Best Dispersed Camping near Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

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Best Dispersed Sites Near Crater Lake National Park, OR (29)

Showing results 1-10 of 29 campgrounds

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Crater Lake National Park

75 Reviews of 29 Crater Lake National Park Campgrounds


  • Jeffrey P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lightning Springs Backcountry Dispersed Campsite
    Oct. 11, 2024

    Lightning Springs Backcountry Dispersed Campsite

    Quiet Spot with Incredibe Views

    After parking right off the trail head and hiking down about 0.8 miles, you have three “established” spots to chose from. I say established in quotations because they are marked with plaques but are all the way rustic sites. The middle sight is definitely the biggest and is where me and four others stayed for two nights. This is a very busy national park in the summer months but going the first week of October (as suggested by the ranger) made it so that we were the only ones in this area. We did have a couple backpackers stop for the night at the first site but other than that is was really quite. The lightning springs trail itself is incredibly long and we only went to where water was flowing so that we could fill up. We opted to hike out the first day and then drive to the Watchman Lookout Trail head and do that one first. It was only 0.8 miles long but I believe a 400 foot elevation change. Absolutely incredibly view. After that we drove north and did the Cleetwood Cove Trail which was around a mile with a 600 foot elevation change. This allows you to get right next to the water. Both hikes we semi challenging but well worth it. While the backcountry campsites do not allow fires, there are other location around Rim Village that have established sites that you can. When we went it was a little colder and windy but the tree coverage offered some shielding from that. There are plenty of other longer hikes as well in the area and other established sites if you are looking to have a more traditional camping experience. The Rim Village center was open and we were able to get a meal and visit the gift shop as well as go farther south and get our NPP stamped. Definitely recommend checking the NP website to see what is opened and closed as well as fire bans. We were lucky that the entire loop was open and got to drive all the way around the second day. While not directly at these sites, there are trash and bathroom areas really close. Really all around incredible views and an incredible weekend stay.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Forest Road 960 by Pacific Crest Trail PCT
    Oct. 9, 2024

    Forest Road 960 by Pacific Crest Trail PCT

    Views in all directions, multiple spots

    Great spot. Go all the way to the end of the road to reach the top. There is ample room to turn around, in spite of a step climb.

    Was able to pull 15' trailer up with 4wd.

    Wide open sky for solar and starlink.

    Mid 60s f during day in early October. 40 f at night.

  • GThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Thousand Springs Sno-Park
    Oct. 9, 2024

    Thousand Springs Sno-Park

    Very good spot

    Large, paved parking lot. Plenty of room for big rigs and vault toilets.  Some road noise, but nothing that bothered us. Great location for access to Glacier NP and a small town with a few restaurants was not far away.

    Huge thanks to Rogue Snowmobilers - there was Wi-Fi available while we were there, which helped out a lot!

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Great Meadow Sno-Park
    Oct. 8, 2024

    Great Meadow Sno-Park

    Just a large empty lot with bike trail access

    There’s nothing here except the highway but you can drive down the bike trail and stay there as well, just so your further away from the lot and the road.

  • Patricia N.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Prospect OHV Dispersed Camping
    Sep. 26, 2024

    Prospect OHV Dispersed Camping

    Perfect place for OHV riding

    We absolutely loved camping here. During our off season stay it was fun and with all the ATV trails it was our favorite place to camp.

    Our neighbor campers decided they could ride the trails without helmets and found out the hard way that is is a no no. They were brought back to the camp without their bikes and in the back of a National Forest Service Enforcement vehicle. After being spoken to about the importance of following the rules of the trails, they were left at camp and had to find their own way back to their motorcycles.

    Fortunately we did not have the same experience. It can get very dusty so just be prepared for that. The trails are absolutely great and access to the Rogue River is just icing on the cake.

    It was so nice to have areas provided for unloading bikes and ATV's so folks could safely load and unload their toys.

