Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site

This is always such a great place to stop when traveling between Idaho and western Oregon. It has lots of shade, lawn, and hedges that offer privacy between the large camp sites. Super clean showers and restrooms, dog friendly, and a nice trail to walk along next to the river. Yes, the sites closer to the road are noisier due to traffic, while the ones closer to the river are the buggiest in the summer, but if you want hook ups, easy access, and an RV dump and don't mind paying for all these amenities, this is the place. We stayed in site 9, which has a super long paved and level driveway giving you lots of peace and quiet.

We spent one night here in July 2024.  Did not feel crowded.  Showers were hot.  Bathrooms were ok.  Very quiet even though it was close to highway.

We were surprised how quiet this state park was during our visit. Very clean and beautiful green grass through campground. Enjoyed the river trail along the John Day river. Perfect to cool off in during the hot summer months. Mosquitoes definitely come out at night and we were tent camping. A little highway noise at night but not bad.

What a jewel, very clean nice park on the river. Clean showers and restrooms.

Pretty campground along the John Day River. Lots of trees and fairly private sites. Hiking trail along the river, but the mosquitos cut that short.

General: 31 site state park that does not take reservations. There was plenty of availability at 4 pm on a Friday in April.

Site Quality: Sites are all level with paved pads, ranging in length from 37 to 84 feet. Good separation between the sites and some have foliage providing some amount of privacy. A large picnic table, fire ring, electric hookup, and wastewater drain complete each site. There are also two teepees. Sites along the river are better; road noise would obviously be louder at the sites that back up to the road. 

Bathhouse: Up to many Oregon State Park standards with hot water, soap, utility shelves, and paper towels. Clean. Showers are free ($2 for non-campers) but did not use so cannot comment on their quality. 

Activities: Not too much to do but there is a nice nature trail about a half-mile long that meanders along the John Day River. It forks a couple of times and if you keep to the left each time, you will eventually end up at a fence at the boundary of private property, but it is easy enough to loop around and return to the campground. 

Although this campground is close to the road and you will hear road noise, it was also peaceful and quiet during our stay.

We stayed at Clyde Holliday for one night on the way to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  The campground is conveniently located near the town of John Day and is adjacent to the John Day River.  It had all the amenities we needed: electric hookups, water, T-mobile reception, hot showers, and a dump station. The hot showers were welcomed after our visit to wonderful (but dusty) Steens Mountain. We had the site just behind the information kiosk / pay booth, which was perfectly fine for a night, but as it was nearer the main road, I noticed the sound of traffic more than I might have had we gotten a river site. I liked the campground though, and would happily return in the future.

First come first serve...was a little worried, especially on Labor day weekend. Arrived on Friday morning and there were several good spots to choose from. The spots are paved and level. Camp host water the spaces when they are vacant. Spaces are green and lush. Camp host were REALLY nice and helpful with information regarding things to do in the area. Went kayaking at Magone Lake and lunch in Dayville at the Cafe. There is a dump station when you leave and has easy access. Fishing available in a near by pond.

Horrible mosquitoes, worst I have ever seen. Great houst beautiful place

Well maintained, clean, beautiful spot close to the river. Large campsites with clean table and fire pits. Nice showers. Very green and full of birds. Short river walk. It is close to the highway and can be loud at time. Right now, same rate for residents/non-residents ($26), it doesn't take reservations and will accommodate overflow. Not sure if that's permanent.

Fabulous free hot showers!

Nice campground.  Sites have paved parking, tables and fire pits.  There is also a hiker biker camp area.

This really is an RV spot. Yes, you can tent camp here but it's expensive ($24 for Oregon residents, $34 for out of staters) and it's right next to the road. It's loud. Really loud. Wake you up when you're sleeping loud.

That said, it does have all amenities: good Verizon service, firewood for sale, hot showers, tables, fire pits with grills, etc. And it's close to town. So for that it could be the right fit for people needing all that.

For me, I'd skip it, especially if you're in a tent.

We hadn’t planned to stop here but with the day quickly disappearing on us we pulled in to the Clyde Holliday SP campground and had a very good night. Beautifully maintained grounds with nicely spaced sites. Easy to pull in and set up the tent. Mostly RVs but a handful on tent campers too. Clean, and free, showers which we really needed. It is right on Hwy 26 so the traffic noise is an issue, but otherwise a quality spot.

this is probably the nicest state park that we have ever camped in. we will definitely be coming back. it has large rv/tent spaces with grass and trees everywhere. next to a small stream with biking and nature hiking all around. the showers are huge, everything is clean and tidy and the hosts were very friendly

be aware that this park is first come, first served. we were in september but i would expect that it fills up early in the summer.

