Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is located in Camp Sherman, Oregon. It is situated directly in the forest right on the shore of the Metolius River—an attraction known for its fly-fishing and waterfalls. The resort has 25 guest accommodations which consist of private cabins and RV spots spaced out amongst the trees and grass. The cabins each have at least two bedrooms, a full-sized, fully-stocked kitchen, a relatively large porch, a living area, and an outdoor firepit. The staff of the campground has a goal to create a family-friendly and nature-friendly environment. They do this by accommodating any events, celebrations, ceremonies, or gatherings guests want to host, and by providing detailed information about nearby attractions and recreational activities. Some of these attractions and activities include hiking, fishing, mountain biking, waterfalls, lakes, nature reserves, state parks, a kids angling pond, and more. The resort is open year-round and is pet-friendly, allowing up to two pets per reservation.
Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is located right on the Metolius River in Camp Sherman, Oregon. Tucked among the pines and ponderosa trees, the campground is in the middle of the surrounding nature. Spring Creek, which dumps in the Metolius River, wraps around the southern side of the property, and the river runs along its eastern side. The resort owns a private footbridge that crosses the river from the property’s edge, as well as two river access trails. The premises themselves are covered in an abundance of mature trees and grassy areas. Often guests are able to see wild deer, beavers, birds, and other wildlife. The Metolius River contains multiple species of wild fish. An additional feature right on the edge of the campground is an established youth angling pond. Next to this is a butte formation called the Black Butte. A five-hole disc golf course, created and owned by the resort, is also on the premises.
Cold Springs Resort & RV Park has 25 guest accommodations on-site. Sixteen of these are cabins while the remaining nine are RV sites. The cabins are all fairly similar in design, each being constructed from wood of various kinds, with many windows and a large, often wrap-around, private deck area. Inside the cabins, they all have a bedroom downstairs and a low ceiling loft bedroom upstairs allowing 2-6 guests to stay. Additionally, the cabins have a full-sized kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The kitchens are fully stocked with pots, pans, and dishware, and have a full-sized refrigerator, a range, an oven, a sink, cupboards, and counters. There is a grill outside for cooking as well and each unit also has access to its own private fire pit outside. Chris, the property manager of the Cold Springs Resort & RV Park, says that the only thing they ask guests to bring is their food and that they strive to provide everything else.
Cold Springs Resort & RV Park distinguishes the cabins by their location in the campground, namely Riverfront Cabins, Cottages in the Woods, and Cold Springs Creek Front Cabins. They are also typically named after a tree of some kind. The Haberman, Log, Aspen, Cedar, Spruce, Juniper, and River View Cabins are all Riverfront Cabins. The Willow and Maple cabins are the only accommodations that are Cold Springs Creek Front Cabins. And finally, the Ponderosa, Larch, Pinecone, Fir, Alder, Poplar, Tamarack, and Cottonwood are among the Cottages in the Woods. The Haberman is a popular accommodation on the property as it is a little bit larger and a little more private than the other cabins.
There are nine RV sites on the campground, all of which are located next to Cold Springs Creek that wraps around the property. They offer both water and 30/50 amp electric hookups, in addition to picnic tables and firepits. Six of these sites are relatively new, only being added in the latter part of 2021. Though there are no sewer hookups at the individual RV sites, the property does have a dump station available for guests to use.
Cold Springs Resort & RV Park does rent out equipment of various kinds, mostly pertaining to recreational activities available nearby. Chief among these supplies is fishing equipment, both for kids and for adults. The Metolius River is known in Oregon as being one of the best rivers for fly fishing. Chris will often give people a quick tutoring lesson on how to fly fish and then send them on their way to try it out for themselves. They also have discs for their on-site disc golf course, and bikes that they lend out to customers should they want to go riding on any of the many scenic biking trails nearby.
The Property Manager, Chris, says that he and his staff members try to run the resort as a family-friendly place and “treats guests like family.” There are currently only four members on the staff team but they have a goal to be "hands-on" and help guests in whatever ways they can. Cold Springs Resort & RV Park hosts many families coming for events, such as weddings, family reunions, holidays, ash-spreading ceremonies, and other celebrations. As they accommodate these families, Chris talks about what Cold Springs does to help prepare—cutting off sprinklers, relocating the disc golf course, and helping out in other ways when the need arises. Chris mentions that he and his staff focus on doing “little things to help make stuff go smoother for people to make their experience better.” One guest that stayed at the resort said “I appreciated the super-easy check-in process. The cabin was perfectly appointed with everything we needed or wanted. The setting was incredibly gorgeous, so glad we were on the river. Plus the grass, grounds, and trails were perfect for our pet dog.”
According to Chris, many people that stay at Cold Springs Resort & RV Park come for the surrounding area and to get away from the “hustle and bustle” of city life. He further explains that the “charm of the place is different”, and the resort is “magical in the sense that you get to be in nature”—something many of the guests enjoy. One such visitor, in particular, wrote in a review, “The cabins and cottages at Cold Springs Resort are beautiful, peaceful, romantic, and have everything we need for a perfect getaway. We love that we can cook gourmet meals with the amenities provided in the kitchens, sit by the creek, have a fire, and watch the stars. And the staff are absolutely lovely too!” The campground itself is in the middle of the woods, 15 minutes from the closest town. Due to this seclusion in nature, the night sky is very visible, more so than most places, according to Chris. He says that their patrons “like the aura” and “being out in nature.”
