Bald Butte Lookout in OR -- Campground & RV Camping in Oregon
Bald Butte Lookout in OR
Campgroundusfs
37 mi from Lakeview
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- Road difficulty 4 of 5: a difficult drive in.
- Recorded as maintained for high-clearance vehicles, dirt, pitching to 12%, 100% of it on a shelf.
Campground details
Setting
Historic 1931 fire lookout tower rental atop Bald Butte in Fremont-Winema National Forest, 1 hour 20 minutes southwest of Paisley, OR. Sleeps two in 14'×14' space with cots, propane stove, heater, and lights. Vault toilet and fire ring outside; no potable water. Rent June 15–Oct 15 at $40/night via recreation.gov. Guests provide sleeping bags, linens, cooking equipment, and water.
Getting there: From the Paisley District Office, travel 0.5 miles north on Highway 31 and turn left on Mill Street. Stay on Mill Street to the Y junction (turns into gravel at this point) , then turn right on Forest Road 3315. Continue on Forest Road 3315 for 21 miles. Turn left on Forest Road 28, and travel 0.5 miles to the junction with Forest Road 3411. Turn right on Forest Road 3411 and travel 2 miles to Forest Road 450 (450 is not marked, there is a sign that says Bald Butte with an arrow). Turn right on Forest Road 450; this leads to the top of Bald Butte. The last 2 miles of road on Forest Road 450 to Bald Butte Lookout are minimally passable for low clearance or highway vehicles. The road is steep, rough and may have large rocks that should be moved. Large RVs are not recommended on this road.
- Well separated here, a single-site campground with the nearest through road 0.8 miles off.
- Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
- Cabins and shelters rather than pads.
- Bald Butte Spring lies 0.4 mi off.
Climate averages
September normals 36–65°F, 0.8″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 100 of 100.