Best Tent Camping near Antelope, OR

This tent-only site is often overlooked because it does not really have any amenities.  It is super cheap though, and gives the vibe of a backcountry experience while still having tent sites a short walking distance from your car.  This is a perfect spot if you want to catch a stunning sunrise!

There aren't a ton of free camping options near Redmond. This is a great option. Only 2-3 spots for vans/small RVs. The other spots are clearly for tent camping. Would definitely recommend for a few days. I will say the vault toilets are disgusting- so plan accordingly. The hike is a great combination of short and pretty :-)

GPS: 44.410140, -121.293505

Cute small campground on a little hill overlooking a lake.  Tent sites by the lake's edge. 
Very Clean bathrooms with code for campers. Pits for public areas. 
Since there are no RV services be prepared to hear some generators running occasionally.  Quiet hours 10PM-7AM.  Water is available but may not be close enough for a hose to your RV.  Most sites have good Starlink view of skies.

The tent site area wasn't where we stayed but there are 3 cabins just above the boat docks that have the most beautiful view to wake up to in the morning. The cabins shared a fire pit between the 3 cabins and the cabins were close together but far enough apart for privacy. Tbey each had their own private bathrooms also so no walking in the dark to the bathrooms at midnight

I’ve never stayed at a KOA before but it was close to the rock ranch we were going to so it was really convenient. The tent sites are close to one another but every one was cool and respectful and friendly.

The picture is a glo-lite parade they had for the littles Saturday night- very cute.

Nice pool, little store in the office, clean bathrooms- I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again although I prefer more rustic, private and treed sites.

Smith is awesome for climbing, hiking, slacklining, and generally enjoying being outside. The bivy site has real bathrooms with running water, charging stations, showers, and a sink for dishes. Communal cooking area near the parking and scattered tent sites make for a great way to meet other campers but less ideal for large groups hoping to stick together. Smith has gotten way more popular over the last few years, so the campsites and parking often max out on weekends, holidays, and great weather days.

There are two campgrounds here: Crooked River Campground (E Loop mid-February through mid-December.) 91 electrical sites with water Flush toilets/showers and Deschutes River Campground (A, B, C Loops - mid-May through mid-September) A and C Loop: 87 full hookup sites B Loop: 93 tent sites with water nearby Flush toilets/showers

There are 3 places to launch a boat - Lower Deschutes, Upper Deschutes and Crooked River The Marina also rents boat moorages, boats, water toys, and Houseboats. The marina also includes a café and store that sells fuel and a few small items.

Variety of camping options available, both in the organized campground and the dispersed sites beyond the campground. This listing says dispersed camping is no longer allowed, but there were many designated options when we were there as of mid October 2020. Mostly simple pulloffs, but also some larger areas for tent camping.

The campground was a little tight and the sites felt a bit on top of each other. They had several double sites available that were twice the cost ($20 rather than $10), but in our small RV, it seemed worth the cost and we had the benefit of a roomy site plus the other double site next to us never got claimed so we had a pretty private experience with some pine trees in between the sites.

Cottonwood Canyon is a beautiful, well-maintained state park. We have not camped here because it is not our camp vibe (too developed), but I just want to clarify that there is NO dispersed camping here. This page incorrectly states there is dispersed camping in Cottonwood Canyon SP. There are a handful of what the park has called “hiker” spots, which are about 25 feet from a parking lot. Campsites on literally on top of each other. Camping is prohibited essentially everywhere else on park land, which is frustrating because it’s over 800 acres and there’s plenty of room to accommodate the handful of adventure seekers to disperse. Piggybacking what others have said: canyons get very windy and tent camping can be tricky in these conditions.

Overall, a lovely campground for families and campers who prefer less primitive amenities.

Decent campground, nicely kept, clean, very friendly rangers. Really nice and big dog park. Nice hikes right from the campground. We couldn't go to the water, since we only have an RV and no tow car, and it seems that the water is the main draw to this campground. Lots of jet skis and boats and screaming kids.

Cell reception was ok.

We went up to the upper campground on our way out to dump, and there is no water spigot there. Heads up. We flagged down a nice ranger who hooked us up but you may not be able to fill your tanks here.

Sites in this campground vary in size. We fit into one of the tent sites in our 26ft class c. You'll probably have to drive through the loop first before picking a site if you're trying to stay here in an RV.

This beautiful campground was loaded with amenities. The gorgeous John Day River, was perfect for fishing, swimming, floating. There was several trails within the campground as well as trailheads around the perimeter. We brought our own bikes but if you don’t bring yours, they offered loaner bikes and there were little bike workstations on the grounds. Pet friendly! Including a fenced in dog area (about an acre) and doggie poo bags readily available. We have a truck with camper but the tent sites each had a solar panel to provide electricity for charging the essentials. The grounds must have been a farm originally and the campground designers did an awesome job of using the existing structures to add to the rustic nature and maintain the land’s historic relevance. Cottonwood Canyon surpassed our expectations, especially considering the very low price tag. I cannot recommend highly enough.

FEATURES:

-RV's back up against the canyon rim and have a beautiful backdrop.

-RV sites are full hook up and come with a picnic table.

-Tent sites surround a nice green space with a covered gazebo patio.

-There's a nice walking trail (Matt's Trail) that takes you around the campground along the canyon edge (level: easy). There's also a BLM trail (Crooked River Trail) you can access from the campground that takes you down to the water (level: moderate to hard).

-There's a well-built overlook patio to sit on and enjoy the view.

CONS:

-no wood or charcoal fires. Only propane grills.

-Weak wifi. Couldn't even grab it with our extender.

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Great stay. Very quiet at night due to it being off the road. Being by the canyon is peaceful and scenic. The Terrebonne area provides a ton of hiking activities. Smith Rock State Park is just down the road.

We stayed here in April and got lucky with beautiful 70° weather. It's a great spot- easy to get to from Hwy 216. There are some gravel roads but they are well kept. I don't think you would need a 4x4 car. We tent camped but other spots had camping trailers. There weren't hookups but there was a clean pit toilet (stocked with TP 👏). The river seemed accessible from most camping spots, if not all. Each site had a table and fire pit. These are first come first serve and there is a fee, so bring cash. We got their Friday evening and the only spot left was the group spot which was $25 a night in the off season (more during the summer). The spot was away from others so we had privacy, which was great and worth the extra cost. One thing to note is that there are ticks. We didn't get any on us but our dogs did. Thankfully they are on medicine for that so it wasn't too bad. I definitely recommend this campground. Everyone was fishing and kayaking and it is absolutely beautiful there!

Though we came with only a tent, due to the type of year, we stayed in the E loop which is not on the Peninsula and is designed more for RV's. We did get a site with a great view of the river, though (at the West side of the loop), and since it was early in the year, there were few other campers. We hear gets very busy other times of the year, though. There were bathrooms with showers and there was a playground in part of the loop. There is a nice hike in the Peninsula with views of the river and the surrounding mountains. Driving up to the trailhead took us by the the Deschutes Loop of the campground (which looked cuter with only tent sites, but didn't have nearly the view we had). The Cove Palisades Resort is close by and rents boats and kayaks for the lake. For early Spring, it was a great option and felt like a vacation from the wetter parts of the state. Despite the warmth during the day, it did still get very chilly at night though, so come prepared. We drove through Warm Springs Reservation to get here from Portland, and there is a Native American history museum en route that is worth a trip!