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Champoeg State Heritage Area features a rare combination of history, nature, and recreation. Situated south of Newburg along the scenic Willamette River, Champoeg's forests, fields, and wetlands recreate the landscape of a bygone era.
This is the site where Oregon's first provisional government was formed by a historical vote in 1843. A thriving town of 200 was established, only to be washed away during a great flood in 1861. This rich history earns the park’s placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
A diversity of activities await. Enjoy walking or biking on the paved trails that pass historical landmarks and hug the river. Play the 18-hole disc golf course under the oak trees, relax at the multitude of scenic picnic areas, or fish or kayak from dock on the Willamette River. For RV's there are 21 full-hookup sites and 54 electric sites with water.
The ecologically rich landscape is home to more than 130 bird species, including seasonally nesting western bluebirds and acorn woodpeckers.
8239 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul, OR 97137
Beautiful park and walking trails along the river, but the camp site felt more like a trailer than camping with no privacy. The restroom was super clean nice hot showers. There was a nice playground for the kids.
The cabins were cute and i thought the camp hosts were kind and respectful, unfortunately we had a cabin neighbour come by and harass us and try to sit with us by our fire after making threats at us. We then went to the camp hosts to get help in a situation where we were genuinely scared and not comfortable sleeping the night with someone who threatened us next door, and the camp hosts started defending the man and asking us to “ignore him” when we were minding our own business in the first place.
i’d also like to mention this man was drunk and when we wouldn’t let him hangout with us he started walking in the street saying “help they’re hurting me” when we were genuinely just sitting by our fire.
we had to pack up our stuff in the middle of the night and go home early, our trip was cut short and so far i don’t think i’ll be receiving a refund for the night we didn’t stay.
it was very unfortunate since it was supposed to be a little fun get away to nature kind of trip and it was going well until this happened, and i was pretty disappointed with the staffs reaction to us literally being harassed and scared enough to leave.
the man was a war vet and they used this as an excuse but he was clearly drunk and two of us were young girls i don’t think ill ever feel comfortable staying here if this is the kind of behavior they allow. And i advise others not to stay here either if safety is not important to them.
Great place for camping with kids. Plenty of space for walking and biking.
Fun spot for camping. Even though the park is open year round, they close a lot in the winter and only RV sites, yurts and cabins are available for winter camping. Summertime there’s more tent sites and some group tent sites as well. The group tent sites are closer to the river. There is a dock but many signs saying no swimming. The camp hosts are always super nice and helpful and fun to chat with. The rangers are great as well. 💜
So fun to learn about the history of the settlers in this area. The visitor center is very interesting, lots of information about the history of Oregon.
