Here for a camping weekend with friends. Bathrooms are clean, however, the showers close at 9:00 p.m. which is far too early in the summer. If you're out for a hike and then you come back and make dinner. It's barely even dark at 9:00. I wish the showers stayed open until 11:00. Also some of the camping spots have zero shade and or privacy. So while the facilities are clean and nice, do be selective on the spot you get. I would happily come here again with friends but not a place I would come to on my own as it feels very exposed. read more

Champoeg State Park - Bathrooms in the b loop - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

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5 yurts, RV, trailer park, bathrooms showers, lots of bike riding and walking paths, shallow creeks to play in on hot days, dumping sites for sewer and trash, day parking and ride, walk. Picnic tables, safe and secure. read more

Champoeg State Park - Walking path/disc golf - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

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I recently camped here, and thought it was one of the best campgrounds I've camped at so far. Like most campgrounds in the area, this is primarily an RV campground, but they do have some space for tent campers, as well as a few first come first serve spots for cyclists and backpackers. I camped in one of the six tent spots, and it was really beautiful. It was heavily shaded, and basically right on the banks of the Columbia River. The park is popular for cyclists like myself because it is situated near the end of the Willamette Valley Bike Trail, a 135 mile scenic route. I rode like a few percent of it, and thought it was amazing. I will definitely be finishing that trail this year. The showers were free for registered campers, and were the closest thing to a real home shower I've experienced at any campground so far. I loved how the park was not too far from Portland, Salem, or the Columbia River Gorge. The park rangers were super helpful and informative. I had called with a bunch of questions after having a bad experience elsewhere, and a ranger reassured me they had "a tighter grip on things" at Champoeg, which seemed to be true. The only issue was that, around 3am, I woke up to what sounded like a rabid wolf. It literally sounded like I was for sure about to get eaten. I made a bunch of noise, but it didn't go away. I yelled to the other campers, "There's like, an angry dog outside my tent!?! This isn't anyone's dog, is it?" It turned out to be a raccoon with very labored breathing (along with two other raccoons who were breathing normally). I suspect maybe it had canine distemper. It was being aggressive towards me, specifically. I had to go sit in my car for a while till it left. I'm not sure whether this was because I had accidentally gotten sprayed by the agricultural fertilizer tractor on my way in, or because the camper next to me had left so much food out on her site (which she ended up putting away at 4am). There is a historic store in the park that sells blackberry sundaes that look amazing, but I wasn't able to make it in during their very limited spring hours (I think they closed at 2). Overall I loved everything except the raccoons and would absolutely camp here again. read more

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I love Champoeg's walking trails. Some are very flat and paved, and others are more like dirt hiking trails. Getting out and surrounding myself with trees, plants, and water is always therapeutic. There are also many places to have a picnic, play disc golf, and stay overnight. read more

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Nice park with hiking & biking trails, plenty of picnic areas, restroom facilities, and camping. They also have an excellent visitors center, gift shop & museum covering the history of the area. I highly recommend taking some time to check that out while you're there. Next to the visitors center is a historically accurate garden (seasonal) & a restored barn that's believed to possibly be the oldest standing structure in Oregon. You do have to pay to park, and for out-of-state it was $12 for the day (I'm assuming it's less if you're an Oregon resident). read more

Decides to stay here as a three quarts stop on my way to Astoria from north Idaho. I've stayed in plenty of yurts in Oregon state parks and never have I paid 90 bucks for a one night stay. Park was a bit confusing as far as where to go at first and then no host to grab some ice and fire wood but a ranger helped out. This yurt does have a fan which I've never had before and does help but the lights in all the yurts don't work (inside lights) so I currently have a flashlight on for some light. Fairly quiet but anything more than a night, I'd prob stay elsewhere. read more

Easily our favorite State Park! It's fantastic for kayaking and paddle boarding. Beautiful views and awesome hiking. The fishing seems to be hit-or-miss depending on the season; we haven't had much luck ourselves. There's also an adorable playground that our kids loved. We're already looking forward to our next visit! read more

