The 8 Best Nature & Parks in Prineville, Oregon (OR)

December 3, 2021 Renato Branum

Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in Prineville

1. Prineville Reservoir State Park

19020 SE Parkland Dr, Prineville, OR 97754-8611 http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_34.php
Excellent
57%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 81 reviews

Prineville Reservoir State Park

Reviewed By 806darylh - Eugene, United States

Visited the State Park the week of July 19, 2020. Water level at 52%. Still plenty for fishing, swimming, skiing, etc. Only boat ramp open was at the State park. 2 lane ramp, plenty of room. No services provided, i.e. food, fuel, docks. Camp ground was pretty much full. 2 camp hosts available. Ice available for $3 a bag at the host sites. Some pretty large groups in the campground, not much social distancing, but quiet for a large campground. Weather was awesome, hot and dry. Cooled off nice in the evening. Got a good view of the comet after sunset. Only had some wind one of the days. Was able to get our skiing done in the morning and just hang out in the boat. Registration and arrangements were easy. Restrooms clean. A little out of the way for a 1 day trip is the only knock on this one.

2. Walton Lake

Prineville, OR
Excellent
50%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
13%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 8 reviews

Walton Lake

3. Painted Hills

Highway 26 past Prineville going East, Prineville, OR +1 541-987-2333 http://traveloregon.com/trip-ideas/oregon-stories/7-wonders-of-oregon-painted-hills/
Excellent
78%
Good
18%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 116 reviews

Painted Hills

Reviewed By PandaHouston - Houston, United States

After visiting the Sheep Rock Unit, we drove 50 minutes to Painted Hills. We did this during our road trip as we made our way from Boise to Bend on Wednesday 9/9. Neither area required any fees which was nice. At Painted Hills, we did several trails: Carroll Rim - this was the longest at 1.6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 374 feet. It took us around an hour. It gives you views from above but really isn't necessary if you are not up to it because it can get hot and there is no shade. Painted Hills Overlook Trail - 1 mile round trip. This was easy and took around 20 minutes. This trail gives you the best photos of Painted Hills. Note that the colors will change depending on the time of day. Painted Cove Trail - .25 miles round trip and on easy board walk. You can see the red hills here. This trail took around 10 minutes. Leaf Hill Trail - .5 miles round trip. This trail was not very interesting. You can give it a pass. The last one which we did not do was Red Star Knoll Trail. This is a short .5 mile round trip trail as well. The roads in Painted Hills are not paved. It is a dirt gravelly road. In total, we spent around 2 hours here and I really enjoyed our time here. The crowds were not too bad when we visited on a Wednesday.

4. Ochoco Wayside State Park

Hwy 126, Prineville, OR http://www.stateparks.com/ochoco_wayside_state_park_in_oregon.html?
Excellent
31%
Good
62%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 13 reviews

Ochoco Wayside State Park

5. Ochoco Reservoir

Prineville, OR
Excellent
50%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
19%
Poor
6%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 16 reviews

Ochoco Reservoir

Reviewed By ndalum - Springfield, United States

Stop by the Reservoir on your way to/from Prineville. Beautiful views, plus it has a small campsite and bathroom area, plus a boat launch. The water amidst all the high desert rocks is a stark contrast.

6. Ochoco National Forest

Ochoco Creek Road, Prineville, OR 97754 +1 541-416-6500 http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/ochoco
Excellent
80%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
20%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5 reviews

7. Ochoco Lake State Park

Crestview Drive, Prineville, OR 97754 http://ccprd.org/ochoco-lake/
Excellent
20%
Good
80%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 5 reviews

8. Haystack Campground

Prineville, OR 97754-0739 +1 208-270-0094
Excellent
33%
Good
0%
Satisfactory
33%
Poor
0%
Terrible
34%
Overall Ratings

3.0 based on 6 reviews

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