Want to go dispersed camping near Brookings? Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.
This dispersed campsite for tents or small trailers, is located on the Recreation portion of the Wild and Scenic Chetco River. Enjoy summer fun in the crystal clear waters of this outstanding river. There are a few shaded spots that can be found along the tree line. Picnicking, sunbathing, swimming, floating and other forms of non-motorized water sports are possible. Facilities Camp where you want No drinking water Vault toilet Garbage disposal from May 15 through September 15
In general, dispersed camping is allowed outside of developed sites within the Six Rivers National Forest unless otherwise posted. Since potable water, toilets and other amenities are not available, be sure to bring adequate water or be prepared to purify natural water sources before drinking. Camp at least 200 feet from springs, water, meadows, trails, and at least 50 feet from roads. Camp at least a quarter-mile from designated campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, private property and state highways. Please remember: if you brought it in with you, then take it out when you leave (Pack It In/Pack It Out), this includes dismantling user-created site-modifications, such as fire rings.
Offers solitude and primitive camping with swimming in nearby Hunter Creek. For tents and small trailers only. ## Facilities * 3 campsites * No picnic table * No fire pit * No drinking water * No toilet * No garbage disposal - Please pack it out
Remember to LNT in any dispersed area and respect any "no camping" signs you find.
Traveler
Great area with lots of room to separate you from others ! The road in is paved till you drop into the actual camp site which is rocky but easy for a suv to do. The views are amazing and the privacy is even better!
Scout
Elk dispersed camping starts 8 miles up elk river rd. Everything past the fish hatchery is fair game. We found a great pull off that led under a bridge. Beautiful spot and no bothersome traffic
GuideFull time van lifers who work remote. Very dense in a valley spot, starlink would not work great for a work day. So many bugs when we arrived at night.
Wouldn’t dare try going down the steep rough dirt road knowing internet wouldn’t be great.
GuideGreat spot by a river. Refreshing water not too cold, deep enough to float.
Starlink internet is spotty here but you should be good if you park further away from the river.
Be careful with maps! This listing has the wrong pin on the map. If you use coordinates and google maps it will get you to the right side. If you come across a road with a dead end sign, you’re on the wrong side of the river.
TravelerSite was very easy access after driving down a long back road. Quiet, clean, and pretty. No phone service.
Guide
This spot is a gravel pull off that is about 25ftx15ft. You can fit a small pull behind, truck, and/or van. The 6.5 mile road (FS-25) is paved so the accessibility of the site is a plus. The only downside is the logging operation that you can hear during the week further up the mountain.
Ranger
There was a few pullouts on the road and I wouldn’t exactly call it dispersed camping. I parked in what I think was a road for fishing access. Only positive was the river was right there
Traveler10 miles up a fire road with some spots along road. All are tiny pullout spots just enough for a van to park, would not recommend for an rv or trailer. Very gorgeous though! And paved road the whole way!
GuideI liked the area, but it seemed to be heavily trafficked. Lots of cars and vans drove by. I was also woken up in the middle of the night to someone practicing with their shotgun in the distance for a good half hour
Scout
Had a awesome time at sand camp very nice and quiet. Would go back again and again with friends and family. Clean and nice.
ScoutWe were looking for a last minute place to camp when our last site didn’t work out. This place was perfect! They have dammed up a bit of the creek to make a perfect deep area to take a bath. It’s nice a secluded behind trees to shield you from the other campers.
We went on a Friday night and there were three other groups but plenty of space for a another couple of people. The road to access this is paved and very accessible BUT there is a steep gravel hill to get down into the campground. It is pitted and difficult to get up/down but we managed in an AWD Subaru crosstrek. Someone else brought down an entire trailer. I have no idea how but I guess it’s possible.
The entrance is marked with a large rock painted red. You can’t miss it. Just put in the coordinates and you’ll take you right to it.
Perfect secluded little campground. Highly recommend!!
GuideWe tried to get to these coordinates with Apple Maps on an iPhone, and it took us somewhere completely different in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal or people for miles. The road it had us go down was very steep, couldn’t get back up and had to make camp there and hike for help the next morning. I gave a second star because on our hike we had to cross this river a few times and it is absolutely beautiful. Crystal clear, cool, perfect for swimming.
ScoutThis was an ok site. We visited middle of January and we were the only campers here. It was nice being by the river but this area recently had a fire go through it and there was a lot of down trees/erosion.
Also, the amount of trash here was rather disappointing and we were concerned our dog would step on something sharp. We tried to pick up as much as possible but there were a lot of small bits and it appeared to be from a long term camp for whoever was piling up a lot of trash over a long period of time.
Guide
Sand Camp had no parking lot camp, and it was getting late so we stayed in a pull out on the highway. There are a few to pick from, but make sure you're not on one with a sharp turn because that can be dangerous being in the blind spot of on coming cars. I was definitely uneasy at first and felt pretty exposed, but we didnt have any trouble. As I said, works in a pinch.
GuideThe coordinates on here were off, and the campground is actually located further down the road, and it's an official site you can find on Google. The sites are walk to (very short), and there are signs saying no camping in the parking lot, violators will be fined. We didnt want to chance sleeping in our van because it seemed like a place that would be patrolled. Would be excellent for tents.
TravelerThese coordinates lead us to private property, a driveway to a couple of houses. Maybe there was something a little further, but it was all blocked off. We had to turn around and camp elsewhere.
