Best Dispersed Camping near Alder Springs, OR

I was running in an ultramarathon race in September in the Mt Hood National Forest and all of the local campgrounds managed by PGE around Timothy Lake were closed due to the end of the season.  I was able to use map layers in The Dyrt PRO to identify where I was within National Forest boundaries and was able to confirm with local officials that I was in a free, dispersed camping zone. So, using the map layers and the search function on The Dyrt I looked for an area near the race start at the Historic Clackamas Ranger Station to park my RV for a 2 night off-grid stay.  The location was a wide gravel area on the side of the road that allowed for enough space to park, put out my awning, set up some chairs and a propane fire pit (no live campfires - propane only) while being within a few hundred yards of the Ranger Station.  There was room to walk along the road on the shoulder and you are very close walk to the Historic Clackamas Ranger Cabin with a beautiful meadow view, the Joe Graham Horse Camp, and just a couple of mile drive from Timothy Lake.  Clackamas Lake Campground was nearby as well with many accessible miles of hikable trails, including access to the Pacific Crest Trail, for hikers of all levels. There was some smoke from local wildfires but that went away as the fall rains arrived that weekend.  If you are looking for a place to park your RV near all of these amazing views and experiences this free, dispersed camping site worked great for me and my family for a couple of nights.

Open grounds away from everything. There was a dirt square right off the dirt road we parked in. The only noise was the power-lines close by, which weren’t bad. Decent stargazing and had no issues. Just a little muddy and a little clearance on your car would be helpful. Really close to the highway. It’s all free dispersed camping so there is no development besides the dirt road

This is a dispersed camping spot in the Mt.Hood National Forest that is free --- from both campground payment and people. It's an old forest road off the main gravel road that has been blockaded and closed down, giving you a wide open area that gets sun, mixed with good tree coverage from the wind. 

The spot is flat and great for an RV, van or trailer. It's just a 100 meters off the main gravel road where the old forest road is dug out/blockaded from cars getting through. 

We parked and camped right there. Or, if you want even more solitude, park at the blockade and walk 3/4 of a mile to the end of the forest road strip for some tent camping. Not sure if that is needed as I think we only heard/saw a few car drive by the entire time (on a beautiful August weekend). 

Love this place. Happy to share it with others. If you are looking for some dispersed camping in the summer that's not a far drive from Portland, this spot is for you. If it's full, there are a half dozen to a dozen other dispersed camping spots along this gravel road between Frog Lake Campground and Clear Creek Crossing Campground. Enjoy.

We spent some time driving around the Sisters area looking for a spot with a view.  Found a beauty!  The area is large enough for several rigs, including large ones.  There were 2 established fire rings and we could tell the site gets used through the summer!  (or maybe fall/hunting)

However, in early May we had it to ourselves.  

Some of the surrounding area has experienced previous forest fires, which was actually a benefit in this case.  It opened up views of the North and Middle Sisters.  Small tracks/roads criss cross the surrounding area that is covered in shrubbery and small trees finding their way back.  The vistas include large trees, so it's not barren by any means.  The camp site, as you will see, is surrounded by large ponderosas.  Lovely peaceful spot.  Perfect for sitting and gazing, walking, hiking, biking, horseback riding and likely off roading.  Please don't take my word for where these things are allowed.  Do your research to make sure who's land you're on...

My maps showed overlays of National Forest land all around, although some private and BLM land to the east.

Great spot for dispersed camping! Very secluded and quiet. There are lots of spots. The dirt road getting to the different roads to turn on is a little bumpy, so we took it slow. Definitely would stay here again!

Beautiful trip. Breathtaking drives and not hard to find with given coordinates. Dirt roads are not too hard to drive but during the dry months it is extremely dusty. The campground on the trailhead is nice but a little too close for dispersed camping. Trail is not too long to a waterfall. You can fish and jump off the rocks into the water. We stayed one night at the designated camp site but ended driving about 10 minutes down a dirt road next the the campground entrance that is actual dispersed camping. Really enjoyed that spot with a trail down to the river and 2 drive in spots and multiple walk in campsites along the cliffs. 

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.

There aren't a ton of free camping options near Redmond. This is a great option. Only 2-3 spots for vans/small RVs. The other spots are clearly for tent camping. Would definitely recommend for a few days. I will say the vault toilets are disgusting- so plan accordingly. The hike is a great combination of short and pretty :-)

GPS: 44.410140, -121.293505

Great dispersed camping. Plenty of places to park and car camp or set up a tent. Lights from a nearby building keep most of the area somewhat visible, but not enough to disturb you while you sleep.

Great place to disperse camp. Lots of pulloffs and the views are stunning!

Love this dispersed camping area just south of Sisters, OR. We've camped here a few times over the years and there are never many campers around. We just camped here over Memorial Day Weekend and there was no one camping within at least a mile or two of where we were. There are lots of different areas to choose from so drive around the area until you find something you like. We were driving our Subaru with our Cricket camper attached and there's no issues with the roads. 

Because this is right in a mountain biking area there are tons of trails to go explore - either hiking or biking. Some really pretty views! You will have bikers biking by your campsite from time to time but I actually like that - fun to have activity around.

This area is also just a few miles from Sisters which is my favorite little town in Oregon. Lots of restaurants, bars and shops to explore!

Be sure to check on a fire ban before having a fire.

We camped in our A liner Expedition here in late May. Unlike most dispersed camping around, the sites were well spaced, had very little trash and not full. We found a spot on a dirt road off the 4606. It had nice dispersed trees, low sand, and only a few beer cans here and there. We didn’t see another person on our “street” the whole time we were there. There are some tents and RVs in the area we passed that looked rather permanent and “methy,” so just be careful which tried out you pick.

Easy access and larger camp spots. We were there during a few events hosted by the Sisters Rodeo and got to listen to the events.

A lot of horse trailers come into the dispersed camping area to park and ride their horses, and I've seen a lot of larger bog rig horse trailers parked at the camp sites near the front. Every single one that came in was respectful and kind. A couple of the trainers even allowed my oldest onto their horses with permission after she asked.

There were a couple of long-time stay campers that kept to themselves. We didn't have any issues with leaving our campsite unattended, even with our cook stove, propane, and ground solar equipment out in the open.

Great for solar. Just if you don't have it set on top, you will have to move it throughout the day.

Verizon cell service is completely fine. No wifi, of course, but if you use a mobile hotspot like we do, you shouldn't have any issues.

We camped at 3 different spots. The first one was right as you pulled in, directly behind the rodeo gates. Large spot, 2 fire pits. Perfect for a group. The second was farther back. Only spent 1 night there cause there was a fire ant colony and we have kids. That just seemed like a bad idea for us. Spot itself was great, though. Another perfect spot for a group, minus the fire ants. The third spit was closer to the entrance, about half way in-between the other 2 we stayed at. This one had some broken glass that was buried as well as what looked like a diabetic syringe, also buried in the dirt. This was the only camp site that had any type of garbage at it. Every other one was cleaned from what we glanced at.

Rangers come through every few days to make sure everything is safe and taken care of. When it became "no fires allowed" a ranger went to every camp site with people and asked if he could leave the information papers about what would be allowed vs not allowed during the "no burn" time. He was very respectful and kept his distance. I was by myself with my 3 young kids when he stopped by, and he stayed at least 5 feet away from all of us unless I gave the okay to come closer. The Rangers also placed "no fire" flags at each of the empty campsites in the firepits in case someone came in afterward.

Overall, it was very peaceful and a great place to stay if you plan on going to the rodeo or an event held at Sisters Rodeo but are strapped on funds.

And of course, like all dispersed campsites, it's a "pack in pack out". No water, power, sewage, bathrooms, showers, or anything else available. You bring it in, and you take it out.

 Just outside the cute town of Sisters is a lot of dispersed camping areas on Forest Service land. Take Three Creek Road south to BS (Brooks Scanlan)-Logging Road/FS 4606. FS 4606 is wide graveled road with washboard and potholes, and pretty terrible to drive on in an RV. It is very dusty but you’ll find multiple potential places to camp. We saw about 6 other campers along the road in various established spots.

Some side roads require higher clearance but we were able to find a nice spot in our 26 ft Class C (44.2689957,-121.5436631). There are a couple stone fire rings and the area is mostly free of litter and other debris. There are zero amenities while camping on forest service dispersed sites so pack in and pack out all trash and waste. There are multiple trails in this area for hiking or biking as well. 

There was one sketchy guy walking around yelling, high on something, but he didn’t bother us and he kept on walking. We did not feel unsafe here. 

Good cell reception with ATT, Verizon and TMobile.

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.

This was our awesome spot for viewing the solar eclipse and we'll go back when we want some peace and beautiful sunsets again!  Camped here before the eclipse.  Drove our trailer to the top of the hill (along a fence).  We were able to level up and had no neighbors until the morning of the eclipse when several people and RV's came in.  Many people parked down along Holly Ln. but we took a track up the hill.  

We were rewarded with a lovely sunset over the Cascade mountains the night before.  Not heavily used so very clean.

Of course no services, so pack out what you bring in.  Dispersed camping.

This place was open and well maintained for a boondocking spot. Very quiet with a gorgeous sunset. We didn’t see a single person on our stay here. Convenient location, would definitely return for a longer stay in the area.

Its a big lot area with a view of the river close to the dam. Theres a day use area and resort campground down the road which I asked the hosts there about the dispersed camping and they gave me an attitude saying that because its a state site that the sheriff may come check to ask me to leave. I told that that made no sense as its on usa owned land but they insisted not to park there. I believe they were just jealous because almost noone was at their campground. The day use area is small and watch for the tire strips. The parking area up the hill (at these coordinates) is a bit trashy but its a good spot for walk or bike.