Looking for the best options for tent camping near Diamond? Find the best tent camping sites near Diamond. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Overview: Located below the east face of Steens Mountain, Mann Lake attracts anglers as much for its remote, rugged splendor as for its abundant Lahontan cutthroat trout. These trout are supremely adapted to survive alkaline desert waters and without them fisheries like Mann Lake could not exist. The lake was named for an early rancher and has satisfied fishers for over forty years. Anglers converge as early as March and into October. Shallow throughout its 200 acres, the lake features extensive weed beds and great shorelines for wading. Know Before You Go: Aside from two vault restrooms, Mann Lake offers no amenities. Bring your own shade, shelter and water and tie everything down. Swift winds are common, and weather conditions are often unpredictable. Two, eight-inch minimum length trout per day limit; artificial flies and lures only. Point of Interest: Aside from fishing, visitors enjoy camping, hiking, viewing wildlife such as pronghorn antelope, quail and chukar, and rock hounding for thunder eggs and agates in the area. Mann Lake Brochure
Jackman Park Campground is located on the flanks of Steens Mountain, within the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protective Area (CMPA). This area encompasses an extraordinary landscape with deep glacier carved-gorges, stunning scenery, wilderness, wild rivers, a rich diversity of plant and animal species, and a way of life for all who live there. At 7,800-foot elevation and set among aspen stands, Jackson Park Campground offers some of the best fall color viewing on Steens Mountain. Know Before You Go: Open Season Jackman Park Campground is open mid-June through October. High clearance vehicles recommended on some portions of the Steens Mountain Loop. 6 Campsites with picnic tables and fire grates; first come, first serve. Universal Access Restroom available. Please pack out your trash. Mountain weather can be unpredictable and change suddenly. Ticks, mosquitos, and rattlesnakes may be present during summer months. The nearest services are in the communities of Fields, Frenchglen, Crane, or Narrows, Oregon.
The Jackman Park Campground is located near the Kiger Gorge Overlook with views of the Gorges glacially-carved, U-shaped valley and, if you are lucky, its famous herd of wild horses.
Camp Sites 40 for 2 people $15 per extra people 8 Camp Sites Available Soaking & Private Road Access to Desert are both including in camping rates. Dogs are welcome on leash in the campgrounds. They are not allowed at the soaking pools. Soaking - $10 per person per visit Children under 12 and ALL US Military (former and active) w/ID - Soak Free Private Road Access to the Desert - $10 per vehicle per day You can call the office for further information or to make a reservation. Please let us know if you have any further questions. (541) 589-2282 or (541) 589-2123 If you prefer you can now make your reservations online.
$5 - $30 / night
Guide
Campground is very well maintained. Excellent tent sites and bathrooms.
Guide
Camped late Early October nights dipped into 20s, pretty crisp For tent camping, but days were in 60s. Beautiful blitzen right there, birds, deer, raccoons, hiking and wilderness exploration nearby.
Scout
This is a small but great camp site. Bathrooms present on site. Each spot has a great picnic table and grill. It is a rocky area so have a pad if tent camping.
Guide
My brand spanking new husband and I drove up from San Francisco to Portland for our honeymoon. We camped along our drive but never had a set destination. Luckily, around sunset, we stumbled across Crystal Crane Hot Springs. The staff was incredibly nice to accommodate our last minute reservation.
Crystal Crane Hot Springs has tent camping, RV camping, small cabins and family size cabins. I can't speak towards other reservations but the tent camping was walk-in. The tent spots were in the back in a quiet area pushed up against field full of birds and bird blinds.
Guests have access to bathrooms, showers, and the main lobby. The main lobby is a nice place to warm up in the morning and is outfitted with books, games, muffins, coffee, tea and local guides. They also have a little store with towels, bathrobes
There are private hot springs you can rent hourly but there's a giant natural hot spring that's free to campers. You can rent towels, too. You can also buy an hourly pass if you don't want to camp. The main hot spring is the perfect temperature and depth. We even had the distinct pleasure of watching a distant lightning storm while soaking in the evening.
The camping availability is definitely on the luxury side but is well worth it for $25 for tent camping. Despite having a lot of real estate available on the property, it doesn't feel crowded and is surrounded by miles of field land.
