Steelhead Falls Trailhead & Campground

Parking is roadside, but there’s plenty of places to roam and set up a tent. Beautiful views and adjacent to the Deschutes River. Fell asleep to the sound of rushing water. Priceless! No one around, but my dog and me. I’d stay here in a heartbeat during the winter. I’m sure it gets pretty busy in the summer though, which wouldn’t be my kinda thing. Nice wooded area to disperse camp. Trails to hike and waterfalls to see. I highly recommend this camp area during the off season.

Quiet campsite on BLM land. Pit toilet. Flat sites far enough away from each other for privacy even though the terrain is pretty open. Easy tenting. Hot and dry during the day but cooled off at night and had great view of the night sky. Half mile easy hike to the waterfall but the trail keeps going another Half-ish mile for a slightly longer walk. Lots of fishermen and folks walking the trail in the morning.

All of the campsites on the rt hand side of the road (all the good ones) are permanently blocked off. If you have any expectations of camping Along the river as some of the pictures suggest then you'll be sorely disappointed. Even if you walk to the river it’s about a 100ft drop down to it.

We stayed here in a little tent and was a great night sleep. Loads of space to put a tent or park an RV. They have a vault toilet. Only half a mile to see the steelhead waterfall

There is a sign in the way in indicating 30ft length max, but there is no mention on the BLM site. They must mean trailer length since we had no issues with our 22' trailer and rig (40ft total). There are only 2 spots and the end loop where a trailer will fit, have a backup plan if you have a trailer just in case they are taken.

Stopped here in Redmond to do some fantastic climbing in Smith’s Rock State Park. Clean pit bathroom and clean sites. Little to no trash on the trails to the falls themselves. Does get kinda busy throughout the day, however, no one is coming over to the camping side.

There aren't a ton of free camping options near Redmond. This is a great option. Only 2-3 spots for vans/small RVs. The other spots are clearly for tent camping. Would definitely recommend for a few days. I will say the vault toilets are disgusting- so plan accordingly. The hike is a great combination of short and pretty :-)

GPS: 44.410140, -121.293505

they’ve blocked off a lot car camping spots, there was only 2 that were big enough for my Tacoma one of which was taken up already. Zero privacy.

Very easy, lots of campsites, a toilet, good reception(for s campsite). Can recommend going to the river for a swim!

Great spot to pull up for the night to sleep in your car, and nice place to wake up and take a walk down to the falls. Came on a weekday.

Nice campground on the Deschutes. I camped here before hitting smith rock the next morning. Lots of options but entirely full on Saturday night. Filthiest pit toilet I've ever seen. Still preferable to Smith Rock climber's bivy.

We actually found this spot on this app actually & it was better than we expected. To see the waterfall, there is a 1/2 mile hike & it was beautiful! There were a few camp spots, they’re kinda close to each other but enough distance for some privacy. If you want to camp by the cliff to see the river, you won’t be able to drive to the spot, it’s blocked off. You’ll have to carry your stuff to the spot which there’s parking nearby so it’s not a far distance. But if you don’t mind the cliff camp spots then there are spot where you can drive into & camp inside your car or next to your car. The spots away from the cliff aren’t as big as the camp spots by the cliff, just fyi. This is a great place to come with a group of people! Totally recommend!

Perfect area. Camped most weekends throughout summer, pretty consistently busy and open landscape but people have always been quiet and respectful. Bathrooms are convenient. Waterfall is gorgeous. Convenient and awesome location for smith trips

Great that this place is free. It's very well kept, but the camp sites are pretty close together. There's probably about 8-10 sites on a 1/4 mile stretch of dirt road. They're a little too close to the road for my taste, so not ideal if you're looking for privacy. The one campsite that sits along the river cliff is a walk-in site, so if you have minimal gear and aren't sleeping in your vehicle, that could make for the best experience at this location. Also... I'm glad I brought my pop-up firepit; the established fire ring was on a slant and would've made for uncomfortable seating.

Overall amazing location and access to stores nearby while also feeling submersed in nature. Only have access to a bathroom. However, there is a river nearby that you can access for water mind it is very cold water. There are a lot of trails around the camp site as well! I thought I’d be far away from any stores yet, very much the opposite. There is a whole city of stores and even got dominoes. The closest convenience store is around 10-15 min depending on how fast you are going. Considering there is no fee to camp here it is a 10/10.

Beautiful trip. Breathtaking drives and not hard to find with given coordinates. Dirt roads are not too hard to drive but during the dry months it is extremely dusty. The campground on the trailhead is nice but a little too close for dispersed camping. Trail is not too long to a waterfall. You can fish and jump off the rocks into the water. We stayed one night at the designated camp site but ended driving about 10 minutes down a dirt road next the the campground entrance that is actual dispersed camping. Really enjoyed that spot with a trail down to the river and 2 drive in spots and multiple walk in campsites along the cliffs. 

So so beautiful and scenic! Also very hot and dry, as to be expected in the high desert. The scent of Mock orange hung heavy in the evenings air and the waterfalls area had a pool nearby you could hang out in. TONS of desert wildflowers too, along with several hundred year old juniper trees and sagebrush lizards all over bathing on rocks in the morning sun. It was during bitterly breeding season too, it’s a breeding ground for monarchs! No fires due to fire restrictions and the GPS coordinates on here took us an hour past the destination.. we found it eventually after good going though.

This was a gorgeous and peaceful stop on our trip around Oregon. All sites are first come first serve. We were there mid week and didn’t have trouble getting a spot, but it sounds like it’s busier on the weekends. We could not believe this beautiful and well kept park was completely free! We can’t wait to go back.