Near the summit of the Blue Mountains, Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area preserves a site where people, including travelers on the Oregon Trail, have replenished water supplies since time immemorial. Now visitors find a refreshing place to camp in a mature forest between Pendleton and La Grande.
All cabins and four sites are open year-round (water available only at the restroom/shower building in winter). Note that park roads are often snow-covered or icy in winter. Book reservations up to 6 months in advance at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com. Reservations are required for the duplex cabin and six rustic cabins.
Starting November 2024, the six rustic log cabins will no longer have a refrigerator, BBQ, oven, or stove top provided.
Reservations required.
Emigrant Springs’ duplex cabin and six rustic log cabins offer a cozy overnight camping experience. The duplex cabin has two separate units that sleep three each. The rustic cabins sleep up to five. The rustic cabins are equipped with a small refrigerator as well as an outside propane stove and oven. All cabins have a table with chairs, lights and heating. Visit our Cabins and Yurts page for details.
Cabins 1, 2, 3 and 5 are pet-friendly and up to two pets (cats and/or dogs only) are allowed for an additional fee. See our Pets in Parks FAQ for more information.
The group tent camping area accommodates up to 25 guests and can be reserved spring to fall up to six months in advance via oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com.
The horse camp north of the day-use area has seven campsites with corrals. Each corral accommodates two horses. The camp is also a trailhead for an equestrian trail that meanders behind the park.
Oregon Trail wagon ruts can be seen at Deadman’s Pass Rest Area seven miles northwest of Emigrant Springs, on I-84, and at the U.S. Forest Service Oregon Trail Interpretive Park. Continue your exploration at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City.
Pendleton is the home of the famous Pendleton Round-Up. Other local attractions include the Pendleton Underground Tours, the Pendleton Woolen Mills, and the nearby Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, a museum focused on the tribes that inhabited this area.
Explore hundreds of miles of trails in two national forests: Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman.
You must have a reservation for cabins (no walk-ins). Call 800-452-5687 or book online at oregonstateparks.reserveamerica.com. Reservations are accepted same day and up to six months in advance.
Call 800-452-5687, book online, or click the Reserve button at the top of this page. Reservations can be made up to six months in advance. There is a $10 reservation fee for each booking.
The rental period is per day 9AM to 10PM.
The Community Building must be left in the condition you found it or a minimum cleaning fee of $200 may be charged.
Looking to have a non-traditional event or activity? Call the park office (541-983-2277) after you make your reservation to see if an application for a special use permit will be required.
If you fail to call the office before your event, we can cancel your reservation. Its on the user to call the park office. Some permits can take months to process, so best to start the process as soon as you make a reservation.
Not at this time. There are no overhead fire sprinklers, which is a requirement for a community sleeping area. Groups looking to stay overnight nearby may consider booking sites within the Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area campground.
No overnight camping or RV's are allowed in the area around the community building.
Yes. Call the park office at 541-983-2277 to schedule an interpretive program on Environmental Education.
Rustic cabins: There are six rustic cabins. There is enough sleeping space for 5 people inside each rustic cabin. They have one room with a table, four chairs, a futon, and a bunck bed (full on bottom, twin on top). Outside is a porch with a bench.
Duplex cabin: There is one Duplex cabin, also known as Totam or Cabin 7 & 8, have a max occupancy of five. They only can sleep three per side. It is one building with two reservable spaces that share a common wall. Both sides have a bunk bed (twin top / full bottom), a table, and two chairs. Only one vehicle is allowed per side. The cabin is located in the middle of A loop. It has its own parking spot and a trail leading to the building.
Both cabin types: have a picnic tables and a fire pit outside.
The park is open year-round for camping and day-use. Reservations are required most of the year.
All year: Reservations required all cabins and sites 45,47,49,51.
April 17th to October14th: Reservations required for all sites
Oct 15th to Nov 15th: Reservations required for 17-26, 29, 31, 33, 35, 36, 38, 39, and 41.
None reservable sites are not maintained during winter and could be covered in snow. The horse camp and group tent camp are closed October throu April.
From October to May, water is turned off in the campground. The main Restroom building is heated and remains open year round.
Showers are not available for non-campers
The heart of the park is a spring that has drawn people to it since time immemorial, long before Oregon's resettlement.
In 1812, trappers and traders of the Astor Expedition crossed the Blue Mountains on their way to Fort Astoria, thus establishing the route later used by wagon trains following the Oregon Trail. By the mid-1800’s, the watering hole was a key landmark for travelers to rest and refill their water barrels.
In the 1880s, the trail was replaced by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (now Union Pacific) railroad, which reaches the mountain summit of Meacham a few miles to the south of the park. During the construction of I-84 in the 1950s, one could still find artifacts on the Oregon Trail in the gulch south of the park.
The state acquired the land from private owners between 1925 and 1970. Extensive day-use developments were made in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In the early 1950s, overnight camp facilities were added.