Camping near Prairie City, Oregon

Camping near Prairie City at a glance

Public campgrounds

13 (13 National Forest)

Getting a site

1 reservable and 12 first-come

Cost

7 free; lowest posted fee at Lower Camp Creek: "Single Site: $6 per night; additional vehicle $3"

Distance from Prairie City

7.9 miles (Dixie) to 27 miles (Crane Crossing) in a straight line; 7 within 15 miles

Elevation

4,000 ft (Lower Camp Creek) to 5,700 ft (Strawberry), 13 of 13 on record

Season

1 open all year, 2 seasonal with posted dates

Campsites

1 across the 1 campground that state a count

RVs

1 take RVs; no hookups on record; longest stated RV length 50 ft (Magone Lake Recreation Area)

Drinking water

2 of 13

Distances are straight-line miles from Prairie City'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 Prairie City

• Grant County RV Park, 12 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , County , reservable ($45/night full hookup (incl. room tax); tent $10/night in the Orchard Area; showers $5); listed under camping near John Day.
• Middle Fork, 13 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $8 per night); listed under camping near Austin Junction.
• Deerhorn Forest Camp, 13 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $8 per night); listed under camping near Austin Junction.
• Bates State Park, 13 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , State Park , first-come ; listed under camping near Greenhorn.
• Wickiup, 18 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $6 per night; additional vehicle $3 per night); listed under camping near John Day.
• Elk Flat Spring, 19 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Unity.
• Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site, 19 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , State Park , reservable (Residents: electric $29-$55 a night (2026 statewide ranges)); listed under camping near John Day.
• Oregon Campground, 19 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $10 per night); listed under camping near Unity.
• Big Creek, 19 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $8 per night); listed under camping near Seneca.
• Parish Cabin, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $8 per night; additional vehicle $4); listed under camping near Seneca.
• Raddue Forest Camp, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Mount Vernon.
• Yellow Pine Campground, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night); listed under camping near Unity.
• Head O' Boulder Forest Camp, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (free); listed under camping near Austin Junction.
• South Fork Campground, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night); listed under camping near Unity.
• Wetmore Campground, 20 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $15 per night); listed under camping near Unity.
• Starr, 21 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single Site: $6 per night; additional vehicle $3 per night); listed under camping near John Day.
• Olive Lake, 23 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , reservable (Single Site: $12 per night); listed under camping near Granite.
• Unity Lake State Recreation Site, 26 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , State Park , reservable (Residents: electric $29-$55 a night (2026 statewide ranges)); listed under camping near Unity.
• Welch Creek, 29 miles from Prairie City in a straight line , National Forest , first-come (Single site: $8 per night ($5 per vehicle beyond two); group site 6: $25 per night; fees through November 15); listed under camping near Dale.

Things to do near Prairie City

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

• Malheur National Forest, all 13 campgrounds here sit inside this national forest, the nearest Dixie at 7.9 miles from Prairie City; publiclandsdb.com has its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary.
• Sumpter Valley Interpretive Trail, at Dixie (7.9 miles from Prairie City): The Sumpter Valley Interpretive Trail and Davis Creek Trail are a short drive from this berry-picking and hunting base camp 8 miles east of Prairie City.
• Strawberry Basin Trailhead, at Strawberry (9.9 miles from Prairie City): The Strawberry Basin Trailhead is at the campground; Strawberry Basin Trail No. 375 connects to other Strawberry Mountain Wilderness trails for day hikes or backpacking.
• Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 11 miles from Prairie City; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Trout Farm pond, at Trout Farm (13 miles from Prairie City): A fishing pond with a barrier-free path along the shore and a barrier-free pier, next to a renovated covered picnic shelter, near the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.
• Bates State Park, a state park whose mapped point is 13 miles from Prairie City; its hours, entrance fee, and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.
• Arch Rock Trail #258, at Lower Camp Creek (15 miles from Prairie City): Less than a mile from camp, a short trail to an ash-flow tuff outcrop with a scenic arch and small rock shelters eroded into the rock.
• Strawberry Mountain Wilderness trailheads, at Murray (18 miles from Prairie City): Three Strawberry Mountain Wilderness trailheads (Lake Creek, Meadow Fork, Snowshoe/Big Creek) lie within 3 miles of the campground at the north edge of Logan Valley.
• North Fork Malheur Wild and Scenic River, at Elk Creek (21 miles from Prairie City): The small rustic campground sits near the North Fork Malheur Wild and Scenic River, with stream fishing; popular in hunting seasons.
• Monument Rock Wilderness, a wilderness area whose mapped point is 22 miles from Prairie City; its permit and camping rules and boundary on publiclandsdb.com.

Supplies and emergencies near Prairie City

Nearest emergency room: Blue Mountain Hospital, 170 Ford Rd, John Day, OR, 13 miles from Prairie City , (541) 575-1311. Next nearest: St. Alphonsus Medical Center - Baker City, 3325 Pocahontas Rd, Baker City, OR, 48 miles, (541) 523-6461. Both report emergency services in the CMS Hospital General Information dataset (accessed 2026-09-26) . In an emergency, call 911.

Groceries

• Mountain View Mini Mart convenience store · 0.1 miles
• Huffman's Market supermarket · 0.2 miles
• Chester's supermarket · 13 miles

Fuel

• Leather's Fuels fuel station · 13 miles
• FastBreak convenience store · 13 miles

RV dump station

• Clyde Holliday Campground campground · 19 miles

Pharmacy

• Prairie Drug pharmacy · 0.1 miles
• Len's Drug pharmacy · 12 miles

Not mapped in OpenStreetMap within 25 miles of Prairie City: propane, potable water fill, 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