Camping near Mitchell, Oregon

Camping near Mitchell at a glance

Public campgrounds

6 (6 National Forest)

Getting a site

1 reservable and 5 first-come

Cost

5 free

Distance from Mitchell

10 miles (Scotts Camp) to 20 miles (Cottonwood Pit) in a straight line; 3 within 15 miles

Elevation

4,724 ft (Ochoco Divide Group Site) to 5,729 ft (Cottonwood), 6 of 6 on record

Campsites

8 across the 2 campgrounds that state a count

RVs

1 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 25 ft (Barnhouse)

Distances are straight-line miles from Mitchell'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.

More campgrounds within 30 miles of Mitchell

• Wildwood, 11 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Ochoco Divide, 13 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ; listed under camping near Prineville.
• Walton Lake, 13 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Prineville.
• John Day River Basin Developed Campgrounds, 17 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , BLM , first-come ; listed under camping near Spray.
• Whistler, 17 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Deep Creek, 17 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $8 per night); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Ochoco Forest Camp, 18 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $25 per night); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Bingham Spring, 19 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Biggs Springs, 22 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Post.
• White Rock, 22 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Shelton Wayside County Park Campground, 22 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , County , first-come ($20 first night, $15 each additional night; $5 per extra vehicle; groups site fee plus $2 per person); listed under camping near Fossil.
• Wildcat, 23 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($20 single campsite; $10 extra vehicle; $50 group site); listed under camping near Prineville.
• Robinson Campground, 24 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , Tribal Land , reservable ; listed under camping near Fossil.
• Bear Hollow County Park Campground, 25 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , County , first-come ($20 first night, $15 each additional night; $5 per extra vehicle; groups site fee plus $2 per person); listed under camping near Fossil.
• Wolf Creek, 27 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $6 per night; additional vehicle $3 per night); listed under camping near Paulina.
• Sugar Creek, 29 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , National Forest , first-come ($8 per night for the first vehicle; $3 each additional vehicle); listed under camping near Paulina.
• Wheeler County Fairgrounds RV Park, 29 miles from Mitchell in a straight line , County , reservable ($30/night RV space, $25 dry camp, $15 tent; $175/week (electric incl.); shower $3); listed under camping near Fossil.

Things to do near Mitchell

Public land and water within 30 miles of Mitchell, the public land its campgrounds sit in, and landmarks at those campgrounds, nearest first.

• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a National Park Service unit whose mapped point is 7.1 miles from Mitchell; its entrance fees, current alerts and fire restrictions, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Bridge Creek Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 7.3 miles from Mitchell; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Big Summit Prairie and Bridge Creek Wilderness, at Scotts Camp (10 miles from Mitchell): Free campground at the junction of FR 22, 3010 and 2630, between Big Summit Prairie to the south and the Bridge Creek Wilderness to the north.
• Ochoco National Forest, all 6 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Scotts Camp at 10 miles from Mitchell; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
• Barnhouse Trail (#813), at Barnhouse (13 miles from Mitchell): The trailhead for Barnhouse Trail (#813) is in the northwest corner of the campground, set among large ponderosa pines a few miles off US 26.
• Mill Creek Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 18 miles from Mitchell; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Historic Summit Trail, at Cottonwood (20 miles from Mitchell): A primitive camp near Rock Creek and the route of the Historic Summit Trail; a water-filled former gravel pit nearby is used for summer swimming.
• Cottonwood Pit swimming hole, at Cottonwood Pit (20 miles from Mitchell): The campground sits in an old gravel pit that filled with groundwater; it is now a local swimming hole, occasionally stocked with trout.
• Spring Basin Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 23 miles from Mitchell; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Black Canyon Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 30 miles from Mitchell; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Mitchell

Nearest emergency room: St Charles Medical Center Prineville, 384 SE Combs Flat Rd, Prineville, OR, 38 miles from Mitchell , (541) 447-6254. Next nearest: St Charles Madras, 470 NE A St, Madras, OR, 48 miles, (541) 475-3882. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.

Groceries

• Wheeler County Trading Co convenience store · 0.5 miles
• Service Creek Resort general store · 17 miles · (541) 468-3331

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Mitchell: fuel station, propane, RV dump station, potable water fill, pharmacy, laundromat, 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