Union Creek Campground

Our daughter sent us pictures of the Sumpter Dredge, and we just had to visit. Checked in on a Wednesday in the middle of August. We had a reservation, but there were plenty of sites available. The price listed reflects a 50% discount for out America the Beautiful Senior pass.

For us, the campground was just about perfect. We had a partial hook-up site (30/50 amp and water). The site was fairly level and spacious. We used it as a base camp from which we explored the area - Sumpter, the Sumpter Valley Railroad, the Elkhorn Byway and several interesting ghost towns from the area's mining past. As mentioned in other reviews, the reservoir is extremely low, rendering the campground boat launch useless. There is a boat launch a ways to the East, and judging by the wet-haired kids dragging water toys back to camp, it is possible to access the water with a bit of a hike. We enjoyed taking the dogs for walks along the reservoir ... plenty of nice views.

Reading some old reviews of this beautiful campground. So much has changed since 2016, esp. the price! Full hookup sites in A Loop are $40/nightly without senior discount. Dump station fee is still $10 and extra vehicle $6 without the discount. We were in B loop (elec/water) 2 weeks ago on a Sat/Sun and the campground was fairly empty. Burn ban on so no campfires allowed, and the lake/reservoir has dropped about 50 feet, at least. The boat ramp was pulled. Very quiet here, friendly hosts who like to knock on your door.

We got here on a Thursday in late September 2020, hoping to score a site. We lad lots to choose from, and picked B1.…in part because the water and electric sites were $20/night ($10 for us seniors), got more sun 🌞, and got a better cell signal with Verizon (no booster).

We were astonished to find a USFS campground, with water and electric, not to mention clean flush toilets.

The lake was way down, probably is that way every fall...helps keep the crowds down. We did enjoy hiking the trail that surrounds the lake.

It was a good base camp to explore the area; the Sumpter Valley Railroad, the Sumpter Valley Dredge state park, and the isolated village of Granite.

Union Creek offers full hook-ups in A-loop ($32) and water/30 amp electric in B & C- loops ($20). There is a dump station, so the upcharge for full hookups seemed a bit excessive. Sites were nicely spaced and most had shade from the mature pines. There are bathrooms, but no showers.

The lake was very low when we visited so a bit mucky around the edges and the boat ramp had already been pulled. The campground was only about 30% full mid-week in early September, so it was very peaceful and quiet. Rog enjoyed the mountain biking trails and did the loop around Philips Reservoir (Southshore and Northshore trails). Lakeside trail for walking offered lovely sunset views.

We had 2 bars of Verizon 4G.

This was a mediocre campground that has clearly seen better days. On the plus side, the sites were well-spaced apart, it was clean, and it was very peaceful. My $12/night rate was for water/electric hookups with the interagency senior pass.

I stayed here to visit the Sumpter Valley Dredge and the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. I would like to have ridden the Sumpter Valley Railroad, but it only runs once every two weeks.

Verizon 4G was 2 bars, -112 dB, 3 Mbps down and 0.3 up.

This is a Forest Service campground with hookups. The A loop has full hookups. The B and C loops have electric and water. We stayed on a weekday night in September and the park was approximately 70% full. There is a trail along the reservoir that makes for a nice walk.
Restrooms were clean but no showers. Most sites are in the pine trees. We stayed in C-15 which was open and we were able to get satellite tv reception. A few sites have a view of the reservoir. If you drive a mile down the road towards Baker City, there are scenic pull off spots along the Powder River and a paved trail suitable for bikes. Rate reflects senior discount.

We stayed at this campground for the eclipse. We arrived on the Sunday before and got one of several available first come, first served sites. The sites on the A loop have full hookups, B has Electric and Water and C has Electric only. There is also a tent area. The bathrooms are decent, but no showers. Our site was wide and long and amazing. The cell service at loop A was frustratingly slow with only 3G service, but at the boat ramp by the lake and on the lake we had a good LTE signal. This is a five star place, but with only 30amps, when we need 50amp service, we took away one star.

Nicely situated on the north side of Phillips Lake. Full hookups with sewer are $22. Tent area sites are $12, others are $20 with full hookups. Flush Toilets, sinks with running water. Dump Station and water available. Most occupants were large rigs. While it looked perfectly fine, this place just didn;t speak to us so we kept on driving.