TravelerWe live in Brookings and go up the Chetco to this river bar or to Nook or Miller Bar all summer long. No, there’s no spaces and no hookups and no cell service for miles. It’s just a gravel bar on the river where you pull your camper wherever feels good and unhitch and camp. You might have some USDA Forest Service employee drop off a pay envelope at your site but , there’s no place to leave it and they may or may not come back to get it. It sometimes gets crowded during holidays and weekends and the good places, not next to rapids and close enough to good swimming holes, become rare. So you might have to settle for something less than ideal. And, the porta potties might get full. There’s no one enforcing quiet hours or leash laws and no form of law enforcement anywhere nearby. There is a Forest Service LEO assigned to the area but in 18 years, I’ve never seen him on the bar. Despite all this, incidents involving injuries or violence or crime are exceptionally rare. It’s a great kayaking and swimming place and there’s nearby rocks for jumping off. Remember! It’s a river not a lake so kids ought to have life jackets. Please note….as the summer progresses, the water level drops, the temperature rises and the algae grows. As such, we prefer June camping.
GuideSand camp is essentially a dispersed camping area. There is a large gravel parking lot and a pit toilet available. There is a path down to the Smith River where you can set up tents and tent camp if you want.
The toilet was a basic pit toilet, but it was fairly clean as far as those go.
We parked our VW Bus in the gravel lot for the night, it was very quiet. Though its next to a road, there is very little traffic at night as this area is fairly remote. The sky was dark and clear, perfect for stargazing. The few other people camping there were quiet and friendly.
LegendSooooo, apparently dispersed is no longer free in some places. This campground was$10 a night. But for that$10 you get camping on the gravel bar right next to the river with semi-clean porta potties. The best reason to camp here is that you are in the“banana belt” of southern Oregon where it gets really warm. I was able to dive right into the river from my site(I was camped next to a really deep part of the river). There are lots of fire rings set up all over the gravel bar, you just have to pick who you want to camp next to. There were the usual rowdy groups as well as hige family gatherings and the line campers as well.
RangerI stumbled on this site accidentally back in early August when en-route to some of the official campgrounds on the Elk River that were just a bit further down the road. Wasn't too impressed with those, so on the way back toward Port Orford I decided to pull off at this spot to see what might be found as you can find dispersed camping spots up and down the river. So glad I did.
The area is a large stony beach, hence the name I made up when I created this listing. It's good for cars and smaller campers / RVs. I'm not sure big RVs would be good for this setting. The dirt path from the main road down to the beach is very short but a bit steep and with some big dips when I was there so very low-clearance vehicles might have an issue getting in and out. For tents, the beach would likely be uncomfortable given its rockiness, but that's OK because there are a few places just off the beach that have dirt and tree-cover and are perfect for tent camping. I found a great spot with good shade, a well-made stone firepit, and an easy place to hang my hammock. Loved it so much I decided to hunker down for four days and just settle in.
The river is crystal clear and was refreshing in August. It gets deep on the left side of the beach area so you can properly swim if you want to (see my silly "let's test out my new GoPro" video to see what I mean). That area is popular with locals for day-use so you'll often see more people during the day then at night. Only had a few other campers staying the nights, and we had enough space between us. Privacy wasn't an issue. No toilets though, so you'll need to get creative with that.
For camp fires, make sure to check the local regulations. When I was there they had a burn ban and the forestry guys came through somewhat regularly to check. They will ticket you if you break the rules. $250 fine I believe.
The drive to Port Orford, the closest town, is about 30 minutes each way. Not too bad, but if you want to settle in and not move for a while, you'll want to stock up. No cell phone reception either, at least for me on Verizon, but I got to the point where I really appreciated that. This is a damn fine spot to really unplug. That said, there are some great hikes around Port Orford (check out Humbug Mountain if you want a proper workout) so there are more reasons than just supply runs to go out and return.
All in all a phenomenal free dispersed camp site that I would 100% recommend and return to.
Scout
We have been camping here for years. We just spent 6 days on the roads rafting and camping. We love this place. There is no shade and no hookups. Very nice and peaceful area. We love the Galice area and will return year after year.
TravelerWhen we need a free place to stay over on the southern Oregon coast, Redwood bar works. It can sometimes be a party place, especially on weekends but go during the week and you might have the place all to yourselves. Be care diving out on the gravel bar, have seen some big rigs get stuck. The water in the river is amazing and as clean as you can get.
LegendWe once stumbled upon this pace by accident. Had an amazing first day of adventuring so spent a second night. Its dispersed camping in the Siskiyou National Forrest. So find a place that you like and stay there. Only want to light fires in existing fire pits. Everything was so moist from recent rein we found it difficult to get a fire going. Once we did the wahoo.
Theres mostly hiking/meanderring here. If your not satisfied with that beat it! The Redwoods here were fantastic. Not as grandiose as the California red woods but more quiet, less people. In 2 days we only saw one other group.
Cheers!
RangerWe stopped for the night on our way through during a work trip. We stayed in our van wick makes everything nice and easy. To our surprise we fished in the evening and in the morning without seeing anyone else. Nice quiet spots along the river. Most have camp fire rings. The Rogue River is beautiful we will be back!
Traveler
Do not know if what I found was the place, but it was awesome. Creek nearby. Quiet secluded.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Brookings, OR is Redwood Bar Dispersed Camping with a 3.6-star rating from 8 reviews.
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