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We are located in the heart of City of Antelope, a rural (near) Ghost town that is rich in history and culture. This particular property is currently being cleaned up and revitalized. We would like to open it up to dry camping only at this time as we are already seeing a huge influx of cyclists in the area and they have no place to camp. This is dry camping only until the facilities are brought up to code. There is porta potty facilities a block over near the City of Antelope Community Center. We look forward to our first campers.
$25 / night
Wheeler County Fairgrounds, located in the heart of Fossil, hosts the Wheeler County Fair during the first week of August and several other events throughout the year. The Isobel Edwards Hall is offered for rent for meetings, reunions, parties, and other special events. Adjacent to the fairgrounds is a 12 space RV park with full hook-ups, as well as restroom and shower facilities.
A Country Inn and RV Park in a beautiful park - like setting.
Come experience the small western-style town of DAYVILLE, The eastern gate to the John Day Fossil Beds!
Located just nine miles from the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and the new Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, the Fish House Inn offers unique guest rooms, and an immaculate RV park.
An oasis in the rocky juniper canyons of the John Day Valley, the well manicured grounds of the Fish House Inn are an inviting sight. Within walking distance from the Inn, is the John Day River, The Park with playground, The Dayville Cafe, Mercantile and South Fork Mini Market & Gas. Interesting surrounding terrain attracts hunters, fisherman, hikers, bikers and rock hounds. Visitors to the John Day Valley enjoy river floats on the John Day river, exploring the many trails of the fossil beds, touring down the scenic road along the South Fork of the John Day River. Comfortable outside sitting areas, barbecue grills, horseshoe pits and star filled skies entice visitors to relax and enjoy the ranching community of Dayville.
A visit to Dayville is peaceful journey back in time....
$25 - $150 / night
This campground is surprisingly quiet and serene as it sits nestled among some large ponderosa pine trees just a few miles from the main highway. It also hosts the trailhead for Barnhouse Trail (#813) located in the northwest corner of the campground.
Coyotes and owls can be heard most summer evenings and occasionally local ranchers will graze their cattle nearby, which can make for some interesting serenades in the evening hours.
Size & number of trailer sites are limited (no dump station). No RV's over 25 feet. There is a 14 day stay limit on all National Grassland and US Forest Service land including but not limited to campgrounds and other developed facilities.
This campground has 6 campsites that each have a picnic table and combination fire pit/grill. Parking spurs vary in size so any site can accommodate tent camping, but some may not be able to accommodate RV camping.
This campground has 7 established campsites, each which can accommodate tent camping and most which can also support RV camping.
The majority of the campsites in this facility can accommodate larger recreational vehicles; however, this campground does not offer hook-ups of any kind, so RV campers should be self-contained.
$28 - $38 / night
Scout
The campground was very nice. Stayed for one night in a full hook up site for $45. All of the lots were paved and kind of level. It was quiet for such a full area with some long term campers and a few families staying and very friendly. There is a full restroom with showers that were open! Very clean
Across the street is a family park with a children’s fishing pond that is stocked with rainbow trout for anyone 17 and under. Will definitely come back here again
Traveler
Nice, scenic campground nearby Smith Rock SP. Clean pit toilets, friendly camp host. Several sites with Juniper trees to shade you from the hot sun. Price is $10 for single/$20 double vehicle as of 08/2022. No RV hookups or running water here. Just outside of the campground along the FS Road are plenty of dispersed campsites, some with great views of the backside of Smith Rock and the surrounding area. Definitely will put this on my favorites list for future exploration and camping.
Ranger
Fossil is an awesome little town near the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds. The Wheeler County Fairgrounds RV Park is super clean, with full hookups and decent size sites. There's a wonderful little trail right nearby the takes you up to the city water tank and 360 view of the town and area. Fossil also has the best grocery store in the area so stock up on fresh produce. Movie rentals too!!! Only downside is that there's no connectivity in town. No phone, no wifi, no cable, no nothing. Bring lots of books or have your iTunes downloads ready to go....or just enjoy the peace and quiet.
Legend
Had a quick overnight here. Easy back in and lovely grassy area. Full hook ups allowed us to "refresh"!
I'd definitely stay here again when in the area.
TravelerWe are teardroppers and generally shun RV parks, but this one was near a bike route we wanted to ride. We were surrounded by ginormous RVs. Very nice facilities, clean and modern, but they don’t allow campfires at your site. Sites are pretty much all asphalt drive through, very little privacy. Hookups for those who want them.
Guide
Not sure what some people are complaining about. This small four site RV “Park” located in a public park in the town of Mitchell, Oregon is perfect if wanting to visit John Day National Monument. Very close to the painted hills and the road to Fossil. For only $25 with electric and water, it's a steal, especially after boon-docking for a few days. Close to a small store that carries a lot of stuff. Plus the Tiger Town Brewing—all any camper needs. Right ? Would definitely stay here again.
