is about .5 mile and covered in cow pies, so watch your step.

There was construction going on while we were here. On one of walks, we took the road along the backside of the park and saw a lot of junk. We likely wandered into an area not meant for guests.

Overall, we really enjoyed the hot springs and would definitely stay here again if we were in the area.

AT&T - DOWNLOAD: 1.19 Mbps, UPLOAD: 0.45 Mbps
Verizon - DOWNLOAD: 10.9 Mbps, UPLOAD: 12.1 Mbps

We’ve stayed here before, and liked it well enough to come back and stay longer. We’ll definitely come back again, but I do wish we knew that they’re currently expanding. The construction is right next to the hot springs. It makes sense to do their upgrades during the hot weather, so I’m not at all upset, but if this sort of thing bothers you, be forewarned.

The staff are all very helpful if you ask them questions, but tend to leave the front desk a little understaffed. The checkout and in times are generous - 11am to checkout, and 3-9pm to check in. The common rooms are comfortable, the 24hr kitchen is clean and usually empty. Free coffee in the morning, and muffins (if you’re quick enough to snag one!).

You have to rent a private soak, and it’s relatively cheap for an hour (during the day only), but the hot springs pond is open 24 hours to all guests. It makes for some great night soaking, and the stars here are STUNNING. We seek out the overflow lot here to ensure a dark sky, and the Milky Way almost appears to touch the horizon.

Not related to CCHT, but if you stay here, make sure you have lunch in Burns at Juniper Cook House. Delicious and inexpensive BBQ, and worth a trip into town!

As other reviewers have noted, you come here for the waters. The RV sites are lined up in a gravel parking area. If you don’t need hookups, many of the dry camping sites are more spacious, have grass and a fire ring. If you do need hookups, then #9 is by far your best bet, it’s situated by itself near the tent/overflow camping.

Unlimited 24-hour use of the very large hot spring pool is included with the camping fee. Other amenities include restrooms, showers, changing room, camp kitchen, and a common room with games, TV, and a place to relax. There is supposed to be wifi in the common room, but I had very little success and the staff said the connection is often unreliable. The office sells a few necessities, but it’s very limited. You can also rent a private hot tub, cabin, teepee, or a room. There is a short walking trail along the property, but be aware of the range cows.

I’d also suggest asking if there are any special events planned. We had two busloads of high schoolers show up for their class trip. They were only there about 4 hours, but it would have been nice to know in advance.

We had 4 bars of Verizon 4G.

We loved this place! But, let me say, you stay here for the water, not for scenic camping. Our campsite with water & electric was in a gravel parking lot, very close to other campers. There was a nice community room where they served coffee, tea and muffins in the morning. The bathrooms were pristine. The soaking pool was so nice! Over near the pipes, the water was quite hot but away from them, it was very comfortable. It was great for our kids (2yrs & 4yrs). Your camping fee includes 24/7 access to the soaking pool.

We stayed here with a group of RVing friends. (9 RVs.) It is a great place for that type of activity. Although most of the RV sites were in a gravel parking lot there were a couple that had grass. Our site had electricity, water and sewer, but many don't have sewer.The hot springs pool was a favorite of many in our group and the temperature was regulated by the staff by using water from different temperature wells. The power at the site was good and the WiFi worked well in the community room next to the office. We used the community room for a potluck one night and games the next. Free coffee was available by 6:30 each morning and the staff was friendly and helpful. There were several yellow headed blackbirds nesting in the reeds just behind the hot pool (see pictures). We would stay here again. It is a great base camp for exploring the area. We saw wildlife in the two refuges south of the campground and wild horses along the Steens mountain loop south entrance. We stay 3 nights. We camped at Crystal Crane Hot Springs in a Travel Trailer in May of 2016.

Because Burns, OR is a remote place and most folks are on their way to somewhere else I would recommend making a reservation any time of the year. They only had 3 open spots when we reserved and by the end of the evening they were full. The lot for RV's is flat cinders and they have water and electric at each spot. No level lets needed. Any size rig can fit here all the spots are pull throughs. The center of attention is the hot spring pond which is surrounded by cabins and private tub rooms. Internet was lame, then non-existent when another RV pulled in between us and the hotspot so we had to use our own. We could have gone to their game room for access as well. Cell service was actually OK. No road noise only an inconsiderate neighbor who talked too late. Would stay here again.