Anson Wright Park (Morrow County Park)

Morrow County OHV Park

Bull Prairie has been a gem to the local community and is considered a beautiful woodsy place to enjoy a vacation, host family reunions or social events, and to extensively recreate. This moderate-sized campground is located adjacent to a 28- acre lake, Bull Prairie Lake (stocked annually with trout). There are family-friendly and wheelchair accessible paved paths along the lake that are designed for people who enjoy morning jogs, bicycle rides, picnicking, and leisure. While this campground offers potable water (06/16/2020 potable water shut off for the season), there is no longer any garbage service, so please pack out all garbage and dispose of it at home.

The campground is located near the Morrow/Grant County OHV Park.&nbsp; ATV riding is not allowed at Bull Prairie Campground.



Bull Prairie Lake Campground

Fairview Camp is drive-through loop off State Highway 207 offering five campsites and an accessible vault toilet. Two campsites directly across from the toilet are fully accessible.&nbsp;A free-flowing water fountain provides potable water from May to October. Remnants from a wildfire in the late 1980s can be seen along the egdes of this small campground.&nbsp;&nbsp;There is no garbage service, so please pack out all garbage and dispose of it at home. The campground is used primarily for hunting and OHV riding--its trailhead accesses 80 miles of OHV roads and trails on the Heppner Ranger District. &nbsp; Also,&nbsp;Morrow County OHV Park is only 6 miles north on State Highway 207 and offers over 200 miles of OHV marked and groomed trails. &nbsp; The main season of use is from late fall to early winter during big game hunting season. &nbsp;It also serves as an overflow camping site when Bull Prairie Lake Campground is at full capacity.&nbsp;



Fairview

Ditch Creek Guard Station, located about 27 miles southeast of Heppner, Oregon, is a comfortable little cabin that accommodates six overnight guests, plus additional guests camped in a tent outside. Equestrian campers are welcome and a corral with trough is provided. The guard station was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid-1930s. It is a classic example of forest building structures of that era and is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. It was used by forest fireguards who would ride their horse deep into the forest’s interior to look for wisps of smoke from lightning strikes or check on communications lines along the Forest Service roads. It became a recreation rental in 1997.

Recreation

 The route to the cabin is located off the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway, which boasts incredible views. Over 26 miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, ranging between 4,100 and 5,300 elevation, traverse forests and meadows throughout the Heppner Ranger District. Fishing opportunities abound in nearby streams, Penland Lake and Bull Prairie Lake. Other activities include hunting for deer and elk, mushroom and berry picking, wildlife viewing and enjoying the scenic landscape. 

Facilities

The cabin is a one-story building containing a bedroom, living room, kitchen with nook and a bathroom. The cabin does not meet accessibility standards due to narrow doorways and halls. A picnic table, campfire ring and a 20' X 20' horse corral with water trough are located outside. Guests may pitch tents in the yard for additional sleeping options. Two bunk beds, a dresser, and a chair are in the bedroom, and the living room has a futon, loveseat, side table, a dining table with four chairs, and a heating stove. A cook stove, fire extinguisher, cookware, silverware and dishes are included in the kitchen. All appliances and lighting are propane, which is provided by the Forest Service. Potable water is available. Guests must bring food, bedding, toiletries, matches, a flashlight, first aid kit and similar camping gear. Cleaning supplies are provided in a closet by the door and guests are expected to clean the cabin before they leave. Click here for more cabin details.

Natural Features

 The cabin sits near Ditch Creek on a large, flat lawn surrounded by a dense pine forest at an elevation of 4,800 feet. The creek is one of numerous small perennial streams that flow south into the North Fork John Day River. There is a small pond adjacent that is also stocked with fish. Deer and elk are likely to be seen in the area, and as evening falls, guests can watch bats flit and swoop above the yard. 

Nearby Attractions

The nearest town with a general store is in Heppner, a 40-minute drive away, although ice and some food options are available at the Morrow County OHV park 14 miles away.

