Dixie Campground

Dixie Campground, just off Highway 26 and on the southern slopes of Dixie Butte, is a nicely setup campground with lots of spacing between each campsite. There is a large group area with picnic tables at the entrance, a road loops through the rest of the campground, and there are vault toilets and car/tent sites throughout. Each campsite is large enough to accommodate an RV, but no hook-ups are provided. The sites are sufficiently removed from the highway, and they are situated among large fir and pine trees that help to block out any traffic noise. The only drawback to the campground is the lack of potable water. A stream runs through the campground, so if you've brought a water filter you shouldn't have trouble filtering or boiling enough to use. If not, be sure to bring enough water along with you.

A rough Forest Service road leads to the summit of Dixie Butte, where there is an operational fire lookout. From the summit, the views of the Strawberry Range are impressive and extend over the John Day River Valley and Prairie City below. The road can also be hiked if your car isn't up to the task or if the road is closed for the winter season.

In the winter and spring, Dixie Butte makes for an enjoyable snowshoe summit. The fire lookout is boarded up, but the Forest Service road makes for a great trail to the top. Expect to find snowpack on the road to the summit well into June.