Camping near Merlin, Oregon
Camping near Merlin, Oregon includes 5 public campgrounds on record, 3 reservable and 2 first-come. Most (3 of 5) are run by a county parks department. The nearest, Indian Mary County Park Campground, is 6 miles from Merlin in a straight line, and all 5 are within 15 miles. 1 stays open all year. Another 21 public campgrounds filed under nearby towns are within 30 miles of Merlin.
Indian Mary County Park Campground Ennis Riffle County Park Campground Almeda County Park Campground Big Pine Sam Brown 
Camping near Merlin at a glance
- Public campgrounds
- 5 (3 County, 2 National Forest)
- Getting a site
- 3 reservable and 2 first-come
- Cost
- Lowest posted fee at Big Pine: "Single Site: $5 per night"
- Distance from Merlin
- 6 miles (Indian Mary County Park Campground) to 14 miles (Sam Brown) in a straight line; 5 within 15 miles
- Elevation
- 688 ft (Almeda County Park Campground) to 2,100 ft (Big Pine), 5 of 5 on record
- Season
- 1 open all year
- Campsites
- 31 across the 2 campgrounds that state a count
- RVs
- 1 take RVs; hookups at Indian Mary County Park Campground
- Drinking water
- 2 of 5
Distances are straight-line miles from Merlin's point in the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2025), not driving distances. Every other fact comes from each campground's own sourced record, linked from its page.
Reservable Indian Mary County Park Campground - Agency
- County
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- $50/night full, $40 partial, $35 tent (May 15 to Sept. 15); $40/$35/$30 off-season; group $90
- Agency
- County
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- $15/night gravel bar camping (undeveloped)
- Agency
- County
- Sites
- Not on record
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- $25/night tent site; group site $75; yurt $55; $9 reservation fee
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 12
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $5 per night
- Agency
- National Forest
- Sites
- 19
- Season
- Not on record
- Fee
- Single Site: $10 per night; additional vehicle $5 per night
No campgrounds match.
More campgrounds within 30 miles of Merlin
- Griffin County Park Campground, 4.8 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($50/night full hookup, $35 tent (May 15 to Sept. 15); $40/$30 rest of year; yurt $65 to $70; $9 res. fee); listed under camping near Grants Pass.
- Whitehorse County Park Campground, 5.9 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($35/night full hookup, $25 tent (year-round); yurt $55; $9 reservation fee); listed under camping near Grants Pass.
- Schroeder County Park Campground, 6.7 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($50/night full hookup, $35 tent (May 15 to Sept. 15); $40/$30 rest of year; group $90; $9 res. fee); listed under camping near Grants Pass.
- Wolf Creek County Park Campground, 12 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($30/night water/electric, $25 tent (year-round); group site $75; $9 reservation fee); listed under camping near Wolf Creek.
- Valley of the Rogue State Park, 17 miles from Merlin in a straight line , State Park , reservable (Residents: full hookup $31-$60, electric $29-$55 a night (2026 statewide ranges)); listed under camping near Foots Creek.
- Spalding Pond, 18 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night; additional vehicle $5 per night); listed under camping near Grants Pass.
- Skull Creek Campground, 19 miles from Merlin in a straight line , BLM , first-come (No fees); listed under camping near Glendale.
- Lake Selmac County Park Campground, 20 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($40/night full hookup, $35 partial, $30 tent (year-round); yurt $65; group $75; $9 reservation fee); listed under camping near Selma.
- Elderberry Flat Campground, 20 miles from Merlin in a straight line , BLM (No fee); listed under camping near Rogue River.
- Sixmile Camp, 22 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($10 per site per night (as of 2026)); listed under camping near Selma.
- River Bench Campground, 22 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per site; day use $5 per vehicle); listed under camping near Selma.
- Store Gulch Campground, 22 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night; additional vehicle $5 per night (cashless, Recreation.gov Scan and Pay)); listed under camping near Selma.
- Echo Beach Campground, 23 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Selma.
- Josephine Creek Camp, 23 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Selma.
- Chinquapinn Camp Group Campground, 26 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Group Site: $75 per night (whole site)); listed under camping near Cave Junction.
- Grayback, 26 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night); listed under camping near Cave Junction.
- Cantrall Buckley County Park Campground, 28 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , first-come ($30/night (1 vehicle included); group campground $100/night); listed under camping near Ruch.
- Southern Oregon RV Park, 28 miles from Merlin in a straight line , County , reservable ($45/night standard (60 by 12 ft), $47 premium (75 by 15 ft); reservation fee $8 online, $10 by phone); listed under camping near Central Point.
