Best Dispersed Camping near Chilcoot, CA

Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near Chilcoot? Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Chilcoot's most popular destinations.

Best Dispersed Sites Near Chilcoot, CA (19)

Showing results 1-10 of 19 campgrounds

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Chilcoot

31 Reviews of 19 Chilcoot Campgrounds


  • Tyler C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Reno View Dispersed
    Nov. 2, 2024

    Reno View Dispersed

    amazing view

    okay. let’s be real. the road is a beast. I would not drive it with any vehicle other than SUV/Truck. DO NOT bring up an RV/Trailer. you’ll regret it. we stayed and car camped. an awesome view of the lights of Reno. can be very windy but if you get between some of the trees it’s not to bad.

  • ron R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed
    Oct. 12, 2024

    BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed

    Not easily accessible

    The two closest roads coming in from the West are blocked off and labeled no unauthorized vehicles. This is due to the construction of the new neighborhoods and they probably annexed the area. You could probably access it from the East but I have no idea how many miles it would be in from where you would come in.

  • ron R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Peavine Road Dispersed Camping
    Oct. 12, 2024

    Peavine Road Dispersed Camping

    Complete trash dump

    It's sad where we have this public land to camp on and people just dump tons and tons of trash and abandoned cars and demolished cars on the property would not recommend going. There's some more BLM land about 15 to 20 minutes north on Red Rock road.

  • Paxton B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Merrill Valley Dispersed Camp
    Sep. 30, 2024

    Merrill Valley Dispersed Camp

    The road is terrible

    Not really sure if we camped in the right spot. It isn’t great, but it got the job done to just crash for a night. Felt like we were in a construction zone

  • Anna B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Moon Rocks Camp
    Sep. 8, 2024

    Moon Rocks Camp

    Camping on Mars

    (September 28th, 2023) Got here after dark and found an empty clearing to park in for the night. The moon and the stars were so bright, it felt like we were on another planet. Got to explore the area in the morning, such a cool spot! Very quiet when we were there.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bowman Lake Dispersed
    Sep. 6, 2024

    Bowman Lake Dispersed

    Lake side Campsites

    If you are looking to be near the water and no service, this is perfect. The rough road in I believe must keep some folks out but the lake is amazing.

  • Chris N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Bowman Lake Dispersed
    Jul. 21, 2024

    Bowman Lake Dispersed

    Great Late Spring Escape

    This place was a slice of heaven, but only accessible by way of 4 x 4 with decent clearance. The trail will take you off road for quite some time , but it's well with the adventure. Traction boards and a winch could help you through unexpected obstacles and are recommended to have on hand, but you most likely won't need them. No running water, but there are restroom buildings, fire rings and bear boxes to use. Mosquitoes are abundant here. Don't forget your repellent. The lake is gorgeous, a great fishery, and there are plenty of inspirational views and solitude to be had.

  • AThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM FLATTOP
    Jul. 6, 2024

    BLM FLATTOP

    Access Sucks

    The road kinda sucks but VC is a good time. It was nice other than the road. Please remember to pack everything out, there was a lot of trash I had to pick up that was left behind by others.

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Grouse Ridge Campground
    Jun. 30, 2024

    Grouse Ridge Campground

    Amazing spot for a campground.

    The last five miles to get to this campground was narrow and rocky. Once we got to the campground, I realized narrow and rocky are okay. We were there last weekend in June and there was still snow on the ground. Woot! It was awesome. Quite a few sites there with fire rings, beat up, bear boxes that didn't open and picnic benches that were in bad shape. They had two pot toilets. This was a very busy campground. Lots of traffic on and out, I'm sure to beat the heat. It was 25 degrees cooler up there than in Sacramento. We loved this campground. I can't wait to go back.

  • EThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Dog Valley
    Apr. 23, 2024

    Dog Valley

    Our favorite !

    Dog Valley is a special place where we come to boondock. It’s quite and has a great creek. People come out here to camp, ride atvs, side by sides, dirt bikes, or off road. People target practice a lot and the ranger is very nice.

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed
    Mar. 8, 2024

    BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed

    One of my favorite spots

    I love the quietness of this spot and the view is wonderful! The only thing I don’t like is that they took the port-a-potty out, quite possibly for the cold season.

  • Genevieve R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Moon Rocks Camp
    Dec. 29, 2023

    Moon Rocks Camp

    Beautiful! Easy access.

    I live nearby, so my family and I went for the day. We left just before sunset. It's gorgeous here. The dirt road is pretty good and not difficult for my Jeep Trailhawk 4x4. There were about 3 other groups. We were there on a Thursday. We walked around the whole area where the rocks were. The campsite overlooks a valley where there is an airport. We saw a couple of paragliders. On the way in from Reno, it's very easy to find. I would love to stay here in my travel trailer. There were some huge rigs out there. All of those people had dune buggies, but nobody was driving around on the rocks when we were there. There are no amenities at all. There is just a big clearing for campers. We took our dog. She had fun.

