South Shore Group Sites
4Heads up4 fires, nearest 14 mi
This is how it should work.
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- Sites
- 2All of them walk-up
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there
In the agency’s own words
Haystack South Shore Group Campground is the only group campground on Haystack Reservoir. Each of the two campsites holds up to 50 people. This is a year-round facility ideal for large events such as family reunions or groups of rock climbers visiting nearby Smith Rock State Park. Natural Features: South Shore is located in the high desert landscape with views of Mt. Jefferson as a scenic backdrop. Juniper trees and sagebrush dot the landscape. The combination of a low forest canopy and 3,000 ft. elevation make this a perfect location for stargazing at the wide open sky on clear nights. Keep reading
Eagles and other birds inhabit the shoreline of the lake. Recreation: Haystack Reservoir is a popular fishing spot for a variety of species, including kokanee, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, black crappie and brown bullhead catfish. The lake is cool, but a comfortable temperature for swimming. Motorized boating is allowed. Boat launches are located at nearby Haystack and West Shore day use areas. The surrounding national grassland also provides ample opportunities for hunting, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and riding off-highway vehicles. Facilities: The facility is very comfortable for group events, providing several picnic tables, campfire rings and plenty of parking. There are two group sites, Willow and Cottonwood, which are out of sight from each other. Although there is no drinking water at this facility, it is available at Haystack Campground down the road. There are no hookups. Vaulted toilets are located near both sites. Nearby Attractions: Smith Rock State Park , best known for its many rock climbing routes, is a short drive away.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 2 · 2 group
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…down the road. There are no hookups. Vaulted toilets are located near both sites. Nearby Attractions:…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…out of sight from each other. Although there is no drinking water at this facility, it is available at Haystack…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, Beach
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Hunting
- Picnicking
- Swimming
Nothing to book, just show up
One of 1,623 federal campgrounds where the site still goes to whoever pulls in first. Get there before noon on a summer weekend.
recreation.gov publishes no availability for a campground you can’t reserve, so there’s no thirty-night reading to draw here. The season bar above is what the agency does publish.
Every line of the receipt · 3
What you actually pay
How we know this receipt · 4
rules read Sep 7, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
2 sites
All 2 sites
| SOUTH SHORE GROUP SITES | Cottonwood Group Site | group standard nonelectric |
| SOUTH SHORE GROUP SITES | Willow Group Site | group standard nonelectric |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the phone number
Where it is
South Shore Group Campground0.0 mi
Haystack Campground (East Shore)Crooked River National Grassland · 0.4 miHaystack West Shore Campground and Day Use Area0.6 miSkull Hollow CampgroundCrooked River National Grassland · 7.8 mi
Steelhead Falls CampgroundPrineville Deschutes Field Office · 9.2 miBLM Beach CampgroundPrineville Deschutes Field Office · 13 miThe weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Culver, OR
Typical weather
Typical October night 30°F, day 62°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical December night 22°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
South Shore Group Sites is in Oregon’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Cliff Bentz (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →