Free Camp Guide
Aerial view of Drift Fence Campground

Oregon Umatilla National Forest

Drift Fence Campground

Free to campSet campsiteNo waterToiletSome roads are rough
Free to camp The Forest Service record for this site says there is no charge to camp, as of August 2026. Records get old, so look for a sign when you pull in.

About this place

Drift Fence sits along the paved Blue Mountain Scenic Byway, and it has always been a hunting camp.

It is small. The camp is rustic, and the short access road in is in poor condition.

There are 6 campsites. There are vault toilets, two of them.

There is no drinking water and no trash service, so take everything home and deal with it there.

The country around offers hunting, wildflowers, wildlife and photographs.

There is fishing at several stocked ponds nearby, including Twin Ponds, where the annual Fishing Derby is held.

If you like driving, pick up the Ukiah-Granite Roadside Geology tour brochure at the Ranger District and take a day trip to Granite.

The Bridge Creek Wildlife Viewing Area, for elk, is a few miles down the road.

The facts

Cost
Free to camp
Roads around it
On the paved Blue Mountain Scenic Byway, but the short access road is in poor condition
Drinking water
No, bring your own
Toilet
Yes
Type
Specific campsite
Managed by
Umatilla National Forest

The roads around this place are not maintained for a regular car. That comes from the US Forest Service, who grade every road by the kind of vehicle it is looked after for. Those records cover the roads nearby. They do not cover the last stretch in to the campsite, and nobody has checked that part. Treat this as a warning. We are not promising what you will find when you get there. If you have driven it, tell us what it was like and we will say so here.

Getting there

Coordinates 45.071589, -118.876447

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

Nothing nationally famous is close. These are the landmarks nearby.

Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.

Nearest town and supplies

Pilot Rock is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.

Have you been here?

Fees and access change, and the records do not always keep up. If you have been, tell us what you found.

Add road notes for this site

The thing we cannot get from any government record is what the drive in is actually like. If you have done it, this is the most useful thing you can leave behind. We read everything before it appears, and we print a first name with it if you give one.

Where this information comes from

The description on this page is ours. The facts in it, and the fee and facility details below it, come from the Forest Service’s own records, read in August 2026.