Free camping near John Day, OR
Within 25 straight-line miles of John Day, OR there are 21 camps: 8 free, 13 fee. The closest is Pine Creek Horse Camp, 8.6 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Pine Creek Horse Camp, 8.6 miles out.
Who manages them: 21 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Creek Horse Camp | 8.6 | Free | Gwyn Creek (stream) | 7.5 mi to Canyon City | — |
| Magone Lake Recreation Area | 9.3 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to John Day | — |
| Fall Mountain Lookout | 9.6 | Free | Hanscombe Creek (stream) | 8.1 mi to Canyon City | — |
| Starr | 11 | Fee | — | 9.0 mi to Seneca | — |
| Raddue Forest Camp | 12 | Free | Beech Creek (stream) | 6.8 mi to Fox | — |
| Wickiup | 15 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Seneca | — |
| Strawberry | 16 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Prairie | — |
| Slide Creek | 16 | Free | Onion Creek (stream) | 8.7 mi to Prairie City | — |
| Slide Horse Camp | 16 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Prairie | — |
| Mcnaughton Spring | 16 | Free | Onion Creek (stream) | 8.5 mi to Prairie City | — |
| Billy Fields | 18 | Free | — | — | — |
| Parish Cabin | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Seneca | — |
| Lower Camp Creek | 19 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Greenhorn | — |
| Oregon Mine | 20 | Free | Tex Creek (stream) | 13 mi to Mount Vernon | — |
| Dixie | 20 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Prairie | — |
| Murray | 21 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Prairie | — |
| Trout Farm | 21 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Prairie | — |
| Crescent Campground | 22 | Free | John Day River (river) | 15 mi to Prairie City | — |
| Middle Fork | 23 | Fee | — | 7.6 mi to Greenhorn | — |
| Deerhorn Forest Camp | 23 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Greenhorn | — |
| Big Creek | 24 | Fee | — | — | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from John Day, OR, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.