Looking for the best Lake Oswego dispersed camping? Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Lake Oswego's most popular destinations.
Dispersed camping is allowed in Oregon State Forests year round. There are no fee or permit requirements. Campers are required to adhere to ODF regulations regarding placement of campsites, campfires, sanitation, and stay limits. Campfires and charcoal barbeques are not allowed in dispersed campsites during the Regulated Use portion of fire season. There are no maps for dispersed campsites.
Parking area for 4-5 vehicles overflow on the Highway 224. Alder Flat Trail #574. Link to Trail Description and Map
Mirror Lake offers a few sites for overnight camping. The hike to the lake is one of the most popular hikes on Mt Hood. While the vast majority of hikers only visit during the day, a few primitive sites are located just above the lake.
When I refer to primitive sites, that is what they are. There are no facilities here. No picnic tables, and no toilets. A few fire pits have been fashioned out of rock and you may also find a makeshift bench. But for some this is an ideal camping experience. By day Mirror lake can get crowded. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains and it can get loud here. But at night it is as peaceful as you could ever want. Views of Mt Hood and Tom Dick and Harry Mountain are all outstanding.
This small, lightly used campground is tucked into dense forest adjacent to Canyon Creek. Eight campsites are available for tent camping only.
Nine small campsites. Smaller RVs can camp here. There is a newer, accessible vault toilet. Each site has a table and fire ring. The campground is sort of hidden away in the dense forest. Canyon Creek is nearby. If pulling a trailer, it is best to leave it at a pullout on the 54 road and find the campground first. There is no chance to turn around if the entrance is missed.
Dispersed camping, or camping outside of designated campgrounds, can be a great way to experience the forest- as long as everyone follows some rules and guidelines to protect forest wildlife, plants, water quality, and the health of others.
Dispersed camping is not for everyone- and that's fine as the Mt. Hood National Forest has over 70 designated campgrounds. Camping outside of campgrounds means no toilets, no drinking water, no metal fire rings, and no trash service. You are responsible for leaving the site cleaner than you found it and learning the skills of Leave No Trace camping before you head out.
Basic Rules & Guidance Some areas are closed to dispersed camping, such as within developed recreation sites, along certain roads, and particularly sensitive areas. Contact your local Ranger District for more information. You may camp on the forest for only 14 consecutive days. Please choose an existing site rather than create a new campsite. Camp at least 100 ft. away from streams, rivers, and lakes. If you didn't bring firewood and intend to build a campfire only collect already down wood. If your campfire is too hot to touch with bare hands- it's too hot for you to leave! Bring plenty of water and a shovel to help you put out your fire. Check in advance if there are any fire restrictions in effect. Treat or filter any stream water you collect for drinking, or bring water from home. Your group must be under 75 people. If it larger you must obtain a (usually free) permit in advance from the local Ranger District. When Nature Calls Be prepared for your own sanitation! To dispose of feces, dig a hole 6” deep at least 100 feet away from any water source. When you're done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground. Animals might eat it, it could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it, and plus it's just gross. Leave No Trace Pack out everything you brought with you! Dispose of your garbage properly off the forest. Leave No Trace is a framework minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. They apply to virtually every recreational activity and help increase your safety and enjoyment of the forest. Learn more about the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace. The Mt. Hood National Forest belongs to all Americans- including those who will come long after us. Do your part to keep the forest clean every time you visit.
Dispersed camping is allowed in Oregon State Forests year round. There are no fee or permit requirements. Campers are required to adhere to ODF regulations regarding placement of campsites, campfires, sanitation, and stay limits. Campfires and charcoal barbeques are not allowed in dispersed campsites during the Regulated Use portion of fire season. There are no maps for dispersed campsites.
On the Clatsop and Tillamook state forests, developed recreation sites (campgrounds, trails, and OHV facilities) are functioning normally and operating within established seasons. Most trails and designated dispersed camping areas remain open year-round, while developed campgrounds are generally open from mid-May through September. Please check in the table below for the most up-to-date statuses of recreation facilities.
ScoutThese coordinates get you the Kiwanis camp, other than that I wouldn't say a great dispersant camping spot, area is nice though.
Scout
I was headed down 14 looking for somewhere to camp between the Dalles and camas. I got stuck in road construction and decided to open up the dyrt app. I clicked on one that looked closish lol I decided to take the chance and go check it out. Man I'm glad I did This is one of the best dispersed camp sites I've ever stayed at!!
Scout
I stopped for the night while traveling and found a huge dispersed camping area right off the road. Unfortunately, some disgusting, disrespectful, immature family left a ton of garbage and feces all over the site. There were three sites with piles of feces and toilet paper right on the camp site. Not 100 feet away, not buried. It was disgusting. This makes me lose faith in humans.
Scout
This gorgeous trail and dispersed camp is so unrecognizable from the 2021 fires that there is no turn off. May we remember it’s memories!
