Two night camping trip report - Painted Hills, Oregon

[thatbaldwinlife]

As summer is coming to a close, my wife and I wanted to get out east and spend some time in the Painted Hills area of Oregon. Summers there can be pretty hot and late September makes for pleasant daytime temps but it can be chilly at night. We brought our Mr. Buddy heater to keep us toasty.
We left Portland around 10:00am Friday morning with the goal of getting out to Mitchell by dinner time. We took highway 26 all the way over and stopped at Wraptitude to have lunch in Welches. Had a very good Greek wrap and we shared a black cherry cider.
Stopped in Prinveville for gas and headed straight to the Painted Hills as the weather was still fantastic. The forecast called for rain/snow the next day so we wanted to be able to walk around while we could.
The drive in from the highway was beautiful

On our way to the first walk/viewpoint

Out to the Painted Cove trail

Red Hill Trail

After a few hours there we decided to head into Mitchell and see about some food. But more pics on the way out because it is so beautiful.

I had heard about the Tiger Town Brewery and we headed the few miles up 26 to Mitchell. Mitchell is a very small "town" with a very old feeling. The pub is very small with seating inside for only 20-25 people. The owner came over and suggested a dark cream ale for us to start with. It was pretty amazing. The menu even had a few vegetarian options and included a Beyond Meat burger! We ordered two of those to go with our beers. The "kitchen" is really a food truck outside as the pub was an old tire shop with limited space. It was actually the second Les Schwab if you are a NW person. If you are in the area, please stop on by.
https://www.tigertownbrewing.com/

The "town" of Mitchell

We needed to find camp now as the sun was starting to set. We headed out of town on Hwy 207 and took the first dirt road we could find. About two miles down, a bluff to the left had a road with an amazing campsite. It was obviously a hunting camp by the bones and carcasses laying down the hill but it had incredible views. Just in time for the sunset.

We built a fire and popped open a bottle of wine to enjoy the show.

The winds picked up a bit so we headed into the van to turn on the heater and watch some previously downloaded Netflix. Later that night the winds really started blowing and the rains came. I was a bit worried about the dirt road as it had considerable ruts from previous muddy adventures. Not much I could do now so I fell back asleep.
The next morning was calm and sunny. It had rained but not a lot and the road looked fine.

We followed the dirt road a few more miles and it came out near the Painted Hills again. The end was pretty rutted and deep but with the Westy's ground clearance, it was a non issue.
We headed into Prineville for some wifi and to call the kids. We also picked up some new wiper blades as it had really started to pour and the old ones were pretty bad. Shopping done we took some back roads into Sisters for lunch then headed west on 242.
As we climbed 242 it started to snow a bit which was beautiful. The landscape changed from forests to black lava rocks as far as you could see.

We stopped near the summit at the Dee Wright observatory and it was cold and windy! Looked around a bit and took some pics but decided to get back in the warm van!

Back down the other side and the snow turned to rain and lush green NW rainforest. We headed north on 126 to 20 towards Sweet Home. We were now looking for a campsite but there are not a lot of options off of 20 as it is a mountain road with few side roads. The few campgrounds up there were closed for the season and the side roads we did find had clear "No Camping" signs. We had to settle for Cascadia State Park. It was nearly empty so we grabbed a site and started making dinner. It was a rainy night so we stayed in playing cards, listening to music and enjoying some beers.
The next morning was just two hours to home so we knocked it out pretty early.

It was an amazing weekend with my wife that I will not soon forget. Already planning on our next adventure!

thanks
nate
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1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
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[Igeo]

Great photos and camps. Looks like you had it virtually all to yourselves!
We are from Oakland CA, and toured that area in August and wound up down on the John Day River at a place called Priest Hole. Good camp and swimming there too.

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1987 Westfalia 2.1 WBX Manual

[Eric_Taylor]

Great trip report. I've been out to all of those spots a few times now in the van, and I swear that these van's were designed with that type of adventuring in mind.

I slid off HWY 207 in the van one night in the snow. Some how it was onto a flat area where we also watched downloaded netflix and hung out. What a beautiful area.

I always love your trip reports. Thanks so much for taking the time. To me, this is what these vans are about. Getaways with family.

[Merian]

There was a dark brown Vanagon at Painted Hills this May which is the flower bloom time...
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[sanchius]

Nice trip report, looks like great fun. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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[Steve M.]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a good place to go someday!
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[shadetreemech]

Nice job, writing & photos.

I'd give it an "A"!

Dan
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[thatbaldwinlife]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I really wish the colors of the painted hills would show through in these pics. TheSamba really compresses the pics and doesn't show how vibrant the area is.
nate
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1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel