the dyrt
About
Skull Hollow Trailhead
This trailhead is located on Forest Service Road 5710 just slightly northwest from Skull Hollow Campground. From this trailhead there is access to the Cole Loop Trail (#854) which junctions with the Warner Loop Trail (#854A) and Gray Butte Trail (#852).
View a vicinity map here.
*** There is a Closure Order prohibiting dispersed camping outside of the Skull Hollow campground. View a map of the closure area here. This closure is designed to help protect natural resources around the trailhead from overuse and to prevent conflict between campers and day users. Please observe the closure order and use the campground for camping in the vicinity of Skull Hollow trailhead.
Operator
National Forest
Access
Drive In
Contact
Location
Skull Hollow Trailhead
is located in
Oregon
Directions
From Prineville, Oregon:
Head north on Highway 26.
Turn left onto Lone Pine Road and continue for approximately 3 miles.
Turn right onto Forest Service Road 5710.
Skull Hollow Trailhead is located approximately one-half mile from the junction of Lone Pine Road and Forest Service Road 5710 on the right.
9 Reviews of Skull Hollow Trailhead
great last minute camping
roomy, cheap, clean campsites. excellent last minute camping and amazing hosts. can get full quickly.amazing stargazing at night lots of coyote yipping in the distance.
Perfect to lots of trails nearby!
There are a lot of trails nearby! Hiking, Bike and atv trails. There is also access to the "road" that leads to the top of Grey Butte. It's not much of a road more like a widened rough trail but we made it up in our truck! The view.up top was spectacular!! The road is only open certain time if the year-i believe March thru September. Definitely worth the drive up to top! Makes you feel on top of the world-or at least Central Oregon 😁
Simple
This is a simple, wide open tent camping area and it's really close to Smith Rock. You can wake up early to see the sun on the rock formations and then hike to the climbs in approximately 20-30 minutes.
Excellent alternative to Smith Rock Bivy site for large groups
Just a 10 minute drive from Smith Rock this is a great place for larger groups who want to camp and cook all together, have campfires (depending on the season and current restrictions), save money, and avoid the crowds at the bivy site. Outhouses, but no electricity or running water. Don’t leave valuables in unattended vehicles.
nice spot near smith rock
This campground is a little bit out from the state park but is very nice still. The sites are pretty well spread out and pretty large. You can easily have multiple tents in most of the sites.
The road is somewhat close to the campground so you don't get some noise but overall a nice place to stay if the campground at smith rock is full.
Quiet, Beautiful Site
Stayed overnight after climbing Three Fingered Jack and before climbing at Smith the next day. The surrounding grasslands are absolutely stunning and amazingly peaceful. Obviously it is a bit rustic, but that's all good.
Great area
Currently on a 4 day stay at Skull Hollow campground and everything have been great! The sites are spread out so you don't feel like you are on top of another group/site. There are vault toilets and port-a-potties scattered throughout the campground as well as trash bins. The camp host is very friendly and helpful. You can tell he really cares about the area and people who stay here.
Best place to car camp near Smith rock!
This place was great! We wanted a place to camp in our car near Smith Rock State Park, and this was the only campground nearby that allows that (as far as we could find). Easy check in, beautiful spot with that high Desert feel. We cooked breakfast burritos over the fire pit in the morning and drove the 10 minutes to Smith Rock for our hike.