Scout
Great place to disperse camp. Lots of pulloffs and the views are stunning!
Traveler
The Cedar Creek Rd area offers a nice variety of dispersed camping sites with some good views if you drive far enough, and fairly easy gravel roads for access. However, the signage could use improvement, making it a bit tricky to find your way around. Heard some OHV noise at night, and target shooting in the distance at sunrise. Be aware that Verizon cell service is nonexistent in the area. Not a bad place to stay, but you’re likely to run into others also looking for some nature.
Ranger
There are many park campgrounds in the Mt Hood NF but also tons of dispersed camping in the forest.
We camped off FS 2656 just south of Trillium Lake in August 2020. There are many other locations. Many are separate drives off a forest road but some side of the road spots too. Lake Trillium gets super crowded.
Download the forest map from Avenza for accurate locations of all the forest roads and trails.
The Mt Hood NF is amazing, with tons of lakes, creeks, waterfalls and hiking trails as well as great views of Mt Hood.
No amenities for dispersed locations but you can use nearby campgrounds for water, trash and dump stations.
There was decent Verizon service when we camped there.
Would definitely camp here again.
GuideDiamond Milld rd is a tight logging rd with a kinda steep danger zone cliff on this edge. If you get to spot (the coordinates on dyrt arent exact but close) you will see basically the only part of the rd with a pull aside areai prob for two vans or cars. Its a nice view but kinda creepy if alone IMO. The dispersed camping for this St Forest applies to tenters mainly being 1 mile away from a paid campground. But for just car and van camp youd have to chance it at day area or drive way in to the forest down a rd.
TravelerTillamook Forest has so many amazing dispersed camping opportunities! We turned onto Ben Smith road and then took logging trails up the peaks. We found a perfect spot that looked like we were on the edge of a cliff but was actually still very safe for our toddler. No cell service, so we just unplugged for 3 nights and enjoyed the time together. We could see the northern lights the first night we were there, and it was absolutely incredible. We had a lot of privacy. One hunter walked by, I assume he was using the nearby trail. We heard some ATVs over the days, but it wasn't disruptive. Totally recommend it, and we'll definitely be back.
Legend
Dispersed camping at McNeil point is a backpackers dream — you get to hike far into the clouds, far away from the people, yet this location is nearly as convenient as car camping.
While McNeil point is a popular hike, most people visiting are day hikers, or backpackers taking a few days for circumnavigating the Timberline trail. Since we only had one day, we left Portland at 2 pm on a summer Friday, hiked in the four miles most of the way to McNeil, pitched the tent in time for dinner and sunset, then got up early and summited McNeil far before the summer crowds from town had time to make it to the trail head.
There are quite a few dispersed, designated spots to camp. The most obvious ones are those along the Timberline trail—and they are also likely the busiest. There are also obvious sites well up near the McNeil summit. These aren't as busy, but you'll have to haul your packs up the whole way. We chose a site that we found in a clearing that had a good view of the mountain. Note - You cannot camp in most of the meadows around the lakes. There are signs that designate this.
When we hiked up to the McNeil summit in the morning, we only took our day packs, and left our big packs in our tents. After summiting we hiked back down, cooked lunch at the campsite, and then packed out. It's definitely a recommended trip if you have a short time, but still want to feel like you got far, far away.
GuideEnded up backpacking up here on a whim right before I headed back to Utah. I started at the Top Spur trailhead and hiked the clockwise route up to McNeil (a little longer but saved be the scramble through rocks). On my way I ended up going to Muddy Fork which added about 4 miles to my overall trek up. I ended up camping at the point rather than further down, which was a challenge to carry my pack up, but so worth it in my opinion. It’s dispersed camping so solitude is easily reachable considering not too many people stay the night. This was easily one of the top 5 most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen. The mountain range is unbeatable and waking up to Mt. Hood as your veiw is incredible. It’s a challenge with the best reward.
LegendDispersal camping all year. You are immediately ensconced in quiet and shade, an impossibly green and detailed large pond right off the bat, with a huge walkable log going right to the middle, and lots of interesting critters and a popurrí of different foliage up and down the trail. Ends at the popular Clackamas River after a too-short 1.4 miles. Lots of little side routes to find your perfect spot.
TravelerThis place is dreamy, lots of different routes to camp spots, we found an isolated area with a small opened peak overlooking the forest which was amazing. You can hear the highway in the distance (quietly) and occasional aircraft but it was overall peaceful. It is quite a steep incline so be cautious, I would not recommend with snow or sleet, but we definitely want to go back to explore the other routes! There is absolutely no cell service, if you have a hot spot I would recommend it, but once you enter the forest there is poor service.
Traveler
Good luck. This takes you to the middle of nowhere with no camping spots. You’ll have no service.
