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Haystack Ranch

95%

100 reviews

· Spray, Wheeler, Oregon · 500 acres

Hosted by Haystack Ranch A.

15 RV/tent sites

Amazing views

Hipcampers say this spot has amazing views.

Staff verified

Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.

Haystack Ranch is a Star Host

Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.

My family has owned the ranch since 1977. We bought it from my parents a few years ago to keep it in the family. We love living here, and although it is just the two of us working it, we are slowly getting it to what we want it to be. The house we live in is over 100 years old and used to be a stage coach stop back in the late 1800's to early 1900's, You can still see some of the old stage coach roads on the property, and we are trying to preserve those the best we can. Also in the early 1900's this ranch used to be the place to go on the fourth of July. People from all over would bring their prize horses to compete in a horse race for the name of the fastest horses around While others would bring picnic baskets to set back on the knoll in one of our fields to watch. Learn more about this land: We are a 500 Acre working ranch located in Beautiful East Central Oregon, We are Between The stunning Painted Hills, and Umatilla National Forest. Just a few miles away from the Gorgeous John Day River, where Rafting, Tubing, Fishing, Swimming is always a welcome retreat. A few miles above us is Bull Prairie Lake and the wonderful Umatilla National Forest where hiking, sight seeing and wildlife viewing is always available.We are a 500 Acre working ranch located in Beautiful East Central Oregon, We are Between The stunning Painted Hills, and Umatilla National Forest. Just a few miles away from the Gorgeous John Day River, where Rafting, Tubing, Fishing, Swimming is always a welcome retreat. A few miles above us is Bull Prairie Lake and the wonderful Umatilla National Forest where hiking, sight seeing and wildlife viewing is always available.

RV details

Travel trailers, Fifth wheels, Toy haulers, Pop-up campers, Class A RVs, Class B RVs, Class C RVs, Campervans, and Cars allowed

Vehicles under 34 feet allowed

Pull-through site

Accommodates slideouts

Surface type: Grass or field

Surface levelness: Requires leveling

Generators allowed

They wont bother us but if there are several campers at the same time please be respectful. :)

No electrical hookup

No water hookup

Water tanks may be filled at the house if you desire.

No sewage hookup

There is a dump site 5 miles away if you need to empty!

No TV hookup

What to expect

RV/tent site

Camping area selected or assigned upon arrival.

6 guests max per site

Campfires allowed

Firewood provided, firepit, private

Toilet available

Portable toilet

Pets allowed

Off leash, on leash

Potable water available

Hose, pump or well. There is water at our house to fill tanks, jugs whatnot. Feel free to come on up!

Bins available

Trash bin

Picnic table present

Some of the sites have picnic tables. We will be bringing more in as we get them made. If your campsite does not have one and you would like one just holler and we can move it for you. We also have folding tables available!

No showers

Bathe in river or stream

Cooking equipment absent

BBQ's and solar oven coming soon!

No wifi

Laundry absent

Hot Tub absent

No playground

Things to know

Getting there

Check in: After 10:00 AM

Check out: Before 1:00 PM

On arrival: Meet with Host

Cancellation policy: Moderate

Minimum nights: 1 night

Accepts bookings: 18 months out

Park at listing

Wheelchair access

Max 1 vehicle

During your trip

Leave it better

Inclusion policyWe have a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination at Hipcamp. We are committed to helping our Host and Hipcamper communities be inclusive.

ExtrasAvailable at checkout

Regarding Extras - Please Readgood

$0.00

Please do not purchase extras through the Hip Camp Site, We have these available to the public here as well and we never know what will be available when. You can message us for what you want and we can set it aside for you if it is available or let you know we are out. Thank you so much for understanding.

SEEDS!good

$0.50

To many to list but if it goes in a garden I am sure I have it along with some that don't! I will start putting a list together soon!

Soap Making Class! experience

$50.00

If I have advance notice I am MORE than willing to show anyone that wants to how to make your own soap at home! Easy and quick Cold Process soap making is fun and SO MUCH better than what you buy in the store! You can even choose what types of oils you want to go into it and take 2 bars of soap with you when you go!