We stayed in group area. Second year. Had a great time. Very safe and clean. Enjoy seeing the wildlife, especially mama deer and her two does in the meadow. Happy my Service Dog alerted me but gave no bark. Good girl. read more

We came here for a private event. Seemed like a pretty big place with lots of parking. Several trails all around, including some down by the water. It was nice to be able to come hang out by the water for a bit but didn't see any actual water access where we were. Didn't see people on the water either so it may not be an option. Lots of open space for different activities you might want to enjoy outside. Cleaner than other parks I've been too for sure. Didn't see trash around or piles near garbage bins. Bathrooms were reasonably clean too. It's a decent place to stop to get some outdoor time. read more

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Our go to park for bike riding, they have ample bike paths that are away from traffic and completely safe feeling. If you want to be adventurous you can ride down to Oregons oldest store and take a break with some great ice cream or lunch. The campground is off to the back so the park traffic has little effect. Great boat launch with a kayak launch as well. Tons of stuff to do here from birding or a museum about Oregon heritage, disc golf or just relaxing in the shade its a Great family destination read more

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What a beautiful, large natural park with lots of walking and biking trails. Informative, small museum with a free 15 minute video. Parking and admission is $5.00 total. Very nice clean restrooms. Lots of shaded picnic benches. read more

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Amazing place to bike ride including e bikes and cute gift shop with surprisingly good prices!

We try to check out all state parks. This one had never popped on our radar, as due to its location you're probably not likely to happen upon it. We stopped by hoping for some scenery and a good hike. There's a decent amount of parking right inside the gate, as well as a info building...however we drove on in, past the disc golf area, and up near the river where there's a large grassy field in which to park. We started out on a trail from there. The trails are winding around all throughout the park which seems to cover a LOT of ground. We wound around small shaded dirt trails along the water, into a more forested area, and back along a wider open, paved bike path back to our start. The park itself is pretty interesting. Things are pretty overgrown, leaving many areas to feel abandoned. We guessed maybe typical staffing issues might make it less groomed...or maybe much of the park just isn't used as it once was? We really chuckled as we walked past the disc golf course. The majority of holes were in waist to neck high grass, yet the course was busy...busiest course I'd seen anywhere actually. Interesting State Park for sure. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to return, but it made for an interesting afternoon hike. read more

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Too many leafy trees and leaf litter was obnoxious. It was everywhere. That and fir needles. Just a mess. read more

Champoeg State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

Just an Oasis on the off beaten path. I gieees it's a victim of its own success. By that I mean they have thought of everything. Bike paths walking paths, horse riding, lakes picnic areas, wildlife viewing, disc golf, history areas. I am sure I have not listed everything here. This park has it all. So guess what? It can get a little crowded. The entry fee $5 at the time I went is auto collected via a vending type machine that provides a receipt to be displayed on your dash. Upon entry there are many choices for your adventure. The bike paths seem to be endless and take you on any size adventure you want to choose or make. Very well maintained some spots are showing their age with cracks and or raised bumps. But overall still on good shape and usually clear of debris. The Disc Golf course is good for beginners and intermediate alike. Some easy straight forward holes. Other requiring a bit more skill to make it in the prescribed Par amount of throws. The course seems to always be well attended so be prepared to wait at some holes and let others play through at some holes. It could be a little better marked bit that seems to be the standard for disk golf. Multiple hope setting close to each other so you are not sure which net you are shooting at till you get closer. A good spread out walking course. Exercise and fresh air. read more

Champoeg State Park - Lovely day for disc golf - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

We came here just to ride bikes and had a great ride along the Willamette. Nice paved path, you definitely had to yeild to lots of other bikers, walkers and people with dogs but loved the trail we did along the river and had a great ride. We would definitely back and rent a yurt and ride bikes again:) just needed $5 for the day use fee but for someone looking for pretty flat riding it was great. read more

