Planning a dispersed camping trip near Bay City? Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. Search dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots and read camper reviews.
Dispersed camping is allowed in Oregon State Forests year round. There are no fee or permit requirements. Campers are required to adhere to ODF regulations regarding placement of campsites, campfires, sanitation, and stay limits. Campfires and charcoal barbeques are not allowed in dispersed campsites during the Regulated Use portion of fire season. There are no maps for dispersed campsites.
At an elevation of 2400 feet, this area offers dispersed camping along the northern edge of the lake. The lake is stocked periodically with rainbow trout. There is access for launching non-motorized boats. A vault toilet is provided but no potable water. It is also the eastern trailhead of the Pioneer – Indian Trail.
Dispersed camping and day use area with access to the northern end of Sand Lake Recreation Area OHV area. Sites offer vault toilets and fire rings.__ No water available.
A Quite private, a good first-night spot. Dispersed Camping Near Pioneer-Indian Trail in Siuslaw National Forest
Native Americans and early settlers used this trail to travel from the Willamette Valley to the Pacific Coast. The trail runs over the top of Mt. Hebo, providing wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean. Sections of the trail are located in the Mt. Hebo Special Interest Area. Experience open mountain meadows and heavily forested areas on this 8 mile trail that begins at the Hebo Lake Day Use site (at Hebo Lake Campground) and ends at South Lake Dispersed Area. The meadows in the Mt. Hebo Area are home to the Oregon silverspot butterfly, a sensitive species.
You can access the trail at Hebo Lake Day Use, South Lake Dispersed Area, or at the Mt. Hebo Horse Trailhead off of Forest Road 14, 0.6 miles east of Hebo Lake Campground.
Camping is prohibited within 200 feet of the trail and within the open meadows in the Mt. Hebo Special Interest Area.
Dispersed camping and day use area with access to the northern end of Sand Lake Recreation Area OHV area. Sites offer vault toilets and fire rings. No water available.
Tillamook State Forest is managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. Dispersed camping is allowed for up to 14 days at a time.
Ranger
This is for dispersed camping in the Siuslaw NF off Forest Road 55, off 101. Turn into 55 from 101 between Thor’s Well and Devil’s Churn. There is a FS paid campground (Cape Perpetua Campground) right off FS 55.
If you follow 55 about 10 miles in, there are lots of established boondocking spots at around 4000 elevation. Additionally there are unmapped logging roads which can also be explored for camping.
Scenery is spectacular, lots of wildlife, deer, elk, coyote, and amazing old growth forests. No amenities of any kind, no cell service.
Ranger
Nice small lake with a close to established campground. I was hoping for a true disbursed experience, you know boondock. There were established sites and a composting table. Nice spots, nice lake. Could pull in a 16’ trailer but until the camp site there is no other turn around spot so beware. More campers then I expected.
Traveler
The Cedar Creek Rd area offers a nice variety of dispersed camping sites with some good views if you drive far enough, and fairly easy gravel roads for access. However, the signage could use improvement, making it a bit tricky to find your way around. Heard some OHV noise at night, and target shooting in the distance at sunrise. Be aware that Verizon cell service is nonexistent in the area. Not a bad place to stay, but you’re likely to run into others also looking for some nature.
GuideDiamond Milld rd is a tight logging rd with a kinda steep danger zone cliff on this edge. If you get to spot (the coordinates on dyrt arent exact but close) you will see basically the only part of the rd with a pull aside areai prob for two vans or cars. Its a nice view but kinda creepy if alone IMO. The dispersed camping for this St Forest applies to tenters mainly being 1 mile away from a paid campground. But for just car and van camp youd have to chance it at day area or drive way in to the forest down a rd.
TravelerTillamook Forest has so many amazing dispersed camping opportunities! We turned onto Ben Smith road and then took logging trails up the peaks. We found a perfect spot that looked like we were on the edge of a cliff but was actually still very safe for our toddler. No cell service, so we just unplugged for 3 nights and enjoyed the time together. We could see the northern lights the first night we were there, and it was absolutely incredible. We had a lot of privacy. One hunter walked by, I assume he was using the nearby trail. We heard some ATVs over the days, but it wasn't disruptive. Totally recommend it, and we'll definitely be back.
TravelerThis place is dreamy, lots of different routes to camp spots, we found an isolated area with a small opened peak overlooking the forest which was amazing. You can hear the highway in the distance (quietly) and occasional aircraft but it was overall peaceful. It is quite a steep incline so be cautious, I would not recommend with snow or sleet, but we definitely want to go back to explore the other routes! There is absolutely no cell service, if you have a hot spot I would recommend it, but once you enter the forest there is poor service.
