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Best Tent Camping near Imnaha, OR

246 Reviews

Tent campsites near Imnaha, Oregon are distributed across the rugged Wallowa Mountains and along the Hells Canyon region, offering primitive camping opportunities with dramatic views. Saddle Creek Campground, located in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, provides tent sites with views overlooking Hells Canyon, while Pittsburgh Landing offers tent camping along the Snake River. Hurricane Creek Campground near Joseph features tent sites along a rushing creek within easy access to Eagle Cap Wilderness trailheads. These areas typically operate from June through October, with seasonal closures due to snow at higher elevations.

Access to tent campgrounds varies significantly, with many sites requiring travel on unpaved forest roads. Saddle Creek Campground is accessible via a narrow one-lane road with turnouts that isn't suitable for trailers. Several campgrounds feature vault toilets but lack drinking water, requiring campers to bring their own supply. Fire restrictions are common during summer months, particularly at higher-elevation sites. Picnic tables and fire rings are available at some locations like Hurricane Creek and Seven Devils campgrounds, but amenities remain minimal. Most tent sites are first-come, first-served with no reservation systems in place.

The tent camping experience in this region offers significant solitude and natural beauty. Tree cover varies by location, with Hurricane Creek offering shaded sites while Saddle Creek is more exposed to wind and weather. Wildlife sightings are common, with visitors reporting deer, mountain goats, and occasionally bears. Many tent sites serve as baselines for day hikes or longer backpacking trips into the Eagle Cap Wilderness or Hells Canyon areas. One visitor noted that Saddle Creek Campground offers "one of the most stunning views I've had at a campground," though they also mentioned it "got pretty gusty at night and several of the sites are fairly exposed." The rushing sound of Hurricane Creek provides natural white noise at those campsites, creating a peaceful atmosphere despite the creek's strong current.

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Best Tent Sites Near Imnaha, Oregon (65)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Imnaha, OR

33 Photos of 65 Imnaha Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Imnaha, OR

246 Reviews of 65 Imnaha Campgrounds

  • BThe Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 11, 2025

    Hazard Creek Dispersed Camping

    Nice spot off the beaten path

    Nice flat spot with a stone fire ring. Hazard creek nearby isn't too loud and sounds great. Not much firewood is around as its all been picked already.

  • Jim B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 10, 2021

    Hurricane Creek Campground

    A lovely place

    We scheduled three nights here but after two nights of amazing lightning storms, we skipped the third night. Still, this is a beautiful place, very private, secluded, and shady. The fast-moving creek creates a soothing white noise that we found calming. The campsites are spaced quite far apart, some only large enough for a tent. No hookups, but there is a clean vault toilet. We planned to hit the nearby hiking trail, but when we got to the trailhead, the parking lot was completely packed. When we go there again, we will stay and relax at the campground.

  • Hannah O.
    Mar. 16, 2021

    North Fork Catherine Creek Campground

    Peaceful and free to camp

    Lovely location in the mountains of Oregon. We drove a few thousand feet up a gravel road to get to this campsite. Easy access for my little sedan. I typed the latitude and longitude (found on the website) into my gps but lost service maybe 15 or 20 minutes before we arrived. Luckily it still was able to track our location and tell us “you have arrived” but as the campsite description said, these sites are spread out along the road, so it took us an extra 10 or 15 minutes to find the site we were going to stay at. The easiest campsites to find are at the trailhead of the North Fork Catharine Creek trail, which has a large parking lot with a minimal parking fee. The vault toilets are at this parking lot. For us, we crossed the bridge right before the parking lot and found a pull-off loop that had a few trailers with what seemed to be seasonal campers. They were cheerful and friendly. We went to the very back of the loop and found a nice secluded spot that was literally yards from the river. It was a primitive spot; it had no picnic table and only a fire ring made of rocks but since we had chairs we didn’t mind.

    The forest floor was extremely easy to drive stakes into, and the river made a lovely background noise to fall asleep to.