Champoeg State Park - I rode a Recumbent so a little wider and just fine. - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

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This is an okay park- not my favorite Oregon State Park, but is the closest one to my house and have decent trail mileage (though it's flat and mostly paved.) Mainly this spot is historically very important as it was where Oregon's first provisional government was established in 1843. Almost nothing exists from that time period though, as the area is prone to flooding and just about everything was destroyed. Right next door is Butteville, which is where the Butteville General Store is located (the oldest continuously operating retail operation in the state, at over 150 years old.) The main thing that irritated me was the incredibly outdated museum which portrays Native American people in a....to put it kindly, not historically accurate manner. To top this off, one of the volunteers talked to us unprompted and made commentary about Native people she knew- not only offensive, but blatantly incorrect and bigoted. I was so pissed that I actually sent an email to the state about it- though, with how anemic the state government is, it'll probably be at least a decade before they make any updates. It's the museum equivalent of the ratty public school textbook that states the Soviet Union exists or materials that say HIV is only spread between homosexual partners. Anyway, on a more objective note regarding the quality of the park, it's pretty boring unless you need a place to stop off for a bit or stay a couple of nights. They do offer camping and RV hookups, and it's a popular place for people to stay since it's pretty close to the city. I think this place is more for people that want to grill and drink beer in a more natural setting- a completely legitimate reason to visit a park, but if you want to hike it's lackluster. Definitely a "one and done" type of park. Tip: The name is pronounced "Sham-pooh-eee." read more

If you show up late for a Yurt rental, things will get hectic real fast! The information on their website conflicts with their actual practices, which is exactly what the Ranger (Kyle Parker) told me, so don't expect a refund or anything like that if you show up and your rental is locked. This place is run by people who barely work, so when something comes up, they're grossly unprepared / incompetent. Do NOT come here. read more

This park was a family favorite for a number of years when my boys were small. So it was a bit of a blast from the past to visit this weekend during 'summer in February.' Champoeg (Sham-poo-eee) is still a nice spot for biking with our kids, since is has a nice wide (relatively flat) paved trail system. But compared to Silver Falls, Multnomah Falls and Forest Park, it certainly lacks the wow factor. You pretty much need to bring the fun with you to enjoy this state park. It is nestled along the banks of the Willamette River so bring your canoe, kayak or power boat. One of the more interesting features is a large disc golf course that runs through the middle of the park. There are six yurts and a handful of wood cabins for rent year round. There are also a number of RV hookups, but the camping areas are not heavily wooded so you are rather exposed (visually and aurally) to your neighbors. I've been here for company picnics in the large group camp areas and it seems to be a popular spot for classic car shows in the summer. We've visited the park for special events at the pioneer cabin when volunteers demonstrate what pioneer life was like in the area. http://www.champoeg.org/promisep.htm No visit to the area in the summer is complete without stopping by the Historic Butteville Store for ice cream. It is only open from May - September on the weekends. read more

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http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/champoeg_full.pdf Champoeg (named after the Indians) is one of my favorite state parks, nestled right there up against the Willamette R. Sure, it's no Cape Lookout with sweeping views of ocean from picturesque hill, but it does offer, hands-down, is easy peace away from city life. And so close too. Exit 278 off the I-5! 7 more miles to "home"! Clean, quiet, picturesque, super close to wine country, I like it here. Even the bathrooms have always been clean and orderly. I like it so much that I even rate it a 5, despite having been stung promptly after taking my first step out of a pup tent years ago. So much pain for so many hours... My friend Jen K. is right. the pronunciation for this place is SHAMPOO+ EEEE. cute, eh? PS The cabins are 6 in total. there are no longer grills provided on the porch. close to showers/bathrms. Prefer the B loop. Loop A hosts the yurts and more tents. Gorgeous country out here. Gateway to Pinots...huge selling point. Lots like to use the trails to bike PPS Coming up in a few!! cannot wait. read more