I drove in mid-afternoon and was able to find a spot so easy.  the place was mostly filled by retired folks with their RV and generators going.  really it was only one that was a loud Generator... and not too close to me. it had a nice walking path next to a creek that some children were playing in. this is a very well maintained site in terms of the landscaping and the  bathrooms and showers. nice that the showers were not in the same room as the bathroom- which is more appealing that way instead of hearing people use the bathroom while getting clean. plus since it was a single room for the shower and could lock it was no worries of who would walk in- good feature for a family or couple.

The staff were very friendly as well.

I felt comfortable with leaving my tent set up and some basic  items there when I went for dinner

I stayed at the teepee next to the John Day River. There are two total and they are a little isolated from the campground. They provide a large camping area and fireplace with a beautiful view of the mountains behind the camp. The front view, however, leaves a bit to be desired. There is a highway in front of the campground and a big parking lot with rv water hookups, so vehicles are constantly coming in and out. There is also a restroom, which is a considerable walk from the teepee, and makes it feel more like a reststop than a campground.

The rest of the campsites are in a wooded loop and seem much nicer than the teepee area. The teepee inside is very bare bones compared to the luxury of yurts offered at other camp grounds. The floor is a concrete slab. There are six green acrylic mats and a small stool and very small space heater. There are holes in the bottom parts of the teepee and a giant gap in the ceiling. All of these elements would be nice in the summer. Trying to sleep in here when its 27 degrees is another story. Next time i will stay in a tent. The campground provides a free bundle or firewood.

Big spaces to park in. Grounds are well kept. Showers are no charge clean and work great. Nice stream to fly fish in.

This is a very nice place to stay. They have 31 sites with electric and water hook ups. The sites are big enough for both rig and vehicle. Long side of the campground is the John Day River with a nice little nature path.

Date Stayed: July 7th& 8th 2019 Campsite:#25 was level Price:$26 electrical Dump Station: Yes Altitude: 2875 ft Camp Host: Didn't meet Ease of Access: Very easy, our 28 ft travel trailer fit with room to spare. Easily circled campground once to find a space. Weather: Days sunny low 80's nights upper 50's Noise: Site#25 backed up to hwy 26; daytime passing vehicle noise could be loud. Night vehicle noise wasn't an issue. Activities: Geocaching cache in the park, a couple within one mile. John Day Fossil Monument 30 minute drive away. Wife and I enjoyed the campground, it was park like and very green due to water sprinklers. Well maintained grounds and the hot showers were free. Showers had one button operation which ran for 2 minutes per press. We walked along the river and found the mosquitoes, thank goodness for mosquito repellent.

We camped with another couple in late fall (3rd weekend in October). The leaves and color were amazing! Cool air with the small creek made the experience exceptional! Was very quiet with a few diehard campers that late in the fall. We would definitely return and do it again and we will! Enjoy!

Between the John Day River and the highway outside of John Day, this campground is beautifully maintained. The lawns are green, the bathrooms spotless. There are full hookup rv/trailer sites, tent sites, and hiker/biker sites. The restrooms include free individual shower rooms. There is some traffic noise but it isn't too bad. This is a first-come campground so no reservations are available. Get there early during the summer months.

On our way to Walloa lake we stopped at Clyde Holliday for the night as we have plans to visit the Kam Wa Chung museum in John Day, nice spot and very well watered allowing for mosquitos the size of small birds...come prepared with a screen room and repellent if visiting in early summer!

This is the Only State Park Near John Day!

You CANNOT make reservations for the campsites in this park. Only the Teepees are reservable. However the park hosts here are amazing and allow boondocking in the large park overflow area when no sites are available.

The sites are spacious with hook ups available. There is a restroom and shower located in the center of this small campground. There is no playground, but there is a large day use area adjacent that my kiddos loved to run around in. The John Day River runs along the south side of the campground and there is a nice walking trail.

Be advised the closest store is 8-10miles in the city of John Day. Prices are high and selection is limited, so do come prepared if staying a few days!

If the 3 John Day National Monuments are on your list, I highly recommend this campground for its location, friendly park hosts, and small campground feel!

In general, Oregon State Parks are great. This is another nice one with plenty of tent and RV sites available. Bathrooms and showers on-site. The park sits nestled in a picturesque treed area, near the Painted Hills. Great location if you are wanting to get to the Painted Hills area of central Oregon.

This is my second time staying at Clyde Holliday and wound up in the same site I stayed in last year. The sites are huge and well spaced. Lots of trees and a nice trail system along the river. Close to John Day and the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds.

Grabbed one of the last spots at 6pm. Decent camp sites. Not a ton of privacy, but nice trees and grassy areas. Flush toilets and warm showers. There's a small creek that runs by the camp where you can wade and kids try to catch crayfish. Overall totally pleasant.

We stayed 3 nights in one of the teepees at Clyde Holliday State Park. The site backs up to the John Day river (very mellow in August). My kids loved playing in the water and catching crayfish. There is a nice trail to walk on in the park and the bathrooms and showers are great. The only drawback was the constant sprinklers running. The grass is green, but the sprinklers on all night long is a bit relentless.