  • Genevieve R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Peavine Road Dispersed Camping
    Dec. 28, 2023

    Peavine Road Dispersed Camping

    Lots of trash and shells

    I live 10 minutes away, so I checked it out. It's sketchy driving in with a lot of trailers and cars along the road closer to the main road. There may or may nor have been people in them. We didn't see people walking around except one guy who was walking his dog on the dirt road and another guy nearby with a table next to his car. Maybe he was flying a drone. The dirt road was very rutted in a few areas. No big deal, but I was in my Jeep Trailhawk 4x4. I didn't have my trailer with me. The view of the city is great, but that's it. The area to pull off is not that big, so I think it would be crowded with more than 2 other trailers. It wasn't windy at all when we were there, but I'm sure it could be because it can be very windy in this area. I wouldn't stay here unless I absolutely had to for the night. I did hear gunshots in the distance. We only stayed a few minutes to take a few pictures. No amenities like fire rings or tables.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM FLATTOP
    Oct. 13, 2023

    BLM FLATTOP

    Bad road

    I tried driving up the other day, but couldn’t make it due to rocks. The road starts out as a nice, easy fire road, gets a little rocky, and then by mile 6 or 7 it goes full blown rock garden. SxS’s were going through it slowly, if that helps.

    Virginia City seems like a fun little town, though. And the area itself is pretty cool, just couldn’t make it all the way.

  • Ray R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed
    Sep. 23, 2023

    BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed

    right off housing development that's expanding fast

    Not such a good place. Housing construction getting very close. Lots of local foot traffic. Didn't feel comfortable here, almost felt as I was intruding. It does beat driving around aimlessly searching for a spit, plus its rather close to freeway. You have to leave somewhat early. Lots of joggers and mountain bikers. It has been trashed in the past so left lots of bad tastes in folks.

  • Sage P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed
    Sep. 15, 2023

    BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed

    Bad vibes, good views

    Did the trick for a night. There was one man with two rv’s there during our visit that gave us pretty bad vibes. Couldn’t go much further up the hill in our 2-wheel drive vehicle. All in all, it’s a gravel lot and road, good views, cool spot.

  • Corey H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed
    Jul. 12, 2023

    BLM - Water Tank Road Dispersed

    Decent place to sleep for the night

    Tucked off, dirt road with enough seclusion and privacy to feel comfortable at night. Be forewarned that the road is super rough and you will definitely need a car with more clearance to get up it. There is a little pull out before you get to where the directions take you that is perfectly cool to camp. I wouldn’t go all the way up that little stretch of road past the water tanks unless you have a 4x4. The pullout also has a portajohn and sink if needed.

    One thing to note! There are many joggers and bikers that go up this road pretty much as soon as the sun goes over the hill (about 6 in July) so just be aware of that when camping here. I wasn’t bothered by anyone and I had about 4 people pass by my car this morning.

  • Heather H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Peavine Road Dispersed Camping
    Jun. 17, 2023

    Peavine Road Dispersed Camping

    Better than a $90/night casino parking lot!

    Feels weird driving in, but there are some pull offs that have good views of the valley. Very open. Lots of trash and casings, but was quiet and felt safe. Good place to pull over if you are in the Reno area and just need to sleep.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from East of Pyramid Lake
    May. 12, 2023

    East of Pyramid Lake

    Great boondocking

    This place is everything we look for when boondocking. It's quiet, open, easy to get to with our class c, flat(ish), cell service, and places to hike/walk around. There was nobody else around when we stayed here for 2 nights in May.

    The road is nearby but barely visible and you can hardly hear the cars. The rocks (tufas) are really neat and fun to climb.

    There's absolutely no shade so the sun makes it feel hotter than it is. And the wind comes through somewhat unpredictably so we couldn't keep our awning out.

    It's surprisingly clean, I mean there's some trash which is to be expected, but not huge amounts of it.

    There are a couple of little narrow roads you can take to find a more secluded spot, but I wouldn't attempt it unless your vehicle can handle it. There are a couple of random big dips to get past, and really there aren't very many camping opportunities past the big giant open area by the rocks. The big main area is huge and would easily fit several campers.

    Great place to boondock!

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Valley Rd Pullout
    May. 11, 2023

    Lake Valley Rd Pullout

    Everything covered in snow right now

    We were looking for an overnight spot in this area and checked out this listing but there's just still too much snow at this time. The weather isn't cold, but the snow plows have pushed all the snow off the road so that it's impossible to get to any pullouts or open dispersed camping areas.

    Roads are clear though, if you want to drive through and check it out.

    We actually had cell reception with Verizon and Att here, which surprised us.

    It's a beautiful area to come back to when the snow clears!

  • William J.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Valley Rd Pullout
    Feb. 15, 2023

    Lake Valley Rd Pullout

    Don't Go In Winter.

    Got stuck for over a day trying to get to the site. Tow truck also got stuck. Would not recommend coming until spring.

  • Azizah T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Loch Leven Lakes
    Sep. 21, 2021

    Loch Leven Lakes

    Quiet dispersed camping

    We backpacked up to the high loch levens lake where we found many available campsites. But also a lot of the nice view spots were occupied since we didn’t start our hike up early, we started at 5:30pm. The middle lake is very large and had many beautiful spots to camp. But we headed to the upper lake since a lot of day hikers go to the middle lake and don’t always pack out what they pack in. All the sites are very dispersed and you have so much privacy. We saw some people even camping on the boulders! It was very serene and quiet with very respectful campers. The trail up is a bit confusing if you don’t pay absolute attention to where you are going. You can find some orange markings or stacked rocks that help you stay on the path. Reaching our destination was amazing. We swam in the lake and napped in our hammocks. I will say that there was a lot of mosquitos. Even with bug spray I left with 7 bites. But, it’s the outdoors what do you expect? Overall very beautiful area to camp!



Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Chilcoot, CA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Chilcoot, CA is Fort Sage Off Highway Vehicle Area with a 4.8-star rating from 6 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Chilcoot, CA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 19 dispersed camping locations near Chilcoot, CA, with real photos and reviews from campers.