Join the fun near Antelope. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Antelope is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
For a rustic overnight stay deep in eastern Oregon, let your tires roll past the Painted Hills-one of Oregon’s Seven Wonders-and drive deep into John Day River Territory to the Priest Hole Recreation Site. Although primitive, camping here lands you in the middle of the Wild and Scenic John Day River, designated for scenery, recreation, fish, wildlife, and geologic values. Camping is allowed everywhere, including on the gravel bar northeast of Priest Hole, where you sleep to the gurgle of the river and stepping out of your tent or trailer lands your foot in the water. Know Before You Go: Open YEAR ROUND but the rough road can make access difficult in winter. ACCESSIBILITY is primitive and not easily accessible for people with disabilities. NO FEES for camping or floating the one-mile section around Priest Hole. There is one toilet; NO potable water, trash cans or campsite amenities. PETS ARE ALLOWED under owner control. Watch for rattlesnakes. HUNTING/FISHING LICENSES ARE REQUIRED. Fire restrictions run June 1 – September 30 (liquid gas or propane only). Point of Interest: Priest Hole is a local favorite for fishing and swimming. Stopping here is a natural part of a visit to the Painted Hills, Sutton Mountain Back Country Byway and eastern Oregon! Priest Hole Brochure Explore Oregon Recreation: Priest Hole ADA Access: Priest Hole Recreation Site is primitive and not easily accessible for people with disabilities.
As of10/5/2020 *** There is a Closure Order prohibiting dispersed camping outside of the Skull Hollow campground. View a map of the closure area here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd507382.pdf.
This closure is designed to help protect natural resources around the trailhead from overuse and to prevent conflict between campers and day users. Please observe the closure order and use the campground for camping in the vicinity of Skull Hollow trailhead. AMENITIES: NO DRINKING WATER 28 standard campsites No hook-ups or dumping facilities 1 wooden picnic table and 1 combination fire ring/grill per campsite 2 vault outhouses for the campground 1 informational signboard On-site campground host NEARBY ACTIVITIES: Horseback Riding Hiking Mountain Biking Rock climbing (Smith Rock State Park) Hunting
$10 - $20 / night
2021: Open with capacity limit due to COVID-19.
If you enjoy scenic views of deep river canyons or rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is the place for you. There are several thousand climbs in the park. More than a thousand are bolted routes. We also offer miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Along your trip through the canyon, you might see golden eagles, prairie falcons, mule deer, river otter and beaver.
Note: Some climbing areas are closed or have limited access from about Jan. 15 to Aug. 1 to protect nesting raptors. Drones are also not allowed during this period. Check the park advisories on this page for exact dates and affected areas.
Due to the uniqueness and fragile aspect of the park, park rangers enforce the animal leash law and ask all park users to stay on trails. Bivouac Camping
Camping is open early spring through late fall, as weather allows.
Walk-in bivouac area for tents (No reservations)
Showers (overnight guests only)
RV camping, sleeping in vehicles and open fires are not allowed$8 / night
Dispersed camping is allowed on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (USFS) lands without a permit, but it is recommended that campers obtain a map that shows current property boundaries. Please contact the BLM , (541) 573-4400 or (541) 416-6700, or the USFS, (541) 575-3000 or (541) 416-6500, for more information.
While camping is not allowed within the three units of the monument, there are many nearby campgrounds. Some have full service amenities, some are quiet and remote, some are in the forest, and some are right on the John Day River.
$10 / night
The Ochoco Divide Group Site is a convenient place to camp while traveling across scenic State Highway 26 by bicycle or car. Resting at the top of the Ochoco Divide at an elevation of 4,700 ft., the group site is set on a hill away from the road as an extension of the general campground. Summertime in the Ochoco National Forest brings pleasant temperatures; the campground is closed during winter.
The group site of the Ochoco Divide Campground is mainly used by touring cyclists. It is also a good place to take a relaxing stroll through the woods. There are opportunities for hunting, mountain biking and hiking in the national forest surrounding the facility. Several trailheads begin at the Bandit Springs rest stop about one mile from the campground on Highway 26.
