Union Creek Campground, situated on the north side of Phillips Reservoir approximately 17 miles southwest of Baker City, officially opened for the season on Wednesday, May 6.
Managed by the Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association (ALORA) under a concession contract with the Forest Service, the site is notable for being one of the few regional Forest Service campgrounds offering full water, electric, and sewer hookups.
The facility features more than 60 campsites total, including options for water and electric hookups as well as dedicated tent sites. Amenities at the location include flush toilets and an RV dump station to support diverse visitor needs, according to an article by Baker City Herald.
Marketing Director Chelsea Judy stated that camping at Union Creek remains first-come, first-served through May 15. Following this initial period, guests must secure campsites through the recreation.gov website.
In addition to Union Creek, ALORA has opened three other fee-based campgrounds in the area: Southwest Shore, Millers Lane, and McCully Forks. These locations offer a more traditional Forest Service experience, featuring vault toilets without the utility connections found at Union Creek.
Southwest Shore provides 16 sites for tents or trailers, while Millers Lane offers 11 trailer sites and four spaces exclusively for tents. Both are accessible via gravel Forest Service road 2220 and serve as trailheads for the Phillips Shoreline Trail, which is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.
McCully Fork, located approximately three miles northwest of Sumpter, contains eight sites alongside a stream near the Powder River. ALORA also oversees three cabins built in the 1930s—Antlers Guard Station, Peavy Cabin, and Anthony Lake Guard Station—which are available for rent through the federal reservation system.
The association’s campgrounds in the Anthony Lakes basin remain under snow, though they may open earlier than the traditional July 4 timeline due to a thin snowpack. These high-elevation sites are located near the ski area that the nonprofit organization also operates.
The reopening of these diverse facilities highlights the vital role of public-private partnerships in maintaining specialized outdoor hospitality infrastructure, such as full-hookup Forest Service sites.
For industry professionals, the management of these assets by a nonprofit concessionaire demonstrates a successful model for balancing rustic recreation with the modern amenities increasingly demanded by the RV and camping public.