All Natural Grass Fed Beefgood

$6.50

Hamburger available! We raise it here on the ranch - A butcher comes out takes it with him to process it. It is all packaged in 1 lb packages, In the freezer ready for you to enjoy! Price is 6.00 a lb.

Firewood bundlegood

$0.00

During campfire season, We have firewood stacked in a central location near the bathrooms. There is a donation box there for payments. Feel free to enjoy yourself but please remember to put it out before you leave it!

Dozen eggsgood

$3.00

We have a mini fridge in the driveway for anyone that wants eggs! self serve so I never know how many are available at a time. But you are welcome to whats there!

Homemade soapgood

$5.00

All Natural Homemade Soap When available! Colored with Spices such as beet root, Turmeric, Hibiscus,,, Made with oils that are GREAT for your skin! If you have something in mind before you come let me know and I can do SOME custom orders, Time permitting!

Reviews

95% Recommend120 ratings · 100 reviews

Haystack Ranch offers a serene camping experience with spacious sites and friendly hosts. Campers appreciate the beautiful views and proximity to attractions like the John Day Fossil Beds. However, some visitors noted challenges such as uneven ground and limited cell service. The outhouse facilities received mixed reviews, with some campers finding the lack of a door uncomfortable.

Summary AI-generated from real reviews

Recommends

· June 2025

Wonderful experience

Tent

Absolutely wonderful hosts! Very off grid and quiet. Wonderful place to stargaze and just be disconnected from society for a bit. Not far away from John Day National Monument and we saw some really cool fossils. Bathroom did just have a curtain but I did feel privacy and not unsafe at all.

Shana H.

4 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

16 ft car

Great location, friendly host and beautiful landscape! Also, the beef is delicious.

Grant S.

2 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2025

22 ft travel trailer · With pets

Amazing and beautiful property, the host is super friendly and accommodating.

Carissa R.

3 months on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2025

Great views and big space

15 ft travel trailer · With pets

It's open camping, so you pick your spot and there is a lot of room so we didn't feel crowded. The host setup a firepit for us which was nice to have. Beautiful views. The ground does have some holes, and uneveness to it so be prepared for that.

Tina B.

5 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

Great place & had an amazing time!

Tent

This was a super great experience, our first time using HipCamp, so we weren’t sure what to expect but loved it! We got a more secluded site, so weren’t with lots of others around, but had a picnic table and a fire pit/grill and there was firewood at the site when we got there. Only thing is we did have to drive past it (which we didn’t know we did) and then pulled into their house where Kelly came out and let us know where to go. Downtown spray was only ~5 minutes away even though it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, and rodeo was going on while we were there and it was awesome! About an hour from Painted Hills which was a great hike, and 2 1:2 hours from bend. I have verizon and I had 1-2 bars of LTE in the site, my friends with t-mobile and at&t had no service pretty much anywhere on the site. Bathroom was great, toilet paper provided plus a little sink with soap which was awesome! No paper towels though. Overall we had a super lovely time and would absolutely love to return again.!

Kennedy K.

1 month on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2025

17 ft travel trailer · With pets

Good location to explore the John Day River area and fossil beds national monument. The River and local roads are beautiful. We were the only campers for our stay. Nice location. Outhouse needs some attention. Nice host & appreciated the firewood.

Lisa M.

11 reviews

Recommends

· May 2025

Pretty location

Tent · With pets

We loved staying at Haystack Ranch! It was a great location for exploring the area, including John Dqy Fossil Beds NP. The site was in a beautiful spot, clean, and the hosts were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed visiting the emu's at the farm.

Shelby A.

2 reviews

Recommends

· April 2025

Tent

Convenient site located just up the road from the John Day visitor center and Blue Basin. Our host was very nice and provided lots of firewood for our stay. We would definitely visit again.

Matt D.

