Looking for the best dispersed camping near Cascadia? The Dyrt provides you with a diverse selection of places to camp, from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Oregon camping adventure.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means there are no toilets, no picnic tables, no trash cans, no treated water, and no fire grates. If you are dispersed camping in the winter, recognize that the Forest Service does not plow or maintain Forest Roads in the winter, so plan your trip accordingly.
Typically, dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, boat ramps, picnic areas or trailheads. There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It's your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience.
If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that's been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites, so using existing ones will minimize your impact on the forest. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines:
Camp on bare soil if possible, to avoid damaging or killing plants and grass. Do NOT camp within 200 feet of any water source, plants near water are especially fragile. Don't camp in the middle of a clearing or meadow. Make your campsite less visible so that other visitors will see a "wild" setting. Don't try to level or dig trenches in the ground at your campsite. Select a campsite with good natural drainage. Visit the Leave No Trace website for more information.
Campfires Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping UNLESS there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is YOUR responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping.
Traveler
Maybe 15min outside bend, a little hard to see the turn off in the dark, but once we did it was easy to find a spot and set up camp! We only stayed one night and were car camping so it was perfect!
Guide
Ok site. Not especially scenic, but good outdoor space with lots of owl and bug noise at night.
Right next to road. Cars come by somewhat regularly, at some speed, kicking up dust.
There is an open spot suitable for solar and starlink.
Guide
Amazing views. Access to water. Gorgeous sunsets. Not far from toilet if you're up for a walk, or have wheels. Firepits. This site has it all.
Room to back in 15' trailer to camp or of.
Early October, 70 f during day 30 f at night.
ScoutThere are several spots off of the road to the Spark Lake Day Use area. The road is very rough, but taken slow does not require a 4wd.
Traveler
Closed due to fire damage
ScoutI didn't want to destroy the rating, but currently closed as of August 14th
Guide
Awesome little cliff jumping swimming spot to teach the kids how to swim
ScoutRight off the road... but a quite one. You can't see the vehicles. Wonderful trees for the hammocks. Not a lot of space for cars, but the ground is pretty level. A great escape.
Guide
This spot has easy access to a clean creek for wading pools. Very clean area with some road traffic noise.
GuideNice little spot just off the road, there appears to be a very narrow double track road that goes a little deeper in, but driving back there would have come at the cost of the landscape and the paint on my van. Aside from the fact that the USFS likely doesn't allow motor vehicles down that path. I parked in a way that blocked that double track after verifying there was no one else there, which added to my privacy from the main road. No vehicles drove by Saturday night and only 2-3 the next morning. Very quiet and peaceful.
Guide
Very nice location with several options to park/camp and have some privacy. Some areas that require driving in a little further also require driving through a couple of brief rutted and rougher road sections that would limit some of the lower clearance vehicles. I suspect it could also be a place popular with teens at certain times of the year, but we had the entire area to ourselves. There's also limited Verizon reception, enough to receive some texts/emails but not quite enough to send MMS text.
Guide
A lot of the trash has been cleaned up, we only saw a little bit in a couple of spots. Some spots have 2 or 3 fire rings per pull out and would be good for a small group. Fishing is OK year round in the river at these spots.
Traveleri would get here pretty early next time to get a spot with a clear view of the lake, even on a monday it was pretty packed. there’s a bit of traffic in and out during the night but that’s pretty expected.
Traveler
Very safe good internet! I have straight talk
ScoutMosquitos are a bit much at dusk so ensure to bring spray. Dispersed camping outside improved areas are the best bet on weekends as this site seems to be very popular. Once outside improved areas, seclusion is easy to obtain. Water access is limited once off the paved road due to steep rocky drops.
Overall, this site is beautiful! The water is crystal clear and is ideal for swimming, fishing, kayaking as well as boating.
GuideSo much trash thrown off the sides at each camp spot. Why would anyone do that to such a beautiful place?? I don't get it.
ScoutWe wanted a dispersed site that had good hammock spots and a fire ring. This was a prime spot that we will definitely use again. Lots of privacy, lots of woods.
Scout
We really like this spot because you can walk into town but far enough outside that it has a lot of privacy. The PRT trail system is close by, Three Creeks and the 3 Sister. We only ever see hikers and bikers.
