Oregon State Park #13/14 of 198!
The family wanted to go camping by a lake so we could play in the water all day, and camp in nature at night. Well in advance, we reserved a camping space at Prineville Reservoir. Prineville Reservoir and Jasper Point State Park are right next to each other on the reservoir, so we’d planned to visit both parks in the same visit. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we noticed the water levels in the reservoir were SO LOW we couldn’t even walk to the water. There was a wide band of calf deep mud surrounding the water, so no water play for us. However, Prineville Reservoir is one of the few certified International Dark Sky Parks and is a phenomenal place to star gaze and watch the night skies. We hope to visit this park again when the water levels are higher, and stay to watch the stars.
Are you interested in a spectacular place to star gaze?? Watch the video below for more information about this State Park.
Website:
Jasper Point State Park Website
Location:
Prineville, Oregon
Parking Fees:
No Fees!
Personal Experience:
- Beauty = F
- Kid Friendly = C
- Fees = None!
- Facilities = C
Book Sources:
More Resources:
- https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/oregon/northern-prineville-reservoir
- https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/parks/prineville-reservoir-state-park/
- https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_sitefiles/publications/Prineville-stargazing-permit-fillable-s021938.pdf
Full Oregon State Park Video Playlist
Our Story:
I’m an adventurous soul who feels most at home surrounded by trails, trees, and water. Hiking is my peace and meditation, and I am so glad to be sharing this with the whole family. In Spring of 2022, our family took a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast and it was just as I remembered it when I was young. Breathtaking beauty, misty rain, and vast greenery. We visited several locations down the central coast that weekend and I craved more. We passed so many State Parks that looked intriguing, but I knew nothing about them, so I bought a book about the Oregon State Parks for future trip planning. When I was reading the book I realized… I want to see then ALL! So the family decided to embark on the adventure of visiting every State Park in Oregon (and hopefully moving on to Washington after).
Investigating the NW 