A unique thing about Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is that it is a pet-friendly property, the only campground in Camp Sherman that allows pets, according to Chris. Each reservation allows up to two pets to come and stay at the resort as well. Because the resort is meant to be in nature and is catered towards recreational activities, many visitors talk about how they enjoyed being able to spend time with their dogs while staying on the property. In regards to this, one guest review reads, “It's fantastic that we can bring our dog -- she absolutely loves it there.” Another unique aspect of the Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is that it has also been around for a very long time—more than 80 years. This has allowed many people to stay at the campground over the years, many of which have even made it a tradition to do so. Chris says some of their patrons have been staying there longer than he has been alive, and that many of them know the previous owners personally.
Perhaps the defining feature of the Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is the Metolius River, Something Chris says attracts many of their patrons. The Metolius is known for its fly fishing capabilities. Beyond fishing, there is an abundance of other recreational activities nearby guests can participate in. One visitor describes the property as being an ideal lodging place “if you want to be surrounded by nature and just relax, or want to get out and hike, bike, or fish—they have it all.” Chris and the other staff try to get “first-timers” to explore the area, making sure to “give everybody a rundown of the area.” Some of the information in this “rundown” includes pointers for waterfall hikes, river walks, and scenic viewpoints in the nearby area. They also encourage guests to try out fly-fishing if they haven’t and to explore the area as much as they desire. One guest said the resort has “easy access to hiking, fishing, and great scenery. Friendly, helpful staff.”
The Cold Springs Resort & RV Park is open year-round so that visitors might be able to enjoy whichever of the four seasons they love best. Chris says, "you get little taste of everything depending on the time of year you come." During the winter season, many guests go to the Hoodoo Ski Area just 15 minutes from the resort. It has an assortment of activities ranging from slope skiing, night skiing, tubing at the Autobahn Tubing Park, and cross country skiing. Chris mentions that fishing during the winter in the Metolius River is a great option as well due to there being fewer people and, therefore, more fish that are less skittish. The spring and fall both offer unique scenic views of nature, with many flowers, butterflies, and other young wildlife abundant in the spring, and the changing of the colors on the forest fauna in the fall. According to Chris, the busiest season is the summer season from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Some of the waterfalls in the area include Wizard Falls, Sahalie Falls, and Koosah Falls. The first of these comes complete with a fish hatchery where guests can see various types of fish hatched and reared in display ponds. The Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls are about a forty minutes drive from Cold Springs Resort & RV Park and have a relatively short and family-friendly hike that loops past both falls. Guests can also go to Suttle Lake or Lake Billy Chinook & Cove Palisade State Park nearby. Both of these offer a variety of hikes and views surrounding lakes on which people can participate in all manner of marine activities, including boating, paddle boarding, fishing, swimming, kayaking, etc. For those seeking to go boating or paddle boarding, there are rental services available in the area that visitors can rent from. Another state park nearby that has hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking options is the Smith Rock State Park. In addition to these attractions, Chris recommends guests visit the Camp Sherman Store and Fly Shop. This general store has groceries, memorabilia, and all manner of fly-fishing goods, equipment, and advice.
Dining options are rather limited in the area due to the secluded location, but there are still several options patrons of the Cold Springs Resort & RV Park might enjoy. Located in Camp Sherman itself, guests can eat a variety of foods from the Camp Sherman Store, the Lake Creek Lodge Dining Room, and the Hola Restaurant (which serves Peruvian-style dishes). Within ten minutes of the resort by car, visitors can also eat at the Lodge Restaurant, the Boathouse, and the Lakeside Bistro. In Sisters, Oregon, the resort staff recommend their patrons try eating at Boone Dog Pizza, Tacos el Comal, and R Spot Take Out and Eatery.
Cold Springs Resort & RV Park has been in business for a relatively long time, having been established in 1938 as a campground. Before it was a campground the property was originally used as a dairy farm. Because of the chilled temperatures of the Metolius River all year long, the dairy farmers were able to store milk in the river, keeping it cool and allowing them to preserve milk for longer periods of time.
Eventually, it was sold to a man that turned the farm into a place for him and his family to live. He loved living in nature and next to the river and decided he wanted to share the experience with others. This desire led to him buying and building cabins and then opening for business as Cold Springs Resort & RV Park. Initially, he hosted barbecues and parties at the lodging place to raise its awareness. His son, Robert, inherited the property and ran it for many years before he too retired and sold the property to the current proprietors. Many people who have been coming to the resort for a long time know Robert personally, and he still drops in about once a week or so according to the property manager, Chris.
Chris took over as property manager nearly two years ago. He had been doing construction his whole life when his wife introduced him to the campground industry. She was a housekeeper and knew the previous property managers of Cold Springs Resort & RV Park. She and Chris both found a place at the campground and worked there for a few years before the previous managers retired. Chris talks about how the owners really liked how he and his wife ran things and decided to establish them as the new property managers. They happily jumped on the opportunity as they had fallen in love with the area and thought it would be a great career option and a great place to raise their family. Chris says that he and his wife love being able to work together and spend time with their daughter as they host guests coming to stay at the resort. Their team currently consists of him as the property manager, a groundskeeper, and two housekeepers. Chris lives “just 60 seconds” from the campground.
Since their time there as property managers, the staff of the resort has made many changes. First and foremost, Chris and his team have really pushed to reach new people and to get more returning visitors. To do this they have implemented a lot of specials for repeat customers or for bookings a year in advance. Many of these are sent through a monthly newsletter that they also started. Those who receive this newsletter get information about the goings-on of the resort and the surrounding area, as well as promotions and other specials. In addition to all of this, they also send out a thank you email to all of their guests following their stay. Because of this push for more business, Cold Springs Resort & RV Park broke its all-time occupancy record in both the summer and winter seasons of 2020, and then again in 2021. Chris and his team plan to expand the features of the property as well. By the summer of 2022, they hope to have finished construction on a large building that will serve as a clubhouse, a community center, and a store.
25615 Cold Springs Resort Lane
Camp Sherman, Oregon
United States
Nature Resort
Robert