GuideI camped on another spur road off of FS 2656. Definitely download the mvum from Avenza beforehand to make things easier. Peaceful, quiet, and I had cell signal. Road can be rough in some places but 4WD not necessary. Not many pull-in camping spots so you’ll have to search around. Overall decent spot and close to Trillium Lake
Legend
We wanted a beginner backpacking trip (10 to 12 miles round trip) close to town - this one is a pretty hike with views at the end (theoretically, we saw fog). We passed up the best camping spots because they were too early in the trail (at the creek) and ended up setting up camp in wider part of the trail (about 3 miles in, after night had fallen). The other hikers were friendly, though, and didn't seem to mind us making camp pretty much anywhere. In our situation the camping was definitely not the main event! We came for the hike and slept along the way. The camp spots at the creek would have been quite nice for camping itself though.
RangerThis was an awesome stay right on the creek which was secluded and nice to hear the rushing water of the creek
Guide
The campsite was nice, right off the road but there wasn’t an absurd amount of traffic to where it bothered me but you will hear the cars on the road while you sleep if you’re in a tent. If you follow the trail by foot in the back of the forest for maybe 10 minutes you will find a beautiful swimming hole and small waterfalls! I recommend blocking the entrance with your vehicles to block noise and people trying to drive in to the campsite.
RangerFree, quiet, and new. Show up whenever you feel like - it belongs to everyone. Just make sure you clean up after yourself!
Guide
FS Rd 2656 across from Trillium Lake Campground. Follow 2656 up a couple miles. Turn left on porcupine Trail. There is one small campsite on your left approximately 100 yards. Then a larger one at the end of porcupine Trail. This one is much larger and will accommodate four people. 
ScoutSuch an awesome find! The first campsite is small and perfect for a couple tents. The second site could easily fit 3 or 4 tents and has plenty of additional space for parking, kitchen set-up, etc… both sites also have really nice fire pits. Also don’t let the Trillium Lake camp hosts scare you. They told us the gravel road to access the sites was “rough as hell” and were completely wrong. Nothing more than a few potholes. Any vehicle could make the trek.
TravelerWe tried 3 campgrounds that were all full and then found this free site right next to the road. Luckily, we were able to buy "US National Forrest camping passes" from the gas station in Carson. It ended up working great for us to have a trailer, 2 cars, several dogs, kids, and an SUV tent.
Traveler
This location has 2-3 free sites you can drive in and, 2 more walk-in sites near the bridge. It was so nice on a super hot day and there is a nearby latrine at the trailhead! Perfect for a group. There is also a nearby paid camp so, if you're a solo traveler, you will feel safe knowing there are other campers nearby. No cell service! And, these sites require a US National Forrest camping pass.
TravelerWe stopped here for the first time for a hike and to check out the camping situation. The hike is just under a mile long, one way. Keep right at the fork early on to go the right way. Really pretty and shaded. You cross a few foot bridges and it opens up to a fairly good sized camping area with some scattered fire rings. It was surprisingly sparse camping wise for a saturday. Great view of the water just across a dry creek bed and over the hill. Good number of people enjoying the river and a few kids swimming but it was freezing so i dont know how they did it!
Parking lot was fairly full, there might be room to park on the road but im not sure.
I wouldn’t want to camp here because of the foot traffic and how close you have to camp to other people. Might work out good for others though!
Also just a reminder to please pick up your trash and toilet paper. I saw it all over the place at the sites along 224 and its just gross.
Traveler
Went up at the end of the snow season and I couldn't quite make it. My 4wd rav only has road tires and I eventually got to a point I wasn't able to make it. My brothers 2022 Outback did completely fine but regardless we had to turn back. I plan to revisit the site here in about two(ish) weeks. The area surrounding the site is trafficked regularly by the looks of it, lots of people coming out shooting, HOWEVER the area is patrolled very heavily by Sheriff Department. I was told by a guy more akin to the area that the spot is a pretty normal spot for locals and that some better areas are farther up.
GuideThis spot is pretty remote, so it was very quiet. There are a few downsides to this spot though: there appeared to be a few semi-permanent campers along the route, the actual gps spot has a bunch of trash and has been used as a drug-up spot (broken syringes and caps), and the route to this spot via Google Maps takes you down the wrong road at first. I can’t recommend this spot because of all these things, but it did have some pleasant views and was quiet.
LegendI wanted to add videos of the river sites to my other review for this site, but the website wouldn't let me - anyway, the hike has 3 river sites about 1 mile in from the trailhead and they are beautiful and right at the bend of the river. After there, there's not much camping unless you were to go down the PCT further than we had wanted to (we just wanted to go to the viewpoint, about 10 miles further). But for camping, stop after the first mile (or you may end up camping in the trail..).
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Lake Oswego, Oregon, where nature meets tranquility. With a variety of locations offering unique experiences, outdoor enthusiasts can find the perfect spot to unwind and connect with the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Lake Oswego, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Lake Oswego, OR is Tillamook State Forest Dispersed Camping with a 4.3-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Lake Oswego, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 25 dispersed camping locations near Lake Oswego, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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