GuideAwesome forest with lots of roads to drive down and spread out - many established sites. Smelt amazing with only the pines
LegendWe went looking for the other campgrounds on this road that we’re closed so we were disappointed. We didn’t leave our van due to rain but we had a nice little pullover. No fires allowed due to recent fires on the area
LegendThis campground was amazing. One of the best dispersed camps we’ve been to all year!
We couldn’t have a fire due to restrictions, but the Camps with marked sites you can have a fire at just up the horribly paved road and down a 4 mile stretch of car sized rutted gravel road (there are 4).
We hiked on trails for 2 days to the lake. It was worth it. Pack light. Take a lot of water. The sights along the way were breathtaking! We also hiked around the backside of this camping area. Looks like people take ATV’s up there but there is a sign at the entrance that says no off-road vehicles.
The road to the spots are not bad. Pretty flat till you get about 5 or 6 sites in.
No amenities at all whatsoever. Bury your waste and pack out your trash. There are dumpsters all over the nearby town of Sisters. And pack in as much water as you can. There is a Chevron Station in town that you can fill jugs or your rig for free.
LegendWe were looking for a dispersed camping site on Forest Service land outside of cell range so we used The Dyrt PRO maps to help us find this spot. It is just off of paved roads on a smooth gravel road that our RV easily handled - it is a pull off from Whiskey Jack road and has room for 1 RV or several tents on flat land with some soft ground cover from grass and pine needles. There are no services so this is dry camping and you’ll need to be self sufficient. There is a fire pit circle but with recent fires we wouldn’t use it and it may be prohibited. I am sure this road could be snowed in in winter months but was dry and clear in June. We picked the spot with fewer trees as we were testing out a Starlink satellite dish on our RV to see if we could get internet access deep in the woods. Lots of ponderosa pines, manzanita bushes, and chirping birds in warm weather days and cool nights. There is some traffic passing the site during the day but there is a road that a 4 wheel drive could travel if you wanted to get away from the road for some extra privacy and quiet. Overall a classic Oregon Cascades mountain meadow location that is only 10-15 minutes off highway 20 and makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere to rest and rejuvenate!
GuideSites were secluded and quiet. I found a site nearby the creek so that I could hear the stream all night. It was so peaceful! There are a couple forks in the road but I kept right through the first two until I made it to a gravel road with pull-outs. Nice areas for tent or car camping. Only one other group out there
GuideWe camped in our A liner Expedition here in late May. Unlike most dispersed camping around, the sites were well spaced, had very little trash and not full. We found a spot on a dirt road off the 4606. It had nice dispersed trees, low sand, and only a few beer cans here and there. We didn’t see another person on our “street” the whole time we were there. There are some tents and RVs in the area we passed that looked rather permanent and “methy,” so just be careful which tried out you pick.
TravelerWe drove around looking for a place to boondock near Sisters for what felt like forever, but all the remote sites we planned on were taken. When we arrived at the Black Pine dispersed area, it was surprisingly empty for how busy the rest of the area was.
The sites were huge with enormous fire rings and would be ideal for groups. We just had one small van, but there was one other large party with multiple vehicles and a large camper van, and they fit comfortably in one site.
The actual sites are not very forested or private, but it still felt secluded since only two of probably 10 sites were taken. Definitely recommend this area, especially for groups!
LegendJust outside the cute town of Sisters is a lot of dispersed camping areas on Forest Service land. Take Three Creek Road south to BS (Brooks Scanlan)-Logging Road/FS 4606. FS 4606 is wide graveled road with washboard and potholes, and pretty terrible to drive on in an RV. It is very dusty but you’ll find multiple potential places to camp. We saw about 6 other campers along the road in various established spots.
Some side roads require higher clearance but we were able to find a nice spot in our 26 ft Class C (44.2689957,-121.5436631). There are a couple stone fire rings and the area is mostly free of litter and other debris. There are zero amenities while camping on forest service dispersed sites so pack in and pack out all trash and waste. There are multiple trails in this area for hiking or biking as well.
There was one sketchy guy walking around yelling, high on something, but he didn’t bother us and he kept on walking. We did not feel unsafe here.
Good cell reception with ATT, Verizon and TMobile.
TravelerThis place was open and well maintained for a boondocking spot. Very quiet with a gorgeous sunset. We didn’t see a single person on our stay here. Convenient location, would definitely return for a longer stay in the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Cascadia, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Cascadia, OR is Blue River Reservoir Roadside Camping with a 3.8-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Cascadia, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 22 dispersed camping locations near Cascadia, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