Ranger
Good campground with flush toilets, clean showers and a small store. Electric, water, sewer at all RV sites. All sites are pull thru....some are not totally level and/or rocky. Campground is generally a little dusty and the 3 mile road coming in is washboard. Tent sites with grass and some small cabins available
LegendSyayed here on Oct 2. Paid $8 with senior pass. Nice campground. Level sites. Can accommodate all sorts of rigs, except big bus campers & long travel trailers. Trash service. Water. Clean vault toilets with tp. 2G T-Mobile service. Most sites are open with partial shade. No privacy between most sites. A few sites may accommodate hammock campers. Tent camping possible. Steens Mountain Loop Rd closed at the campground entrance.
LegendCrystal Crane Hot Springs has a lot to offer but I'm not sure camping is one them. They have hot springs (which we didn't actually try because it was during the middle of the pandemic) which looked great and I will definitely try if I'm back. They have cabins, glamping, RV sites, tent camping, a small shop, firewood for sale, showers...a little bit of everything.
We stayed twice in December, once in site 5 and once in the overflow area. The camping area feels more like an open field than an actual campground, especially in the overflow area, which I think is just kind of an open area. At site 5 there was picnic tables and a fire ring. Site 5 was good because it was a pull in, at the end of area so it was quiet, and it overlooked the hot springs.
On the plus side, the staff were super nice and the hot springs seemed great and I think that's the main appeal.
Scout
The camp ground was great. It has the basic needs for most camper trailers. There are a few sites there with shore power but I didn’t see any water hook ups. There is water there if you need to fill up jugs, tanks or water bottles. There is a single flushing toilet that is available for overnighters as well as small store with food and drinks for sale. The staff was very nice and helpful. Be aware of the wind! Our first night in our teardrop was pretty rocky. Almost lost our awning because the gusts were at or above 60mph. We talked to the staff and they said to orient the trailer front towards the mountains. It seriously helped a lot. If you tent camp, I would recommend some sort of windscreen or just use your vehicle to block it somehow. Overall the scenery is majestic and is worth the drive out there. 10/10
GuideOur truck broke down just outside of Burns and we ended up having our travel trailer towed to this RV park, as it was the only place we could stay for the week while waiting to get our truck repaired. We had a full hookup spot, which was super nice, but the spot itself was pretty small. This is typical of many RV parks I have been too - good amenities but small spot.
There were some other spots in the park that were slightly larger and had picnic tables, but ours did not. We had only a tiny plastic table with 2 chairs, but we were so close to the RV next to us that we were basically either looking in their window or we would have to be right next to the "road'. Not ideal so we didn't spend much time outside.
There was room here for all sizes of campers - from tents (I saw I guy on a bicycle who tent camped for the night) to giant motorhomes with cars towed behind. The park hosts were all extremely nice and helpful, given our circumstances. They also gave us a military discount since my husband is a veteran.
Restrooms and showers were fairly small (only 2 toilets and 2 showers in each bathroom) but I think most folks used the facilities in their RVs. The shop/office sells propane and ice, so we were able to restock on both (plus they have wine and ice cream if you need a little splurge).
The park is right off of the highway so you may get some truck/traffic noise but it didn't seem to bother us city folks too much. :)
Wifi was fairly decent and you can get some local channels in the TV, if those things are important to you.
Dog and kid friendly, but there is really not much for either to do here.
Overall, this suited our purpose, in that we had a nice safe place to stay while our truck was repaired, but I'm not sure I would stay here just for kicks. Close to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and a great stopover if you need a night to rest while driving through the high desert of Oregon.
ScoutThis private campground is more in line with an Oregon State Park than most private campgrounds. Pull through spots for RV/trailers, green grass for tents, and cabins. Mosquitoes were heavy during the beginning of July.
Scout
Choose tent wisely. A late night sandstorm came through and ripped our rainfly and tent was covered in sand. Had to sleep in car. I should have brought the smaller backpack tent. Beautiful place though. One night was enough.
Guide
This is a very simple place to set up the tent. I got here about 10 at night, the website had a map of tent area but no markings at the site took me a bit to figure our. However free wifi helped do work in the am before I left. Definitely want a footprint pad underneath. The wind is good I was at site 10. Could here the road traffic but wasn't bad. Definitely felt safe here as a woman. If they had tent platforms to help anchor the tent to that would have been perfect but Definitely good for RVs The morning view was spectacular. Will come by here on my way back.
