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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Oregon
  3. Camp Sherman
  4. Smiling River Campground

Camping at Smiling River Campground near Sisters

Public campground · Sisters · 34 campsites

A forested campground near trout fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

Smiling River Campground sits beside the clear, spring-fed Metolius River in the central Oregon portion of Deschutes National Forest, a setting defined by cold, fast water that issues from Metolius Springs at the base of Black Butte (a 3,076-foot cinder cone) and flows north through conifer forest and volcanic terrain. Many of the 34 campsites look toward the river, offering easy access to one of the region's premier fly-fishing runs rainbow trout, whitefish, bull trout and kokanee salmon are all present and to riverside trails that range into higher subalpine forest.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 169 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 8 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 50 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • No hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Flush toilets
OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 34 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
036
standard nonelectric
––$29
006
standard nonelectric
––$29
029
standard nonelectric
––$29
033
standard nonelectric
––$29
004
standard nonelectric
––$29
032
standard nonelectric
––$29
035
standard nonelectric
––$29
018
standard nonelectric
––$29
005
standard nonelectric
––$29
007
standard nonelectric
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Drinking Water
  • Flush Toilets
  • Host
  • Self Pay Station
  • Trash Collection
Check-in
2:00 PM
Checkout
12:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 34 no-hookup individual sites.

Location

Open in Google Maps ↗

Smiling River Campground: questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Smiling River Campground?
Longest RV site listed: 50 ft (34 of 34 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Smiling River Campground have RV hookups?
34 no-hookup individual sites (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Smiling River Campground?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Smiling River Campground?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 50 ft (34 of 34 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 34 no-hookup individual sites
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 8 pull-through, 26 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 34 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 0 (81 reports), AT&T 1 (38 reports)
Water
Listing Drinking water listed
Shade
Listing 34 of 34 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $29/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing Sisters, OR (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Themes from recent written reviews on Recreation.gov. Quotes are verbatim.

The river · 2 reviews

“Absolutely love the Metolious River!”

Dannette F · Oct 2025

Trails and biking · 2 reviews

“The location is great, with the river trail making it very easy to walk the 1.”

Craig C · Oct 2025

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (169 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Quiet and clean campground. Absolutely love the Metolious River!”

Dannette F 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“This site is really close to the bathroom which was quite smelly. Close to the water but no view. River trail goes right by the site. ”

TODD M 2 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov

“What an awesome campground! We had a site right next to the Metolius and a short walk from the bathrooms. The location is great, with the river trail making it very easy to walk the 1.3 miles to the Camp Sherman Store.”

Craig C 5 · Oct 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Link Creek7.8 mi · Sisters
  • Haystack Campground (East Shore)24.6 mi · Culver
  • Tumalo State Park29.6 mi · BEND

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Camp Sherman
  • RV rentals near Camp Sherman
  • Glamping & cabins near Camp Sherman
  • RV rentals in Oregon
  • Glamping in Oregon

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
First come, first served

Camp Sherman Campground

0.8 mi from Smiling River Campground (straight-line) 4.0 · 73 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
No reservations, so no live availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
First come, first served

Allen Springs Campground

2.5 mi from Smiling River Campground (straight-line) 5.0 · 96 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
No reservations, so no live availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
First come, first served

Lower Bridge Campground

4.6 mi from Smiling River Campground (straight-line) 4.0 · 61 Recreation.gov reviews
Tent sites · RV sites
No reservations, so no live availability
Rates & availability from Recreation.gov · you book on their site
View Campsites
–
–
$29
030
standard nonelectric
––$29
034
standard nonelectric
––$29
031
standard nonelectric
––$29
002
standard nonelectric
––$29
028
standard nonelectric
––$29
003
standard nonelectric
––$29
001
standard nonelectric
––$29
008
standard nonelectric
––$29
020
standard nonelectric
––$31
013
standard nonelectric
––$31
024
standard nonelectric
––$31
016
standard nonelectric
––$31
017
standard nonelectric
––$31
023
standard nonelectric
––$31
010
standard nonelectric
––$31
011
standard nonelectric
––$31
019
standard nonelectric
––$31
015
standard nonelectric
––$31
014
standard nonelectric
––$31
012
standard nonelectric
––$31
022
standard nonelectric
––$31
021
standard nonelectric
––$31
009
standard nonelectric
––$31
025
standard nonelectric
––$31

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 34 sites take tents. See open sites ↑

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 50 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Midnight Adventurer
Midnight Adventurer

Camper van · 19 ft · sleeps 3 · 23 mi from campground

$199/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2020 Forest River Coachmen Leprechaun
2020 Forest River Coachmen Leprechaun

Class C motorhome · 25 ft · sleeps 6 · 34 mi from campground

$199/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
The Cozy Camping Travel Trailer
The Cozy Camping Travel Trailer

Travel trailer · 27 ft · sleeps 3 · 36 mi from campground

$120/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Off-peak Apr 30–May 20: RV & Tent $29–$31 per night
  • Peak season May 21–Oct 9: RV & Tent $29–$31 per night

stays up to 28 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Smiling River Campground

For May weekends, book about 181 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 175 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May175 days ahead181 days ahead139 days ahead178 days ahead
June143 days ahead176 days ahead125 days ahead176 days ahead
July140 days ahead178 days ahead119 days ahead180 days ahead
August122 days ahead178 days ahead78 days ahead176 days ahead
September61 days ahead145 days ahead60 days ahead150 days ahead
October36 days ahead78 days ahead26 days ahead62 days ahead

Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.

Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (8,832 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.

Compare site types

34 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 8. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites (tent or RV)

Tent, van or small RV, no power

34 sites · $31, $29/night

Loops: SMILING RIVER CAMPGROUND (34)

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15