Are you planning a tent camping trip to John Day? We've got you covered. The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near John Day. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of John Day's most popular destinations.
Strawberry Campground is located at the edge of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Set amongst ponderosa pine in a beautifully wooded area, the campground is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to hike, hunt, fish or simply relax. Strawberry Basin Trailhead is located at the campground. Strawberry Basin Trail #375 connects to other trails in the wilderness allowing for day hiking or backpacking trips.
Adjacent to Murderer's Creek, this little campground is a great base camp for hunters. The campground is a nice area for those wishing to horse camp, a buck and pole corral is located adjacent to the campground. Visitors to the campground can enjoy bird watching, hunting and fishing in near by creeks. Hikers have options in the Cedar Grove Botanical area and Fields Peak trail. Visitors may get the opportunity to see one of the beautiful wild horses that reside in the area.
Trout Farm Campground offers opportunities for picnicking, pond/stream fishing, and hunting. This nice little campground is ideal for families, or the fishing enthusiast. This campground offers a nice pond for fishing with an barrier free path along the pond as well as a barrier free pier. Trout Farm Campground also has a newly renovated covered picnick shelter and running water. A great place to visit near the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.
This small campground along the Scenic Middle Fork of the John Day River set back amongst beautiful ponderosa pine trees is a great spot for fishing and viewing spawning steelhead in the fall. The campground is a good starting point for hunters, hikers and those wishing to see beautiful scenery, wildlife and wildflowers. The campground sets just off of the county road allowing for easy access to all variety of vehicles and bicycles.
Welch Creek Campground has long been a favorite gathering spot for family reunion camp-outs and group hunting trips. The campground's open area and easy parking access make it ideal for such events. It features 6 campsties an accessible vault toilet, and 4 stall recreational stock corral. There is no potable water or garbage service, so please pack your garbage home. Local attractions include hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, sight-seeing, photography and a trailhead for the Desolation OHV trail system. Olive Lake, where there is fishing, boating, and swimming is about 13 miles to the east along Forest Road 10.
Near the North Fork Malheur Wild and Scenic River, the campground provides opportunities for hunting and stream fishing. This small rustic campground is popular durning hunting seasons. A great area to camp that is easy to reach during the summer months allowing for a great get away for those looking for a more secluded space. 5 sites available.
Hilltop Hideaway is a 1930's era cabin that allows guests to relax in the outdoors and step back in time to the bygone gold mining days. Hilltop Hideaway is part of the Fremont Powerhouse complex, a hub for mining built in the early 1900s. It is one of four cabins located at the site near the town of Granite, and provides great flexibility for larger groups. The surrounding valleys once teemed with mining activity, primarily gold. The Fremont Powerhouse was built as an economical power source for mining. Two dams were constructed at Olive Lake and the water was piped through an 8-mile wood and steel pipeline to the powerhouse to generate electricity. Homes were constructed to shelter workers who monitored the pipeline. Today, these same homes are available for the public to enjoy. Hilltop Hideaway is the cabin farthest uphill from the Fremont Powerhouse. Winter access may require skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles. Click here for a virtual tour of the area.
Guests can hike on trails into the North Fork John Day Wilderness or go mountain biking on forest roads. A drive along the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway is a treat, as are other activities like huckleberry and mushroom picking, bird watching, wildlife viewing and photographing the vast landscape. Nearby Olive Lake offers boating, fishing and swimming.
The cabin sits at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, on a hillside overlooking the expansive Umatilla National Forest near the North Fork John Day Wilderness. A grassy lawn in front leads to the other three cabins in the area. The forest lies in the Blue Mountains and is home to Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Birds in the area include the black-backed woodpecker, American kestrel and the Boreal owl. Black bear, cougar, wolves, elk and deer are among the native land mammals. Click here to learn about bear safety.
The cabin is located less than 6 miles from Granite, Oregon, a ghost town that once bustled with prospectors and pioneers. The town provides groceries and fuel.
$55 / night
This state sponsored Sno-Park provides parking near the west end of the Forest's snowmobile trail system. Located on the south side of beautiful Canyon Mountain visitors will find miles of groomed snowmobile trails to enjoy.
Located near the old Canyon Meadows Reservoir, opportunities at this site include hiking, hunting, this rustic campground sets at the edge of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness . The reservoir no longer holds water. The campground has wood picnic tables and older fire rings.
Guide
Nice area close to the road. Plenty of room for my small trailer. Though it was close to the road it wasn’t very noisy. I camped in site 9 so 1/4 mile away from the road. Only issue last role of TP.
Traveler
Beautiful forested campsite with clean flush toilets next to a creek.
