Ochoco Divide Group Site

Within Ochoco National Forest, the Ochoco Divide Group Site sits at 4,730 feet elevation along Highway 26, providing a reservable base camp for groups exploring central Oregon's fossil country. The US Forest Service manages this single group site as part of the larger Ochoco Divide Campground complex, where ponderosa pines tower up to 150 feet overhead.

The group site spans a large area with space for multiple tents and vehicles, featuring three picnic tables and a substantial fire ring. "This campsite is HUUUGE. Lots of shady areas," reports Amelia A., who camped here with three tents and hammocks. The site's proximity to the highway means road noise carries through camp, particularly from vehicles climbing the grade. Several campers note the vault toilets stay remarkably clean, with one reviewer surprised they were "not smelly."

Campers use this location to access the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, about 30 minutes away, and the Painted Hills unit. The elevation brings cool nights even in summer—temperatures can drop to the upper 50s when days reach the low 80s. No water hookups exist, making this dry camping. "Also, dry camping, so bring your water jug and things to keep you cool," advises Amelia A.. Some camp hosts provide emergency water tanks, though campers shouldn't count on this service.

The $50 group site requires reservations and accommodates multiple vehicles for an additional fee. Cell service reaches one bar with Verizon. Mitchell sits 20 minutes east for supplies and dining at Tiger Town Brewing. The season runs May through October, with September bringing potential freezing temperatures despite warm days.

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Map & DirectionsOchoco Divide Group Site is located in Oregon near Mitchell

Detail location of campground
Public Campground

Directions

From Prineville, Oregon travel approximately 28 miles on State Highway 26. The campground is on the right at the top of the divide.

Address

3160 Ne 3rd Street
Prineville, OR 97754

Coordinates

44.500575 N
120.3871861 W

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Connectivity

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    Verified by 5 users
    Last on 5/13/26
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    Last on 5/13/26

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Connectivity

Presented byT-MobileT-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoors
  • signal strength bars
    T-Mobile
    No Coverage
  • signal strength bars
    Verizon
    No Coverage
    Verified by 5 users
    Last on 5/13/26
  • signal strength bars
    AT&T
    No Coverage
    Verified by 3 users
    Last on 5/13/26

Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

Drive Time


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Reviews11 Camper Reviews - Ochoco Divide Group Site

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4.5

out of 5

11 Reviews

Many campers appreciated the large, private sites in a beautiful Ponderosa pine forest with clean facilities and helpful hosts. Some noted highway noise and the need to bring water, but most found it an excellent base for exploring the Painted Hills area.

Reviewed May. 24, 2023

Expensive but nice

The Ochoco Divide Campground has many sites, not only group sites. The grounds and facilities are well kept with vault toilets and spigots with running water. Some of the sites are very large with enough space to pull through with trailers. It is in an old growth forest with nice shade. I had one bar of service with Verizon. The sites were quiet but you could get some noise from the highway at the sites closer to the road.

Site20
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Angela G., May 24, 2023
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Angela G., May 24, 2023
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Angela G., May 24, 2023
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Sep. 3, 2021

Quite Little Campground

This campground was perfect for us as we decided to camp before getting to our final destination. We pulled in around 7:30 and there were still plenty of spaces open.

The bathroom were clean not smelly. The camp host has done a great job keeping the place clean and well looked after.

The spaces are big enough to accommodate groups or multiple vehicles. There is even a bicycle group site.

Site18
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jul. 23, 2021

Group site is huge but right by the highway

There aren’t a lot of reserve-able campsites in this area, so I was happy to find the group site a few weeks before our trip to the Fossil Beds.

The good: location can’t be beat - though if you’re looking to explore all of the units in the Fossil Beds monument, it’s gonna be a lot of driving no matter where you stay. The camp host, Gloria, is great, and the kids loved Ricky, her dog. The outhouse is clean and if you’re in the group site you’ve basically for your own. Mitchell is ~20 minutes away for groceries and ice. 

And this campsite is HUUUGE. Lots of shady areas, three picnic tables, Very nice fire pit (though burn ban meant no fires for us). We had three tents, a sun shelter and three hammocks set up with lots of space.

The not-so-good: the group site is closest to the highway, so we did hear a lot of noise. (If I were to come back, I’d try my luck with the first-come-first-serve spots set further back.)

Also, dry camping, so bring your water jug and things to keep you cool. We went swimming in the John Day near Burnt Ranch, which was perfect!

SiteGroup Site
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Amelia A., July 23, 2021
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Amelia A., July 23, 2021
Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Just what we needed

We arrived mid-Saturday Labor Day weekend and less than half the sites had been claimed. It was perfectly positioned between our weekend activities: Painted Hills and Lucky Strike Mine. By late Saturday most (if not all) sites we're claimed.

The sites are large and well looked after. Bathroom was surprisingly clean and not smelly. Camp host even provided a large tank of water (but I wouldn't count on that).

Pro Tip: drive 20min East to Mitchell, Or and get a pint at Tiger Town Brewing. Great people, food and beer! We packed camp dinners for both nights, but ended up at Tiger Town every night because the atmosphere was so good.

  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jessica , September 8, 2020
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jessica , September 8, 2020
Reviewed Sep. 30, 2019

Top of the pass

Camp ground is high up over 4700 feet so even in the summer it tends to get a little chilly at night but not bad.

This is a medium busy campground right on the maon road, but its never too noisy after dark.

The place is very clean and the vault toilets well looked after and not stinky!

The spaces are a good size and the ones for tent camping are at the back of the loop.

Not much trails but you can find something to do. 