Guide
Antelope is a strange and beautiful little place. Part ghost town, part living community, it is often a welcome oasis on the Oregon Outback cycling trail. The path north out of Prineville is a beautiful ascent-descent of the Ochoco Mountains, which is pretty exhausting. If weather is a factor (we arrived in cold, wet and punishing wind) Antelope is a much better place to camp than Shaniko which is 8 miles up on a plateau.
The RV Park is a work in progress. We arrived without a reservation and were given a very nice spot to camp behind an old diner. Some small a-frame cabins are available with more being built, and a few spots to park campers with sewer dump and 30 amp hookups.
Overall I give this campground an outstanding rating. Hospitable, well-equipped, well-situated… great spot.
TravelerThe park is operated by a friendly and helpful couple. The ground and facilities are clean and well supplied. Dayville is a delightful small town with chickens and goats and horses as neighbors to the RV park. The proprietors clearly value hospitality and are very welcoming.
Guide
81 rv full hookup sites tightly packed in a small area. Not much shade or privacy.
Traveler
This was my first time renting an RV spot at a campground and don’t have much experience to compare with other campgrounds. The RV spot I reserved had good amenities such as electrical outlets, a water faucet, a picnic table and a fire pit. I don’t have an RV but reserved this spot to car camp in my Tesla and be able to charge my car overnight.
Other amenities include bathroom and showers. They sell firewood and ice where the campground hosts are.
The campground hosts and park rangers were also very friendly.
Guide
This is the first campground after descending from the Prineville Reservoir. It is the only campground of the several along this section of the Crooked River with a campground host and water. The water came from a hand pump, something you cannot use to fill and RV as it spurts and sputters like any well pump and you cannot fit a hose to the wide nozzle. There are two water faucets in the campground, but during my visit before Memorial Day, they were not working. The best place to get potable water and dump is the Crook County RV Park just 20 minutes down the road on the outskirts of Prineville. Very nice site, dump fee $10 by credit card, potable water $5 (free with dump). One of the few dump sites with a threaded hose allowing my to use my black tank flush.
Verizon service rare to none.
ScoutWe are here as camp hosts; the rangers are great to work with. The campground is beautiful, we have deer and squirls and lizards every day. It was so fun to watch the squirls play. The roads are paved, and the sites are as well with fire pits and picnic tables. full hookups with fifty amps or you can choose a lessor grade site. The lake is full, and the fishing is good. I have seen ospreys diving into the lake hunting. sites are mostly level, and the roads are wide.
Traveler
First appearance very rustic, but there are many full hookup sites. Made reservations but when we arrived found campers squatting in our spot. Camp host had become ill and was not present. Called the county and they handled the matter swiftly. We were given another site along with a site for friends that joined us.
A little fishing pond with small trout jumping. Very quiet and lovely campground.
Guide
I was super desperate when I pulled into this campground at 10 pm. 15 felt like a steep price for what it was, primitive camping with vault toilets, but the sunrise was pretty spectacular, and there is pretty convenient lake access, for those who need that. As I showed up so late, I car camped so can't say anything about the tent spots, but there are big RV spots.
LegendFlush toilets (across the street), water, swing sets and plushy grass for your tent, all for $10. They even have an RV area (more of a parking lot) with water and electric hookups. If you're in the John Day area and all the other campgrounds and booked, this is a decent place to spend a few hours and sleep. There's absolutely no privacy since you're right on the road, but at least it's a bit of a drop down to the grass. You can tell the town is trying, and there's some funky/fun play structures scattered about, though you feel kind of like you're camping in someone's front yard. Mitchell Oregon has some restaurants and antique stores that looked fun but they were all closed by the time we got there. At a minimum, this is a good place to stop, stretch your legs, use the restroom and play a bit, and okay if you need a place to sleep before heading somewhere else and the state park up the road is booked.
Pros: Cheap ($10), decent facilities (watered grass, covered eating area).
Cons: Bathroom across the dusty road. Right in the middle of town/wide open area.
TravelerI camped in May and the water level was very low (26%). Others have commented on the small pads and that is true. I don't have a very big RV and the pad was only just big enough.
The bathrooms & showers appeared to be clean; although I didn't use either. Star gazing is stunning. The view from my spot was beautiful.
Some fellow campers were able to get cell phone service from the fishing platform.
The only thing that was really annoying is the fact that there is no dump station if one has a site without sewer hook up. The nearest is at Jasper Point which is about 2 miles or so away down a narrow, winding road. I found the concept of a campsite that allows RV's but has no dump station to be extremely annoying and seriously, who thought that was a good idea?