Scout
For years Yellow Pine was our last resort to camp on Memorial weekend, July 4-th and Labor Day when all the popular campgrounds were full. There is not much to do there, but you can relax in a hammock drinking beer and sit by the firepit when fire is allowed. On regular weekends the campground is empty, on holidays usually half full. There is always the host with a few trailers living there, seems like the same person. I am not sure does he has any duties or just allowed to stay there for free, I have never seen him doing anything like cleaning campsites or bathrooms. There is a sign at the front “NO DOGS ALLOWED OTHER THAN ON A LEASH” which everyone ignores. The host doesn’t care either obviously. On Labor weekend 2024 we spent two nights at Yellow Pine and had a bad incident. There is a nature trail connecting Yellow Pine and Wetmore campgrounds, the only hiking option for campers. The trail is located next to campsite#6 which was occupied by a company with three vehicles, a few tents, one RV, multiple kids and dogs. On Sunday morning my husband and I were walking past that campsite to the trail. My husband had our little puppy on a leash. Passing campsite 6 we were attacked by three dogs that were aiming at our puppy. My husband pushed the biggest dog away, fell, our puppy rolled over, the dogs slid under my husband’s feet, he fell on asphalt, rolled over, our puppy fell and rolled over…..it was a mess….everything happened so fast so we couldn’t reconstruct the sequence of the events later being in shock. Dog owners never apologized and refused to provide their information even seeing that my husband couldn’t get up from the ground for a few minutes. I took pictures of their license plates, that’s all I could do. I wanted the host to be our witness, but his truck was gone. The whole of next week my husband couldn’t lift his right arm and therefore couldn’t work. He went to the family doctor, had x-ray done, then was sent in for a CT scan. At this point he has appointments with the orthopedic specialist and MRI. CT scan showed torn tendon and bicep, and impact fracture. We don’t know yet but there is a chance he will have to have surgery done. We will see what amount we will end up and probably will have to hire a law firm to search the dog owners by their license plates and sue them. I wrote all this to warn people about what can happen in a campground where is no law and order and the host is not doing his job. Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings when you camp at Yellow Pine campground.
Guide
There are a few spots and spurs off NF-6510 that would make for good boondocking. Might be hard to get level, but other than that it’s pretty nice. The spot on the map has a stone fire ring. There are a few spots before and after that would be suitable to setup camp as well.
I got to the spot marked on the map in my extended Transit, but I’m sure road conditions may change with the seasons, storms; etc. Depending on your comfort, you may only want to head this way with high-clearance vehicle.
Scout
This is always such a great place to stop when traveling between Idaho and western Oregon. It has lots of shade, lawn, and hedges that offer privacy between the large camp sites. Super clean showers and restrooms, dog friendly, and a nice trail to walk along next to the river. Yes, the sites closer to the road are noisier due to traffic, while the ones closer to the river are the buggiest in the summer, but if you want hook ups, easy access, and an RV dump and don't mind paying for all these amenities, this is the place. We stayed in site 9, which has a super long paved and level driveway giving you lots of peace and quiet.
GuideWe spent one night here in July 2024. Did not feel crowded. Showers were hot. Bathrooms were ok. Very quiet even though it was close to highway.
GuideI camped here during the summer season of 2023. When I pulled into the campground it was just me and the camp hosts. They gave me the pick of what site I wanted. I swooped on one next to the river. The campground was beautiful and sites were good distances from each other. There are bathrooms and areas to top off your water. I choose this campground due to driving the 395 as my choice of route to explore. I would 100% recommend this campsite again.
Traveler
Nice little campground right on the Middle Fork John Day River. Fairly close to the highway, so there's some road noise, but this highway doesn't have much traffic. Clean vault toilets.
GuideWe were surprised how quiet this state park was during our visit. Very clean and beautiful green grass through campground. Enjoyed the river trail along the John Day river. Perfect to cool off in during the hot summer months. Mosquitoes definitely come out at night and we were tent camping. A little highway noise at night but not bad.
Traveler
What a beautiful site for camping. Saw several deer there when we arrived. It was very peaceful.
Scout
This place is beautiful! Everything perfectly cared for@
Guide
Dry camping with a put toilet, very clean. The camping sites were pretty level. Site 11 we feel was the best. Baker city was just about 20 minutes away along with the old gold mining town of Sumpter about 10 minutes away
Guide
We stayed one night as a stopover on a walkabout. The hosts were friendly and helpful. Clean restrooms and showers. 2/3 of the sites have a view of the lake. The wind often comes up in the afternoon and is there until after sunset, but the fishing looked great. Another camper offered us freshly caught trout as they had too much for their group. Lots of grass.
Ranger
Just arrived today. I’ll update after our full stay. Come here to explore Sumpter and the mines. Dispersed but tables and fire rings. Some pull throughs. No hookups or trash service. Beautiful setting. 3 bars AT&T.
Sites are not level. Large rigs will be fine, ours is 30’ TT
After stay review. Had a great time. Cranes were hanging at the lake, two Bald Eagles were close by. Great location with a lot to explore.
Guide
Beautiful and peaceful stay. We were able to snag a first come first serve campsite just before the 4th. Cons: Most sites are simple turnouts, more suitable for tents. No ATV use so our mobility was limited. There are a few sites to back a camper off the road. Pro: nice boat dock and access for swimming.
Traveler
We were looking for a campground to stay at on our way from eastern Oregon to the John Day wilderness area. Bates State Park was a perfect overnight spot, just far enough off Hwy 26 to be quiet and exceptionally clean and well maintained. There are no hookups, and it will be a few years before vegetation matures to offer more privacy between spaces, but the park was uncrowded and felt private nonetheless. There are very interesting signs telling about the logging history of the area as well as a playground and nature trails.
Traveler
Nice sites with lots of separation and easy access to a trailhead. Multiple vault toilets available as well as water taps that I don’t think are potable but good enough to rinse dishes. We got caught in rain, sleet, snow, and graupel all in one day but that’s hardly the campground’s fault. If you can get up the sketchy and rough road, it’s a beautiful site.
Traveler
Stayed for one night, most of the sites are far enough away that it didn’t feel crowded with three other parties there, but a couple of the sites are close enough to be good for a group. Our site had a slight slant so we needed a couple of leveling blocks. Clean toilet when we were there.
TravelerOlive Lake is a beautiful and quiet place to camp. There is a boat ramp and dock that are in good repair there. There are lakeside campsites. Some are reservable and others are first come first serve. There has been some thinning of the trees in the campground and the cleanup process has not been completed, yet it is still a great place to stay. There is a trail that goes around the lake that they say is only 2 miles long. It was a wonderful hike but according to our sports watches and GPS was almost 3 miles. So be prepared.
Scout
This quite little gem of a camp ground is our favorite spot to get away for a weekend or longer. Beautiful old growth trees, with a stream running through it. Close to Sumpter if you forgot something, or there is always some street activity or flea market happening.
Traveler
Great camp site. Electric and water hook ups, great camp hosts, close to the water.
Legend
Sweet little spot for smaller vehicles. We walked along the path to check it out before attempting it in our 26ft class c and I’m glad we did. The path was too narrow for us, and the road rose up a bit too high along the middle. A smaller vehicle shouldn’t have a problem. There’s a nice little clearing at the end of the path right along the little creek. Very peaceful and green when we came here in July.
At the main road there IS a spot large enough for our RV (that’s where we parked when we got out to walk to the creek spot) but we decided not to stay the night there. It wasn’t flat at all and a little too noisy and close to the main road. But it would definitely do in a pinch- very easy to get to- just off the main road to the right. There’s a fire pit marking the spot.
Zero cell reception in this entire area for verizon and ATT. No amenities here, this is a FS dispersed camping spot so please keep the area clean and pack out your waste.
Legend
Free camping in sno park parking lot in Malheur National Forest between May and October. Huge parking lot, accessible for any giant RV. Lot is flat enough, not totally flat but good enough for the night.
There’s an accessible pit toilet here but it was locked when we stayed here in July.
We had the whole lot to ourselves for the night. Very peaceful and quiet, very minimal traffic and road noise. Nice forest roads to walk along. Lots of green grass and trees when we came in July.
No amenities here at all, please pack out your waste and keep it clean. Zero cell reception here in this entire area with Verizon or ATT but the lot is in a big clearing with no trees around so I’m guessing starlink would work well here.
TravelerOff the beaten path, but we'll worth it! Dropped 20 degrees from the hot valley floor. Around 8 spots, first come, but a few other spots on the way up, for dispersed. Right along strawberry creek, beautiful, quiet. Trails to explore, wildlife to see.
Traveler
This is a very nice Forest Service campground along the Middle Fork of the John Day River. The sites are nicely laid out and are a fair distance from each other. Although the campground is adjacent to a paved road, there was little traffic during our two night stay.
The river is a little difficult to access because of shrubs and small trees, but this is actually good news because so much of the Middle Fork has been damaged by mining and cattle. Continuing west on the road brings you to several very interesting locations with information boards that describe the reclamation efforts of the Warm Spring Tribe on 2,000 acres of land through which the river runs.
GuideHosts were very friendly and the location was peaceful. Sunsets were beautiful but we stayed during a very hot week and the lack of shade made it very difficult to stay cool.
Trees were very small and didn’t provide much shade. In about 5 years it may be a better place to camp.
Lake water was extremely filthy. Kids swam and had a good time in the cool water but the water was gross.
GuideWe’ve been here a couple of times with trailers and about 10 other families. Their groups sites are next to each other and allow big groups to stay together.
Tent camping near John Day, Oregon offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near John Day, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near John Day, OR is Strawberry Campground with a 3.8-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near John Day, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 47 tent camping locations near John Day, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