TravelerSouth Lake is fairly small, I consider it more of a pond to be honest, but a great place for disperse camping. The quickest drive in is a bit sketchy. I recommend taking a slight slower route to avoid scratches on your vehicle from branches. We checked out a few dispersed sites before we picked our spot. We managed to get a spot that was a 1 minute walk to the water, and about the same to the vaulted toilets. The vaulted toilet is on the NW side of the lake. It must’ve been checked often for toilet paper because we were there for 4 nights and it always had some in there.
We caught trout every day we were there. Most are small but was fun nonetheless. There is an old boat without a motor tied up for anyone to use. Only had one ore that was half broke but it still managed to get us across the water 🤷🏻♂️. We found a decent amount of firewood, just have to make sure it’s try if course. It’s all hidden below the ferns/greenery. No picnic tables or metal fire rings but who needs them? Plenty of rocks for a fire pit were already set up. Plenty of shade. Only downside was precious campers leaving toilet paper near the trees when you are literally a minute or less walk to the vaulted toilet.
TravelerThis free campground is just far enough out from the coast and the city that you'll likely be alone, even on a Saturday night. Most folks coming to this area of the forest camp in the more popular (and more expensive) Hebo Lake campground. If you don't need amenities and are just looking for a beautiful place to camp, South Lake is a better option. The road leading to the campground is easy gravel and receives a moderate amount of traffic. During my stay on a Saturday, there was a truck passing by every couple of hours. Most of these folks are hunters. If you want complete isolation, this is not a good place to camp. This is also not the best place to camp if you are afraid of Cougars (I am). There have been several recent Cougar sightings at this Lake. Thankfully I did not see any during my visit. :)
TravelerShhhh. This dispersed campground can be a trek to get to for limited spots. Great hikes nearby and for the most part fairly peaceful. Bring your fishing pole... Or not... The trout pretty much jump into your lap depending on the season :)
GuideWe love this dispersed campground. If you go earlier in the week, you’ll most likes find a spot with no problem. If you wait till Friday evening during the summer, it’ll probably be full. There is a vault toilet, no running water. The small lake has decent fishing and great for kayaking. Dirt/gravel roads are a bit tricky to navigate.
ScoutThe directions/coordinates are for 10min outside pacific city. It is now a private entrance/driveway with no access to go through to the dispersed coordinates! And the locals said a lot of the forest is closed off due to logging in that area. Defiantly follow the rangers review about the devils churn/thors well spot. The directions from Dyrt was about an hour or so away from his instructions ! We weren’t able to find a spot and ended up leaving the area
entirely.
ScoutAside from the few kids that decided to start shooting guns in the camp site. It’s a nice little place to escape the hustle and bustle of life.
GuideThis is simple, primitive campground mostly centered around a small picturesque lake.
There are a few other sites dispersed in the area. One of the best ones is just around the bend from the lake sites and its of the road and gets more sun, if thats your thing.
When i visited mid week in July it was empty.
Its quite a distance on sometimes very rough gravel roads, with no tirn outs and sometimes large drops on one side, so be very careful with log trucks .
But i made it OK with my beat up old Grand Caravan.
Enjoyed
LegendArrived around 4:30 on a Friday and only saw 2 other campers. By next morning, another 3 sites filled up. Vault toilets were pretty clean. Didn’t explore anything around as it was raining the entire time I was there. Quite a few hunters in the campgrounds / parking to go hunt. Road to get there was about 12 miles of dirt/gravel but when I left, only had dirt roads for 3 miles. Had 3 bars of LTE with AT&T once there. I’d definitely stay again. Very secluded and lush with greenery.
Traveler
This spot requires a good climb up Mt Hebo. The road is paved but quite narrow in places. We came up in the dark and had to take it pretty slowly around the turns.
Once we got to the spot we actually thought the large pull off was it until we saw the logging road that curves downward. Follow that road down in a C shape to a large open, flat area.
This is a wicked spot. Secluded and tucked into the trees. Might be hard for some folks towing a trailer but for our truck camper it was an easy fit.
ScoutWe didn’t actually stay here because it was already taken. But I wanted to create this view just to add additional context on how to find it.
There’s a pretty decent sized gravel turnout… It’s the only big gravel turn out like this on this part of the road … you’ll see what looks like a logging road with a steep decline. It looks a little intimidating, but you go down that road and it curves around in a sea shape for about a half a mile and ends in the big open area where you can camp.
If you’re telling something, I’d recommend walking the road to check to see if anybody is down there before you go down because it’s the only place you’d be able to turn around with your trailer.
Wish we were able to actually stay in this spot. Really big open flat area for either your travel trailer or a small group with tents. Amazing view very secluded feeling. Maybe next time!
