Lake Owyhee State Park Campground Oregon

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Lake Owyhee State Park Comments & Reviews

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One Comment on “Lake Owyhee State Park”

1. Michelle says:

   Sep 26 2022 at 10:02 pm

   Lake Owyhee State Park includes two campgrounds, McCormack Campground and Indian Creek Campground. The scenery here is magical, but getting here takes thought.
   If you have a fifth wheel 34’ or longer you should be experienced pulling it. I see long rigs here, but the drive is not for everyone. After the dam, the road is narrow with a few tight turns. There is one tunnel that is a single lane only. Check out time for the campgrounds are 1pm and check in time is 4pm. I suspect it is designed that way to give the departing guest ample time to navigate the roads without oncoming traffic.
   There are a number of awesome boon docking sites along the road before you get near the campground. Perhaps pulling over and making the drive by car is a good way to see if the road is manageable for longer RVs.
   The RV sites at McCormack have water and power at each site and are reserveable. Tent sites are dry and First Come First Served. All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. Most sites are paved and fairly level with a decent distance between sites. This campground sits on a peninsula with 360 degree views of the canyon walls and the lake below. Sunrises and sunsets are stunning. It is a 10 minute walk to the water’s edge.
   This campground is well-maintained, but you can still find goatheads on the sides of the roads (I’m thinking of the dogs now) and burs along the walk to the beach. Once you get to the beach, there is plenty of room for them to play.
   McCormack Campground has clean restrooms with flush toilets and free showers. You can buy ice on the property. There is a dump station near the entrance. Off-road vehicles cannot be driven in here at certain times of the year. My favorite sites are along the entrance, numbers 1-5, mostly for the views. I also like 14 for the shade trees and grassy area and number 30 for the unobstructed views.
   Indian Creek Campground is run a little differently. They have restrooms, but no showers. Campers here have to use the dump station at McCormack Campground. The boat ramp is here, and there is a fish cleaning station as well. There are two cabins for rent, but pets are not allowed in the cabins. Off-road vehicles are allowed here.
   When the campground is empty, it feels like Indian Creek offers great views of the canyon and the water. However, when the campground is full, there is no view at all. The campsites are close together, and there is foliage blocking whatever view you thought you had. There seems to be no rule that your equipment must fit in your driveway. Boats, trailers, and ATVs are parked wherever they can fit. It feels very crowded when the campground is full. It is pleasant later in the season when demand is low.
   Indian Creek Campground has a different landscape as well. The sheetgrass is pretty bad, knee-high in places. It’s a difficult place to be if you have dogs. Walking to the water does not seem as easy as from the other campground. After Labor Day, there was no camp host here and not many campers, so any site is fine, I have no favorites.

   The water level is low at times, so the boat launch at McCormack is not usable. You can drive less than half a mile to Indian Creek boat launch. For either campground, bring your boat, kayak or paddleboard. Leave your bikes at home. Both are dog friendly.
   These are spring and fall campgrounds for nice weather. Going after labor day offers perfect temperatures, but we still have fly season. The temps are 75-85 with night temps of 55. It’s not cold enough yet to kill the flies, so plan accordingly. Bring a zippered screen room, cook indoors, and maybe eat indoors. If you venture by the water, there is enough wind that it isn’t a problem, but at the camp sites, it is bad enough to make you go home early. They are gone after sunset, but they’ll be back the next morning.
   Later in the season, fires are not allowed, so check in advance. As of this writing, you could bring a propane fire pit, but that’s it. Leave your firewood at home. Also later in the season, the water may have an algae bloom, so double check before you go.

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