ADA Access: N



Ditch Creek Guard Station Cab

Coalmine Hill is just off the paved Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (also called the Western Route). The Campground serves as access to the Bald Mountain, Hells Half Acre, and Willow Creek trails, offering a 7.5 mile-long loop experience for hikers and equestrians. Once inside the campground's large parking area, there is an information board on the northeast side. Past the information board runs the Bald Mountain hiking trail leading to Gibson Cave, which is 1.25 miles from the parking lot. The cave is really a shallow overhanging shelter with an interpretive&nbsp;sign describing its history.Once you've reached Gibson's cave, continue up the Bald Mountain trail until you reach a nice view point. The mountain's view point overlooks the drainages in between Coalmine Hill (to the northwest) and Little Bald Mountain (to the east), providing fantastic views and tranquility. About five miles southwest of the campground is Penland Lake; follow the Blue mountain Scenic Byway and Forest Service Road 21 and 2103, until you've reached Penland Lake where there are fishing and nonelectric boating opportunities. .&nbsp; Coalmine Hill Campground provides one larger, separate site near the entrance and the remaining five sites are located along the tree edges of the large parking area. There is one vault toilet and a travel access information board. This campground was constructed to serve double-duty as a snow park in the winter. There is no potable water or garbage service, so please pack out all garbage and dispose of it at home.



Coalmine Hill

Fall asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs chirping and croaking and wake up to Blue Gill and Rainbow Trout jumping at the bit. This campground is set on the shore of Penland Lake, which also abuts private land and land owned by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Penland is popular on summer weekends and offers access to fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities. There are seven campsites and two vault toilets on the National Forest portion of the campground, with more campsites located on the adjacent ODFW property. There is also a boat ramp, fishing dock, and benches located on the dam. Picnic tables are available for Day Use on the lakefront as well. There is no potable water or garbage service; please pack out all garbage and dispose of it at home.



Penland Lake

Cutsforth Park (Morrow County Park)

Tamarack Cabin offers outdoor enthusiasts a quaint cabin with epic views atop Tamarack Mountain. The cabin can accommodate four guests, and a short walk through the trees awards a unique opportunity to view miles of the Umatilla National Forest from sunup to sundown. The site was originally used as a fire detection lookout. The original structure was a platform built on a high tree in 1925. It was replaced with a 96-foot Aermotor tower in 1933, and a neighboring cabin was built to house Forest Service employees. A utility shed was also built. When the cabin burnt down in 1966, the shed was converted into housing. That same shed is where guests can stay today. The tower is also still standing, and when the tower is staffed, visitors are welcome to climb up and enjoy the view.

Recreation

Over 26 miles of trails throughout the Heppner Ranger District can be accessed from the cabin for hiking or horseback riding. Plentiful fishing opportunities abound in nearby streams and Bull Prairie Lake. Many roads are open to off-road vehicles, and 28 miles of designated trails are available. Other activities include hunting, wildlife viewing and bird watching. This site is not open in the winter. 

Facilities

The cozy converted shed offers one room with amenities including propane lights, a heating stove and cook stove, cookware, silverware and dishes. Furnishings consist of two sets of twin bunkbeds, a cabinet for clothes, table with four chairs, and a rocking chair on the small front porch. There is a picnic table and fire ring outside, though fire danger may restrict campfires, so check for conditions with the Ranger District prior to arrival. There is also a nearby outhouse. No water is onsite, so visitors must bring plenty for drinking, cooking and washing. There is no refrigerator either, so come prepared with a cooler and ice. Guests must bring food, water, ice chest with ice, bedding, toiletries, a first aid kit, flashlights, matches and all other basic camping gear. Click here for more cabin details.

Natural Features

At 4,979 feet above sea level, Tamarack Mountain overlooks the John Day River basin, between Spray and Kimberly. The lookout and the mountain it tops are named after the western larch, a tree that is particularly plentiful in the Blue and Wallowa Mountains. Western tanagers and dusty flycatchers frequent the area and purple-blue spikes of lupine, white and pink yarrow and yellow balsamroot add bursts of color to the landscape.

Nearby Attractions

Heppner is the nearest town with a general store, which is about an hour's drive away. Off-road vehicle enthusiasts enjoy Morrow County OHV Park, located 14 miles southwest. There are some food options and ice for sale at this site.

ADA Access: N



Tamarack Cabin

This recreation area is part of Willow Creek



Willow Creek Campground

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.

Anson Wright Park (Morrow County Park)

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2021 Explorer Giveaway

Rustic and comfortable

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Nearby Campgrounds

Morrow County OHV Park

Bull Prairie Lake Campground

Fairview

Ditch Creek Guard Station Cab

Coalmine Hill

Penland Lake

Cutsforth Park (Morrow County Park)

Tamarack Cabin

Willow Creek Campground

Is This Your Campground?

About This Campground

Features

For Campers

For Vehicles

Access

Location

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Nearby Campgrounds

Morrow County OHV Park

Bull Prairie Lake Campground

Fairview

Ditch Creek Guard Station Cab

Coalmine Hill

Penland Lake

Cutsforth Park (Morrow County Park)

Tamarack Cabin

Willow Creek Campground

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For Vehicles

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