BLM Land on the John Day River | Wild Camping

July 25th, 2023 by daf_paps

Exceptional dispersed camping spots! Right by the river. You can walk down and take a dip in the smooth clear water.
The sites are surprisingly clean (except for some toilet paper near trees (people should be burying it with their deposits)).
Easy to find. Gravel road. No 4wd needed. We did it with our Westfalia... There a couple of dirt roads that come off the gravel one leading to the sites, just scope out the one that you're comfortable with before descending.

March 21st, 2022 by glenvanpeski

Among rows of trees above the river, before the location shown. Picked up a bag of trash, but not too bad. Nobody else here.

October 14th, 2021 by TinyWays

Access road to BLM entrance is next to the Clarno Grange. Bumpy gravel road with some difficult terrain that requires a 4WD but we were able to find our amazing spot next to the river and amongst the trees in our low rider. Very quiet and peaceful in October.

June 18th, 2021 by Hasty

This is the second time we've been here and both times a huge group of people showed up and blared music all day and all night. In fact, they showed up later in the day, saw that all the normal spots were taken, then proceeded to whip out some weed-eaters and clear themselves a brand new spot. Locals most likely. Not sure we'll return.

May 1st, 2021 by Susan

Beautiful area with about four campsites strung along the river bank. Totally full on Saturday night with no spare room. There was a sign at the beginning of the road saying "no campfires". This is a really windy area.

Unfortunately this turned out to be a really unsafe spot as one of the groups decided to do some target shooting right in the camping area, even with other campers nearby. It was dangerous and loud. There is no cell phone signal anywhere around here so no way to call emergency services if someone had gotten shot.

April 1st, 2021 by sbtatelman

Easy drive in on the main dirt road. We camped nestled up to the purple hills a little further back from the river. It should be noted that despite lack of signage, don’t walk on the volcanic mounds. It’s not so much dangerous as it is disruptive to the natural formation millions of years in the making. There are already footprints and of course, animal tracks, but be mindful of how you interact with the space. We explored the little gulch around the mounds behind some barbed wire, found the sun-bleached skeleton of a cow, and interacted briefly with a pronged antelope. Slept to the sounds of the coyotes howling around us and awoke at dawn to the garble of wild roaming turkeys. Very cool spot, lots of petrified wood! Be mindful of your campfires(unless there is an active fire ban), as the wind sweeps through the area in large gusts.

January 16th, 2021 by rem.evert

Found a nice spot right next to the John Day among the second grouping of trees 1.1 miles in. There are several other spots along the way and amongst the trees as well.

July 7th, 2020 by Hasty

Nice spot but there was a huge party being held over a few days, likely a yearly thing over July 4th weekend. Otherwise quite lovely. The river is eroding the bank along the road so you shouldn't go past the blocked portion but there's good camping within the trees just before. Great rockhounding along the river!

May 6th, 2020 by wiseone.juliegray

Fabulous riverside camping. The spot we found was unbelievably set up. See picture. Very quiet.

April 11th, 2020 by bmascal

Tried to camp here but the road in had a gravel berm and road closed sign approx 1 mile in from hwg 218. People have clearly driven over the berm and sign has been knocked down. The barricade is not at a convenient spot to turn around. We ended up finding a nice level spot closer the the highway near the information sign. It was dark but I’d bet there are a number of other good areas to spend the night along the road before the road closed sign.

May 11th, 2019 by contact

Beautiful spot. Spectacular colors! Lots of people but everyone really quiet. Not alot of spots with shade and privacy. Easy backroad driving.

July 11th, 2018 by Wilde Weite Welt

There are some nice camping spots along the John Day River in the great scenery near the Clarno Unit of John Day Fossile National Monument. Swimming in the river is possible, very quiet, only the sound of nature.

March 15th, 2018 by browntoe

Very nice. No facilities and water from the river. Follow the dirt road with deep pot holes but doable in a standard clearance vehicle. Can go through the rustic gate at the cattle guard and then to the road end in posted private property a few hundred meters on. Leave no trace. The stars are beautiful!

August 19th, 2017 by twoyearsnotice

Dirt road with free dispersed camping on the river; great swimming hole; some spots in trees available; 4WD helpful, but definitely not required; read up on river permits (for boating/SUPing, etc.) and seasonal campfire regulations in advance