This a gorgeous campgroud not far from Smith Rock. It is very well maintained, enclosed with a barb…read morewire perimeter fence, so feels very safe, and the facilities provided are very clean. Will absolutely be back!!

Great campground to use while visiting Smith Rock, a quick 10 minutes away. When we arrived Friday…read moreat about 2pm we made the loop and found it was maybe 1/4 occupied. We grabbed our payment envelope and picked a spot. The grounds managers happened by via golf cart, and offered to take our envelope so we wouldn't have to go back around. They were extremely friendly, and mentioned that although they'd been pretty dead lately there was a run starting nearby the next morning, so they were filling up much more than they expected on this, their final weekend of the season. The campground is much bigger than I expected, and although the nature of the surrounding landscape doesn't offer the thick, lush trees that bring privacy, the spots are large and it's laid out in a way that works. Great experience...great location to Smith Rock, cool setting, extremely clean and quiet, and friendly management. We will definitely stay here again.

One of the most frustrating things about camping in the Pacific Northwest is that many of the most…read morepopular campsites are reserved out up to six months in advance, making an spontaneous overnight outdoor outing nearly impossible. That's not the case here at the Smith Rock Bivouac Area: a first-come, first-serve space on the bleeding edge of the Crooked River canyon, and in the shadow of its legendary namesake landmark. Officially, check-in for grabbing a spot (there are no designated campsites, per se) opens at 4pm daily, although we were informed by the camp custodian (stationed in a RV across from the self-pay kiosk) that we were OK to enter upon our arrival at 3:00. Once you've purchased your ticket ($8.00/person, including minors), park your vehicle in lot, and be sure to display your pass on the dash. The parking lot is ring-shaped, and encloses the only area designated and approved for cooking, and no campfires are allowed anywhere on site, so be sure to bring your gas grills or other method of flameless food preparation. Adjacent to the entrance are the public sinks (potable water, for washing dishes), restrooms and showers, which are reasonably clean, well-maintained, and the water temperate of the latter can be described at "hot enough". And for the mini-mountaineers among your party, there's a small practice climbing rock, complete with handholds, to warm up for the main event! Beyond the fence at the edge of the parking lot, headed towards Smith Rock, is the bivouac area: several acres of mostly open ground, partitioned by batches of scrub brush and small trees, volcanic rock, and the canyon edge itself. It's definitely possible to find a semi-private area nestled among the bushes and desert foliage, although the spots closest to the cliffside are taken early. Even during our late July visit, most of the campground was unclaimed, but during peak times, excess campers would be relegated to grabbing whatever bit of exposed flat ground is available, giving adequate space between themselves and their neighbors. However, even if one were forced into close-quarters cohabitation with others, the communal atmosphere here exudes that of enthusiastic appreciation of both man and nature alike: people of like minds, hobbies and interests coming together to revel and share in the beauty and majesty of Mother Earth together. Whether you've come to Smith Rock for the hiking, rock climbing, camping, or just a day trip to take in the sights of the spectacular spectacle of this miracle of nature, you're in for something special. There are very few places in Oregon, the PNW, or anywhere else on Earth, that offer the quality, quantity and variety of world-class outdoor experiences that Smith Rock does, for next to nothing. Protect it, treasure it, and above all, enjoy it to the fullest extent of what it provides in outdoor activities and adventure opportunities. You will not regret or forget it.

Don't be fooled by the fancy, Haute-Alpinist name, the "Climber's Bivy" is just a good 'ol…read morecampground for dirt bag climbers. If your group isn't ginormous, it's a good place to stay. The only negative is that there are no camp fires allowed. I get it though, this area is dry as hell and would be all to easy to set ablaze. It's the only real, uh..."legal" way to photograph the park at night.

Extremely quiet and peaceful location, especially at this time of year. The park and campground…read morewere open with only a handful of campers on the night we stayed. The reservoir was beautiful and the park grounds clean and very well-maintained. The feeling of serenity here was top-notch (although to be fair I would imagine that to be mostly due to the season, as I could see that aspect waning when the campground is busy as there isn't a lot of privacy between some sites.) We really enjoyed the night. Two notes, however. I was surprised to see the lack of a trail system in such a location. And, the camp hosts we approached for info didn't seem to be very informed. Overall a very serene International Dark Sky Park in a lovely setting.

Beautiful spot with great views and plenty of space for camping, boating, and relaxing by the…read morewater. The lake is peaceful and perfect for fishing or kayaking. Campsites were clean and well-maintained. It can get pretty hot during the day, and some areas are a bit crowded in peak season, but overall a great place to unwind and enjoy nature.