LegendWe took a ride from Hebo up road 14 or 1400 to South Lake. The trip took over 1 hour down a partly paved road with lots of pot holes then the rest of the way down a very narrow pot hole dirt road to South Lake. Along the way we passed Hebo Lake Campground that had many tent camp sites. Once we arrived at South Lake we found the lake to be somewhat small and there were a few tent sites somewhat close together. We had been told this lake was always stocked with Trout. We suggest only using a 4x4 or a high clearance vehicle to make this trip.
TravelerThis was a last minute find for us on the 4th of July. There were a few sites left for us to choose from. The sites are not numbered but are designated by a rock ringed fire pit. We hammock camp and there are plenty of sites with trees positioned perfectly for hanging the hammocks. The lake is small but very beautiful. We did bring our kayaks but didn't launch them. There is a launching area but it's pretty mucky and there are a lot of downed trees in the water. I only saw one really great beach area to pull up to but it was already claimed by another small boat. There are trails all over leading from the campsites to the lake and around it. We also met other campers that had hiked a trail from Hebo lake to South Lake which was about a 7 mile hike for them.
We will go back and try out South Lake again in the other seasons.
LegendWe found this dispersed site by driving on Mt. Hebo Road about 20 minutes past Hebo Lake Campground. We noticed what looked like a logging road off to the right and followed it down for about 2 minutes. The road comes to an end and it was a perfect place to park our Cricket camper with plenty of room to turn around.
This site sits kind of high up in the forest with super tall trees all around. We didn’t realize it at first but we were about 100 yards up from a hiking trail, The Pioneer-Indian Tr#1300. We only realized it when we saw hikers go by, some of whom didn’t even notice we were up above them.
Going up the hike about 30 minutes will bring you to the top of Mt. Hebo with beautiful open views all the way to the coast. The hike goes all the way to South Lake. We gave up before we got there but as it was, that was a 10 mile round trip hike. Hiking the other way takes you to Hebo Lake Campground which we didn’t do. This was perfect spot to sit and relax and watch the forest and the sunset. Super peaceful and quiet.
The only negative is that there is no way to know if someone is in this spot from the road so we had a few people drive down to check it out and then turn around. Also, there were a ton of flies both at the site and on the hike.
To leave this site you have to drive up a pretty steep, pebbly road. We made it in our Subaru towing the Cricket but it was slightly nerve-racking and I would not try that in the snow or rain. Don’t think I would want to bring an RV down there either.
Overall, this was such a great spot to get away from crowds and get some R&R.
Traveler
I just came across this spot off a fire road going up the mountain from cook creek campgrounds
GuideThis spot has more than enough room for multiple vehicles and tents. However, there was quite a bit of mud when we arrived because it had rained recently. If it's dry then there is even more room. There was plenty of firewood but we had to get the fire going before burning the wet stuff. There are clay pigeons and shotgun shells around but they are pretty easy to ignore. The night sky is vivid and there are many little forest roads around to explore. The site is about a 20-minute drive from the beach by Pacific City. Perfect place to camp if you wanna hop in the car and go to the beach for a day as well.
LegendThe day that I got there they just graded the road and cleared a large parking area for road work equipment. Was a holiday weekend so they didn’t mind me camping there. Very quiet. Will be a large area that can hold 10 or more campers. No cell service.
GuideThis is a fee area. Have to look really hard this far north in Siuslaw to find a Frst Rd. Just go to Mt Hebo or back to Tili St Forest. Other that most of this north shore OR coast is tough. If anyone has coordinates for their spot Im sure its a valuable share but maybe a keepee.
GuideOnly reason it’s not 5 stars is the bathrooms are absolutely foul. Other than that it’s a really great quite, cheap spot that has a huge sand dune right next to it.
ScoutThis is an old campground no longer maintained. First of all, there is nothing but several feet of sand in a big lot. There is only a small section that is not sand. Don’t go past that. You will get stuck. Luckily we did not. There are huge sand dunes so tons of ATVs. The sand is disgustingly dirty from trash and feces. The ATV’ers are relentless. It’s quiet on a Monday night…
Traveler
River access and a fire pit. Dirt bike parking adjacent but pretty private.
TravelerAccessible through the Jones Creek campground turn off, continue up the forest roads past the OHV staging area and you’re in paradise! Gorgeous spots all over that are accessible in most 4WD/off-road capable vehicles. There is a massive network of forest service roads many with spots to set up your own quiet camp away from all the dirt bikes and RVs. No facilities obviously but that’s what makes this place special. It’s incredibly quiet and peaceful and a gorgeous piece of the PNW coastal area.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Bay City, OR is Tillamook State Forest Dispersed Camping with a 4.3-star rating from 12 reviews.
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