Best Dispersed Camping near Adel, OR

As we were driving on along Highway 140 near Adel, it was getting dark and we needed a place to camp overnight.  I used PRO map layers to navigate a little way up Hogback Road / CR 3-10 toward Plush and found this handy turnout on BLM land.  The night sky with Milky Way was amazing and we didn't hear any traffic during the night.  In the morning, we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and sounds of migrating birds taking flight from their nighttime stopover at (mostly dried up) Crump Lake, across the street.  We also enjoyed watching a herd of Bighorn sheep grazing by the side of the road.  This site was free and fine for one night if you're in the area, but don't expect any privacy or amenities.

This place does get busy so come early for a good spot. If you stay by the creek, expect mosquitos. It’s a long drive up the hill to get here too but the views on the way are great. Fill up on water when you get to the little ranger station so you don’t have to pack water up the hill.

Didn’t camp just checked it out. Not sure you can swim in the water, didn’t have my water shoes on to try. It looked like more like a pond on shore could be mucky. Not a long drive in, didn’t look like a place to swim. Not a place we would camp.

We drove our van right up near the water in a quiet nook. Spent one night enjoying the many shore birds, a beautiful sunset and a refreshing cool night. I would not recommend swimming in this active wildlife reservoir! Most camping sites were private, separated by sage brush, and did not have toilets, so best for self-serving vehicles- or if you are ok walking down the road a bit. Will have to come back for stargazing after the wildfires die down.