Great park! We stayed in the cabin because we were looking for cheap accommodations and dont own…read morean rv. We had a blast. Cabin is adorable and affordable. About a mile from the reservoir. There is a gas station and diner across the street too. We were nervous when we pulled in because the park was packed with Rvs .. but the 3days and 4 the next weekend we barely saw anyone about. ( facebook workers) Outdoor pool was clean. Free showers on site. Game room had TV and AC Downside: Only 1 cabin. - But 3 A frames. 15min outta town We will be back anytime we need somewhere to stay in Prineville Hidden Gem for sure

New managers. Very friendly and helpful. Well out of the way, peaceful and quiet. Beautiful…read moremountain views. All good experiences so far and been here a month.

Nice little campground ruined by obnoxious camp host. This guy likes to run his generator…read moreabsolutely 100% of the time he is allowed. Its a loud one and while everyone else is decent and quiet, this guy kinda spoils the peace as the sound carries all over the entire cg.

This is from last year. Camp ground is high up over 4700…read morefeet 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 main 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 up here. During the week late summer, Huge full moon, then the coyotes began to yip/howl. Magnificent

I liked this State-Run Campground. It was pretty basic, with pit-Toilets and a water pump that you…read morehad to walk to get to. But, it was very serene and private. Our camping spot was Huge! And, it had plenty of space for a car (or two) to pull into. And, then we had a separate area to set up a tent in. It was perfect for camping with our 2 dogs; we got a nice private area by the lake and the Dogs. I was able to reserve a spot online through recreation.gov and it was easy! And, Steve the camp host, was a delight! He was very approachable and friendly, it was nice interacting with him and talking to him. Overall, the spot was quiet and had beautiful scenery! And, less bugs/mosquitos then I've seen in other similar camp spots in the same geographic area for that time of year. And, also it was just a 20 minute drive to Smith Rock from this camp Site, so it was very do-able!

No pool, no laundry, no cordial front desk. Made to feel like she's doing you a favor. Open at…read more9:00, closed at 12:00 for lunch, open at 1:00, closes at 5:00. Did not explain the differences in price structure from the day rate, the week rate, to the month rate (you have to pay for your electricity.) We ended up opting for the week, and extended it twice. Then extended one more week, but she charged us four consecutive weeks, amounting to almost $800 for our stay of four weeks. In addition, kept reminding us we would have to move to accommodate a previous reservation. Our neighbor RVer was told by her to 'bring a pie' and she would move others around. Not good.

I got the last site before the eclipse, and got in late. Front desk was still open and was very…read morefriendly. Got to the site, backed the trailer in, unhooked, and finished getting last minute supplies. I have camped in a number of fairground rv parks and this was one of the better ones by far. Only real complaint is wifi password didn't work (wait - camping and wifi? Will wonders never cease.) Overall I was happy with this place. Cheaper than a lot of other rv parks and better as well. Oh yeah, Prineville is home of Les Schwab world headquarters, among other things.

This place is AMAZING! The swings as soon as you drive in are a great place for kids to relax while…read moreyou check in, the swimming area and dock are great. The only bad thing is other than swimming and swings there's not much else to do for the kids. You can rent a boat for a few hours and we had a blast on ours! If you decide to come here expect great service!!

My husband and I booked a site for 6 adults, never again. When we showed up to our site and started…read moreto set up we were informed while setting up our tents that we had a "public trail" going directly through our campsite, allowing other individuals staying in the campground to awkwardly walk through our campsite. The funny part is, this so called trail is hardly visible to the eye and went absolutely no where other than to some random sink under a cover. One of the individuals staying with us went to ask a camp host a question (around 5pm), and was told "I'm off duty" instead of taking a few minutes to simply provide good hospitality, they let it be known that they were being inconvenienced and didn't make any efforts in helping direct our questions to another host that may have been "on duty"...should I mention they only tried asking a question since they saw the host walking by (If someone smiles and says hello would they have said they're off duty?) The fire pit in our campsite was so awkwardly placed next to the parking pad and some random wood fence that you could maybe have a total of two chairs next to it. As for showers, not one of us was even able to see them. Do to COVID they may have had a change with hours (No problem!) but 10am - 6pm...really? it made it impossible for any of us to even shower simply because we ended up driving the 30 minutes to a different day use because even the swimming area is so small and crummy. I have been coming to campgrounds in this area since I was a child but I really have to say this place is a complete joke. As for the site it's self, maybe it would be okay for a trailer or RV but they should advertise it when someone is making reservations because I plan on letting others know to save their time and money to enjoy camping at other near by parks that have friendly camp host, showers available and a firepit that's able to be enjoyed. Everyone who joined us on this trip left very disappointed.