- Devils Flat, 29 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Azalea.
- Rogue River Dispersed Campsites, 29 miles from Merlin in a straight line , National Forest ; listed under camping near Powers.
- Seven Feathers RV Resort, 30 miles from Merlin in a straight line , Tribal Land , reservable (RV sites from $89 and $93 per night, based on availability); listed under camping near Canyonville.
Things to do near Merlin
Public land and water within 30 miles of Merlin, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.
- Rogue River and disc golf, at Indian Mary County Park Campground (6 miles from Merlin): A 61-acre Rogue River park with a boat ramp, swimming, a 9-hole disc golf course and bird-rich woods.
- Ennis Riffle, at Ennis Riffle County Park Campground (8 miles from Merlin): A gravel and sand bar on the Rogue River, a popular fishing access; the lower section is BLM land.
- Rogue River boat ramp, at Almeda County Park Campground (9.6 miles from Merlin): Rogue River park 19 miles down Merlin-Galice Road with a boat ramp for rafting, boating and fishing.
- Big Pine, at Big Pine (13 miles from Merlin): The campground is home to what was once the world's tallest ponderosa pine tree.
- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests, 2 of the 5 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Big Pine at 13 miles from Merlin; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
- Briggs Valley meadow, at Sam Brown (14 miles from Merlin): Campground ringed around a large meadow with a mining and homestead history on Briggs Creek, with 2 picnic shelters, an amphitheater and trails for hiking, biking, horses and motorcycles.
- Valley of the Rogue State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 16 miles from Merlin; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Illinois River Forks State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 28 miles from Merlin; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Wild Rogue Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 29 miles from Merlin; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
- Kalmiopsis Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 30 miles from Merlin; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
Supplies and emergencies near Merlin
Nearest emergency room: Asante Three Rivers Medical Center, 500 SW Ramsey Ave, Grants Pass, OR, 8.3 miles from Merlin , (541) 472-7000. Next nearest: Providence Medford Medical Center, 1111 Crater Lake Ave, Medford, OR, 32 miles, (541) 732-5000. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.
- Groceries
-
- Lil' Pantry
- Pinnacle 365
- Pinnacle 365
- Fuel
-
- Phillips 66
- 76
- Sinclair
- RV dump station
-
- Medford/Gold Hill KOA Journey
- Pharmacy
-
- Grants Pass Pharmacy
- Albertsons Pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy
- Laundromat
-
- Washing Well
Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Merlin: propane, potable water fill, and ice. Stores, fuel, propane, dump stations, water fill, laundromats, and pharmacies are the nearest few mapped within 25 miles, straight-line, © OpenStreetMap contributors (data as of 2026-09-29; this extract under the ODbL). Hours are as mapped; call ahead.
Common questions
Where can I camp around Merlin, OR?
5 public campgrounds are on record near Merlin. Nearest first, straight-line from town: Indian Mary County Park Campground (6 miles), Ennis Riffle County Park Campground (8 miles), Almeda County Park Campground (9.6 miles), Big Pine (13 miles), and 1 more. 3 book through CampLife (Josephine County Parks) and 2 are first-come, first-served with no reservations.
Is there free camping near Merlin, OR?
Not at a developed campground: each of the 5 public campgrounds on record near Merlin charges a fee, listed in the table.
Where can I camp with an RV near Merlin, OR?
1 campground near Merlin takes RVs: Indian Mary County Park Campground. Indian Mary County Park Campground has hookups. The nearest mapped RV dump station is at Medford/Gold Hill KOA Journey, 21 miles from town (OpenStreetMap).
Where can I go tent camping near Merlin, OR?
Almeda County Park Campground and Indian Mary County Park Campground list tent or walk-in sites on record.
Where can I camp near Merlin with drinking water?
Almeda County Park Campground and Indian Mary County Park Campground have potable water on record.
Are there year-round campgrounds near Merlin, OR?
Yes: Almeda County Park Campground is open all year, per the managing agency. The rest are seasonal or have no season on record.
Where is the nearest emergency room to Merlin, OR?
Asante Three Rivers Medical Center, 500 SW Ramsey Ave, Grants Pass, OR, is 8.3 miles from Merlin in a straight line and reports emergency services to CMS; phone (541) 472-7000. In an emergency, call 911.
Every campground in the state: camping in Oregon ; by agency: County campgrounds in Oregon and National Forest campgrounds in Oregon ; by county: campgrounds in Josephine .