Best Dispersed Camping near Antelope, OR

This was by far my favorite place we stayed on our entire 4000+ mile road trip…. and it was free! We stayed at Priest Hole, which is a few miles past the Painted Hills visitor center on dirt roads. We saw a few vans and a pop-up trailer, but no RVs. The road was okay but not great, so not sure if regular RVs would make it or not. Fine for cars, trucks or vans.

It's Bureau of Land Management land, which means all camping is free. We camped right on the banks of the John Day River and it was amazingly beautiful. The water was the perfect temperature for swimming and crystal clear. There were people a couple hundred yards from us on either side, so not too crowded. We were there on a Thursday and pulled right up to an empty spot.

Only vault toilets. Bring your own water. No showers, picnic tables, etc. The only drawback, besides lack of a nice bathroom and not much natural shade, was quite a few earwigs and other bugs attacking the outside tent at night when we had our light on. Not the worst thing, but slightly annoying for the kiddos.

When the river is higher (sometimes in the winter) there's a large grassy area in the center of the area for tents, but a bit far away from the water. But in the summer when the river is lower you can camp in any of the rocky dry stream beds and be safely right on the water.

We kind of stumbled into this free spot while heading to a more formal campground near Pelton Dam. As the daylight faded I spotted a pullout/turnaround area which then led to a rather private loop with a great view of the Deschutes River and Lake Simtustus. I had to confirm with the Dyrt BLM map overlay, but I was glad to find myself on public land. It’s not really a place I’d choose to spend more than one night, since it doesn’t really connect to any trails or walking areas, but it was a handy en-route overnight spot, complete with a nice view and bright sunset. It’s only a few miles off Rt. 26, following signs to Pelton Dam. There was plenty of room to turn around my 26’ skoolie. However, I didn’t really see a good place for a tent, but I didn’t look very hard. There were signs of previous users, including a fire ring (which I didn’t use). Since it was the eve of Earth Day, I did collect a bagful of empty cans and trash. Leave no trace, people!

So so beautiful and scenic! Also very hot and dry, as to be expected in the high desert. The scent of Mock orange hung heavy in the evenings air and the waterfalls area had a pool nearby you could hang out in. TONS of desert wildflowers too, along with several hundred year old juniper trees and sagebrush lizards all over bathing on rocks in the morning sun. It was during bitterly breeding season too, it’s a breeding ground for monarchs! No fires due to fire restrictions and the GPS coordinates on here took us an hour past the destination.. we found it eventually after good going though.

Beautiful trip. Breathtaking drives and not hard to find with given coordinates. Dirt roads are not too hard to drive but during the dry months it is extremely dusty. The campground on the trailhead is nice but a little too close for dispersed camping. Trail is not too long to a waterfall. You can fish and jump off the rocks into the water. We stayed one night at the designated camp site but ended driving about 10 minutes down a dirt road next the the campground entrance that is actual dispersed camping. Really enjoyed that spot with a trail down to the river and 2 drive in spots and multiple walk in campsites along the cliffs. 

We spent a weekend in June celebrating our anniversary in this stunning location. The Painted Hills are so beautiful. The hikes and trails are so well thought out and maintained. The camp spot that’s described in other reviews is the best we found. The coordinates however are not accurate. Pass the last parking area (Red Scar Knoll trail) on the main road, cross a cattle gate, and it’s on your right. If you have higher ground clearance you can go through the main camping area and take a dirt road just a bit further to a single spot that’s flat and shaded. We rented an off-road teardrop so this was super easy. Here are the correct coordinates to that single spot: 44.637881 -120.296011

EDIT: We had a park ranger stop by and inform us that this location is closed to passenger vehicles. No passenger vehicles are allowed past the boulders. We are currently parked at the one and only camp slot that passenger vehicles are allowed, so this is a 99% dispersed camping location that you have to walk to your camp site location. The Park Ranger also reminded me that all BLM land is a 14-day stay for recreational camping only, and if you are living out of your RV, you are liable to be harassed more often then others.

Original Review: We parked in a space close to the main road. Minus the sounds from it, the place is very peaceful. There's lots of sage bushes, and trees are plenty but not clustered. There is a lot of wildlife in the area if the animal bones are anything to judge by. There are a lot of ant colonies and other burrowing creatures in the area as well. If you choose to walk off designated paths, watch your step, or you might end up in a shallow hole like I did. Some spots are more solar friendly than others, but none of the trees are overbearingly tall to completely block out the ability for it. Flies aren't too bad compared to other places, and honestly, I'm not sure if the ones we are dealing with are from here or left over from our 1 night stay at another location. The river is only a shortish walk away, and field mice do live in some of the boulders in the area.