Muleshoe Campground

The perfect place between John Day National Monuments Clarno Unit & Painted Hills. Easy to access, beautiful scenery right on the water.

$5 overnight fee. Vehicle sites are pretty close together but traveling through November there was only one other camper. There are walk-up sites too.

Bathroom was maintained well and does not have running water.

We selected Muleshoe as our base for exploring all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds, and as mentioned by other reviewers it is centrally located to all three units of the national monument. However, keep in mind that the units are very far apart -- it's over 75 miles from the visitor center to the Clarno Unit, on winding roads. So being in the middle of the three units puts you exactly in the middle of nowhere. It was interesting to spend several days driving through dramatic valleys with virtually no people (but a lot of cows), but we ultimately concluded that being in such a remote area was a hassle, since we had to closely manage our gas stops and of course there was no cell service to be found. Considering that the campground offers little in the way of services, other than a pit toilet, if we were to visit the area again I think we would prefer boondocking at the Burnt Ranch Road site. At least it's close to Mitchell, where there is gas, cell service on AT&T, and some restaurants, plus proximity to US26.

The campground itself is fairly small (just 6 RV sites plus a bunch of walk-in tent sites) but it was certainly not crowded. On the three nights of our stay, we had the following number of neighbors: 1, 0, and 4 (!). RV sites are all backin, and are fairly long and level, with gravel surfaces, and have a decent amount of separation between sites. We liked having our rear picture window face back toward the river and the mountains on the other side of the river. The campground loop road was sort of narrow and heavily pitted with large potholes. The campground gets dinged on cleanliness because apparently no one bothers to clean up after their dogs -- both at the campground at the national monument. We haven't spent this much time hopping over dog poop since our last visit to New York City! The campground is easy to access off Oregon Route 19. We had no issues with noise at all, since there is really no traffic in the area, and this would be an excellent dark sky location for star gazing (we unfortunately had clouds).

Centrally located for access to the 3 John Day Fossil Bed Units (number 7 on the map).
BLM camp with plenty of room for large rigs – officially 50’ max (download regional map with camping resources from the John Day monument web site). There are 6 RV sites, two vault toilets. There are also 7 walk in tent sites with picnic tables and fire pits. Very quiet except for the John Day river and honking Canada geese. Very little highway traffic. Mid-April weather was mild (mid 60s daytime, mid 40s at night). Beautiful views all around. $2.50 per night with senior pass.
There is a dump station in Spray, about 10 miles East, but no fresh water. Spray dump station - 44.83701°N 119.79543°W. There is gas in Spray (regular and diesel), Kimberly (91 octane only), and Fossil (regular and diesel). No gas in Mitchell. Fuel is cheaper in John Day by about $.20/gal. Plan fuel your stops!

Zip cell coverage.,

This was an awesome little campground, so picturesque on the John Day River among the mountains/cliffs that mark this whole area. Sunsets were lovely. Sites were spacious,though no other means of privacy. Seemed popular/appreciated by locals, though it wasn't full, even on the weekend. Close to the road, but very few cars. Big picnic tables and firepits. Pit toilets clean. Could walk down to river. Heard coyotes our first night. Very convenient if you are doing the fossil beds sites - we went to Painted Hill, then on the way to Clarno, dropped the trailer off at the campground. Gas up before 5- opportunities are few and far between. Not a lick of cell service.