Prineville Reservoir State Park is a great place to go visit! It is a place that one can visit on the way to visit John Day Fossil Beds. There are great views of the Southern skies The gate to the boat ramp area which gets locked fairly early in the evening. The camp hosts and rangers are strict about enforcing the ‘no overnight parking’ policy in this lot. There is pull-off down the road that was much better for observing uninterrupted. Prineville Reservoir State Park is definitely a fun place to visit regardless of whether one is passing through the area.
The only group that uses this state park for parties or activities is the Oregon Observatory, which hosts their annual star party at the day use area. That said, there is room for those who wish to bring their gear out to do some observing while camping or being in the area. This is a Bortle Scale of type 2 so it’s very dark, similar to Cherry Springs State Park in PA, so it is a bit darker than some of the other areas in the suburbs of some other major Oregon and PNW cities.
Courtesy of OregonStateParks.org
Location
- How far outside of Portland? 166 miles (3.5 hours)
- Google Maps Location
Parking
- # of spots: 20
- Cost For Parking: $5 or Oregon State Parks Pass
- Parking Permit(s) Required: Oregon State Parks Fee
- Where Permit(s) Can Be Obtained: Gate if purchasing there or wherever State Parks Passes are sold
Overnight Accomodations
Prineville Reservoir Campground Info can be found at Oregon State Parks and reservations can be made using Reserve America.
Rate Type
Cost
Boat moorage
$10
Deluxe cabin
$89
Electrical
$31
Extra vehicle
$7
Full Hookup
$33
Pet Friendly Deluxe Cabin
$99
Tent site
$21
Upcoming Weather
PRINEVILLE WEATHER
Current Seeing Conditions/Forecast Charts
The chart above is courtesy of ClearDarkSky.com and the chart below is courtesy of Clearoutside.com
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