If you wrote off Central Oregon two weeks ago, most of that BLM land is open again. On August 10, 2026 the Prineville District announced it is “reducing the size of emergency closures caused by recent wildfire activity,” effective immediately. What did not change: campfires are still banned on all of the BLM’s Central Oregon land.
The announcement, checked August 12, 2026, names what came back. The Deschutes River from Warm Springs to the Columbia River. The John Day River above Service Creek and below Clarno. And “most of the southern and eastern portions of the district.”
Still closed: “public lands within active fire perimeters,” plus lands south of Highway 218 and north of Highway 26 in the Rowe Creek Complex. On those, all public access is prohibited, with exemptions only for emergency personnel and local landowners. The penalty language is not decoration. The BLM states that violations may lead to prosecution before a United States Magistrate, fines under 18 U.S.C. 3571, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both, and that vehicles found in violation may be removed.
Two orders, and only one of them moved
This district is running a closure order and a fire restriction order at the same time, and they do different jobs. We covered that distinction on August 6, when nearly the whole district was shut. It matters more now that the closure has shrunk, because people read “reopened” as “back to normal.”
All public land in Central Oregon remains under Public Use Restrictions Level 2. Per the August 10 announcement, that order prohibits four things: building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire, including charcoal fires; smoking, except inside an enclosed vehicle or while standing in an area at least 3 feet in diameter cleared of flammable material; operating a chainsaw between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and operating a motor vehicle off designated roads and trails.
So a reopened area is one you may enter and drive into again, subject to the district’s standing orders and the ordinary 14-day camping limit. It is not one where you can have a fire, cut firewood in the afternoon, or drive cross country to a site you like the look of.
One thing the published list does not settle: propane and liquid fuel stoves. The four prohibitions above say nothing about them either way. The answer is in the signed order, not the news announcement, so read the order or call before you plan on cooking.
Before you drive out
The BLM says official closure orders and maps are posted on its Oregon-Washington fire closures and restrictions page. That page carries the Prineville District Public Use Restrictions Order dated July 25, 2026 and the district’s annual fire prevention order from May 18, 2026. The maps are the thing to check, because a closure that shrank once can grow back with a wind shift. The district front desk is 541-416-6700.
The announcement also warns that cell service in these areas “can be spotty or nonexistent,” which means you want the map downloaded before you lose signal, not after.
For what stays open elsewhere in the state, start with our Oregon free camping page. And the ordinary rule applies here with more force than usual: a posted closure sign or a signed order at the boundary beats this page, and beats an announcement written two days before you arrived.