Spirit Mountain Casino

We camped in a pull through spot for 4 nights and had a great time. Easy walk to the casino, but you can contact Security and they'll give you a ride. Meals were excellent, we were happy to find a seafood buffet, first one since the pandemic, and just stuffed ourselves with Dungeness crab. Sports bar is a fun atmosphere, also great food. Blackjack tables had $5 min on several at all times. Entire facility looks new and clean everywhere we looked. We'll be back!

Like the title says the Dry Lot is now closed to overnight camping. This started shortly after the opened their FHS about the first of the year. It appears that even the employees do not know what is going on. I have asked two security personal and and two customer help staff, by phone, and have got four different answers. For the time being it appears that daytime parking is allowed but the sign states "No Overnight Camping." I have sent a message to the Casino trying to get an official word but still waiting for reply and with four different answers already given I suspect the reply, if I ever get one will be the fifth useless answer. SWMBO who is the supporter in this venture has stated she might stop by in-route for a meal but that is it. Sorry SMC

This is a great spot in that the lot is free and there is water and a dump station. Someone mentioned the shuttle busses and sharks. I chose to walk to the casino rather than ride in the shuttles and the drivers (the sharks) did not like that at all. Somehow, they think guests are obligated to ride in the shuttles and tip the drivers. I was there in 2016 and things may have changed but there were very few Game King machines here and only a very few had multi card keno. The keno payouts are some of the lowest on the planet.

We stayed at this casino for only our second time, it is just a parking lot area for rv's of all kinds. They don't have any hookups, but they do have a water area if you need to fill up and a dump station to use. All you do is register with the Casino and you are good for 3 nights, or more. You can unhook your 5th wheel trailer or tow vehicle and leave the area but not for over night. It is walking distance to the casino or they have a shuttle bus to and back. The lot is well lit, and security drives around all the time. The casino has many things to do, dining, sports bar, gambling, intertainment etc. We have and will be going there again when we travel in the area.

At Grande Ronde on Highway 18, Spirit Mountain Casino (45 03.582 123 35.013) is another of these large casinos, run, possibly, by the same Indian tribal corporation as Three Rivers and Chinook Winds. Parking lots were nice and flat with RV-sized painted lines, The best thing about this place may be that it has a dump station and fresh water spigot at the back of the parking lot. There is also a big-rig friendly Shell Station on the premises, though prices are not rock-bottom and next door is a propane fill-up station – pretty well everything that a casino-camper could desire. The usual routine of signing in at Security, then obtaining a Players Club Card at another desk applied here, just as at most of the other places I have visited. I was not quoted a limit on my time allowance to stay in the parking lots. There is a free shuttle from any of several covered kiosques in the parking area, each with an intercom for calling the shuttle. I enjoyed the excellent dinner buffet ($15.95) at 5:45 on a Thursday in March. While I went in without waiting, the line-up was quite long when I came out. My server was quick to offer a drink but omitted to give me any cutlery. When she did bring a knife and fork, she forgot a teaspoon - Nor was there any offer of coffee. Other than that, the variety and quality was excellent. Am staying over an extra night because Fridays feature the seafood buffet (more expensive than the regular fare). One small item of curiosity – the Players Club lady told me that I would have to go back to Security to get a new card as I had filled mine out with black ink. Apparently the casino has a “policy” of using only blue ink. I questioned Security about this and asked if it took a lot of people at a meeting to make such a decision and did he know why since I was writing a book about strange happenings along the Oregon coast and this would certainly qualify. He allowed as how he did not know the reason and couldn’t think of any management types who might know the origin and reasoning behind the black-ink-ban. He did mention however that, at his former place of employment (a private prison), they (employees) were restricted to using only black ink and no blue, the opposite of Spirit Mountain. This was also chalked up to “policy” so note to those out there involved with Customer Service training – never quote “policy” and try to have a reason for anything you do – that is much more satisfying for guests and probably for staff who might be inclined to think that some senile god is sitting out there on a cloud flipping coins to see whether the organization should favour black or blue ink. I wrote this update on a Friday morning and as I sat at my computer, the shuttle buses, like sharks, were being very attentive and circled the RV parking lots every 5 minutes or so. Maybe there was some important revenue-producing event that I should have been attending but I chose, instead, to save my energy for the seafood later on.

Another nice stay here. Dump and fresh water filing station. Make sure you sanitize the faucet before filling your fresh water tank. 'Nuff said on that. Some people run their generators all night so the place can be a little noisey. Great all-you-can-eat crab Fri thru Mon but can get very busy so go early. Mon not so much. We will return.

Spirit Mountain Casino free RV area is adding a water station so you can fill your fresh water tanks. We were there last week end and they said in about a week it will be ready for us. Paul

Casino Camper Update, December 27 2009 A member of our Yahoo forum reported that the primary RV parking area has reopened. The collapsing barn which was a problem before has been removed. The dump station is also open.

- report from Paul M., May 27 2009 I need to update the RV parking area at Spirit Mountain Casino in Oregon. The main RV lot is closed, and has been for 6 months now. Officials at Spirit Mountain are saying it's closed for safety reasons. They are letting RV's campout in the back parking lot (we were there over Memorial week end) but there is no dump site for tanks. On the back lot, there are very few garbage cans, and it's a little hard to understand where to park. It's not as RV friendly as it was that's for sure. There is no dog area, and no pooper bags, so you will have to walk your dog on parking lot and bring your own scooper. The safety reason they are saying is, there is an old barn that is in bad shape next to the RV parking and they do not want anyone in the RV lot in case it falls over. We live 30 miles from this casino, and there really isn't any danger. They may have other reasons, but are not saying. When I asked when the RV lot would re open. They say when it's safe again. Asked for a date, and they will not give one.

Report from our YAHOO group, October 2007 Spirit Mountain has a free dump station. You have to go inside to get the code for the gate

- report from Rick and Lucky Lucy, July, 2007 Leaving the coastal highway we headed east to Grand Ronde to the Spirit Mountain Indian casino. The casino is the largest in Oregon and they court RV business. One large paved parking lot was devoted entirely to RVs, had stripes painted on the pavement of RV length, ran shuttle buses through the lot, and provide a dump station. All we had to do was register with security and we were in. Lucky us, we hit them on seafood buffet night (Wednesday) and a bargain at only $15 each. Very popular with the locals and there was quite a waiting line. But they had "take a number" system so customers could go off and do other things while they were waiting (like gambling for instance). As we stood in line (when our number came up) we noted several trophies touting the skills and abilities of the chiefs in cooking seafood. This was encouraging and proved to be true. There was lots of seafood dishes but the highlight was the steamer clams and pan fried oysters. We packed away lots of good stuff and I can't recall eating any vegetables, salad, or bread -- just clams, crab, and oysters. Unlike Washington casinos, they had real VP machines and a few even had decent payback schedules.

-from F. Lucht, June 2007 Spirit Mountain Casino At Grande Round, Oregon 20 + miles east of Salem Oregon. On Highway 20. Very good dry camping, have call stations for the shuttle that are covered at central locations around the dry camp area. Parking Is free with one of their Casino cards. You have to requester at the Security Desk . Remember to get the space number where you park. There is twenty four hour Security in the dry camp area and dog walk areas with pick-up sacks at all locations.

- from reader C Randle, April 2006 Some time ago I spent a night at the Spirit Mountain Casino in Oregon. It has a large, flat, quiet RV Parking area with security for dry camping. I played slots for a while and then started "lurking" around the Blackjack tables. Even after hours of watching Texas Hold'em on TV I am still not confident of my ability to keep up to the speed of the game so had never actually sat in on a live game. The dealer at the low limit table invited me to take one of the empty seats and I said no, telling her that I would just slow things down. She laughed and said everyone at the table were regulars and no one would mind. Well, I had a great time! She basically taught me how to play the game. She told me how to bet, when to walk away and how important it was to watch her hand. I didn't win that night but the lesson didn't cost me too much either! It turned out to be much cheaper than playing the slots and I got to talk to some nice people. I would rate the Casino as VERY RV friendly!

- from reader C. Williams, March 2006. We moved here from Chinook Winds. Nice level spot for dry camp parking and you can stay several days. I was told there was not a time limit (within reason).