Union Creek Campground - Rogue River - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Maybe I missed the campground, but I only saw about four sites down a very rutted dirt road, just the nearside of Beckies Cafe.

Our GPS took us to the Union Creek Forest Service office. If you're looking for this campsite, watch for the campground signs on Hwy 62 that say "Wayside".  Further in, you'll see a sign that says Union Creek. 

For clarity on the features there are only 3 FHU sites (reservation only) with sewer that are separated from the main campground and nearer the road. They were sloped and not private. There is no central dump for the other campsites. 

We travel in a Class B van but saw lots of tear drop, Scamp/Casita, truck campers and tents. This campground is not well-suited for large RVs. 

We dry camp and usually don't reserve in advance so looked for first come sites. When we visited  the early fall, there were plenty of both FC and reserve sites available. The camp host was super friendly and flexible. We extended our stay twice over the week and saw a good amount of turnover each week day of the sites. The camp host made sure they were spotless. 

• Flush toilets available at entrance 
• Water spigots and large trash receptacles are available but sparse in the back loops toward the Rogue river so water/trash carries were far away unless in the front loops. 
• Bottle and can recycling available (why is it so hard to recycle in Oregon??) 
• Lots of pit toilets that were cleaned regularly
• Dog friendly (leashed) 
• Lots of easy walking within the campground but be aware that trails skirt many of the campsites near the creek so wayward (clueless? rude?) hikers could be tramping through your site. 
• Great hiking trails along the Rogue river that connected to several other campgrounds 
• Easy access to Crater Lake and other areas, making it a great base camp 
• Closest fuel and stores in Prospect (about 10 miles away) 
• No Verizon service 

We will definitely return to this campground but only in shoulder seasons. We suspect that in peak season, it can be loud, crowded and not as enjoyable.

Not recommended for RVs over 28 feet, rough roads and sites for RVs are really not nice.

4.5 hour drive from Portland and 30 mintues from Crater lake. Very clean campsites, had access to clean water and toilet facilities. Short walk to the Rogue River gorge viewpoint then a nice hike down the river back towards the site. Plenty of places to fish.

Just like any place, be prepared for some not-so-great neighbors. It’s a gorgeous spot right on Union Creek with lots of sites. We ended up doing a last minute trip here because the Natural Bridge sites were all taken, and we snagged the last spot here. Endless hiking, and so many great spots to find on the creek that is ice cold all year! I couldn’t help but jump in :)

Stayed in campsite 86. Lots of space and foliage between campsites so that they maintained a private feel. Lots of space for social distancing. (This was particularly true of the higher numbers). 91 also appeared to be a very private waterfront site. Creek is very cold and perfectly clear. Nicest pit toilets I’ve come across in awhile— well cleaned and with hand sanitizer dispensers.

My group and I found this campground after spending a day venturing around Crater Lake National Park. Our site felt really private since we couldn't see any other campers through the dense forest. Pretty buggy the first weekend of July, so packing some bug spray is a good idea, especially if your site is next to the water. Sitting out by the creek while the sun was coming up in the morning was a definite highlight.

We had a reservation for the night at Mazama, which NPS cancelled <24 hours prior to our arrival so we were left scrambling for another place to stay. This campground was on the list of outside-of-the-park alternatives, and we were able to grab a site (one of several that were available) when we arrived around 6pm. The campsite was nice and right along the creek, the water tasted great, and it's relatively close to Crater Lake.

We really enjoyed a couple of nights here in September. The place was about half full. Quite clean and quiet, which was nice for us as tent campers. The hosts are friendly, and had firewood for sale. We were surprised that fires were allowed, so we were willing to pay abut $10 for an armload that lasted us for the evening. The sound of the Rogue River is so soothing.

It was great having the Rogue River trail run right past the campground. We checked out the Rogue Gorge trail, which is a short loop past some dramatic narrow sections of the river. We also walked down toward the Natural Bridge, which is an amazing spot where the river runs down into a lava tube and then emerges about 100 yards later.

It's also a pretty easy drive back up to Crater Lake, which also was pleasantly uncrowded. Over the course of three days, we did several hikes.

Internet and phone service are pretty much non-existent, which was fine. You can connect up around Crater Lake Lodge.

This is a great campground only about 45 minutes from Crater Lake National Park. It is a very large campground with spots on the river, sunny spots, spots with rock fireplaces, very large spots, a wide range of spots to choose from. There was heavy smoke from nearby forest fires and fires from California that caused a lot of people to not visit the campground, making it very quiet and relaxing for those of us who did visit. Due to the smoke, I did not visit any of the nearby hiking spots but did take a photo posted on the information board. However the park is so large with many roads and paths that just walking around the park was great. There were also several people and kids riding their bikes around, I definitely recommend bringing bikes. The small village of Union Creek at the entrance had a couple restaurants, a food truck, a general store, an ice cream shoppe, and another campground. The general store sold bundles of wood for a couple bucks cheaper then the Campground Host, and the Huckleberry ice cream at the shoppe was a perfect summer treat.

I was in spot 78. It was a large spot with the river running about 200 yards behind it. There was enough room for several tents. The path to the river, led right to a private sand bar in a slow moving part of the river. Great for families. The bathroom was also fairly close to the spot.

The cons for this spot, the water and trash were very far away. If you were filling up anything more then a water bottle you would have to drive to fill up on water. There were also only a couple locations that had trash bins making it possible to walk to, but again if you had a large amount of trash or leaking trash bag you would have to drive.

Overall I highly recommend this campground, especially the spots near 78.

My wife and young son and I stayed at Union Creek Campground in June 2016. The campground is really well cared for and clean. There are quite a few sites that we would consider top shelf - large tent space, large campfire and table space, privacy, and view. There is a small restaurant and ice cream shop near the entrance if you need a break from roughing it. And it is a great basecamp for a day trip to Crater Lake National Park. Love this campground and will be back.