So here's the thing. This isn't a great place to be if you're looking for great hiking or stuff like that. It is however a fun place to rent a yurt and go playing in the wine country. We came here on a week night during the 'off season' in October. There were only a few people in the park and we loved our little yurt. It was a perfect spot for a night's sleep after driving through the wine country. It even had a small heater to keep the place cozy. Loved being outside in the chilly night by the campfire, sipping on some of the wine we bought. The yurt however needs some maintenance - it was hard to roll up the window on the exterior as some parts were broken/missing and they didn't seal well anymore either at night. But overall, an upgrade from the tent. read more

Champoeg State Park - Relaxing after a little walk before heading out to the wineries! - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

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The two of us stayed in Cabin 5 (B loop) for three nights in March. It was a very nice experience. CABINS. There are six cabins. Though located near each other, they are not sited directly next to each other, thus providing decent privacy. It was cool and cloudy during our stay, but the in-cabin heater was sufficient. Though it was the season for box elder bug issues, we only saw one bug, and it was on the porch. I learned from a ranger that these harmless creatures are mainly a nuisance for the cabins that receive the most sun (#1 and #2), and much less so for the most shaded cabins (#4 and #5). Cabin was very clean. We saw the camp hosts clean a few neighboring cabins; they spent considerable time on this chore. Apparently it is ok to erect a canopy over the picnic table at each cabin, as some folks did this in order to keep their oven, etc, dry. (Note that there is a large tree above the table at Cabin 5 - this helps keep the rain off but also would make it difficult to put up a canopy.) There were shared OUTDOOR FAUCETS for the cabins, about 3 of them. The BATHROOMS and (free!) SHOWERS are located a 30 second walk from the cabins. PARK Wonderful park with lots to do. But no swimming. - Frisbee golf course. We heard from a couple of players that one can rent ''clubs" from the visitor center, though we didn't check this out. - Trails. Several miles of pretty bike/hiking trails, mainly through the forest along the Willamette River. - Nice play area for young children. Located in the circle with yurts, about a 5 minute (adult) walk from the loop with cabins. - Boat dock. - Visitor Center, including an outside area with one of the original settler barns, and a small apple orchard with various heritage trees that provide fruit at different months from June - October. - Adjoining the park is the Newell House Museum, which is worth a walk to visit. - Across the street from the park are a couple of wineries on a beautiful site. Worth a walk. read more

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There are state parks, and there are Oregon state parks. Champoeg is one of the nicest parks I have ever been to. The only drawback about the park is that there is only one entrance / exit, which means that you're driving over a mile from the entrance to the campsites. The campsites themselves are clean and spacious - we have stayed here a couple of times and had no issues getting our RV hooked up. Only downfall is the bee situation - bees are everywhere, and are really bad in the group picnic areas. read more

Went to a party there today. Interesting pioneer history and picnic area. Pretty area.

It does cost $5/day use or a state park pass for parking, but its worth it! This is a Beautiful place to hike with some trails following along the Willamette river, some crossing through prairie reserves, and others lead to day use picnic tables were there is an old pioneer town monument from original settlers who voted for a provisional government in the area! This was a super educational experience for us as we hiked to the monument and explored the information center museum. We also managed to explore most of the path since we accidentally switched trails, i'd recommend taking a lot a park map incase you have this experience though they are somewhat hard to follow because it seems they are not quite to scale. Beware the river may have some flooding if you visit after a rain, we had to return back up one path because it was slightly flooded! It seems like dogs are allowed on lease, there are also biking paths! read more

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We love this state park! So much to do. From Disc golf to hikes, visiting farms, bike riding and learning history. So much

This would have be even better in the summer but for coming during an off time it was cheaper and less crowded. We came in November for my birthday and it was our first time in a yurt. There was a little heater to keep us warmish. It was under construction so I can't wait to see the camp area once it's finished. The museums and park were so much fun!! Something interesting to me and my husband was a lot of the settlers of champoeg came from Vancouver Washington which is also where we live. We walk the fort referenced in the history, it was cool to see how it all came together. read more

