Ochoco National Forest
Dispersed camping is generally allowed
On national forest and grassland, camping outside developed campgrounds is generally permitted unless an area is posted closed or a local order says otherwise. Stay on existing surfaces, camp away from water and trailheads, and check the forest's current orders before you go — fire restrictions change through the season.
Rules change with fire season and local order. Checked 2026-08-05. Confirm on the managing office’s official page
- Area
- 1,426 sq mi
- Managed by
- Forest Service
- Campgrounds
- 43
- Longest rig
- 70 ft
Where the land is, and what fits
The official Forest Service boundary with every campground we hold inside it. Tell it how long your rig is and the map keeps only what takes it — public land rarely matches the shape people picture, and neither does what you can actually get into.
Official unit boundary · USDA Forest Service · 43 campgrounds shown
- Allen Creek Horse CampFirst-come, first-served
- Antelope Flat Reservoir Campground and Day UseMid May – October · First-come, first-served
- Barnhouse CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Big Spring CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Biggs Springs CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Bingham Springs CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Cold Springs Guard StationMay – October · Reservations accepted
- Cottonwood CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Cottonwood Pit CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Cyrus Horse CampFirst-come, first-served
- Cyrus TrailheadFirst-come, first-served
- Deep Creek CampgroundMid May – October · First-come, first-served
- Double Cabin CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Dry Creek Horse CampFirst-come, first-served
- Elkhorn CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Frazier CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Giddy-Up Go TrailheadFirst-come, first-served
- Haystack Reservoir Campground and Day Use AreaApril 1 – October 31 · Reservations accepted
- Haystack South Shore Group CampgroundSeason not published
- Haystack West Shore Campground and Day Use AreaMarch 1 – October 31
- Henderson Flat Staging AreaFirst-come, first-served
- Mud Springs Horse CampFirst-come, first-served
- Ochoco Divide CampgroundMay 15 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Ochoco Divide Group Site1 sitesReservations accepted
- Ochoco Forest Camp Group PavilionMay 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Ochoco Forest CampgroundMay 15 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Ochoco Ranger Rental HouseReservations accepted
- ODOT Pit Play AreaYear Around
- Salters Cabin Horse CampFirst-come, first-served
- Scales Corral TrailheadSeason not published
- Scotts CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Skull Hollow CampgroundMarch 15 – November 15 (weather permitting) · This facility managed through as third party concessionaire under permit. The popularity of Skull Hollow is largely depe
- Sugar Creek Campground and Day Use AreaMid May – October · First-come, first-served
- Trail Crossing Corrals TrailheadFirst-come, first-served
- Walton Lake Campgroundto 70 ft · 32 sites · Pull-throughMay 15 – October 15 · Reservations accepted
- Walton Lake Group CampsitesReservations accepted
- Whistler CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- White Rock CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Wildcat Campground and Day Use AreaMay 15 – October 15 · First-come, first-served
- Wildwood CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Wiley Flat CampgroundFirst-come, first-served
- Wolf Creek CampgroundMid-May – October · First-come, first-served
- Wolf Creek Industrial CampgroundSeason not published
Ochoco National Forest
The Ochoco National Forest is located in the Ochoco Mountains in Central Oregon in the United States, north and east of the city of Prineville, location of the national forest headquarters. It encompasses 850,000 acres (3,440 km2) of rimrock, canyons, geologic oddities, dense pine forests, and high desert terrain, as well as the headwaters of the North Fork Crooked River. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 95,000 acres (38,000 ha).
Extract from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA. Agency description not published.
No vehicles past these lines
Designated wilderness is closed to every wheeled vehicle, including bicycles. You can walk in and camp; you cannot drive or park a rig inside one.
- Mill Creek Wilderness17,173 acres
- Black Canyon Wilderness13,090 acres
- Bridge Creek Wilderness5,337 acres
Byways through this country
Places worth pulling over
Drive to Ochoco the long way
Byway plans the road in, not just the destination — real places along the way, weighted to what you like, with nothing invented.