One of my best nights camping was ip here. During the week late summer, Huge full moon, then the coyotes began to yip/howl..magnificent

  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Kevin R., September 30, 2019
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Kevin R., September 30, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2019

Enjoyed the Peace and Quite

Date Stayed: July 9th& 10th 2019 Campsite:#8 needed 3 inch left side lift to level Price:$13 no electricity Dump Station: No Altitude: 4730 ft Camp Host: Caroline was attentive and very friendly. She collected and handed out free firewood that had been left behind by other campers. Or you could buy forest service wood for$6. Ease of Access: Right off hwy 26, our 28 ft travel trailer easily fit with room to spare. Easily circled campground once to find a space. Weather: Days sunny low 80's nights upper 50's Noise: Could hear occasional vehicle climbing hwy 26 grade from the rest stop. Activities: Geocaching cache three within a couple of miles. John Day Fossil Monument 30 minute drive away. Wife and I enjoyed the campground, sites were surrounded by pines.

Site8
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jeff C., July 17, 2019
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jeff C., July 17, 2019
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jeff C., July 17, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 12, 2019

Unexpected comfort

We came upon this gem on the pass late afternoon after a long drive. This campground has 25 sites including 5 level pull throughs with more than adequate length for our long truck and trailer. July 11 and no mosquitoes, lovely flowers, perfect temperature for sleeping.

Pit toilets and no water, but the price reflects the level of service. Nice campground host. Lots of area between campsites. Fire pits, picnic tables. Paved campground road, graded gravel sites.

The best part is the Ponderosa Pine forest that surrounds the campground. Trees up to 150’ .

One group site available by reservation , the rest are first come first serve.

May the Forest be With You.

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2018

Great stopover near the painted hills

This campground is fairly open and you can see into quite a few other campsites. But other than that I don't have any complaints. It has plastic port-a-johns and one of those plastic sink things; a setup you'd be more likely to find at an outdoor concert than a campsite but it all worked. Nothing that really stands out too much about this campsite itself. If you're staying here it's for it's location. It's right on the edge of Ochoco national Forest and is about thirty minutes from the Painted Hills. I stayed in September 2017 when half of Oregon was on fire, so fires were not allowed at the time. It can get quit cold at night, around freezing when I was there despite being in the 70's during the day, so be prepared for that.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Matt T., June 14, 2018
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Matt T., June 14, 2018
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Matt T., June 14, 2018
Reviewed Oct. 5, 2017

Unexpected Awesomeness

This was dry camping at its best. Huge sites, lots of privacy, a great stay!!!! You're staying at the high point of the pass, so can get very cold at night. No hiking from the park like in most of the state parks, but still a place I'd highly recommend.

SiteSite 17
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Jill R., October 5, 2017
Reviewed Jun. 28, 2016

great campground for exploring the Ochoco National Forest and the Painted Hills

An easy 30 minute drive from Oregon's Painted Hills, the Ochoco Divide campground is a great home base for exploring the area. The campsites are spread out in a Ponderosa pine forest, providing plenty of space for each. The vault toilets are very well maintained and the camp host is friendly and helpful. Note that there is an additional charge for every vehicle over one per campsite, even the group site. It is close to the highway, but from most of the campsites, the noise is not very noticeable. The only downside is that there is no water available, so you need to bring all you need. Otherwise, I would have given this campground five stars.

  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Lisa H., June 28, 2016
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Lisa H., June 28, 2016
  • Review photo of Ochoco Divide Group Site by Lisa H., June 28, 2016
  • (20) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there photos of Ochoco Divide Campground to view before visiting?

Yes, photos of Ochoco Divide Campground are available online. These images typically showcase the campground's spacious sites nestled among Ponderosa pines, the well-maintained vault toilets, and the natural forest setting. Photos help visualize the pull-through sites that can accommodate larger vehicles and trailers, as well as the overall layout of the campground. To find the most current and comprehensive collection of photos, check the official Forest Service website, camping apps like The Dyrt, or search social media platforms using the campground's name.

What amenities are available at Ochoco Divide Campground?

Ochoco Divide Campground offers basic amenities in a beautiful forest setting. The campground has vault toilets that are well-maintained and clean, along with potable water spigots located near the camp host. There are approximately 25 sites, including 5 level pull-through spaces that can accommodate larger rigs. No electricity is available, making this a dry camping experience. Some campers may find free firewood that's been collected by the camp host from previous visitors. The spacious sites are spread throughout a Ponderosa pine forest, offering decent privacy. The campground sits at an elevation of about 4,730 feet, which contributes to cooler nights even in summer.

What do visitor reviews say about Ochoco Divide Campground?

Visitors consistently praise Ochoco Divide Campground for its spacious sites, clean facilities, and convenient location. Campers appreciate the well-maintained vault toilets, which are frequently noted for being odor-free. The campground's friendly and attentive hosts receive numerous positive mentions for their efforts in keeping the grounds clean and even distributing leftover firewood. Many highlight the campground's location as a perfect base for exploring nearby attractions like the Painted Hills and John Day Fossil Beds. While some note that the sites can be somewhat visible to neighboring campers, the overall experience is rated very highly, with particular emphasis on the beautiful forest setting and cooler temperatures due to the elevation.

Where is Ochoco Divide Campground located and how do I get there?

Ochoco Divide Campground is located at the high point of Ochoco Pass in central Oregon, sitting at an elevation of approximately 4,730 feet. The campground is conveniently positioned about 30 minutes from Oregon's Painted Hills and serves as an excellent base for exploring the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It's situated right off the main road (US-26), making it easily accessible even for larger vehicles and trailers. The campground's position on the pass means you'll experience cooler temperatures, especially at night, even during summer months. Its central location makes it ideal for travelers exploring central Oregon's natural attractions, though visiting all units of the Fossil Beds will require some driving.