Best Dispersed Camping near Ochoco National Forest and Crooked River National Grassland, OR

Open grounds away from everything. There was a dirt square right off the dirt road we parked in. The only noise was the power-lines close by, which weren’t bad. Decent stargazing and had no issues. Just a little muddy and a little clearance on your car would be helpful. Really close to the highway. It’s all free dispersed camping so there is no development besides the dirt road

Great dispersed camping spot, close to Bend with full cell service. 25 mins to jump into Bend for breakfast on the way back to Portland. Loud Coyotes.

It’s free camping so who can complain! Pull off from the main road onto a dirt single lane road. Many “campsites” along the road. No amenities. Quiet place.

Great spot for dispersed camping! Very secluded and quiet. There are lots of spots. The dirt road getting to the different roads to turn on is a little bumpy, so we took it slow. Definitely would stay here again!

Beautiful trip. Breathtaking drives and not hard to find with given coordinates. Dirt roads are not too hard to drive but during the dry months it is extremely dusty. The campground on the trailhead is nice but a little too close for dispersed camping. Trail is not too long to a waterfall. You can fish and jump off the rocks into the water. We stayed one night at the designated camp site but ended driving about 10 minutes down a dirt road next the the campground entrance that is actual dispersed camping. Really enjoyed that spot with a trail down to the river and 2 drive in spots and multiple walk in campsites along the cliffs. 

There aren't a ton of free camping options near Redmond. This is a great option. Only 2-3 spots for vans/small RVs. The other spots are clearly for tent camping. Would definitely recommend for a few days. I will say the vault toilets are disgusting- so plan accordingly. The hike is a great combination of short and pretty :-)

GPS: 44.410140, -121.293505

Great dispersed camping. Plenty of places to park and car camp or set up a tent. Lights from a nearby building keep most of the area somewhat visible, but not enough to disturb you while you sleep.

Love this dispersed camping area just south of Sisters, OR. We've camped here a few times over the years and there are never many campers around. We just camped here over Memorial Day Weekend and there was no one camping within at least a mile or two of where we were. There are lots of different areas to choose from so drive around the area until you find something you like. We were driving our Subaru with our Cricket camper attached and there's no issues with the roads. 

Because this is right in a mountain biking area there are tons of trails to go explore - either hiking or biking. Some really pretty views! You will have bikers biking by your campsite from time to time but I actually like that - fun to have activity around.

This area is also just a few miles from Sisters which is my favorite little town in Oregon. Lots of restaurants, bars and shops to explore!

Be sure to check on a fire ban before having a fire.

We camped in our A liner Expedition here in late May. Unlike most dispersed camping around, the sites were well spaced, had very little trash and not full. We found a spot on a dirt road off the 4606. It had nice dispersed trees, low sand, and only a few beer cans here and there. We didn’t see another person on our “street” the whole time we were there. There are some tents and RVs in the area we passed that looked rather permanent and “methy,” so just be careful which tried out you pick.

Easy access and larger camp spots. We were there during a few events hosted by the Sisters Rodeo and got to listen to the events.

A lot of horse trailers come into the dispersed camping area to park and ride their horses, and I've seen a lot of larger bog rig horse trailers parked at the camp sites near the front. Every single one that came in was respectful and kind. A couple of the trainers even allowed my oldest onto their horses with permission after she asked.

There were a couple of long-time stay campers that kept to themselves. We didn't have any issues with leaving our campsite unattended, even with our cook stove, propane, and ground solar equipment out in the open.

Great for solar. Just if you don't have it set on top, you will have to move it throughout the day.

Verizon cell service is completely fine. No wifi, of course, but if you use a mobile hotspot like we do, you shouldn't have any issues.

We camped at 3 different spots. The first one was right as you pulled in, directly behind the rodeo gates. Large spot, 2 fire pits. Perfect for a group. The second was farther back. Only spent 1 night there cause there was a fire ant colony and we have kids. That just seemed like a bad idea for us. Spot itself was great, though. Another perfect spot for a group, minus the fire ants. The third spit was closer to the entrance, about half way in-between the other 2 we stayed at. This one had some broken glass that was buried as well as what looked like a diabetic syringe, also buried in the dirt. This was the only camp site that had any type of garbage at it. Every other one was cleaned from what we glanced at.

Rangers come through every few days to make sure everything is safe and taken care of. When it became "no fires allowed" a ranger went to every camp site with people and asked if he could leave the information papers about what would be allowed vs not allowed during the "no burn" time. He was very respectful and kept his distance. I was by myself with my 3 young kids when he stopped by, and he stayed at least 5 feet away from all of us unless I gave the okay to come closer. The Rangers also placed "no fire" flags at each of the empty campsites in the firepits in case someone came in afterward.

Overall, it was very peaceful and a great place to stay if you plan on going to the rodeo or an event held at Sisters Rodeo but are strapped on funds.

