Want to go dispersed camping near Gardiner? The Dyrt can help you find the best dispersed campsites for your next trip. From secluded to easily reachable, we offer dispersed campsites near Gardiner just for you.
This site, sometimes referred to as Horton Lake, Hult Marsh, Hult Reservoir, or Mill Pond, was developed in the early 1900s for logging operations. The reservoir and surrounding wetland is about 40 acres and supports a rich diversity of wildlife, fish, and plant species. This recreation site is popular for activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, and scenic driving.
Camping is allowed in designated campgrounds, state parks, national forests, and on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Some private landowners also offer camping opportunities through platforms like Hipcamp. It is important to follow local regulations and respect private property when camping in Oregon.
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 developed campground. Dispersed camping usually means no toilet facilities or treated water, no fire grates, and no picnic tables or other amenities are provided.
There are extra responsibilities and skills needed for dispersed camping. By applying Leave No Trace practices, you will ensure a safe, clean and positive experience for your family and the environment.
The sites listed below are some popular, well used dispersed camping areas. For other more out of the way places, please check the Motor Vehicle Use Map for permissible locations.
The Forest also has dispersed OHV Sand Camping sites. Sand camping is allowed in areas at Sand Lake Recreation Area and at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Each area has different regulations as to where you can camp.
Guide
I love heading out that way. I have seen reviews of the place talking about tweaker the place but I have not had any encounters with anyone like that. And I love that it is dispersed camping all around there. I travel a little bit up the creek past the pond. Beautiful area a good fishing.
Scout
My visit near Fawn Creek Campground in Oregon was a refreshing experience, surrounded by dense forests and rolling hills. The campground offers a quiet retreat with well-maintained facilities, making it a great spot for nature lovers. With temperatures ranging from 30°F in winter to 80°F in summer, it’s a beautiful destination year-round. Nearby attractions like Siuslaw National Forest and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area provide plenty of opportunities for hiking and exploration. For families with kids, keeping them entertained is easy whether it’s exploring the outdoors or enjoying Toca Boca games, a fun and creative way for kids to play and imagine. Overall, this area is a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, making it a great choice for a weekend getaway!
GuideThe views around the pond are very nice. Campsites are okay; some better than others. There's one bathroom facility but it's towards the entrance and the beginning of sites at the pond so be prepared with a shovel and TP. There are so many logging roads at this camp ground/mountain with dispersed camping available anywhere with flat ground you just might not be close to the pond. I went on a Friday and there were alot of people but the sites were spread out nicely you didn't really get bothered by anyone. My site was the last one by the water before it turns marshy though you could pass my site and drive for miles on logging roads. Fishing from shore is not advised; at least from my camp site. There's a large tree that runs out into the water which looks like a great place to fish but as you walk to the end of the log you'll see fishing lines all over. I lost 3 lures at that log and I think many others had too. Even watched one guy from camp try and fish there but he too got some snagged though he went in after them. A paddle boat or kayak is best; no motorized boats allowed. There's not a whole lot to do at this place. No trails that I could find so my dog and I walked on logging roads for a couple miles. This trip was spur of the moment and just wanted to get away for a night. I don't think I would come back. But some of the pictures and views were highlights of the trip.. there is a convenient store right before the entrance of the grounds though I never went but I'm sure you could get some essentials if forgotten.
Traveler
You have to drive some winding forest service roads to get to a spot then find one on or near the road but there's a couple good camp spots.
LegendDispersed camping is allowed in all state forests within Oregon. https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Recreation/pages/Camp.aspx
We found an awesome spot along Marlow Creek Road, about 4 miles into the forest (coming in from Allegeny). There are plenty of pull outs all along the way, with room for 2-3 cars, as well as full tents and chairs set up. The road follows a babbling creek which was amazing to sleep next to. There are no amenities, follow any postings about campfire restrictions. (When we went- no fires were allowed). This is a logging forest, so we had huge logging trucks roll by in the morning - because of this, it may not be the best spot for kids or off leashed dogs. The trucks went by very quickly, stirring up a lot of dust- keep your car windows shut and use a pot while cooking breakfast! We had very few mosquitos or bugs, and loved being encompassed by the mossy trees!
Ranger Review of the Matador Freerain 24 L Backpack
https://matadorup.com/products/matador-freerain24-backpack?variant=47744934037
As a Ranger, I occasionally get the chance to test out gear in the field. I was really excited about trying out this pack, as I do a lot of canyoneering, and dealing with waterproof bags inside of soggy backpacks is always a hassle. Or you have to figure out a way to secure a typical waterproof bag to you. The bag is made of a lightweight rainjacket-like material, and has a roll top to it’s main compartment. I took the bag on a 3 mile hike to some waterfalls, where I could test out it’s waterproofness. At home, I went to a nearby lake to try submerging it.
