Agency-listedUSFSFee
Smiling River
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · OR · 44.47518, -121.63612
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Smiling River
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,925 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Smiling RiverNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Smiling River · Deschutes National Forest · OR
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- PPropane1 mi
- FFuel1 mi
- @Mail1 mi
- WWater7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- AAir-up13 mi
- EVEV fast charger13 mi
- RxPharmacy13 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- DDump19 mi
- OOutfitter24 mi
- MMechanic26 mi
- LLaundry27 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Smiling River
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,925 ft
State
OR
Coordinates
44.47518, -121.63612
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Smiling River · Deschutes National Forest · OR (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townCamp Sherman · ~1.9 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.7 mi
- FuelFuel · ~1.1 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~1.1 mi
- Dump station~19.4 mi
- GroceriesGeneral Store · ~7.0 mi
- PharmacyBi-Mart · ~13.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicHigh Lakes Health Care · ~13.2 mi
- HardwareHoyt's Hardware & Building Supply · ~13.2 mi
EV charging — from Smiling River · Deschutes National Forest · OR — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger12.8 mi straight-line S — WCEH Sisters · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 36 within 50 · 237 within 100 · 323 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)12.9 mi — Sisters, OR - Tesla Supercharger, Sisters
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.8 mi — WCEH Sisters · EVCS · CHAdeMO, J1772, CCS · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 73410 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Smiling River · Deschutes National Forest · OR — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSmiling River · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletAllingham · ~0.3 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Rest · ~0.5 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGorge · ~0.7 mi N · USFS
Open Smiling River elsewhere
Other camps near Smiling River
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Allingham~0.3 mi · fee
- Pine Rest~0.5 mi · fee
- Gorge~0.7 mi · fee
- Camp Sherman~0.8 mi · fee
The unit that manages Smiling River
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Smiling River are set by Deschutes National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Smiling River
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified. | Fee 2026-08-20: $29 per night for a single campsite and $31 for a premium campsite, one vehicle included and $10 for each additional vehicle. recreation.gov's 2026 season (May 22 to Oct 10) lists the same $29 and $31. Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/deschutes/recreation/smiling-river-campground.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Smiling River
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Smiling River
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Camping with a dog →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →