Oregon Badlands Dispersed

The dirt road that used to be popular, which can be seen on satellite, is now blocked with a sign that says "no vehicle access". That leaves a turnout for the trailhead and a small turnout near the formerly accessible gravel lot. So, expect close neighbors.

This was a cool spot, you drive in and just park at whatever spot you want. It was not too busy when we went and we arrived later in the day. There are no bathrooms or water so come prepared. It was really windy in the morning and there was lots of dirt in the eyes but otherwise amazing!

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!

Nabbed a nice quiet spot about a mile up the dirt road. The fire ring looked like a bottledrop convention, but I quickly "Molly Maided" the site and was back to camping in no time. (Leave no trace, peeps!) Snow started to fall early in the evening and through the night. Woke up to single digits, but overall it was a perfect overnight getaway just outside of town.

Enjoyed exploring the badlands steps from our camp site. Convenient to many trails. Very quiet and relaxing. Views from camp site were beautiful and the sunsets are breathtaking. Definitely will be coming back again.

This was a great spot to disperse camp while visiting Bend. It's only about 20 minutes out of town and is very quiet.

There is lots of space to spread out and trails nearby. You are just off the highway, but we didn't notice much road noise.

The cell service was better closer to Highway 20. 

Be careful of critters getting into your engine bay, though. After a few days I noticed a nest on the engine.

Fairly accessible dispersed camping just outside of Bend. The roads are easily maneuverable in a Subaru.

Close to Hwy 20. Can see traffic lights at dark but still quiet. Gorgeous night skies. Occasional coyotes barking. Lots of space between camp sites.

We loved this spot, it was a perfect place to stay with our camper van. Easy to find in the dark and the roads, paved & dirt, were easy to maneuver. We were pleasantly surprised with the open deserty views when we woke in the morning. Nice and close to Bend, too. Will definitely stay here again.

Although the previous reports said road went back for miles, this one this time was closed at the Rock quarry. There are still parking lots and a few places other than the dirt road however, and was pretty nice location. Quiet, coyotes and stars!

Needed a place to camp last minute and this was perfect. Near a pretty major highway, so you can occasionally hear cars and trucks, but the site itself was quiet. Sites are nestled between different rock formations, so it's quite easy to have some privacy from your neighbors. Full night sky. Hiked the WSA up the road the next morning, very neat and special place. No amenities, so you'll need to pack it in and pack it out.

I camped here with a group of work friends and we had plenty of space and privacy. Some of us pitched tents, some slept in the open, and others camped in cars/vans/trucks. It was perfect for our needs. Close to Bend and not too far from Smith Rock. We did see a couple scorpions.

Our 26 foot class c had no issues and the dirt road going from the hardball to the sites would be easy for even bigger rvs. There are plenty of turnarounds. The dirt road keeps going for about a mile or two, with sites all along it, eventually splits into two east west running roads, both keep going for about another mile or so with plenty of sites along both. If you go that far up it gets really rocky so I wouldn't recommend and rv. Any campsites along the first 2 miles of the dirt road seem pretty level and big enough for bigger rigs. Passed the fork looks best for 4x4s and tent campers. You can kind of hear sounds from the highway, but at night it's dead quiet. Sites are also spread out enough that you can find a spot without being in direct view of someone's rig

Stopped here on my way up north, and was not disappointed. There are quite a bit of spots down the road after the no shooting sign. Some closer are easy to access while others further on can be quite challenging with how many rocks are sticking a foot out of the ground and then the roads start to slant at points as well. I only know that because I walked the whole badlands from the sign to both ends where one ends with a cliff, and the other ends up at some off limits industry zone. There were a lot of open spots further on if you can make it passed the rocks.

Some great views so it was worth the walk, and had no problems with neighboring campers either, might be more fun to come back with a bigger car haha

Close to Bend, easy to get to and find, quiet, views for miles. The dogs loved romping around here. The only drawback was the dust and wind. I was sure equipment was being ripped off the top of our RV roof much of the night, and there were periods of intense dust storms while we were there. Not sure if it is always like that or we just got lucky, but It would have sucked to be in a tent during all of that. Still, really gorgeous panoramic views made it worth all the shaking.

Pretty standard dispersed camping within the Oregon badlands. Signs for the Badlands are right off the 20 then follow the road straight until you see a dirt turnoff with a sign about no shooting, this will set you right in the correct area. Some rock fire rings, dusty, but nice.

Easy to get too. BLM Land. Many spots in the area. Flat spot for our tent. Our spot already had a fire pit and we definitely made use of it! It was a Great Find! A lil noise from trucks but not a big deal.