    The only thing I didn’t like was a couple bags of trash sitting on the side of the loop. We figured they were from the seasonal campers who put them at a distance so they didn’t have to deal with the smell. Not a great idea since an animal could get into it though. That’s something to keep in mind; THERE IS NO DUMPSTER so you have to pack all trash back out.

    We stayed in the middle of July and it was delightfully cool, in the mid 70s during the day and dropped down to the upper 40s over night.

    All in all a lovely overnight trip. I would go back.

  • Kelsey G.
    Aug. 30, 2020

    Pittsburg Campground

    Beautiful area, ok camping

    Beautiful area, incredibly scenic and photographable, but a few things to be aware of.

    There is a heck of a drive to get into this place, there’s a very winding and steep road to get there and it took us about an hour from White Bird. That being said, it was a very lovely and scenic drive, and based on the number of trailers and boats that were down there it doesn’t seem to deter many people. Just be aware you’ll want to come prepared with whatever you’ll need while you’re there because it’s not a quick ride back into town to get supplies (and make sure you have enough gas in your tank)

    Also, word of warning to any dog owners; I discovered as soon as we unloaded from the vehicle that there are sticky burs absolutely everywhere on the ground and our furry labradoodle was soon covered with them. The first thing we did when we got back into cell phone range was call and schedule him a grooming appointment to get shaved because they were on every inch of his body and would be impossible to comb out.

    The campsites are all pretty close together and since this is a desert area there are very few trees, so you will be able to see your fellow campers and they will be able to see you. Each site has a little canopy thing for both shade and I suspect some wind protection (it got extremely windy one of the nights we were there).

    It was $8 a night when I was there in August 2020. There was a burn restriction in place from July 1st to September 15th according to posted signs.

    If you do not have a trailer, there are some dispersed camping sites at the “Upper Landing” that are clearly marked. They are walk in only but didn’t appear to be too far to walk and seem that they would afford a bit more privacy if that’s what you’d looking for.

  • Marian J.
    Jul. 24, 2021

    Winchester Lake State Park Campground

    Beautiful tall pines!

    We have come here to fish on several occasions but never camped! We tent camp and we enjoy semi-level ground, which we had! The bathrooms are pit but are kept very clean!

  • Heidi P.
    Sep. 7, 2019

    Wallowa Lake State Park Campground

    Clean and quiet

    This campground is a nice well maintained place with clean facilities and well dispersed sites. It was a bad fire season when we were there so it’s pretty smoky in my picture.

    Clean bathrooms scattered throughout, water available. Nice tree cover and a River right at the edge of where we were. There’s trails and the lake close by too. Picnic tables and nice fire pits.

    It was a very quiet place and has several loops in the campground.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 21, 2021

    West Eagle Meadow Campground

    Cool and Quiet

    This is a quiet little campground.  It would make a good base camp for visiting Echo and Traverse Lakes.  Camps are spaced around one paved loop up the hill in the trees above the meadow.  There is one vault toilet and no water, electricity, or sewer connections.  There is plenty of deadwood nearby for gather for your campfire.

  • Raphaela H.
    Mar. 25, 2021

    Copperfield Park

    Hell's Canyon: Pleasantly Surprised

    On Oregon Highway 86 in Hell's Canyon at Oxbow, across from an Idaho Power Station (and managed by Idaho Power), this was a handy place to stay to be close to a boat launch for a rafting trip we had booked. 

    There are tiny campsites (maybe the smallest I've seen) and lovely large campsites here. We lucked out and had reserved a big one on the lawn instead of a little one against the rock wall. We were near the power station but we didn't notice it much due to the trees and stream.

    There is shade! This was nice considering it gets hot in Hell's Canyon. Even being next to the river and in a rare shady spot in the canyon, the after-dark temperature was in the upper 80's when we stayed here in early August 2020. They water the lawn at night to keep it green, so heed those "sprinkler - do not camp past this point" signs. The bathrooms look nice online (inc. showers), but we camped here during 2020, so we had a row of sunbaked port-o-potties to contend with.