Pros
This bag was extremely light, small and pack-able! You have no reason NOT to bring it with you if you may be heading somewhere wet. It folds into a small drawstring about the size of a baseball.
This bag has separate storage compartments whereas most drybags are a long tube where everything falls to the bottom. Within this bag, you have 2 water bottle holders (where I tossed things like keys), a easy access zip pocket on the front, as well as the small drawstring that the bag itself can be stored in (I put my packs of gummies in here for safe keeping).
Cons
The bag does not have a chest strap, so there was the potential for the backpack to slip off if you were doing strenuous activity, it also didn’t sit perfectly comfortable because of this. It does however, have adjustable shoulder straps (which I didn’t see as necessary).
I was nervous about putting my 1 L Nalgene bottles into the water bottle pockets because of the material of the bag…with just 1, it made the bag extremely lopsided, or with 2, it seemed to put a lot of stress on the bag itself. I tossed my water inside the bag instead, which made it pretty lumpy since the packable bag doesn’t have structure.
The front pocket is as advertised, water resistant, but definitely did not pass the waterproof test when I submerged the bag. It’s OK for waterfall mist or a light rain, but I wouldn’t keep my phone in there if we were getting dunked!
Conclusion!
If this bag had the chest strap, I’d be in 100% for using it for canyoneering adventures, however- since it doesn’t seem made for more rugged situations, I’m not sure why you would need such a waterproof bag. Most daypacks nowadays come with a raincover, or are made of a water resistant material to keep your goodies from getting soaked - unless you are planning a very casual dayhike where you are literally walking under waterfalls, I would most likely invest in a different daypack solution..
GuideVery secluded but spacious sites. From the start of Marlow Creek Road to where I chose to camp was 8.5 miles. There are several forks in the road that you can follow to more campsites, but I opted to camp right off the main road. I was the only car out there. Really beautiful spots aside from the trash that was unfortunately scattered in several sites. Worth the long drive in.
ScoutThe Elliott State Forest has more than 550 miles of roads and trails, but only a primary network has been maintained over the past 10 years since the 90,000 acre area was shut down with environmental lawsuits. Many of these roads lead to excellent camping sites, including old lookouts, fishing holes, secluded springs, and an undeveloped campground favored by local mudrunners. Met organization has worked with the local Community College the past seven years regarding recreational research on the Elliott, with our most recent (and likely final) focus being on historic trails and primitive campsites. The pandemic caused much of this work to be documented on student-level videos, indexed on YouTube: http://www.orww.org/Elliott\_Forest/Recreation/index.html and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1JyKCHg2GmHjLtQzXXDks4Rb-LE9HoJ-
Traveler
Nice pull off dispersed place to camp. Some sketchy people around but availability to get away from people up the road
ScoutCampsite: was lovely
Location: about 20 feet from the road where we parked, right along the pond.
Things people may want to be aware of: there were a few logging trucks and such using the road by the campsite, the bathrooms were not super close to the site, and campfires are not permitted.
ScoutSuper large campsite! I think only one other car passed by the whole night/morning. Ground was relatively level and decently cleared.
ScoutNeeded a last minute to car camp that was close to the coast, found these dispersed sites online and figured it try it out. There was surprisingly multiple spots that I had cell service (AT&T) so I was able to navigate myself around through a satellite map. Lots of nice spots with good views, just takes a bit of driving around to find the perfect one. Didn’t see anyone up there and I was there from Tuesday to Wednesday. Hope to return at some point! Just beware some of the side roads are a bit overgrown and can scratch up your car.
TravelerOur weekend at Hult Pond was unforgettable. I know because I have tried.
Disbursed camp sights sprawl along this man made log pond and nightmarish horror movie set along a footpath seamingly designed to dump its evening travelers into the muck that is Hult Pond. Jagged old logs poke out of the stagnant water as a reminder that someone used to get paid to spend the day here.
If this doesn’t sound like the most picturesque of settings I would direct you to the strange log loading equipment rusting just on the forbidden side of a gated barbed wire fence. Upon closer inspection you see what must be tetanus’s way of luring barefoot boys and girls into a summer of drooling lockjaw.
The access road is a still functioning rock quarry road that hosts a never ending parade of old rattling dump trucks and loaders. Nothing says ,”getting away from the hustle and bustle” quite like a convoy barrelling down a narrow road spilling basketball sized boulders before returning bouncing back up empty and clearly attempting to meet a quota.
