Best Campgrounds near Prineville, OR

Really nice USFS campground along the road, one of many similar campgrounds (something like 8?) We checked out a few of them but decided to move on. The price of $29 seems high for a campground like this. 

Campground closes in late fall/ winter and reopens late spring/ early summer.
 Poor to nonexistent cell reception in this entire area. Campground has a dumpster and a little can for collecting recyclables to raise money, and accessible and unnecessarily gendered pit toilets. No water available here other than the river. This area is really nice and peaceful and I’d imagine camping here would be really relaxing.

This campground is $27-$30/night, and is really nice and peaceful as are all the other USFS campgrounds along this road. A little pricey for what you get, but the location is amazing, the river is beautiful.

Almost no cell reception here. ATT seemed to have some, but Verizon didn't. Pit toilets and dumpsters here, RVs ok, no water. Great river access, and the roads coming in are nice and smooth and freshly paved.  Some pull through sites available. Heavy tree coverage in this area, but some open spots that might work for some solar or starlink.

We’ve been to Smith Rock many times, but this was our first time checking out Skull Hollow- and we will definitely keep this place in mind the next time we need a place to stay in this area. It’s beautiful, newly re-done, ~70 big flat open sites, gravel (but flat), not much privacy from your neighbor but it all has a very open and big feel. 

There are 3 non-gendered accessible pit toilets, dumpsters, recycling for cans and bottles only. There was good cell reception for Verizon and ATT. No water here, and no power. There are several pull-through sites and a few double sites. Each single site is $15 for one vehicle or RV, and $7 for an additional vehicle. Cash/check only. 


Lots of hiking near the campground, and equestrian trails. And of course it’s very close to the amazing Smith Rock SP. There’s a host on site, and firewood for sale. Gorgeous campground. Very little shade, I’d imagine it’s miserably hot in the summer.

Nice open clearing just by the bridge over Marks Creek in the Ochoco NF, just east of Prineville. 

There are many spots down the road once you pass the bridge here, but the roads were too pot holed and rough for us in our 26ft class c, and seeing as how we only needed a place for one night we decided to just stay in the big flat clearing just by the bridge. 

We did see many trucks and 4wd vehicles drive into the woods, but not other big campers. Great little spot for the night or even a few nights. Peaceful and beautiful and lots of paths to walk along. Easy access from the main road too, and it was quiet despite being so close to Hwy 26.

Kah-Nee-Ta is a great spot for the whole family. I’m giving it a 4 star review because when we stayed in June 2025, and they still had some work to do after their remodel (they just reopened after being closed for 6 years). Our RV site’s sewer wasn’t operational, our water hook up leaked, and there was a bunch of standing water in the grass around our site.

That said, we had an awesome stay. There was plenty to do for the full three days we were there - swimming, mini golf, hiking, and pickleball were our favorites. They also have basketball, volleyball, river tubing, horseback riding, ping pong, cold plunges, a spa, a restaurant, a full bar… and a lot more!

The paved campground roads are great for bike riding. We loved sitting in the hot wellness spas at night, and floating on the warm lazy river during the day. The bathrooms and showers are clean. There’s communal fire pits throughout the campground. You can stay in teepees, hotel rooms, or in your own RV.

Honestly, this place has it all - including super friendly staff. If our site’s sewer and water hookups were working properly, this would be a 5 star review.

Nice to knows: it’s the desert, so be prepared for heat, bring plenty of water, and note that there’s no individual camp fire rings. It can also get pretty windy, making outdoor cooking/eating somewhat difficult.