Want to go dispersed camping near Phoenix? Dispersed camping gets you off the grid so you can disconnect from the hecticness of everyday life. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Oregon excursion.
Elderberry Flat Campground provides 11 campsites along the tranquil and beautiful West Fork of Evans Creek, a tributary to the famous Rogue River. There is a paved road that provides easy access to the campground which is typically open from late May to September. The area offers a variety of recreation activities including camping, biking, hiking, hunting, OHV riding, picnicking, swimming, and wildlife viewing. The campground provides multiple access points to the creek to enjoy the cool water on hot summer days. Granite sand bars, calm water, and gentle sloping access provide family friendly access to the water. Campsites are equipped with picnic tables and grills and there is one pit toilet. There is no fee to use the campground but a 14 day limit is enforced.
14-day camping is allowed from May-October. Oregon Sno-Park Permit is required between Nov. 1 and April 30.
Remember to LNT in any dispersed area and respect any "no camping" signs you find.
Guide
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.
Ranger
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.
TravelerStayed for over a week and the only thing is it buts up to a quad/dirt bike trail. Other than that quiet and peaceful!
Guide
The road getting up to it wasn't too bad. Some bigger potholes that we're easy enough to avoid. The pond at the top was beautiful with tons of bats flying around at night. Super cool!
Guide
This spot is a gravel pull off that is about 25ftx15ft. You can fit a small pull behind, truck, and/or van. The 6.5 mile road (FS-25) is paved so the accessibility of the site is a plus. The only downside is the logging operation that you can hear during the week further up the mountain.
GuideWe needed a place to set up for a quick sleep on our way down to Yosemite from Washington. I navigated using Google Maps due to other reviews saying Apple made it confusing. This led us right to the pond/camp sites. The road is a little rough with potholes but it’s not terrible if you just drive slow over the holes. There is a few split offs/2-way roads along this dirt road, the last one being a tree with a smiley face and an arrow leading you where to go. Didn’t get lost at all and it was already dark when we got there. No one was there, it was peaceful, clean and quiet. There is a pit toilet/bathroom with toilet paper. No trash cans so you’ll have to pack out your trash. I recommend this spot for anyone willing to drive 10-15 minutes off the freeway for some dispersed camping.
Ranger
There was a few pullouts on the road and I wouldn’t exactly call it dispersed camping. I parked in what I think was a road for fishing access. Only positive was the river was right there
Guide
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.
Traveler10 miles up a fire road with some spots along road. All are tiny pullout spots just enough for a van to park, would not recommend for an rv or trailer. Very gorgeous though! And paved road the whole way!
Guide
It looked like a decent place to camp with river access. I was disappointed the camp was closed due to fire. I saw a couple campers but I didn't stay.
ScoutThis is a lovely spot. Just a few campsites around a pond. Just overnighted here. Saw some folks camping and fishing. A bit of a challenge to find. Take speaker road to the end of pavement and then follow the dyrt map carefully. The correct location is pinned.
GuideI liked the area, but it seemed to be heavily trafficked. Lots of cars and vans drove by. I was also woken up in the middle of the night to someone practicing with their shotgun in the distance for a good half hour
ScoutNot a long drive after leaving the highway. Several spots were all empty when I got here mid-November. The actual campground is closed for the season, but the pull-offs and turnarounds are enough. There are large trucks that use this road but it was quiet enough and far enough off the road to not be a problem. I was the only one here.
ScoutSubaru Impreza got up the road just fine! Location is about 20 minutes off i5. Hard to find with Apple Maps but we switched over to google maps and it was a lot easier!
Legend
I'll add another review since we did go back there this summer and stay there for a night. But I'd check on the effects of the Rum Fire if you're planning to go to this area. Not sure what the river area looks like now. :(
We couldn't really find a flat place to park, and so ended up parking just along the bathroom, which was rhe flattest spot here. It was a nice and peaceful stay, quiet, watching boaters and rafting companies coming and going all day. Nobody else was there at night.
The area is beautiful but there's not much to do unless you have a boat or a car. No nearby hikes within walking distance.
Still zero cell service. 14 day stay limit. Garbage bins and recycling and bathrooms on site. Free!
TravelerGoogle maps will take you right to this one. The drive in is pretty short, making this a convenient place to stop if you’re driving through.
Three spots, two of which are very close together. We were there in August. It was hot and the pond was scummy, but not buggy.
Pretty woods and good stars up here. We didn’t explore.
TravelerFound this spot on our way down to California. Not a bad spot to camp, it’s very quite and we were the only ones there.
Getting there is pretty easy, we made it a lot more difficult by going down a bunch of roads. Stick to the main road, the road to the campsite is on the right and has a tree that’s spray painted with a stick figure. It’s very steep like the other review said but isn’t too bad for a truck.
There aren’t a lot of spots here. We parked right by the lake, there was another spot in the middle of the loop, and a few others.
It looks like there’s a trail that goes around the lake. We found some ticks on the dogs immediately so we didn’t end up exploring it. Overall a nice spot, it’s right off the highway so you don’t have to worry about driving deep in the mountains.
ScoutSaw lots of trash and toilet paper. Decent spot otherwise.
LegendWe checked this spot out and ended up moving on to keep looking, but would come back here if ever in the area.
This is a recreation site / boat ramp, and it's wide open for camping as well. When you pull in, you first see a large area that looks like a parking lot. It wasn't until we left the spot and looked back on it from the higher road that we saw that the camp area extended a bit past the bathrooms into more camp friendly spots, with some shade and greenery.
No cell service in this whole area.
There is a pit toilet, and trash and recycling bins. No fires at this time!
LegendThis BLM area is a quick turn off the main road. Take a right or left to start the loop and you’ll find various spots for dispersed camping. The road is mostly ok with some areas of high rocks but we made it in our 26ft Class C with only one ding on the steps. Larger vehicles might have problems along the lower half of the loop, but the upper half was doable. There are some spots close to the river and others up above it more with nice views as well as shade.
There are a few “long term residents" here. One was right on the water with a big mirror and a homemade sign warning of “thieves among us." The sheriff and ranger came by the next day and left citation on his camp. Nothing scary nor anything that made us feel unsafe at all.
This is a dry camp with no amenities. Tent/car campers welcome but must have port-a-potties. You must pack out your waste and trash. We found several trash piles which we cleaned up. There are NO fires allowed at this time. Also be aware that there is a lot of poison oak around.
Also there were unleashed dogs, one in particular that wandered into our camp site every morning. A lot of rafters and kayakers, especially on weekends, but they stay mostly on the water but can become quite loud at times. River access in this area is available in a only few spots that you have to walk to. There is no real shoreline to hang out in unless someone is not camped right in those areas.
Zero cell reception from ATT, verizon and TMobile in this whole area.
ScoutOur camp cite was backed up to the river. Road was paved through the camp. Each cite was very large and moderately away from other campers. Bathrooms were stocked but were single out houses without water. There is a garbage dumpster to use but I didn’t see water other than the river. It cooled down a lot at night even when daytime temps were near 100*.
GuideTitle refers to the potholes. Lots of potholes! But the sites—aside from one, which was practically a crater—were awesome from what I could tell. Like Laura suggested, these are the free versions of River Bridge campground. Cross the river and go to the right. The campsite I chose is on a portion of the road beyond what Google Maps has, so it's really off-grid. 😜You could fit two vehicles. I needed something that could put me close enough to Crater Lake NP (the official campgrounds were booked). I don't think it felt like an hour; I was distracted by the beautiful forest. I slept in my car and I think it was the best sleep I've had on this trip. Cool at night, the only sound I heard were the occasional and distant 4th of July fireworks.
Legend
Not far from Ashland and right past the Hyatt Lake Resort are some dispersed spots on BLM land near the lake. The lake level is very low so at this time you could drive quite close to it but it gets really muddy so watch out because it looks grassy and deceivingly dry.
There is road noise but quiets down at night.
Also there is a large flock of geese that honk all day and night and there is goose poop everywhere!
The site we stayed at had a stone fire pit and not very level but we made it work. It is a good spot for a night or 2 and we would stay here again if passing through. There are no amenities so bring water and pack in and out all trash. The resort nearby has a restaurant and small store. No service from ATT and TMobile but Verizon had 1-2 bars of LTE roaming.
LegendTake the River Bridge turn off from Highway 62 and follow the road which turns to gravel, potholed and some washboarded road. Stay on the main road until you pass the actual campground and go over the bridge.
We did drive through the River Bridge campground which was $15/night but opted for the free version across the river. There are multiple spots to camp for free just past the River Bridge Campground across the one lane bridge. You can take a right or left after the bridge to find a spot. We took a right and found multiple sites to pull into right off the main forest service road. Accessibility is dependent on your rig but we found several spots easily accessed by our 26ft class c. The road itself is gravel with pot holes but otherwise doable in most rigs. There appears to be some long term somewhat sketchy residents here so be aware. We stayed twice in 2 different spots but did not feel unsafe at all. The sites are fairly level with mix of sun and shade and stone fire pits and a short walk to the river. Its a nice place to let the dogs run free but there can be quite a lot of cars driving up and down the 62 road and and an occasional dirt bike. Very quiet at night and lots of roads to hike on or if you’re into fishing the Rogue River is very close.
No amenities, pack in and pack out, no bathrooms; and for the love of god please bury your TP waste!
There is zero cell reception from ATT, T-Mobile or Verizon in this entire area.
LegendThis was quite a way in on a fairly smooth but steep dirt road. Along the road were random deep pot holes so be aware they sneak up on you when the road is shadowed. The last .3 miles was steep and though we made it in 26ft rig I would not attempt it again. I could see major problem if rain was expected.
The pond was peaceful and so beautiful with a couple of level options to set up. The area as a whole is very small though, so if someone else is already there when you arrive it’s going to feel very cozy and/or awkward.
There was a handicap accessible bathroom with pit toilets that someone shot up the lock (boooo) so at the moment is open despite the "closed for covid" sign. There was a pile of garbage near the garbage cans. Bullet casings littered the ground as well.
The fish were jumping and the water clear. Overall nice, just wish people would respect public lands more and not trash these areas so much. The road is narrow with very few turn arounds. The way down I was in 1-2 gear riding the break on some of the hills. Good place to let the dogs run and swim. If we had a smaller rig we would come here again. Very weak / unusable Verizon service, no service with TMobile or ATT.
RangerWe ended up here because we couldn’t get a spot at any of the campgrounds nearby. Sounds like that’s a pretty common problem in the area, so I would recommend it in a pinch. PROS: free, plenty of space, overlooks a pretty meadow, nice trail CONS: next to the road, felt a little exposed, extremely buggy at dusk
Know before you go: this is not a campground. In the summer, back country ski / snow sport parking lots are open for free overnight parking. There are vault toilets bout they were closed due to COVID.
GuideThere is no camping here, its strictly a parking lot used for bathroom use, rest area, or use of seasonal trails. If you use the trails and leave your vehicle for a long period, you must have a permit otherwise an officer will give you a ticket. There is an area to let pets out off leash and occasional pond between seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Phoenix, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Phoenix, OR is Hyatt Reservoir BLM Dispersed with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Phoenix, OR?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 dispersed camping locations near Phoenix, OR, with real photos and reviews from campers.