2 reviews

Not recommend

· April 2025

Misleading - "Outhouse" has NO DOOR

Tent · With kids

When we arrived we saw the outhouse has no door, just a curtain. I was not comfortable with that, and definitely not ok with sending my young daughter to use an outhouse in a shared campground without a door that locks. This might be fine for some people, but the host needs to be upfront about this - I specifically asked what the outhouse was like before booking, they said it is "basically a porta-potty" - I have never seen a porta-potty WITHOUT A DOOR. We left immediately and luckily found an open campsite nearby. We had booked 4 nights for $150+ dollars, the host didn't even offer a partial refund even though we could not stay there even 1 night due to misinformation from the host.

C A.

2 reviews

Recommends

· March 2025

Too wet to camp, but it worked!

28 ft travel trailer · With pets

We booked when the area was too wet for camping, so the hosts located an alternative spot for us. Super nice host! We even got brownies and firewood! Will definitely stay at the real location next time we need a spot there. The area is beautiful!

Philip H.

3 months on Hipcamp

Recommends

· October 2024

18 ft travel trailer · With kids

Beautiful and peaceful place to stay while visiting John Day Fossil beds. Hosts are super thoughtful and helpful. Would definitely return when visiting the area

Jia Y.

4 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· October 2024

30 ft travel trailer

Enjoyed the scenery, good level to set up the trailers. Purchased some hamburger that was raised on the ranch, and it was good.

Chris C.

1 year on Hipcamp

Not recommend

· August 2024

Tent

It would be really helpful to have water AT the campsite and not just at the host's house. Also perhaps a PortaPotty that an be emptied and cleaned instead of an outhouse. More photos to show a realistic view of the actual area around the campsite.

Katrina L.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· July 2024

Starry, starry nights!

17 ft pop-up camper · With pets

Large sites with newly built outhouse and small sink shared with a couple of other sites. Quiet, remote area but not too far from Painted hills and town. Host was friendly when we had to stop at house to get more info on where the sites were located and kept things well stocked. If you want to see stars at night, this is your place!

Catherine C.

4 reviews

Recommends

· July 2024

beautiful and peaceful

16 ft car

The hosts here are so wonderful! The land and set up is calm, clean, peaceful and so beautiful.

Laura C.

22 reviews

Recommends

· June 2024

Tent · With kids

I loved camping at Haystack Ranch, as the view was great, and there was plenty of room at our site. The toilet is an outhouse, with a hand-washing station. The host was very responsive to situations like toilet paper outage or empty water tank for the hand-washing station. I do wish a little more mowing had been done around the camp sites as tiny grass seeds were very poky in our socks.

Christi S.

6 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2024

Great Location For Exploring

Tent

We spent three night's at Haystack Rock and had a great time. Kelly is a gracious host and went out of her way to make sure we had what we needed. We were travelling by motorcycle so we were limited with what we could bring with us. Kelly provided us with coolers and also offered to pick up any groceries or anything else for us the next day. Kelly also supplied directions to places to swim and other local places to explore. If you are a motorcyclist, Haystack Ranch is a great home base for exploring some of Oregon's numerous motorcycle roads. The first night we had the whole campground to ourselves, that is, if you don't count the numerous wild turkeys everywhere. If you camp here make sure you have plenty of water as it is hot and dry. Kelly kindly filled a 5 gallon water cube for us and drove it to our campsite. It would have been a little awkward to carry it on the bike. You will also want to bring mosquito/bug repellant as the mosquitos were abundant. Also, beware if you have dogs with you as the area has an abundance of cheatgrass and those little heads work their way into everything, including a dog's paws. The only real negative part of our experience was not something that the ranch could really control. After our first night and then the next day of riding we returned to find several other campsites occupied, most with lots of children. The kids (and most of the adults) were loud and it felt a little like camping in a regular commercial campground. Still had fun!

Mike H.

5 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2024

20 ft campervan

We loved our stay At haystack ranch! Our only regret is that we missed our first night of our booking. Next time we're definitely staying for two so we can explore more. We camped at the back of the field under the shade of a box elder tree and it was so beautiful. The air was scented with juniper and sagebrush and even though we weren't too far from the road the site was secluded and serene.