  • Catherine L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Millsite Forest Dispersed Camping
    Sep. 13, 2024

    Millsite Forest Dispersed Camping

    Easy off the main road stop

    Quiet camping area off 138. You come up to what looks like a county shop, but keep going to the left, and you're here. A handful of sites. We were easily able to park out jeep a ways in.

  • Juliana R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Millsite Forest Dispersed Camping
    Aug. 1, 2024

    Millsite Forest Dispersed Camping

    Open, empty, very quiet

    This was a lovely place to camp for the night. There were probably 10-15 campsites, and I was the only one there when I showed up. Campsites have picnic tables and fire pits and there is a pit toilet. Many trees which provide shade. Some mosquitos but not too bad. Very easy to find with the directions and it was also on GAIA GPS.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Thielsen Wilderness
    Jul. 30, 2024

    Mount Thielsen Wilderness

    Great spot but nails in the road

    BE CAREFUL got a nail in the tire here. Ended up with a flat giving me a headache 😒. Otherwise the campsite was amazing, would have been 5 stars if not for the nail.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Forest Road 960 by Pacific Crest Trail PCT
    Jul. 29, 2024

    Forest Road 960 by Pacific Crest Trail PCT

    Great Views

    Came here not really knowing what to expect and we were surprised with what we got. Road was was easy to get up, however 4x4 is definitely needed for the spots up on the rocks. Lovely view where we were! Lots of little camp fires scattered around the area .

  • PThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Thielsen Wilderness
    Jul. 17, 2024

    Mount Thielsen Wilderness

    Dusty

    Seemed to be plenty of spots when I got there on a Sunday. Far enough from the main highway, I didn’t hear any traffic in the middle of the night. A caveat however, the east side of hill itself seems to be an active rock quarry. That means if you are waking up on a work day, it may be somewhat of a rude awakening

  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from USFS Rogue River Dispersed
    Jul. 16, 2024

    USFS Rogue River Dispersed

    Off the beaten path

    We had to go in a ways before finding a suitable spot, but it was very secluded. We camped near the road but nobody came through the whole night we stayed. An owl swooped right through our camp site and scared the crap out of us. Easy route in and out.

  • Shelby S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP
    Jun. 15, 2024

    NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP

    Flying Insect Heaven

    It was a nice area; it was pretty easy to access, and there was lots of open space. I couldn't really hear the highway, but several trucks did drive down the dirt road. Had good cell service with t-mobile , but did spend most of the time in my tent due to the flies and mosquitoes

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP
    Jun. 7, 2024

    NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP

    Quiet

    I spent a Thursday night here and it was almost completely empty. I only saw one person drive down the forest road. Good cell service for T-Mobile. Easily accessible for any car. Be a good human and bring a trash bag to pack out some of the litter.

  • Aidan D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Thousand Springs Sno-Park
    Jun. 2, 2024

    Thousand Springs Sno-Park

    Great spot

    This is a good campsite to stay to look at Crater Lake. It is about 15 minutes to the south entrance of the park and then another 15 minutes to the Rim Village. Huge thanks to the Rogue Snowmobilers who make this site so great. There was a rec area we ate dinner in and played cards. The only issue with the site is the mosquitos. Make sure to have bug spray and make a fire

  • Rosealine F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Dispersed Site - just a great place off the highway
    May. 24, 2024

    Dispersed Site - just a great place off the highway

    Easily Accessible

    Needed a place stay for just two nights. This spot was not too far off the road, there were some bumps getting there but my Chevy Trax was able to get there just fine. The area was flat and no one else was there. Our T-Mobile phones had a small amount of Service in our campsite but not on the road to get there.

  • SThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Thousand Springs Sno-Park
    Oct. 26, 2023

    Thousand Springs Sno-Park

    Close to the crater

    Plenty of parking with bathrooms . We were the only ones there in our camper van got in late driving from the redwoods on the way to crater . Lots of stars . No cell service

  • Angie A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site
    Oct. 7, 2023

    Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site

    A nice overnighter

    Easy to find. Small campground but was only 4 of us there so not too bad. Very beautiful scenery. Get your groceries before you get off your exit very limited on options. Toilets were stinky so I’m glad I had my private portable. Quiet morning.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP
    Oct. 6, 2023

    NF-70 Dispersed Camping Near Crater Lake NP

    Right outside the park

    Plenty of different types of camping spots: trailer and RV to serious offroad spots. I found a very secluded place with my 4by4 down rough road but plenty of other options. Best thing about it was I was able to be in the park to watch the sunrise.

  • TThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Forest Road 3237
    Aug. 19, 2023

    Forest Road 3237

    Quiet spot! Nice.

    Entrance across from Annie Creek Sno Park. Stay left at first fork.

    Potential for 2 spots, left spot had some ground bees.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from NF 2612 Dispersed Camping
    Aug. 9, 2023

    NF 2612 Dispersed Camping

    Good open area dispersed camping

    We picked this dispersed camping near Lemolo Lake since it was an open area that we could run our Starlink. There was also some cell service. Lemolo lake also has several Campgrounds to choose from if you want to pay. In the area we visited Lemolo Falls and Warm Spring Falls. We weren't disappointed. The area does have mosquitoes to contend with. Where we camped there was a picnic table and rock fire ring. Be mindful of the no fire season.

  • Anam S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Thielsen Wilderness
    Aug. 8, 2023

    Mount Thielsen Wilderness

    loved it

    Easy to access road. So so many spots below, and a few great ones up the hill. We stayed below since we arrived late at night. Nice little walk in the morning up the hill, good views. Quick drive to crater lake. There were mosquitoes, but some deet and no prob.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lemolo Forebay
    Jul. 14, 2023

    Lemolo Forebay

    No available sites

    Looked like a great place to camp. Arrived at about 3:30pm and unfortunately all sites were occupied by then. After reading the prior couple reviews, I hoped this would have availability on a Thursday afternoon. Bummer. I noticed one group was playing music, so evening might not have been as quiet as I'd prefer.

  • Salvatore F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Thielsen Wilderness
    Jul. 3, 2023

    Mount Thielsen Wilderness

    Great family dispersed spot!

    We drove to this little spot after a busy day at crater lake July 2nd. We arrived about 6pm. Having seen a YouTube video about this spot in advance, we 4x4 straight to the top in my f150. Little bumpy but no problem getting up. At the very top, another truck with a RTT beat us, but we took the sheltered spot deep in the “rock quarry” center area.

    We were worried about mosquitos due to so many reviews complaining, but it was pretty clear overall. There were a few, but really not a nuisance at all. I did use deet lotion, but my partner didn’t and she didn’t seem to mind at all. We walked to the tippy top section where are are trees and there were swarms on misquotes, but down in the rocks was pretty clear.

    Got a fire started under the full moon and had a wonderful night with my family. 10 out of 10.

  • AThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Mount Thielsen Wilderness
    Jul. 1, 2023

    Mount Thielsen Wilderness

    Quiet spot by Crater Lake

    Nice quiet spot off the main road. There are several flat spots for tents or small campers. The road is pretty good though we didn’t try to go up the mountain. There are lots of bugs and you can hear the occasional chainsaw, so just be aware.

  • Jordie G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Lemolo Forebay
    May. 30, 2023

    Lemolo Forebay

    Beautiful but bring bug spray

    Pavement turns to dirt road to get to the sites. Each site has a fire ring and a table. The vault toilet has a trash can and was stocked with TP when we were there but we bring our own.

    The trails down to the river are loose dirt and steep but we drove to the other side of the river to lounge in the sun.

    Lots of skeeters! Bring your bug spray



Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Crater Lake National Park?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Crater Lake National Park is Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site with a 4.6-star rating from 18 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Crater Lake National Park?

    TheDyrt.com has all 29 dispersed camping locations near Crater Lake National Park, with real photos and reviews from campers.