Best Tent Camping near Prairie City, OR

This is where we start our camping season...on Mother's Day weekend! This is a small campground. Has a vault toilet but no potable water so bring your own. Each site does have a fire ring. Site 1 can hold about 2 RV's or 4 tents and possible 10 people. Site 2 is good for 1 RV or tent, Site 3 is closest to the river, tight fit for a RV but a small pull behind fits nice - could fit 2 tents. Site 4 and 5 is small. Site 6 can fit 4 to 5 tents or 1 RV/trailer. Taking a "Sunday drive" up and around is amazing! Great area if you have OHV's!

a couple tent spots. sub-par for tents, not scenic. but clean, bathrooms, fresh water. rv hook ups, some nice shade and a play area for kids. in the town of prairie city, with good coffee

We chose Dixie because it was a little closer to civilization than Yellow Pine, Wetmore & Oregon campgrounds further east on Hwy 26. There is no host, it’s at a higher elevation and it is a little off the highway. The loop is kind of on two levels so some spaces are well spaced out. Vault toilets distributed around the loop. The one we used was clean and supplied. There were only 2-3 other sites occupied and no one near us when we stayed. No reservations. We chose a site that sat a bit downhill from where our car was parked but was a really lovely spot. We didn’t mind hauling our stuff down. The wind picked up the first afternoon we were there and we actually saw a tree fall in the distance which was a little disconcerting. Just be aware of where you place your tent and the trees around you. Absolutely beautiful area with wild strawberries and blueberries and salmon berries, currants and more. Loved the peace and tranquillity of this campground but close enough to Prairie City which is where we got firewood (from Mountain View mini mart, no wood at Huffman’s Market & no wood at Austin House market at the top of the pass). We visited the little Sumpter Railroad interpretive site and Bates State Park both great for walking around with kids. Would definitely come back and do more hiking in the Blue Mountains.

This was a great little campground for getting away from the Memorial Day crowds. Over the weekend we stayed, there were only 2 or 3 other campers as well.

Just south of Prairie City, this was a good location to explore the surrounding Strawberry Mountain wilderness and John Day Fossil Beds. As the road turns to a forest road, it’s gets a bit adventurous, but we just kicked it into 4 wheel drive and had no trouble getting there. We picked a site next to the creek in the back and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We even got a visit from a few deer every night around dinner time. They kept their distance but still came within 20 feet to check us out.

From the campground, you can take the trails to the lake, which was a fun hike. The vault toilets were clean and the Ranger came around every day to check in. The only thing I would change is the temperature. We didn’t realize it was still so chilly at the end of May and we’re thankful for our extra layers and warmer sleeping bags we packed just in case.

Tips for camping here:

*I had my 9 year old nephew with me for this trip and was thankful I brought our bikes and games. Since the campground wasn’t busy, there weren’t other kiddos for him to play with so we needed some fun stuff to do between hikes and outings.

*There’s a steep drop off next to some sites that goes right into the creek. Keep an eye on kiddos or pick a site farther away from the creek if you’re worried about that.

*The campground was a bit dusty so bring stuff to wash up when needed.

*Lots of wildlife in the area so make sure to keep your food and other items locked up so the critters don’t get into it.

*Bring your own firewood, as there isn’t a camp host to buy it from.

One vault toilet, nice padded tent spots, access to water, $5 a night. Nice little paved hike that is wheelchair accessible and let's you see some nice big trees. Very quiet on a Friday night in June.

This campground has 8 sites all but the first site have easy creek access, sites are large and can fit a few tents! 7 has a direct path to the restroom.

Enjoyed a last sunny weekend home at this campground. I am a tent camper and enjoyed the weekend. Quite and clean. Alot of spaces for larger groups and elbow room between most spaces.

USFS Campground for small trailers and tents. Has good access to Anthony Lakes area, but is much quieter than main campground. Lake is small, with small rainbow trout stocked annually. Fun to paddle and watch the osprey and bald eagles fishing.

This is basically a little RV park adjacent to a museum and playground. Points for character. It’s off the main drag and there are not a lot of choices in the area. Big lawn is well watered. However, I can’t get behind the prices. $14 just to pitch a tent is steep. Bathrooms are filthy, shower (behind a ragged shower curtain) is not worth paying for.

Great stop over RV Park in the mountains between Idaho and Oregon in Baker City oregon. Full hookups pull throughs a small shop and a great little town. Well managed and clean. Large dog run. Great views.

This is a quiet motel that has a nice grassy lawn for a night to pitch a tent. Clean bathrooms and showers. Coffee was offered in the morning. All for a $10 fee. RV resident welcomed us with a couple adult beverages. Train across road but not bad. I’d stay again.

May 17-26, 2019 Very nice campground. Site C6 walk-up site had electric and water. Park has dump station, Restrooms had flush toilets but no hot water and no showers. Elevation 4,097. Verizon had 2 bars 4G.  Address: 17564 Sumpter Stage Highway, Baker City Oregon 97814. Hike 16 mile trail around the lake. Legally sale cannibus in Sumpter - 10 miles from the park. Enjoyed D&J Taco Shop restaurant downtown. No sales tax in Oregon.

It had been about 25 years since I stayed at Yellow Pine Campground. Unfortunately, my memories did not match today's reality. Yellow Pine is a large campground that sits close to Highway 26. Today it looks like it is not often used. There was a lot of undergrowth that would have made setting up a tent difficult. As I drove through the empty campground, I came upon the campground host's site. Their "stuff" was spread out over a few campsites. I must confess, their presence did not instill confidence in me. In fact, it seemed kinda creepy. Sooo...even though the sun had begun to set. I made a speedy exit in search of a pleasant and safe campground.