Grace J.

2 reviews

Recommends

· June 2024

So quiet and relaxing!

20 ft travel trailer · With pets

We camped in mid-June. The scenery is beautiful and it was so quiet - except for the rare vehicle going by on the nearby road, there was no sound except the crickets and birds. The first two nights we were the only campers, my wife and I with our dog. On the third night another solo camper and dog came but they were completely quiet and it was if they weren't even there. We spent the days exploring John Day Fossil Beds NM and I got in an evening of fishing in the beautiful nearby John Day River. We hiked a little bit around the property but the weeds were starting to dry out - foxtails unfortunately - and the seeds were getting massively stuck in our clothing and socks and dog's fur. Bring your tick puller as we got two off of our dog from that short hike. Not the hosts' fault of course and expected, but be prepared. The only criticism I have is I was looking forward to tossing my line into the pond as advertised but was it was completely inaccessible due to being thickly surrounded by reeds. We will definitely be coming back again if we decide to revisit this area!

Greg Y.

3 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2024

Tent · With pets

Had the place to ourselves! Picnic table, large tree for shade, composting toilet and sink for hand washing was close by. Pretty views. Would stay again for sure.

Lee H.

3 reviews

Recommends

· June 2024

John Day river paradise

15 ft travel trailer

Beautiful wide open views. Very close to town, river and hiking. The road barely has any traffic. Owners are lovely. Highest recommendation.

Allen M.

9 reviews

Recommends

· June 2024

High Desert beauty.

19 ft Class B · With pets

I loved everything about Haystack Ranch. I'm a recent widow, so with my little camper van, and my 4 legged co-pilot, I went on a journey to try and heal. I felt safe, the hosts are amazing, so thankful they share this beautiful place. I certainly hope I can return some day. It's a great base camp for exploring the area, counting stars and listening to all the birds. This was my first Hipcamp experience..........Thank you, Kelly, Andy and Stich for welcoming me into your world.

Lori S.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· June 2024

Beautiful camping spot

Tent

This spot was so beautiful and the best place to rest our heads after exploring the fossil bed park all day. It was incredibly peaceful. Our host Came to check on us and made sure we had what we needed. Super clean outhouse. A small handwashing station. Would come back in a heartbeat.

Hailey S.

3 years on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2024

Serene place to camp.

30 ft travel trailer · With pets

Spent Memorial Day weekend with a group of friends on this lovely property. Large open spaces easy to find and access. Endless big sky to star gaze. Close to the town of Spray. Hosts were wonderful checked in with us right away and checked in through out the stay. We will be returning to this beautiful place in the future. We also had Verizon cell service and were able to get signal other wise service is spotty in the area.

Whitney W.

2 years on Hipcamp

Not recommend

· May 2024

20 ft campervan

We passed on this location. It didn’t quite match the photos. Mowed field next to the road and several other campers

Joseph Y.

4 reviews

Recommends

· May 2024

25 ft pop-up camper · With kids

Wonderful experience! Kelly was so welcoming and attentive, the land was gorgeous and well kept, and we even got to buy some farm fresh eggs! Definitely recommend!

Erin B.

3 reviews

Recommends

· May 2024

Gorgeous

Tent · With pets

What a beautiful place to stay!! Good text calling and friendly people.

Alicia J.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2024

22 ft travel trailer · With pets

Awesome spot! Host is great! Quiet spot, kids and dogs got to roam around and had a blast!

Tyson R.

1 year on Hipcamp

Recommends

· May 2024

Our second time here- we love it!

15 ft travel trailer · With kids

Our second stay here for Memorial Day weekend and loved it just as much as our first visit. Kelly was her hospitable self, going way out of her way to make us feel comfortable and welcomed. We discovered a couple new little towns and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of this region around the John Day River. Thank you once again Kelly- we’ll no doubt be back sometime in the future!