Smiling River
Its 35 sites are reservable through Recreation.gov. Smiling River is a National Forest campground near Sisters, Oregon.
Reservable: Recreation.gov
1 / 4Smiling River Hero. Photo: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Managed by
- National Forest
- Max RV length
- 50 ft
Smiling River sits inside Deschutes National Forest. Its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com.
Getting a site
- Managed by
- National Forest
- Reservations
- Recreation.gov Book a site
- Fee
- Fee unknown, see agency
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Sites and hookups
- Total sites
- 35
- Max RV length
- 50 ft
- Site driveways
- Mixed
- ✓ Toilets
- ✓ Fire rings
- ✓ Pets allowed
On site: Toilets, fire rings, and pets allowed.
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Campsites
35 sites; 8 pull-through; the longest takes a 50 ft vehicle. Every site below links to its own page on Recreation.gov, where it is booked. Official site list and booking on recreation.gov.
| Book | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 001 |
| 002 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 002 |
| 003 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 003 |
| 004 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 004 |
| 005 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 005 |
| 006 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 26 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 006 |
| 007 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 007 |
| 008 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 008 |
| 009 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 009 |
| 010 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 010 |
| 011 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 011 |
| 012 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 26 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 012 |
| 013 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 26 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 013 |
| 014 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 014 |
| 015 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 015 |
| 016 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 016 |
| 017 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 017 |
| 018 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 40 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 018 |
| 019 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 019 |
| 020 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 020 |
| 021 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 36 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 021 |
| 022 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 022 |
| 023 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 023 |
| 024 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 40 ft | Pull-through | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 024 |
| 025 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 40 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 025 |
| 027 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 50 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 027 |
| 028 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 50 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 028 |
| 029 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 40 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 029 |
| 030 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 030 |
| 031 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 031 |
| 032 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 34 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 032 |
| 033 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 40 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 033 |
| 034 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 034 |
| 035 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 35 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 035 |
| 036 | SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND | Standard nonelectric | 30 ft | Back-in | Not on record | No | Yes | Book site 036 |
Data source: Recreation.gov , accessed 2026-09-29. Site details are Recreation.gov's own per-site listing and can differ from the campground-wide facts above.
Rules
- Pets
- Allowed
Source: recreation.gov, accessed 2026-09-29
Access and cell service
- Elevation
- 2,925 ft
Cell coverage by carrier (FCC map)
- AT&T
- 4G LTE and 5G (35/3 Mbps)
- T-Mobile
- No coverage at the campground; 4G LTE mapped about 0.5 mi away
- Verizon
- No coverage at the campground; 4G LTE mapped about 0.2 mi away
Source: FCC Broadband Data Collection, data as of December 31, 2025
Outdoor coverage each carrier reports to the FCC at this campground's map point, and the nearest mapped coverage within about half a mile. The FCC map only includes 4G LTE at 5/1 Mbps or better and 5G; a weaker signal, a text, or an emergency call may still get through, but don't count on it. These are carrier predictions, not measurements, and can be wrong either way: real service in canyons, under trees, and inside a tent or vehicle is often weaker. 5G speeds are the FCC's 7/1 and 35/3 Mbps tiers. This product uses the FCC Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the FCC.
44.4752, -121.6361 in Jefferson. Open in OpenStreetMap. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Common questions
Do you need a reservation at Smiling River?
How many campsites does Smiling River have?
Are there pull-through sites at Smiling River?
Are dogs allowed at Smiling River?
Is there cell service at Smiling River?
Who manages Smiling River?
Around Smiling River
The nearest lake with a fishing page is Lake Billy Chinook, whose mapped center point is 16 miles away in a straight line. Stocking record and species: Lake Billy Chinook fishing on fishypedia.com.
Hot springs, waterfalls and swimming nearby
Nearest to Smiling River, in straight-line miles: Clear Lake (swimming hole, 19 miles), Sahalie Falls (waterfall, 20 miles), Proxy Falls (waterfall, 26 miles), Breitenbush Hot Springs (hot spring, 27 miles), and Belknap Hot Springs (hot spring, 28 miles). Each has its own page on swimholesmap.com.
More campgrounds: camping near Sisters and campgrounds in Jefferson.
Sources
- apps.fs.usda.gov (all fields), accessed 2026-09-28
- recreation.gov (reservationSystem, reservationSystemName, reservationUrl, maxRvLengthFt, drivewayType, petsAllowed, fireRings, sites, campsites), accessed 2026-09-29
- epqs.nationalmap.gov (elevationFt), accessed 2026-09-29
- broadbandmap.fcc.gov (cellCoverage), accessed 2026-09-27
Photo credits
- Photo 1: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 2: USFS, via Recreation.gov, Public domain (US federal government work)
- Photo 3: U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Public domain (US federal government work, 17 U.S.C. 105)
- Photo 4: Bonnie Moreland, Public domain