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**IMPORTANT CAVEAT** As of March 6, 2021, this park is closed to the public due to damage from ice and snow storms of February. Check before you head out there. My wife and I love Champoeg and come here very often. Good place for open space and it's a multi use place with camping, frisbee golf course and good biking trail. Good place for family walks. Dogs allowed but on leash. read more

Hm. I don't know - maybe I was hoping for too much, but when I saw on the map that it was adjacent to the Willamette, I hoped that there might actually be some kind of beach access. Instead, there were merely trails that went tantalizingly near, and ten foot drops to the water. The park was also swarming with screaming children. Everywhere I looked, there was one or three or five or fifteen on bikes, skateboards, running, jumping, yelling down the paths, in the picnic area - like ants swarming sugar, they inundated the entire park. I had gone hoping for some greenery, some private-ish space to walk in something resembling nature, and to get away from the heat of the day, and instead I found runaway hordes of kids. Meh. read more

Champoeg State Park - Campgrounds Near Me - Saint Paul, Oregon

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I have to admit that other than what I saw on their not so helpful website I knew very little about Champoeg State Park prior to visiting. I expected that I would at very least seem some beautiful flora and fauna, sit by the river and enjoy some time in nature with a loved one. What I actually experienced was hordes of screaming children, oppressive and overgrown trails with snarled and tangled greenery and teasing views of the river that provided no options for getting anywhere near it. The overall appearance of the park was dry and depressing. All this for $5. I definitely think I will be sticking with Forest Park from now on. read more

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Cabin infested with bugs. There is a box elder bug alert when you reserve a cabin, saying you may occasionally see a few in your cabin in fall or late spring. Its February and ours had hundreds! Now they are in all my clothes and gear and i will have to quarantine them on my return home. As in, i found 4 in my car during my half hour drive home, and will have to strip me and my toddler and wash everything on hot and possibly shrink and lose clothes. I will have to plastic bag all my gear and carefully inspect it before i use it again or bring it into my house. And i paid $50 for the privilege. read more

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I've always intended to spend more time in this park and based on the reviews I definitely need to. I happened to attend a Christmas party within the museum area. This was the first time I had, had the opportunity to check out the exhibits that the Friends of Historic Champoeg watch over. The museum itself is small, however, there are a lot of interesting items housed within it. I noted a wonderful selection of books for purchase about the area on the way out as well as sweatshirts and other souvenirs. They have a large conference room just off the museum which I believe can be rented out. I'll be back to check out more of the fair weather activities when summer comes around again. read more

Just got to Champoeg State park. Check in isn't until 4pm. I got her at 1:30 pm. Talk to the camp host. He said "I haven't cleaned it yet and check in isn't until 4pm" I said how about if I back in, get set up, and I'll clean it. He said " not a problem" then asked again if I wanted him to clean it. I told him I would rather just get set up. What a great park host. He could of said, not until four, but he let me do my thang! Great guy! The park host was a older volunteer but really had great customer services. Plus there was 3 park rangers roaming around just checking to see if everything was ok! I like the special treatment! The host and park rangers where awesome! Got all set up in A31. beautiful spot! So while I'm writing this blog, the night park ranger just stopped by and thanked me for my service and welcomed me to the park. That's awesome! Oh yah, I'm a Disabled Vet that served for 10 years. This park has a lot of great history. When you first come in there is a day use area that has a museum and a learning place for adults as kids. The park even has a amp theater! Ok thanks for reading my review. Tonight I'm staying in A section and tomorrow I stay in B loop. Stay tuned! read more

I love this park. For camping, everything is very clean, including the showers. The campsites are good sized. The Park is full of history with bike trails and walking trails everywhere. It is a beautiful park read more

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Camping rates are going to make you stay. It's off the driven path. The bathrooms were closed, OOOPPS.