TravelerNeeded a place to pitch a tent for the night and stopped here. The park is fairly large and has a lot of shade trees around it. Unfortunately, I guess the tent area they normally use was closed and I was directed to pitch my tent behind the front office. It was a small shaded grassy area. For $20, it worked. The only real complaint I would have was the bathroom area could have used some cleaning, both inside and out, washing and cleaning of showers, sinks, shelves, sweeping up of dirt and leaves around the building.
Guide
This campsite is pretty minimalist, but absolutely beautiful. I was hoping to stay there but pulled in kind of late and the parking seemed full. There’s room for about two cars just above the campsite, as well as about three just over a tiny bridge. There were several tents set up on a meadow /flood plain of the river. In the morning I scoped it out and there were quite a few tents set up there, maybe 5? Kind of haphazardly placed with little space or privacy between them, making me think that there is no infrastructure of individual campsites.
TravelerRight by the freeway but super nice park. Showers, fhu, cable, wifi is really slow, tee pee, tent and RV Park.
GuideWe stayed here for 1 night during a long weekend escape to Steens. The campsites aren't very private as they sit amongst low sage bushes, and they're not particularly large; only enough space for 1 car and 1 tent. The facilities are clean. There are lots of great trailheads in the area. Other campers were quiet and respectful.
Traveler
Went in Mid June and there were maybe 3-4 campers in the whole park. A total of 18-20 sites. Some small for tents. A few large enough for campers. High mountain lake that appeared to have some decent fish population (2-3 fisherman, not camping). Still snow in spots at this time. No bugs, but blowing 20-30 at times.
GuideMade a pitstop here after a long day of driving. Didn't partake in the Hot Springs or use any of the amenities. But we were grateful for their overflow lot where we were able to pitch our tent and spend the night. Overflow camping was barebones, no amenities, porto potties only. But we enjoyed a good sunset, and the campground was clean and quiet.
LegendThis is one of our favorite campgrounds. The location is near the refuge and Steen Mountain recreation area. The sites are spacious and far apart for privacy. Most sites have trees usually willow for shade. There are several vault toilets, fresh potable water from pump spigots, garbage cans, and recycling cans for glass and aluminum. There is usually a camp host to provide firewood and assistance. It is usually full on weekends when the refuge has bird migrations. Deer can be pests as they wander the campground at will. The graded gravel road in can be rough washboard at times. Sites are large enough for the bigger RVs. If you have a tents, you can stay right next to wetlands or the Blitzen River.
ScoutIf you are in Eastern Oregon, exploring the Steens, Hart Mountain, or the dessert, Page Springs is the perfect place to land for day trips. Closr to French Glenn, a lovely, mostly treed spaces, campground right on the Donner und Blitzen River.
Spend your morning exploring the area and your afternoon in the river! We will be back for sure - next time in the fall.
GuideVisiting the Alvord Desert Campground is a must in Eastern Oregon. If you book a campsite, you have private access to drive out on the desert playa, and that also includes access to the hot springs. Well worth it. The stars out there are incredible. Be sure to check the weather before heading out on the playa, because if it has been raining it will be incredibly muddy and very easy to get your car stuck in.
GuideWe’ve driven through the vast remoteness of SE Oregon dozens of times, but always on the way somewhere else. We stayed for two nights and finally understand the compelling beauty of wide open spaces. This private campground is well maintained and managed by a staff of welcoming, family friendly folks. The dry sites, while flat, are very spacious and well separated from the RV sites. The lounge offers free coffee and pastries, which was a delightful surprise. Great bird watching, dark skies, and a huge hot spring and showers make this a go to destination.
ScoutWe visited Crystal Crane Hot Springs Aug, 2018. The property has a general store, large common room with board games and book sharing, and a kitchen that can be used for cooking or food storage by all guests. Overnight accommodations include: 9 cabins, 9 RV spots, 15 tent spots, a 3 bedroom ranch house, 3 bedroom inn, and a teepee with a private hot tub. Our RV spot had a gorgeous view of the surrounding high dessert and the stars at night were amazing as there is very little light pollution.
