Meissner Sno-Park/Trailhead is located near the Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland. The terrain consists of forested areas and open spaces, providing a variety of landscapes for campers. Temperatures can range from lows in the 20s Fahrenheit during winter to highs in the 80s Fahrenheit in summer, making it suitable for year-round visits. Nearby attractions include the scenic Cascade Lakes and the popular hiking trails of the Deschutes National Forest.

Formerly known as the Tangent area, the sno-park was renamed in memory Virginia Meissner, who taught cross-country skiing in Central Oregon for many years. She also wrote several books on hiking and skiing in the Cascades. This sno-park is one of the most popular winter recreation sites in Central Oregon. Summer usage is light with road access to many popular bike trails. There are restroom facilities at this site.

Meissner Sno-Park/Trailhead

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests & Crooked River National Grassland. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Find the best campgrounds near Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests & Crooked River National Grassland, OR. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.

Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests & Crooked River National Grassland

The Best Camping Near Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests & Crooked River National Grassland, Oregon

Basically this is a huge parking lot with a bathroom. It's surrounded by some areas were you can find spots in the dirt if you prefer. Even though it was June and super dusty we still managed to find a patch or two of snow while riding the mtn bike trails that begin at the end of the snow park. We like it here because there is never anyone out here after dark. The parking lot can get fairly busy with mtn bikers during the day as this is a popular spot.

Quiet simple and easy. 

There is dispersed camping around the area. We found a site that was shaded by trees with no neighbors. There was no fire pit where we were so we did not make a campfire to be on the safe side of regulations in the area. Many forest roads around the area, which seem to be popular with OHV's and mountain bikers.

Dispersed camping around the area

We car camped here in February to test out winter camping for the first time. Luckily we already had an Oregon sno-park permit so we were able to put it to good use in this area. We snowboarded during the day, headed into downtown Bend for some dinner, then headed back to this sno-park afterwards to setup camp (aka, the back of the car). The first thing we noticed was that the parking lot was still pretty full for 7pm at night. We spoke with some people and heard they were going on a late night hiking trip to the warming hut for a couple of hours. It sounded really exciting and definitely something I would try in the future!

  

There's bathrooms in the parking lot and near the information signage, overall this sno-park is really peaceful at night and we were able to get a good night's rest. It is pretty busy during the winter months, but we didn't stick around the area since we were mainly snowboarding Mt. Bachelor during the day.

Photos of Meissner Sno-Park/Trailhead

Real photos from real campers