JUNIPER CANYON
A quick 4 day trip before the holidays - Juniper Canyon, OR.
My last few trips I’ve been going at the beginning of the month which puts me in the field with a full moon. While the illumination of my campsite is appreciated and makes for great photos, I’ve been itching for a trip with completely dark skies under the stars. Luckily, living in Oregon I have a strong selection of IDA (International DarkSky Association) locations to choose from. I’ve been to a couple but I haven’t yet been to Prineville Reservoir. A short 3.5 hour drive in the middle of November and we’re here.
Right under the Milky Way!
I started my journey from Beaverton, OR and head straight for Prineville, OR. From there you take the 27 southbound for about 16 miles (~30 min). Chimney Rock is one of the campgrounds out of the many along the Crooked River. This campground is on BLM land but still has a small fee of $8 per night. Upon arrival you will see this sign and yes, it is completely Roadster friendly even if it is lowered.
Entry to campground and trailhead
The entire campground is pretty much gravel. This is a pack and carry style campground so you’ll have to haul your stuff down to your campsites. Each site is riverside so there are stunning views at every site. There is even a section for group camping with all your Miata friends!
Pavement only at entrance, all gravel from here
I’d suggest going with no firewood in your Roadster to bring as much gear as you can, setup, then head back up to Prineville with all the room for firewood in your passenger footwell and where your seat would go. The plus to that is driving back North with your car completely empty on the twisties! Going in the middle of November is pretty much the cutoff for coming to this spot because it gets below freezing some nights. It’s really all your preference and some people are okay with the cold, but most of my gear is 3 season rated. But if you time it right and watch the weather, you’ll get days that look like this in November!
Penta tarp + Minute Dome combo
TENT-
I brought my Minute Dome Pro air. 1 for this trip because it was a safer choice as far as tent pad width goes. I’d have taken the Amenity Dome M for the autumn colors but it takes up a lot of space that I wasn’t sure I’d have. I also wasn’t sure about rain so I packed the Penta Tarp since this tent is really just for sleeping and not hanging out in. The Penta to Minute Dome combo was a perfect size ratio. Any other tarp would have looked huge compared to the Minute Dome.
SLEEP-
I was super excited to try the new (Slim) Compact Mats by Snow Peak; It being a new product for 2025 & two of them fit side by side perfectly in the Minute Dome. I typically avoid “air” mattresses because I never wanted to wake up on the ground again. I usually use the sleeping pads that are self inflating with foam inside as an extra layer of padding. However these did not disappoint! They stayed inflated all night, and with the R value being 5.4 they did exceptionally well. The combo of these, plus the Yawn Patrol sleeping bags, and my HEST pillows, heaven on earth. Temps got down to about 22f/-5c so definitely bring winter sleeping bags, wool blankets, and maybe even sleeping bag liners to help with R value.
Two Compact Mats (slim) inside Minute Dome
COOK-
Packing for 4 days I typically pack 1 cooler but I’ve recently started bringing 2. I use the Yeti Roadie 15 for drinks and the Snow Peak Soft Cooler 38 for food. It’s enough for multiple meals a day plus snacks for two people. 1 large cooler or 2 smaller/medium coolers like this seem to be best for two people across 4 days.
The Yeti Roadie 15 will fit upright in the trunk of an NA
My main source for cooking is typically over fire because it makes cleaning up so much easier and saves fuel! But anything I can’t throw on a grate I’ll cook on a portable stove with a non-stick aluminum pan. I used to bring stainless steel but it’s too heavy with all my other gear.
Bipod stove + Aluminum non stick cooker 1000 both by Snow Peak
This campground is first come first serve, you cannot reserve no matter the reason so I’d get there around 1PM on a weekday to get one of the eight sites. There are plenty of campgrounds nearby that you can go to as backup. Like within minutes of Chimney Rock. This is a very clean and quiet campsite if you’d prefer being away from the typically busy Prineville Reservoir campground in Juniper Canyon. Plus, it’s only $8 a night. That’s like a cup of coffee. I was able to see the Milky Way very clearly, there’s plenty of hikes around, and waking up to the running crooked river is hard to beat.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS-
The sky at 4:30 in the morning
River access right on the campsite
Rocks to climb right on the wall of our site
