Camping near Malheur National Forest, OR

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.

Getting there from the coordinates on this app was easy, although maps said I would have to walk I was easily able to drive a small trailer in all the way back. Nice open spot with lots of places to park, was a bit worried how open it was but there were a few other campers all spread out so it just felt homey.

Needed 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.

I stayed here years ago and had a good experience so stayed again. Yes, it’s by the main road, but you’re also pretty much right out of town. Road quiets down to nothing at night. It’s still warm in September, so got a spot with shade. Super comfortable. Love all the quail, squirrels and listening to coyotes at night. Drove out to do the Steens Mountain loop, see the Round Barn, etc. Love this area and nice to come back to a comfortable site.

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.

I don't know about the pass but took to turn off and proceeded down the road to the first set of trees off the road. Ther e are driveways among the trees that will allow small to medium vehicles. There's an open field (with plenty of rocks and boulders-not for driving on) that affords a view to the northeast. It is hot here now, 90s to 100.

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.

What a beautiful site for camping. Saw several deer there when we arrived. It was very peaceful.

The campsite was level and shady. However, there was a lot of trash on and around it. The restrooms and showers definitely needed attention. They were equipped with soap, toilet tissue, and paper towels, but had not been cleaned in quite a long time. Also, both loops were blocked with campsites, so be prepared to have to back up your trailer or camper.

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

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.

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.

This review is based on an overnight versus destination campground (CG). We followed our RV GPS to Harney County Fairgrounds. We saw the fairground entrance sign, turned into the main fairground area, and stopped in front of the office. We had called the fairground office about a week prior and left a message to call us back, which was quickly returned. The nice lady on the phone said camping was first come, first serve, and if there was no one in the office and it was normal work hours, a worker on the grounds would help us. She also said that there was nothing going on that week, so come on in. No one was at the office, so we proceeded straight into the fairgrounds. We came upon a worker, and he came over and led us to the new full hook-up area, which is in the southwest corner of the grounds. The gentleman could not have been nicer, giving us a rundown on the fairgrounds and camping areas, including opening up the new bathhouse/restroom that is located in the 30-site fenced FHU area. There was no one camping at the time, so he told us to pick any site and either pay him (cash or check) or put the payment in the slot at the office. That evening another camper came into the FHU area and another into the water and electric sites, which are at the end of the office road where you curve around and head to the FHU area about 150 yards further down the road. We chose site 18 as it had the lowest sewer connection, as most were 4 to 6 inches or more above the ground. The water, which we were told was very good/clean water, had water pressure at about 60 PSI, so we used a reducer. The pads are not marked, but you can figure out how they are laid out. Depending on how busy the FHU area might be, you could be parked very close to each other. There are a few street light poles. Overall, the FHU area is just a big parking lot but worked well as an overnighter. There are huge areas to walk or run your dog. We had stayed in the area before, and the fairgrounds are a bit cheaper than the other campgrounds in the area, but you don’t get a picnic table or other amenities other than the bathhouse. Call 541-573-6447 after hours or if no one is around to check in. Highly recommend that If it's your first time, don’t come in after dark as the sites are not well marked, and you could run over the FHU area utilities. Take a right out of the FHU area, as that road is the recommended exit. Though on the pricey side for what you get, we’d rather have the privacy and spaciousness to let our dogs run.

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.

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.

Great camp site. Electric and water hook ups, great camp hosts, close to the water.

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.