And of course, like all dispersed campsites, it's a "pack in pack out". No water, power, sewage, bathrooms, showers, or anything else available. You bring it in, and you take it out.

This is about 20 minutes east of Bend Oregon. You have a number of options here. Right off the road there is a lot where I saw an RV camped. I’m sure there would be some road noise there. If you go down the road, there are some more dispersed camping sites. I parked in the one with no neighbors, and it was sagebrush and desert landscape, sagebrush, etc, with some hills and it was quite beautiful. My only complaint was, and this isn’t much of a complaint, the coyotes woke me up sometime in the night when they were very close to my vehicle and howling. Quite the experience.

 Just outside the cute town of Sisters is a lot of dispersed camping areas on Forest Service land. Take Three Creek Road south to BS (Brooks Scanlan)-Logging Road/FS 4606. FS 4606 is wide graveled road with washboard and potholes, and pretty terrible to drive on in an RV. It is very dusty but you’ll find multiple potential places to camp. We saw about 6 other campers along the road in various established spots.

Some side roads require higher clearance but we were able to find a nice spot in our 26 ft Class C (44.2689957,-121.5436631). There are a couple stone fire rings and the area is mostly free of litter and other debris. There are zero amenities while camping on forest service dispersed sites so pack in and pack out all trash and waste. There are multiple trails in this area for hiking or biking as well. 

There was one sketchy guy walking around yelling, high on something, but he didn’t bother us and he kept on walking. We did not feel unsafe here. 

Good cell reception with ATT, Verizon and TMobile.

This was our awesome spot for viewing the solar eclipse and we'll go back when we want some peace and beautiful sunsets again!  Camped here before the eclipse.  Drove our trailer to the top of the hill (along a fence).  We were able to level up and had no neighbors until the morning of the eclipse when several people and RV's came in.  Many people parked down along Holly Ln. but we took a track up the hill.  

We were rewarded with a lovely sunset over the Cascade mountains the night before.  Not heavily used so very clean.

Of course no services, so pack out what you bring in.  Dispersed camping.

This place was open and well maintained for a boondocking spot. Very quiet with a gorgeous sunset. We didn’t see a single person on our stay here. Convenient location, would definitely return for a longer stay in the area.

Its a big lot area with a view of the river close to the dam. Theres a day use area and resort campground down the road which I asked the hosts there about the dispersed camping and they gave me an attitude saying that because its a state site that the sheriff may come check to ask me to leave. I told that that made no sense as its on usa owned land but they insisted not to park there. I believe they were just jealous because almost noone was at their campground. The day use area is small and watch for the tire strips. The parking area up the hill (at these coordinates) is a bit trashy but its a good spot for walk or bike.

This proved a convenient spot to connect with some friends who were traveling through the area.  In the pouring rain (early May) there were enough mud puddles in the roads that others had recommended here.  So, we stayed a quick overnight in the parking lot to the Badlands Rock trail heads.  No one else there all night and a few hikers came in the next morning.  We took advantage of a nice hike and then walked around other dispersed camping sites along this gravel road.  There were several spots that looked pretty cool including one here:  

43°57'00.5"N 121°01'02.4"W

Strictly dry camping.  Likely hot and dusty in the summer with OHV's in the area, but the wide expansive views were lovely!

This site is open, you just have to drive a lil farther back to the sites and get out of the restricted area.

The entrance to the sites is about 10 minutes from the middle of Bend, so it's really close which is nice. From the entrance it's maybe 5-7min farther back until you get out of the restricted area until pullouts for camping become noticeable. I took a left at the fork; I think the right side also has sites but I'm not sure how far back.

The road is really dusty and not the smoothest, but my sedan made the trip a dozen times so it's doable, you just have to go slow. Plenty of people were van camping, but an RV/trailer might have some trouble getting back.

I stayed here for 2 nights, then camp back to do some longer camping since Bend is so close and has everything you'd need. It looks like some others might be doing some long term camping; between when I left and came back (bout 5 days) two of the campers were there, but it was van campers who were quiet and respected the space. There was one setup that was gone when I got back, but it was on the messier side and I could never tell if it was a permanent set up. However the area is a hotspot for mountain bikers and people generally seemed to respect the area, so I felt really safe.

The sites also are pretty small and right off the road. They're not the smoothest, but some are definitely better than others. There isn't a ton of privacy between the sites (I can see both my neighbors) but if you just need a place to crash this will do. There's cell service which is nice.

The biggest cons of this site is that the road isn't amazing and it's super dusty. But it's really hard to beat the location. There is supposedly other free camping off the Cascade Lakes Byway, so if you want to try and find something else there are still other free spots in the area.

they’ve blocked off a lot car camping spots, there was only 2 that were big enough for my Tacoma one of which was taken up already. Zero privacy.