The group site is part of the main Ochoco Divide Campground. There is excellent quality drinking water throughout the main campground and near the group site. The group site can comfortably fit up to 12 people; no more than 35 are allowed. Parking is limited. Campers must park at the base of a small hill and walk up to the site. There is a large group size fire ring as well.__
The scenery surrounding the campground alternates between thick Ponderosa pine forests and grassy meadows, though shortly beyond the campground the road descends into lower-elevation, arid canyon lands. One of the most unique geologic features of the Ochoco National Forest is the 'thunder egg,' Oregon's official state rock. Thunder eggs are small, colorful, round volcanic rocks similar to geodes that have been exposed over time. The U.S. Forest Service has designated specific sites for rock hounding.
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is less than an hour away. Hike amongst the Painted Hills and famed fossils, take a journey through time at the museum at Sheep Rock or picnic beneath the beautiful mountain scenery. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
$50 / night
For a rustic overnight stay deep in eastern Oregon, let your tires roll past the Painted Hills-one of Oregon’s Seven Wonders-and drive deep into John Day River Territory to the Priest Hole Recreation Site. Although primitive, camping here lands you in the middle of the Wild and Scenic John Day River, designated for scenery, recreation, fish, wildlife, and geologic values. Camping is allowed everywhere, including on the gravel bar northeast of Priest Hole, where you sleep to the gurgle of the river and stepping out of your tent or trailer lands your foot in the water. Know Before You Go: Open YEAR ROUND but the rough road can make access difficult in winter. ACCESSIBILITY is primitive and not easily accessible for people with disabilities. NO FEES for camping or floating the one-mile section around Priest Hole. There is one toilet; NO potable water, trash cans or campsite amenities. PETS ARE ALLOWED under owner control. Watch for rattlesnakes. HUNTING/FISHING LICENSES ARE REQUIRED. Fire restrictions run June 1 – September 30 (liquid gas or propane only). Point of Interest: Priest Hole is a local favorite for fishing and swimming. Stopping here is a natural part of a visit to the Painted Hills, Sutton Mountain Back Country Byway and eastern Oregon! Priest Hole Brochure Explore Oregon Recreation: Priest Hole ADA Access: Priest Hole Recreation Site is primitive and not easily accessible for people with disabilities.
As of10/5/2020 *** There is a Closure Order prohibiting dispersed camping outside of the Skull Hollow campground. View a map of the closure area here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd507382.pdf.
This closure is designed to help protect natural resources around the trailhead from overuse and to prevent conflict between campers and day users. Please observe the closure order and use the campground for camping in the vicinity of Skull Hollow trailhead. AMENITIES: NO DRINKING WATER 28 standard campsites No hook-ups or dumping facilities 1 wooden picnic table and 1 combination fire ring/grill per campsite 2 vault outhouses for the campground 1 informational signboard On-site campground host NEARBY ACTIVITIES: Horseback Riding Hiking Mountain Biking Rock climbing (Smith Rock State Park) Hunting
$10 - $20 / night
2021: Open with capacity limit due to COVID-19.
If you enjoy scenic views of deep river canyons or rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is the place for you. There are several thousand climbs in the park. More than a thousand are bolted routes. We also offer miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Along your trip through the canyon, you might see golden eagles, prairie falcons, mule deer, river otter and beaver.
Note: Some climbing areas are closed or have limited access from about Jan. 15 to Aug. 1 to protect nesting raptors. Drones are also not allowed during this period. Check the park advisories on this page for exact dates and affected areas.
Due to the uniqueness and fragile aspect of the park, park rangers enforce the animal leash law and ask all park users to stay on trails. Bivouac Camping
Camping is open early spring through late fall, as weather allows.
Walk-in bivouac area for tents (No reservations)
Showers (overnight guests only)
RV camping, sleeping in vehicles and open fires are not allowed$8 / night
Dispersed camping is allowed on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (USFS) lands without a permit, but it is recommended that campers obtain a map that shows current property boundaries. Please contact the BLM , (541) 573-4400 or (541) 416-6700, or the USFS, (541) 575-3000 or (541) 416-6500, for more information.
While camping is not allowed within the three units of the monument, there are many nearby campgrounds. Some have full service amenities, some are quiet and remote, some are in the forest, and some are right on the John Day River.
$10 / night