I'll be heading out in a day or so for a short trip through central and eastern OR - will mostly be wandering and exploring, visiting the Painted Hills, Alvord Desert on our way to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge where my wife is doing some work.
We typically sleep in the back of the Hotel Tundra, finding BLM or Forest Service land where we can park for the night. We'll occasionally stay in campgrounds, but prefer more solitude whenever possible.
I have more maps than Lewis & Clark, but being new to the area, would love to hear any suggestions or tips for good places to overnight near the Painted Hills and Alvord Desert. If we do have to pull into a campground, are any of them quieter/better/more private than the others? I have a decent book that lets me know which ones have RV hookups, which we'll avoid if at all possible.
Rick, when you're driving down the last road to the Painted Hills from Mitchell, you'll have to turn left to get into the actual park. If you kept going straight you'll find all sorts of nice pull outs and places to camp. Actually, you can drive that road for miles and connect back up with the roads going home. It's a nice drive.
Hey Rick, sounds like a really fun road trip. There is free camping right off the main road in the Alvord. If you're coming from the north, it will be on your right about 3 miles after you pass the Alvord Ranch. You will know you've gone too far if you pass the hot springs. It's really fun camping in that area, I hope you have a great time.
For Painted Hills, as Mark said, just keep going past the entrance to the Painted Hills. There's a nice spot to camp right on the John Day river if you follow the BLM signs to the Priest Hole river access. Good potential for sunrise over the river there. If you have the DeLorme Oregon Atlas, look on page 80 due north of Painted Hills a bit. Turn right on the road shown just before Burnt Ranch Road meets the John Day (beyond Twickenham Bridge Rd). The Benchmark atlas shows the Priest Hole location on page 52. Benchmark shows the main road as Bridge Creek Road instead of Burnt Ranch Road.
For the Alvord area, if you can't find a place near the hot springs that Zack mentions, try the campground at Mann Lake. It's out in the open and can be windy but I've never seen more than a few fishermen camped there. If your lucky, there will be fields of wildflowers in some of the shallow drying lakebeds just to the north along Fields-Denio Road.
One thing: you say "a short trip". There's a lot of territory to cover between Painted Hills and the Alvord Desert, and that's a pretty roundabout route "on the way" to Hart Mountain. On the other hand, this is a great time of year to be out in eastern Oregon!
Greg - we'll be out from tomorrow through Monday or Tuesday. A couple of days at the Hills, a day or two at Alvord, and a day at Hart Mountain. Not as much time as I'd like to spend, but I'm looking at it as more of a scouting trip for future outings. If I get a couple of good sunrises or sunsets, I'll be happy!
Posted by Adrian Klein on May 28, 2008 at 11:31 PM
It's been covered... but enjoy! I can't wait to get back down to the Alvord area. Just awesome down there. Can't wait to see your images when you return!
Discussion
5 repliesWe typically sleep in the back of the Hotel Tundra, finding BLM or Forest Service land where we can park for the night. We'll occasionally stay in campgrounds, but prefer more solitude whenever possible.
I have more maps than Lewis & Clark, but being new to the area, would love to hear any suggestions or tips for good places to overnight near the Painted Hills and Alvord Desert. If we do have to pull into a campground, are any of them quieter/better/more private than the others? I have a decent book that lets me know which ones have RV hookups, which we'll avoid if at all possible.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
For the Alvord area, if you can't find a place near the hot springs that Zack mentions, try the campground at Mann Lake. It's out in the open and can be windy but I've never seen more than a few fishermen camped there. If your lucky, there will be fields of wildflowers in some of the shallow drying lakebeds just to the north along Fields-Denio Road.
One thing: you say "a short trip". There's a lot of territory to cover between Painted Hills and the Alvord Desert, and that's a pretty roundabout route "on the way" to Hart Mountain. On the other hand, this is a great time of year to be out in eastern Oregon!
Greg - we'll be out from tomorrow through Monday or Tuesday. A couple of days at the Hills, a day or two at Alvord, and a day at Hart Mountain. Not as much time as I'd like to spend, but I'm looking at it as more of a scouting trip for future outings. If I get a couple of good sunrises or sunsets, I'll be happy!