RangerFirst come first serve spot in Mitchell. Grocery store, cafe and brewery within walking distance. Nice lay over spot with easy access to the painted hills. Sites are close and tight getting into the spot with a trailer….but doable. Friday night of July 4th weekend we were the only ones in the campground. We would stay again if passing through here.
GuideReallly enjoyed this place was our first spot on a long Or trip and first time in our trailer the spots are nice and even, decently spaced. Sewer, water, 30/50 amp hook ups are easy access camp host we had was really sweet Bathrooms are super nice, clean, great showers. Didn’t use laundry but a little pricier than most. I believe $3 per wash and $3 to dry really impressed with this place and will be back (great central place for rock hounds)
Guide
Date Stayed: July 9th& 10th 2019 Campsite:#8 needed 3 inch left side lift to level Price:$13 no electricity Dump Station: No Altitude: 4730 ft Camp Host: Caroline was attentive and very friendly. She collected and handed out free firewood that had been left behind by other campers. Or you could buy forest service wood for$6. Ease of Access: Right off hwy 26, our 28 ft travel trailer easily fit with room to spare. Easily circled campground once to find a space. Weather: Days sunny low 80's nights upper 50's Noise: Could hear occasional vehicle climbing hwy 26 grade from the rest stop. Activities: Geocaching cache three within a couple of miles. John Day Fossil Monument 30 minute drive away. Wife and I enjoyed the campground, sites were surrounded by pines.
Traveler
Loved this spot. Across the river we watched wild horses. In the river there were birds. During the day rafters come down.
No water available unless you boil river water.
The road down was STEEP! I really overheated my motorhome breaks. Plus a scary, low and narrow tunnel at the bottom.
RangerNear the painted hills of Oregon! Not much to it, but there are restrooms with running water. Caught a ride from here to the hills for sunset.
Mitchell is a nice little town in central Oregon.
Traveler
As other reviewers stated, this campground is free, and secluded, but maintained. We were looking for a spot around Painted Hills/John Day Fossil Beds/John Day, and this worked out as we pulled into the last spot available (6 total). There were a couple RVs and trailers and a few tents. Road to get to the campground was paved, but watch out for free roaming cows! There was a trail and creek nearby with a trough to fill up water - I’d recommend filtering before drinking. There are picnic tables and rock fire rings, and one vault toilet. Not much else to it, but like I said, FREE and relatively clean.
TravelerJust a 10 minute drive from Smith Rock this is a great place for larger groups who want to camp and cook all together, have campfires (depending on the season and current restrictions), save money, and avoid the crowds at the bivy site. Outhouses, but no electricity or running water. Don’t leave valuables in unattended vehicles.
Guide
I would recommend a rig with lots of ground clearance. The main gravel roads have been recently maintained but the last bit has deep ruts and there are rocky areas. Our trailer had better clearance than our truck and we bumped a few rocks getting into our spot. There are a few less rocky areas, but they seem to get taken first. More people in the off-season than I expected for such a remote area. You need to use a fire pan for fires when allowed, so be sure to bring one. It was our first time using a fire pan but it was better than using the ground as they are designed to allow perfect air flow.
LegendWe enjoyed a return to this campground and found it less populated in April than it had been when we were here during late summer a few years ago. It's located right along the Deschutes River with a landing used by rafters and fishers. There are lots of trails and roads to walk on, so it would be easy to spend a few nights here. You can't make reservations, although when we found it full last time we were able to share one of the larger sites with a guy who had somehow fit his Class A motor home through the very small tunnel you have to fit through to get here. There's no drinking water, so make sure to bring your own, or be prepared to purify the river water. There's a fair amount of ground cover, so you feel like there's a little privacy between sites. This site will stay on our list of easy favorites in Central Oregon.
GuideWe chose this place when our first choice was overbooked. As other reviewers have mentioned, getting to it is its own adventure. Be careful on the narrow mountain road coming in from the east. We got one of the last sites overlooking the River, but it was smallish, not level, so orienting our small tent trailer was a bit of a struggle. But the views were completely worth it.
TravelerWe came upon this gem on the pass late afternoon after a long drive. This campground has 25 sites including 5 level pull throughs with more than adequate length for our long truck and trailer. July 11 and no mosquitoes, lovely flowers, perfect temperature for sleeping.
Pit toilets and no water, but the price reflects the level of service. Nice campground host. Lots of area between campsites. Fire pits, picnic tables. Paved campground road, graded gravel sites.
The best part is the Ponderosa Pine forest that surrounds the campground. Trees up to 150’ .
One group site available by reservation , the rest are first come first serve.
May the Forest be With You.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular RV campsite near Mitchell, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Mitchell, OR is Antelope RV Park and Campsites with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
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