Pelton Park Campground

While we did not stay overnight, this Portland General Electric Utility-owned park is only about 45 minutes drive from our home in Central Oregon. It's on the shores of narrow Lake Simtustus, connected to the northern end of Lake Billy Chinook. Since there are no photos and little info available online, we decided to scout the location and report our findings on Campendium.

First of all, ignore all mapping apps that lead you to believe there are multiple routes to this park. There aren't! After four tries (and dead-ends) along the "scenic route", just follow the official signed exit off of Hwy 26 north of Madras.

Folks driving very long and tall rigs may have difficulty with the winding steep road to the bottom of the canyon, and the campground itself is in pretty tightly quarters. There are several types of sites to choose from: "yomes" (mall yurt-like platform tents), electric, cabins and tents. Those with boats will have a great time since there's also a marina located adjacent to the campground. There's not a lot of elbow-room between sites, but there is shade which is hard to come by in this area.

We spotted a fish-cleaning station, a community kitchen and a nice old-school playground. A pet-specific beach area has been set aside separate from the swimming beach. A small on-site store and concessions stand are on the south end of the 66-site campground. I've uploaded a map of the 2 mile hiking trail that departs right from the office.

Hot summer weekends are sure to be crazy busy but when we visited on a Wednesday in late June it was only half full.

Dings due to tight quarters (not much privacy or elbow room) and noise from motor boats.

We had no internet access due to the steep canyon walls.

Pelton Park is a nice, little park that offers swimming and boating or just a nice spot to hang out. BE SURE you arrive from Highway 26, to the north; as the other reviewer said, do not follow Google map's instructions that may bring you in from the south. And, be sure you plug in Pelton Park Campground, not the marina or store, as your destination. The campground is at the bottom of a steep, narrow canyon, with Lake Simtustus on one side and NW Pelton Dam Rd on the other. If you are coming from the south, the turn into the CG is not even labeled and is likely not navigable by any thing other than a passenger vehicle. We brought our 40' 5W from Highway 26; just take it slow and watch for oncoming traffic, which is negligible. We did need to cross the center line on a few occasions. We had no trouble getting parked, but it is tight. Mature trees provide wonderful shade. The sites are on the small side but every site has a picnic table, fire ring, and some separation from neighboring sites. The main draw is the marina and the lake. The swimming area has a good sized dock.

Fraser Deep Canyon Grill offers a basic menu of burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, and ice cream. They have several beers on tap. The town of Madras, about 10 miles away, has several grocery stores. We had NO Verizon cell service; our neighbor, with T-Mobile had some. But if you drive toward Highway 26 and up out of the canyon, there are several pull outs where you can get a signal.