Big Bend Campground

Our Take

What makes Big Bend Campground special

Big Bend Campground earns its name honestly. The North Fork of the John Day River makes a wide, graceful turn here, and the campground sits right along its banks in a stretch of eastern Oregon that feels genuinely far from civilization. The nearest town of any size is a long drive away, and that remoteness is precisely the point. This is a place built for people who want the river, the stars, and not much else. The landscape is quintessential high-desert river canyon: ponderosa pines providing dappled shade, basalt rimrock rising above the valley, and sagebrush-covered hills rolling toward the Blue Mountains in the distance. The North Fork is renowned among fly fishers for its wild steelhead runs and healthy populations of native redband trout, and the deep pools and riffles around the big bend are among the most productive on the river. Wildlife is abundant, with elk herds, mule deer, bald eagles, and osprey all making regular appearances. The campground offers a modest number of sites with basic facilities and no hookups, keeping the experience rooted in simplicity. Late spring through early fall is the primary season, with autumn bringing cooler temperatures and spectacular golden cottonwoods along the river. Sites are first-come, first-served and seldom full. If your idea of a perfect campground involves falling asleep to the sound of moving water with no one else around, Big Bend is calling.