Best Dispersed Camping near Roseburg, OR

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Roseburg, Oregon

36 Reviews of 14 Roseburg Campgrounds

• 

  Cass G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Burma Pond BLM

  Off the grid just enough

  We 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.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 4, 2021

  Rocky Riffle

  Hot, Dusty and Nice (and Free!)

  This 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.

• 

  Patricia N.

  Ranger

  

  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.

• G

  Glenn

  Traveler

  

  May. 4, 2021

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Nice secluded separate areas to camp with gorgeous views

  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.

• 

  Leah W.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 26, 2018

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Review of Matador Freerain 24 at Elliott State Forest

  Dispersed 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..

• 

  Caroline E.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2022

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Worth the drive

  Very 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.

• B

  Bob Z.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 15, 2023

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Elliott Primitive Campsites

  The 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-

• 

  Maddie

  Scout

  

  Jul. 7, 2023

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Secluded and spacious

  Super large campsite! I think only one other car passed by the whole night/morning. Ground was relatively level and decently cleared.

• C

  Catey N.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2023

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Beautiful spots, make sure to download a map

  Needed 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.

• r

  robert M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Burma Pond BLM

  Nice spot off the beaten path

  This 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.

• 

  Hannah S.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 21, 2022

  Burma Pond BLM

  Nice spot to spend the night

  Found 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.

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 5, 2022

  Argo Bar

  Good and Free

  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!

• 

  SwitchbackKids

  Legend

  

  Jul. 27, 2017

  Prospect OHV Dispersed Camping

  Fantastic alternative to Crater Lake camping

  When we visited Crater Lake in April, we knew we'd have to find alternative camping because the park campgrounds would be covered in several feet of snow.

  We were able to find many options for camping on the way to Crater Lake, before entering the park boundaries. Check the regulations and guidelines before you head out, because there are specific areas where you can pull off and find a place to camp. For us, there were plenty of small unpaved roads where we could find a quiet, flat place for our tent.

  Crater Lake is one of the areas in the U.S. that receives the most snowfall each year, so their roads are often unplowed until well into the summer season. In the winter and spring, the park offers free snowshoe tours which offer an overview of the park and great views of the lake.

  Even though much of the park is inaccessible during April, we'd still recommend going if you have the chance. The winter views are incredible, too!

  You can read much more about our two days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Crater Lake)

• C

  Carl L.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 9, 2022

  Burma Pond BLM

  Excellent for a pit stop!

  Google 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.

• 

  Casey B.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 19, 2024

  Burma Pond BLM

  Awesome spot not too far off I5

  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!

• 

  Emma G.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 27, 2022

  Burma Pond BLM

  Good stopping point off I-5

  Subaru 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!

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  May. 19, 2021

  Burma Pond BLM

  Remote and Quiet

  This 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.

• 

  Nicholas G.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 7, 2024

  Burma Pond BLM

  I was the only one there

  I camped one night right off the water. Quiet and clean. I slept great. Had 1 bar of att. Google maps took me right to it

• J

  Janine L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 15, 2020

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Great and close to bandon

  We 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.

• 

  McQuaid F.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 24, 2023

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Beutiful but not the best for tent camping

  This 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.

• 

  Allie D.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2020

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Beautiful and spacious dispersed camping in the mountains.

  Followed 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.

• 

  Lauren B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2020

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Beautiful forest

  It 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.

• 

  Daisee Mae S.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 21, 2022

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Very Steep

  We 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.

• S

  Shayne M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 20, 2024

  Elliott State Forest Dispersed

  Beautiful, secluded, lots and lots of bugs!

  My 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

• 

  Brandon A.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 23, 2022

  Saddle Camp

  Solitude

  It's best if you have four wheel drive or all wheel drive. Wouldn't recommend going in the winter months or rainy season. It is a very fun drive though taxing and it is slow going. But was out there it is complete quiet and solitude. And make sure you stock up on anything you need cuz there's nothing there

• 

  Laura M.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 4, 2021

  Argo Bar

  Wide Open, Right On the River, and Free

  We 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!

• 

  Kevin B.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 28, 2024

  Near Fawn Creek Campground (BLM)

  very nice and secluded

  had to stop but I don't think and gi to see if I 5