The employees and owners are friendly, helpful, and eager to make sure guest's needs were met. One of the men told us about a pair of tundra swans that made there home on a pond at the back of the property
I enjoyed our stay so much that I wished we had booked more nights. It's a long drive from major towns but the drive is worth the effort, Note this is not an appropriate campsite for the "party" crowd. This is a family-friendly place with a no-open-alcohol policy and clothing required in the pond.
GuideProbably the coolest place in Oregon to chill with a shortage of people, quietude, endless stars and a hot spring! You can camp virtually anywhere on the playa. The most popular area is near Frog Springs, where there is a pit toilet. Alvord Hot Springs is about two miles north of Frog Springs. It's pay-to-soak, but it's worth it. To the west the Steens loom, welcoming the setting sun. What I have found alluring about Alvord is the night, its stars, its quiet, its relentless darkness. I've never seen stars so clear. Fall is the best time to visit, but anytime is good if you ask me. Be prepared with lots of water, pack your garbage out and do your best to leave little trace so others after you might share a similar experience.
GuideWe visited during Oregon’s “high” season, so by the time we booked, only back in spots were available for our big rig. Okay stay, just not impressed with amenities for price and that park has sappy trees over spaces.
Pros:
Cons:
Our back in spot was under trees that drip sap. We have sap on our rig and our tow. The rules allowed you to wash your windshield, but you could only use water in a bucket - no spraying with a hose. First time we have ever had to wash our windshield before leaving a park.
Sites, despite an apparently fresh dump/spread of gravel, were not as level as site managers seemed to think. Back of the back in space sloped just enough to cause issues.
GuideOur truck broke down just a mile or so from this campground and boy, were we glad they were there! We were leaking diesel fuel and smoke was coming from our engine by the time we found this spot to pull in. The staff was extremely nice, even though there was not much they could do to help. They were full for the night but said we could stay in the overflow area (no electricity or water hookups). It was definitely lucky we made it here!
The campground itself is fairly small, with RV sites with full hookups, cabins, and tent spots. For the high desert, the scenery is beautiful. It was great to relax in the hot springs after a stressful few hours of getting the truck towed to the shop and our trailer towed to the overflow site.
I can't speak for the rest of the camp spots, but the overflow sites were very bumpy and difficult to level your trailer. The staff and amenities make up for what we lacked in the overflow spot though. Common room with games and TV and coffee, along with a full kitchen to cook/clean/eat. Showers and restrooms were ok, but not superb.
While I'm very grateful we were able to camp here for the night (as it's in the middle of nowhere!), I think the price we paid for a dry camping site was a bit much. The other prices seemed a bit steep as well.
Staff was super accommodating and let us stay way past the check out time while we had to wait for roadside assistance to tow us into town the next day.
This would be a great place to stay for a night or two, if you want some relaxation and solitude. There is really not much else to do out here (hiking, etc.) and the closest town is a good 25 minutes away.
LegendThis little gem is nestled in SE Oregon and features an assortment of camping options, from private tee-pee, dry camping, to full RV hook ups this place can accommodate any guest. The water is naturally at 160 degrees yet they "hold" the temp at 100 degrees. This may make it a bit cool for some. The spring is actually fed into a pond with a soft, black gravel/sand bottom. There are private soaking tubs available though at 15 bucks a head per hour the cost is on the high side. We found it to be a worthy treat though we must declare that hot springs are our personal favorites. We stayed in dry camp site #2 which featured its own picnic table and fire ring. Fires are permitted yet while we stayed you were required to have a bucket of water on site while the fire was burning. Wood is available at 7 bucks a bundle and the water buckets are provided for use FOC. There is minimal shade though the camp does have a community center with wifi and AC. There is also a communal kitchen. The kitchen is 24/7 and the center is 8am to 9pm. Showers are super clean though a bit cramped. The best part is that the pond is 24/7 and stargazing under an expansive sky while soaking I. the healing warm waters is a magical experience. Check it out, you won't regret it. Last arrival,is at 9pm and mandatory quiet is from 10pm to sunrise. Book on this one was "The Kybalion, and musIc was The Deads Europe '72. Enjoy it boppers….
Tent camping near Diamond, Oregon offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in stunning natural landscapes, with various campgrounds catering to outdoor enthusiasts seeking adventure and tranquility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Diamond, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Diamond, OR is Mann Lake Recreation Site with a 3.6-star rating from 5 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 5 tent camping locations near Diamond, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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