A great get away close to home! There is an off leash dog area as well! Plenty of little get always like a grove of redwood trees planted over z75 years ago! Disk golf and plenty of picnic areas! read more

Here's the deal. There are so many different kinds of camping, that I'm not even sure how to award stars for this one, so I had to go with 3, but that's not really fair. If I had an RV, I'd guess but not be confident giving 3 stars since Champoeg seems decent enough since there are lots of happy looking RV folks there and hook ups and whatnot. Beyond that, I can't say much on the RV aspect. For tent camping, I'd go with 1 star because there are zero spots that are even remotely secluded or private or in any way interesting or unique, and the park itself is decent, but again, not spectacular. Now, for camping in the winter in a yurt, I'd go with a solid 4 stars. Just the idea that you can do it is cool. Yurts themselves are cool. The way that you are camping but not really camping all the way like summer is cool. Having a nice soft sleeping surface to put your sleeping bag on is cool. Having heat is warm, but not quite warm enough, so that it's also a little cool. There is still a firepit and picnic table for those happy outdoor moments, but then there is shelter for playing Scrabble when it's too cold to pretend it's summer any longer. The $6 reservation process is kind of a rip off through Reserve America as the only choice, and their policies are pretty harsh, but if you are sure there will not be weather keeping you away, go ahead and book with fingers crossed. If it works out, it's worth it. Champoeg yurts are $33/night with the $6 fee. We saw some of the park itself, and people were enjoying their Frisbee Golf, but there wasn't an awful lot to explore beyond that, at least not that we saw. From the car, anyway... Still, there were some great trees that photograph well, and there is even a little wishing well and area overlooking the river. read more

Camping in a yurt at Champoeg State Park is the way to go. I've never camped in a yurt before until I came here with my friend for her company overnight retreat. The state park itself was pretty clean, it's not really quiet like when you camp in the woods, since Aurora airport was nearby and you can hear the choo choo train too. They have showers and restrooms. It's pretty clean for a campground. If you want to go camping and not wanting to go all the way to the coast or Mt Hood, drive down to Champoeg. It's only 40 minutes drive from Portland. :) read more

So much stuff to do at this park! Disc golf... Bike parade... Bird show... Camping! The rangers and park hosts were super friendly towards our group (which consisted of about 95% of the campground). Even when some of our reservations had issues, they worked to make everything right. We are TOTALLY coming back :) read more

For all intents and purposes - this is an urban park. It's on par with other county parks I have visited (even though it is a STATE park) - it's just so close to lots of people that it's pretty well attended! I stayed here last July after arriving late in Newberg to visit my great uncle -- and as it was getting late, wanted to find a spot to settle for the night and enjoy the full moon and nice weather. I did pass that gas station but did not stop - and ran out of gas just inside the gate (DOH! and, yes - I run on reserve). The park ranger was just closing up - and said the campground was full but that I could go around and find a spot where someone had not yet arrived -- which I did. Then I walked around and asked people with quads/ATVs if anyone had a little gas so I could get out in the morning -- and found a willing donor (yay!). The campground is mostly occupied with RVs -- and some SERIOUS car campers. The folks next to my spot had cars, trailer, big kitchen set up -- and despite the full moon, felt the need to run about 10 different lights off a generator and talk at VERY LOUD VOLUME well past 10pm. I asked them if they could keep the volume down - and maybe angle some of the lights away from my site -- they looked at me like I asked them to sacrifice their first born child on a rock or something (and it wasn't just young guys!). This trio of 3 had claimed all the property from the RV pull in space to the bushes (past the "no tents" sign) and even put up hammocks and slack lines which would be tripped over in the dark. They would likely have been just as happy camping in their backyard, I supposed. The couple on the other side were reasonably quiet - also concerned about the noisy site - but said that the previous night it was much quieter. Lots of green grass and trees - no noticeable pests and pretty clean bathrooms. Didn't stick around late enough to check out the historic sites (in fact - the noisy trio were barely moving at 8am). I'd consider returning there - but earlier and maybe to one of the yurts or a different area away from RVs/car campers. read more