More than 100 inches on parts of the Coast Range, less than 10 inches in some of the eastern desert
Acres in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area 32
31,500
40 miles of coast between Florence and Coos Bay, set aside by Congress in 1972
Size limits and coastal damp
Oregon puts hard limits on length in places. Vehicles over 35 feet are not allowed on the McKenzie Pass Highway. The BLM says large recreational vehicles are not recommended into Leslie Gulch, and the Forest Service tells RVs and trailers to use caution on the lower Hat Point Road.
On the wet side, damp is the service call. With parts of the Coast Range taking more than 100 inches of rain a year, ask a service center how they seal, ventilate and dry out a camper that lives west of the Cascades, and how they winterize one that crosses to the east.
A camper van, truck camper or expedition vehicle has two sets of systems, and most mechanics only want one of them. RV and van service centers work on the living side: the 12-volt system, heat, water, ventilation and everything that leaks or rattles loose after a season of dirt roads.
Typical work
01House battery, charging, solar and inverter diagnosis
02Diesel and propane heaters, and water heaters
03Plumbing, pumps, tanks and winterizing
04Roof fans, air conditioning, windows and seals
05Appliance service and leak repair
How to choose a service center
These systems are brand-specific, and so is the training.
01Ask which brands of heater, battery and inverter they are trained on.
02Ask if they will work on owner-built or small-builder vans. Some will not touch wiring they did not install.
03Ask about turnaround in season. Service backs up in spring and summer.
04Bring documentation: a wiring diagram, a component list and photos from the build.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Model numbers save a phone call.
01The vehicle or camper, and who built it
02The components: battery type and size, inverter, heater model
03What it is doing, and when
04Photos of the installation
05Where and when you can drop it off
Questions people ask
My heater stopped working at altitude. Is it broken?
Maybe not. Fuel-burning heaters can struggle at high elevation and may need an altitude setting or kit, and they soot up if they only ever run on low. A service center that knows the brand can check it and set it up for where you camp.
Can a shop add solar or lithium to an existing system?
Usually, but lithium batteries need compatible charging from the alternator, solar and shore power. A shop should look at the whole system rather than swap the battery and hope.
How do I winterize a van?
Drain or protect anything that holds water: tanks, pump, lines, water heater and filters. How you do that depends on how the system was built, so ask the builder or a service center to show you once.
How high is Oregon?
From Florence at 46 feet to Mount Hood at 11,239.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
LakeviewWhere US 395 meets Highway 140. The Lakeview to Steens byway starts six miles north, and the Outback Scenic Byway runs south to the California line.4,796 ft
Jordan ValleyThe last town on US 95 before Idaho and the western end of the Owyhee Uplands. The Soldier Creek Loop Road to Three Forks leaves US 95 about 16 miles west.4,387 ft
Christmas ValleyIn the middle of the Christmas Valley Back Country Byway, with the dunes and the Lost Forest to the east.4,321 ft
FieldsThe nearest town to the Alvord Desert, about an hour south of the playa. The BLM says to call ahead about hours before relying on fuel here.4,239 ft
FrenchglenThe last settlement on Highway 205 before the Steens Mountain Loop Road, 60 miles south of Burns. One of four places the BLM says to ask about fuel.4,197 ft
JosephAt the foot of the Wallowa Mountains on Highway 82. The road to Imnaha and the Hat Point Road climb starts here.4,180 ft
BurnsWhere US 20 meets US 395 in Harney County. The BLM Burns District office is at Hines, just west, and Highway 205 runs south toward the Steens.4,154 ft
Klamath FallsOn US 97 south of Crater Lake, at the eastern edge of the Fremont-Winema National Forest.4,107 ft
BendThe largest city in central Oregon, on US 97. The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway leaves from here and the Deschutes National Forest supervisor’s office is in town.3,625 ft
Baker CityOn I-84 at the south corner of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway and the start and finish of Elkhorn Drive. The BLM Baker Field Office is in town.3,446 ft
SistersOn US 20 at the east end of the McKenzie Pass Highway, which ODOT gates shut from November to mid-June.3,186 ft
John DayOn US 26 between the Malheur and Ochoco forests. The Malheur National Forest supervisor’s office is here; the South Fork John Day byway starts at Dayville to the west.3,089 ft
PrinevilleOn US 26. BLM’s Prineville District and the Ochoco National Forest are both headquartered here, and the Lower Crooked River byway runs south to Highway 20.2,880 ft
ValeBLM Vale District headquarters, where US 20 and US 26 come together in the Malheur County lowlands.2,244 ft
Hood RiverOn I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge, at the north side of the Mount Hood National Forest.422 ft
FlorenceOn US 101 at the north end of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where the Siuslaw River meets the ocean.46 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount HoodThe highest point in Oregon. No road to the top11,239 ft
Steens MountainA half-mile walk from the end of the Wildhorse Lake Overlook road9,733 ft
Steens Mountain Back Country BywayA loop from Highway 205 at Frenchglen, over the mountain and back at the Black Canyon gate9,500 ft
Strawberry MountainThe high point of the Malheur National Forest, above John Day9,038 ft
Vinegar HillThe high point of the Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains8,100 ft
Elkhorn Mountain SummitElkhorn Drive Scenic Byway: A loop from Baker City by Sumpter, Granite and Anthony Lakes7,392 ft
McKenzie PassMcKenzie Pass Highway, Oregon 242: Oregon 126 near McKenzie Bridge to US 20 at Sisters5,325 ft
Picture Rock PassOn the Outback Scenic Byway between Silver Lake and Summer Lake4,830 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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