If you’re looking for a place to camp on your way across Oregon, and you’re on I-84 near Pendleton, this is a pretty sweet campground at Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area. They have tent and RV sites as well as cabins for rent. It’s incredibly clean, the fir trees are massive, and the elevation up here in the Blue Mountains is about 4,000 feet, which might not seem like much if you’re coming from the Cascades or the Rockies, but it’s definitely a nice lift out of the heat of the surrounding valleys. The bathrooms are some of the cleanest I’ve ever encountered, with free showers that have nice anterooms with wall hooks and benches for your clothes! And actual handsoap at the sinks – I nearly fell over.
A couple of downsides: the sites are somewhat close together without much privacy shrubbery, and the Interstate, while not visible, was incredibly loud. I couldn’t help hoping that the animals are used to it and not going mad, because there’s no avoiding the unending sound of big trucks.
The best sites (I thought) were A18, A20, and A25. They’re treed and set against a hillside on the way into the main loop – lovely and as private as possible. You can find images of a lot of campground sites at http://campsitephotos.com. Handy for when you’re reserving online.
