Rutherford Beach Dispersed Camping

We were able to camp in our camper van right on the beach, the sand is very hard packed, so we had no trouble even in our two-wheel drive.

Unfortunately the bacteria was so high, so you are not able to swim, but the beach itself was really wide and had a lot of seashells to peruse. It is also very dog friendly, and my dog really enjoyed romping around in the sand as we did our long walks.

There are four porta potty is near the entrance, which is nice that a dispersed place has some facilities. There is also a water spigot with a hose for Philips.

So far there's a couple of other camps at the beach, but it is big enough that there is probably 50 yd between each person, which is really nice. I stayed Sunday to Wednesday, so I don't know if it gets busier during the weekends. But through the week, it seems fairy chill

The first few days were awesome. There was always a nice breeze that kept the bugs away. Then the wind picked up and didn't stop! We had to leave because it got so bad! The sand was whipping it was crazy! There was a lot of trash washed up on the beach . I cleaned up around where we were camped but once the waves started crashing in because of the wind more trash! The beach had lots of shells which was fun! And surf casting was a big thing ! Lots of people catching fish!

I don't have much to add to what previous reviewers have said. This is a great place to boondock. It's free, there's trash service here, portapotties, and a water spigot at the entrance.  I definitely would not swim here.

Our visit was cut short by an incoming storm. We were planning to ride it out but as we watched all the other campers leave one by one until it was just us left, we decided maybe they knew something we didn't and didn't want to be the dummies washed away in a storm, so we left.

Doesn't get much better. Boondocking on the beach. Shells everywhere. Hard beach surface to drive on.

Apple Maps took me to the wrong place but Google maps took me exactly where I needed to be. If you see the sign for Rutherford beach “left” and Apple Maps tells you to keep going straight, just turn left and start following the signs. 2Wd accessible as long as you avoid some small pockets of soft sand. The mosquitoes mentioned in other reviews are not an issue when it’s 40 degrees and windy! Lol Also, this location is very far from most grocery stores and gas stations (about 30-45mins) so plan accordingly. Cops will roll through once or twice a day just to check on people.

overall good place to set up. There were some controlled burns in the area so a little smoky. There are porta-johns at the entrance.

This place is way out of the way you're going to be 45 minutes from the nearest Walmart. Cell phone service when it's working is good although there were two outages in the week I was there. There does not seem to be a time limit for staying, if there is it's not enforced. Plenty of spots along the ocean there's even two rows of compacted sand for a lot of it. Speaking of sand it will get everywhere in your camper. I was there beginning of February and the mosquitoes are relentless. Bring bug spray make sure it's got deet. Everyone I met there was very nice.

Great spot to pull over your car to park on the sand. Lots of other RVs but not crowded and theres a long stretch of hard packed sand that i was able to access without a truck or RV. More people showed up around 5 but stayed a bit and left. Quiet night and morning.

anyone I talked to was friendly but reiterated it wasn't safe to swim, kind of disappointing but oh well.

One review here mentioned mosquitoes and its true, spent about an hour before bed slapping myself silly from all the ones that had gotten inside.

overall really easy place to pull up to, really pretty.

The views are alright and it’s nice to have free beach access and a few amenities but I have never seen such thick clouds of mosquitos in my life. Made the grave mistake of opening the van door at night and spent the next TWO DAYS hunting down hundreds of mosquitos in our van from those two seconds. It was a nightmare.

Our trailer has narrow tires that are hard to pull on most beaches. The sand here packs well and supports our camper. You will need to be self contained. No hookups here. There are port-a-potties and sometimes food trucks on weekends.

Quite and perfect. Beautiful breezes and in the heat I welcome it. I am very impressed and will come Back.

The sand is packed hard enough to pull a trailer right onto the beach. Plenty of room and there are dumpsters, an outside shower and a water spigot. The kids loved fishing right from camp.

The beach was easy access. Lots of room to pick a spot. New shells every day.

Easy access will lots of beach space to choose from.

Not to many campers. Probably because it’s cold and windy today. You can drive on the beach. Plenty of Verizon cell service. The water is cold but the bird watching and drive here was beautiful, serene and no traffic (again cold, windy and February) There is a row of port of potties at entrance of beach. The camping is free

Free camping on the beach. No problem driving on the hard packed sand. Camped here in a camper van. Plenty of room, far from other campers. I was surprised at how wide the beach was given it's history with storms. Clean. Portable toilets near entrance to beach; pretty nasty. Also, trash dumsters; full when we arrived. Horse flies & other insects can be a problem here, but not too bad if a breeze or wind is coming off of the gulf. Good AT&T & T-Mobile service. Good experience.

Variety of users groups regarding camping style and demographic groups. Plenty of local flavor on the weekends. Overall friendly folks. Frequently patrolled by local deputies.

I don't think I'll ever get over how cool it is to camp directly on the beach, for free.

There were lots of other RVs and vans here when we stayed in early March, but there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out all in a long line along the beach.

Lots of people here fishing, both day use and overnight campers.

There are porta potties and garbage bins near the entrance, and a large dumpster and a water spigot kit outside the entrance.

The sand here is crushed shells, so not so soft for bare feet.

A bit of wind at times, but maybe that's why we had no bugs.

The water looks kind of murky, not dirty, and some locals told us when the wind is just right the water is super muddy.

Lots and lots of huge shells here.

Beautiful sunset.

Good cell service for att and Verizon.

Awesome free beach camping. As previously stated amenities are still here

This right here in Louisiana is a wonderful find. A great place you can kick back relax no hassles no problems listen to the ocean seagulls the wind. You can stay as long as you like just remember to pack it and pack it out unfortunately any real services are about 35 mi away so there is no quick run to the grocery store but it's just what you really want I look forward to coming back and visiting here many more times in the future.

This is a great spot that is way off the beaten path!  Rutherford Beach was awesome.  There is a dumpster there and a port o potty, but no hookups.  The sand was hard packed so we were able to pull our 31' Class A onto the sand with no issues.  The cell service is great and we had an awesome time.  It is in the middle of nowhere though so plan accordingly and stock up before you arrive!