Want to go dispersed camping near Gilchrist? Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Oregon excursion.
Mt. Thielsen Wilderness encompasses 54,914 acres and runs along the crest of the Cascades 80 miles east of Roseburg and just north of Crater Lake National Park. Elevations range from 5,000' to the 9,182' summit of Mount Thielsen. Born of the same volcanic activity that created Crater Lake, this is the land of fire and ice.
Much of the Mount Thielsen Wilderness is made up of high alpine forests and open meadows. The terrain is moderate but becomes very steep toward the crest of the Cascade Mountains. Timberline stands at about 7,200 feet, just above a forest of mountain hemlock and fir mixed with whitebark pine. Lodgepole pine dominates the vegetation at lower elevations. The many streams in the area carry a substantial amount of snowmelt in spring.
The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail winds through the Mount Thielsen Wilderness for 26 miles along the summit of the Cascade Range. For a more serene wilderness adventure, hike into Lake Lucille or Maidu Lake on the North Umpqua Trail #1414. The trail passes over deep pumice that was deposited when Mt. Mazama erupted to form Crater Lake. The famed North Umpqua Wild and Scenic River begins at Maidu on its long trek to the Pacific Ocean.
Millsite Forest Camp is a campsite in Oregon. Millsite Forest Camp is situated nearby to Thielsen Forest Camp and southeast of Toolbox Meadows.
There are 6-15 campsites at this location and the maximum RV length is 25 feet. You may stay up to 14 days at Millsite.
ScoutQuiet, close to Bend, numerous sites in Ponderosa forest.
Guide
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.
Guide
This is an active shooting range, so if you're looking for peace and quiet or a spot that is not littered with pulls of trash, you've come to the wing place.
On the upside, when there is not shooting, the quarry is an ok view (if you can get past the litter), and there is endless space and open skies for solar or starlink. It's also easy to reach and rig friendly, but not far from main highway for access.
GuideNice open spot with some shade. Quiet and close to town. May get busy during day with riders. A good parking spot.
Guide
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.
GuideLong term campers and trash. Some interesting folks for sure. Prob harmless but camp at own risk.
Guide
Only about 70 yards from main road. Super fine dust, everything will be dirty.
Tall trees so no good vantage point for starlink or solar.
No water features right at site.
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.
Guide
With car or tent ideally need to go way back about 44.0309672, -121.3956555 or further. With van can park with dozen or so other folks near entrance.
Guide
Cool spot, check similar reviews from folks on the Badlands Rock location page.
Guide
A good open area with lots of nice smelling juniper. Theres parking at the few trailheads or off the road. The best spot, with some nice features such as lava rocks, is the 3rd right from the main road. Some folks may be particular about their "spot". No toilet, trash nor water but good trails. About 20 mins into town. Didnt see any snakes but was checking just in case. Prob best for RV or car camping. High desert gets to 40s at night this time of year.
Scout
This spot was close enough to town that we could call an Uber to Hayden Homes after we set up, then Uber back when the concert finished. The main red dirt road is gorgeous with various pull offs spaced decently far apart. I saw one or two neighbors to the left and right of our spot but it was far enough that our spot felt private. Really quiet and felt remote while still accessible to town and had cell service.
Guide
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.
ScoutThis 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.
Guide
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.
GuideCame 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 .
TravelerI went and stayed there two nights back to back and got a great spot both times. There is two different types of areas you can stay depending on what you want,
1: parking lot - quick and simple for an easy in easy out access.
2: trails - I stayed here for more of the trees and quiet areas which felt more like camping.
There are a lot of options and you can bet on this place never being completely full.
TravelerLoved these dispersed sites close to the town of Bend. Extensive mountain biking trials throughout as well.
RangerThere was a fair amount of shady traffic c but all was well during my night stay with my dog. Good place to crash near bend in the woods.
TravelerSeemed 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
Travelerperfect place to sleep if you’re looking to explore downtown bend - only about a 10 minute drive out of town. mostly 1 big parking lot with lots of vans and RVs with some pullouts for tents. we did pop a tent in the larger open space and felt safe, just no privacy. pit toilet at entrance but no potable water that we could find. however easy to find potable water in town. overall great!
GuideA nice gravel rd with no major ruts or holes. Navigable with a van all wheel drive. Drove in about a mile+to find an empty spot. Most already taken. Seems to be a mix between a mobile and a stationary group of campers. A good spot close to Bend.
TravelerI drove pretty far down this road and the further back you gp, you lost cell service and also lots of "extended stay" campers, junky trailer and one with a leather recliner next to their minivan. Somebody had hung up their laundry to dry in between two pine trees.
The road noise was LOUD.
Also some of the sites are very soft sand so be careful if you don't have a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Super super dusty. It just gets all over everything. Spent an extra hour packing up just to wipe things down. Then there is a layer of dust inside the entire vehicle that we're going to have to wipe down. I've been to lots of disbursed campsites and never had dust like this before that just sticks on everything.
And many people drive by at like 50 miles an hour and kick up huge dust clouds so be prepared for that too.
IN THE MORNING A WHITE TRUCK WITH TWO MEN DROVE BY OUR CAMP REALLY SUPER SLOW, EYEBALLING IT. I TURNED AROUND A LITTLE BIT OF THE ROAD AND THEN CAME BACK AGAIN AND THEN DROVE SLOW PAST AGAIN. REALLY UNNERVING.
Decent cell service for T-Mobile. 2-3 bars 5G (close to the entrance though. No cell service the further you drive in.)
TravelerTried to drive in but all entrances were blocked by large rocks and signs that say no motor vehicle access.
Same with the other entrance a couple miles down the road.
GuideBasically a gravel/dirt lot about 20 minutes outside of Bend. There's a chance I needed to drive further down the road to find better options. Stayed for two nights - no complaints. Near the road but quiet enough. A solid option for a short stay.
ScoutGreat land to explore and so many options to camp
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Gilchrist, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Gilchrist, OR is Mount Thielsen Wilderness with a 4.5-star rating from 19 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Gilchrist, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 42 dispersed camping locations near Gilchrist, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