The whole thing gave me an uneasy sense of nostalgia. Reminding me of the days we would gather by the dozens with red solo cups full of Hams. We would drink ourselves into a vomiting delirium in a parking lot off some old logging road. We would wake up with profanities drawn on our faces as punishment for succumbing to alcohol poisoning sooner than at least one of our classmates.
In fact I believe that’s exactly what the 58 kids in the campsite right next to ours we’re doing each night of our trip.
The girls learned all sorts of colorful language and I believed, based on the way my ten year old son was drooling that the tetanus had succeeded. I was not relieved to discover on our final morning, him wreaking of cheap beer and cigarettes and moaning how horrible he felt while proffering his undying love to a high school girl named Tiffany.
Not recommended.
Travelerhad to stop but I don't think and gi to see if I 5
ScoutWe stayed for a night on our way down the coast. Nice and close to Bandon. No trouble accessing in our midsize suv. It was muddy at the site, and unfortunately, those before us left a lot of trash. Did my best to clean up when was left behind. There was a fire pit but we did not use it due to fire restrictions. Nice misty views over the trees in the morning.
TravelerThis was beautiful but the only options were on the side of the gravel road. There were a few of these pull outs along the road but the road did have a few other cars driving by.
ScoutFollowed Marlow Creek road about 7 or 8 miles straight back until we reached the top of a hill. Cleared out from what looks to be trees that burned from a fire. Makes for amazing views. Definitely worth the bit of a long drive to get back here.
GuideIt was a cool place to camp. We just drove about 4/5 miles down Marlow creek and found a small pull off to camp. No phone service but the Forest was beautiful! We walked through the creek for a little bit. Not to many good pull off options. It was super damp and rainy while we were there so we’re unable to start a fire. The road had quite a few pot holes but still pretty nice.
LegendWe stayed all day but decided not to stay a night. Our day stay was due to the road being too steep for my 1993 truck camper. It got too hot and blew the transmission, made a nice long trail in the steep road.
We made it to the 6 mile marker, where a nice couple of people stopped and went into town for us to get what we needed to not be stranded.
If we could have drove further up I’m sure our experience would have been different.
TravelerMy husband and I were looking for a place to camp close to the coast during 4th of July weekend when every other campground was full. It was a nice drive, saw maybe 2 other cars the whole night. Our site backed right up to a little creek. The only downfall was the flys and bugs were killer - there were huge horseflies everywhere
Traveler
The way Google took us go thus spot was terrible. Instead of keeping us on the gravel road, it had us drive through an overgrown dirt path. Thank got we didn't get stuck!
If you are going, stay on the clearly marked gravel road! It's long and winding, but it does have a fee pull outs to park in! It was very quiet, peaceful, and no wildlife bothered us!
TravelerIt’s a small road through the forest with a few pull off spots along the way. Nothing particularly interesting here, just trees. Can be difficult to find a spot without having to drive pretty far into the forest.
ScoutI drove back in a few miles and camped along the road, in some old growth forest. It was dark, and I mean truly dark in there when you shut off your lights off, and silent as a tomb. Huge uncut trees, bad ass country! My Cane Corso bully dog made it much less spooky at night, not many things would want a piece of him.
ScoutNice, cleared spots, not too many other people.
ScoutDecent spots with Fire Pits off the lake. Bathrooms not too far of a drive/walk if needed. Lots of people earlier in the day. All the good ones were taken, later around 6pm a perfect one opened up and we jumped on it.
TravelerGreat spot for a quick stay. There are only a few flat spots for RVs but quite a few decent spots for tent camping next to the pond. The west side of the pond has at least 2 spots that are a good distance away from the others. At the moment, no fires or barbecues allowed but propane stoves and lanterns are fine. Look for Bandits blue squeaky disk! We lost it and never found it.
ScoutAbout an 1 hour from Corvallis but worth it if you can go at a good time! No service but great from a seclusion! So remember all games and firewood you need!!
ScoutWe have a 38 foot rv. We got stuck in a ditch. Rv almost tipped over trying to u turn… if you go down the main lower path you will find a area big enough to u turn! Dont do it until then! Other wise a wonderful time. So many many many bugs though at the area we stayed ar
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Gardiner, Oregon, where nature's tranquility meets adventure. With a variety of spots to choose from, you can enjoy the great outdoors while escaping the crowds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Gardiner, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Gardiner, OR is Elliott State Forest Dispersed with a 3.9-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Gardiner, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 dispersed camping locations near Gardiner, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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