    The location was super practical for our needs, our spot was spacious,  and the canyon is beautiful, but due to the heat I probably would pick a place higher up on the canyon rim or closer to Halfway, OR to camp if camping were the main goal (especially in August).

    Fair amount of bugs, but that's not specific to this campground. 

    Some stats, according to the Idaho Power website: Day use in the park is free. 59 RV sites with water and electric hookups(30-amp); 10 tent sites with shared water; Picnic area with tables Fire rings; Additional vehicle and boat trailer parking available; Public pay phone (phone card required for non-local calls); Boat launch and docks located approximately one-half mile downstream of the park, on Homestead Road

    Copperfield was a mining town known as “the rowdiest town in Oregon” in the early 1900s. Fire destroyed the town in August 1915. The park was built in 1965 on the old town site of Copperfield, Oregon. (https://www.idahopower.com/community-recreation/recreation/parks-and-campgrounds/copperfield-park/)

  • Cole M.
    Jun. 15, 2025

    Shady Campground

    June 6-7

    No host on site but restroom was clean. No dumpster, bear boxes, or cell service. Creek runs past campground.

Guide to Imnaha

Tent camping near Imnaha, Oregon offers rugged wilderness experiences at elevations ranging from 1,700 feet along the Snake River to over 8,000 feet in the Seven Devils Mountains. The camping season typically runs mid-June through early October, with July and August providing the most reliable weather conditions. Most campgrounds maintain vault toilets but require campers to pack in their own water supplies.

What to do

Hiking from Hurricane Creek: Hurricane Creek Campground serves as an ideal basecamp for accessing Eagle Cap Wilderness trails. "We planned to hit the nearby hiking trail, but when we got to the trailhead, the parking lot was completely packed," notes Jim B., suggesting early morning starts during peak season.

Wildlife viewing: Seven Devils Campground provides opportunities to spot mountain goats, deer, and occasional bears. "Saw two bucks together early in the morning grazing," reports Kaitlyn P. from Hurricane Creek Campground, where wildlife frequently visits campsites.

Fishing access: Pittsburgh Landing offers direct access to Snake River fishing. The river conditions vary seasonally, and as one camper notes, "The river is not clean for swimming as it is agricultural runoff," making it better suited for fishing than swimming activities.

What campers like

Remote solitude: Windy Saddle Trailhead Campground offers exceptional isolation and views. "We were the only campers at windy saddle and were able to get a perfect site at the head of the trail over looking hell's canyon and Heaven's gate," reports Max L.

Natural sound barriers: Hurricane Creek Campground features campsites with rushing water sounds that create privacy. "The fast-moving creek creates a soothing white noise that we found calming," writes Jim B., while Brooklyn P. notes the creek is "LOUD rushing" and provides natural sound masking between sites.

Nearby attractions: Many campers appreciate the proximity to lookout points. "We were lucky to meet and chat with the couple taking care of it learning a lot about local fires, mountain ranges and enjoying time on top of one of the most beautiful lookouts in the area with views of four states," describes Kirsten I. about the Heavens Gate Fire lookout near Seven Devils.

What you should know

Road conditions: Saddle Creek Campground access requires careful navigation. "Trailers not allowed on the 1 lane road with turnouts from the Joseph, OR site," warns Cheryl M., adding that "Road is better up too."

Weather considerations: Expect significant wind at higher elevations, particularly at exposed sites. Cheryl M. notes Saddle Creek was "windy so not planning on a campfire this evening," while campsites in forested areas provide better protection.

Bear awareness: Multiple campsites require proper food storage. "Be bear aware here. Didn't see any bears, but they were around the week before I came," notes Kathy B. about Hurricane Creek Campground.

Pet safety: Fast-moving creeks pose dangers to pets. "My one caution would be that if you have dogs keep them on a leash because if they were to get in the creek that would be all she wrote. That creek is appropriately named as it really moves," advises Andrew L.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Imnaha, OR?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Imnaha, OR is Saddle Creek Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

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TheDyrt.com has all 65 tent camping locations near Imnaha, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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