Skull Hollow Campground

We were on a road trip and stayed here for three nights. The campground host was friendly and kept the bathrooms immaculate.

The sites are quite large so even though there is not a lot of vegetation for privacy you aren't too close to your neighbors. Most sites have at least one juniper tree that provides some shade but bringing a canopy, awning, or tarp is recommended.

There is no potable water so be sure to bring some. The area is hot, dry, and dusty.

This is a popular place for climbers to stay so if you plan to stay the weekend, arrive as early as possible.

We selected this campground because it was the closest to Smith Rock State Park. Sites are $10 and $20 for double sites. They do accept senior pass discounts but not for the double site. Their sign is confusing because they state that the senior discount is good only for single sites, stated in lower case not as in Single sites. We assumed since we were in one site even though a double and not one of their group sites, that the discount applied but that is not the case. We ended up paying $20 a night. We could've moved but didn't want to once we were settled. Other than the confusion, I liked the campground because I prefer FS and boondocking over state parks that tend to look like mini RV parks. The interior roads are dirt and gravel and sites are bordered by large boulders that can pose a challenge when parking. Each site has a table and fire ring. We stayed here in mid October and there were probably about half a dozen campers with a couple that looked long term. Coyotes at night a lot of birds. The host checks sites frequently and has firewood for sale. There is no dump station or water here, but unlimited water is available at another FS CG north of here with information available from the host. Large dumpsters are available with 2 pit toilets and a group of porta potties. Drive to Smith Rock is about 10 miles on paved road. Would definitely stay here again, but in a cheaper site! Verizon coverage is excellent here.

On a road trip with Smith Rock as one of our destinations and stumbled on Skull Hollow based on the price ($10 per night or $5 day use; 10am-4pm). We love campsites like this. The entire grounds are spread out and offer lots of privacy. While there is no water source, the camp host was selling gallon jugs for $1.50 and firewood If needed. Standard Vault toilets were clean and the place was quiet. Our only disappointment is that we couldn’t stay longer simply because of our itinerary. Smith Rock State Park is 12-15 mins away. I’ll stay here again the next time I visit.

This campground has been expanded for the 2019 season and now has 60+ sites for tent camping, vans and RVs. There are several vault toilets but no restrooms per se and no water. Cost is $10 and $5 if you have a federal senior pass. Lots of climbers use the dirt road running past this campground to disperse camp adjacent to the road. Bring water and a personal privy for human waste if you go this route. There are several trails for hiking and mountain biking near this campground.

This is a really nice campground with 28 well spaced out sites of varying size. It is $5 per night and half off with the Access/Senior Pass, but not the regular Interagency Pass. We visited in early November and it was about a third full with mostly climbers when we arrived on a Sunday, and it was completely full the following Friday/Saturday nights. We didn't interact much with the camp host, Gary, but he seemed friendly and had firewood for sale.

There were two or three pull throughs and the rest were a vast range of sizes and layouts. Some sites had short parking areas and big open spaces for tents, while others had wide and shallow parking areas that could accommodate a rig parked parallel to the road. The site we chose was ultimately fairly square and deep enough for us to very comfortably pull our 33' rig in and still have space leftover.

The real charm of this place won't be realized until you roll down your window because the smell from so many junipers is pretty impressive. There is a trailhead nearby that loops for 22 miles back to the same parking lot. We hiked ion it into the mountain for a few miles and turned back. Cell service is strong and there was some good HDTV signal. Pit toilets were clean although we only went in them a few times. Smith Rock nearby is a great place for a day trip.

This inexpensive BLM park has two impeccably clean vault toilets, 28 spacious sites and is only 15 minutes from Smith Rock. There's a little road noise because of the location but other than that it's pretty great. Dedicated, super-friendly camp host (Gary) really keeps this campground in ship-shape condition.

Those with very large rigs may have fewer spots to choose from as most are shorter pull-in sites. It was 3/4 full during the week before Memorial Day. Could be party central on the weekends with the mountain bike and climber crowd. Probably full starting on Fridays, so get there early!

Great 3-4 bars Verizon LTE.

While the major appeal is proximity to Smith Rock (the on-site campground is tent only - no sleeping in vehicles or trailers), Skull Hollow is actually quite nice. One big loop dotted with junipers with an open meadow in the middle. The Misery Ridge hike at Smith Rock was one of our favorites of all time. Even though it's only 3 miles or so, it's got spectacular views of the climbers and enough vertical to leave you limping for a few days.