Best Tent Camping near Redmond, OR
Several tent campgrounds surround Redmond, Oregon, providing access to the dramatic landscapes of Central Oregon. Smith Rock State Park Campground offers walk-in tent sites with views of towering rock formations and the Crooked River. Steelhead Falls Trailhead Campground provides primitive tent camping in a more remote setting, while dispersed options like Harrington Loop Road offer free tent camping with fewer amenities in the nearby national forest lands.
Tent sites throughout the area vary significantly in their amenities and accessibility. Smith Rock's tent camping area features communal cooking areas, free hot showers, and dishwashing stations—unusual luxuries for a tent-only camping area. Many dispersed sites require visitors to bring all supplies, including water, as drinking water is rarely available outside established campgrounds. Campers should note that fires are prohibited at Smith Rock and several other tent camping areas, while dispersed sites like Harrington Loop Road typically allow campfires with proper precautions. Most established tent campgrounds offer vault toilets, but dispersed sites require visitors to follow Leave No Trace principles for waste disposal.
The tent camping experience near Redmond provides exceptional access to outdoor recreation. Tent sites at Smith Rock place campers within walking distance of world-class rock climbing routes and hiking trails, including the challenging Misery Ridge Trail. The walk-in nature of these tent sites creates a more communal atmosphere among campers, particularly appealing to hikers and climbers. Dispersed camping areas offer greater solitude but require more self-sufficiency. As one visitor noted, "The campsite is right by the trails to get into the park. There are bathrooms and designated cooking areas. The sites are dispersed so you should not have trouble finding at least a place for your tent, but could be crowded."
