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Free Camping Collection

Established Camping

Mount Ashland Campground

Closed For the Season

This campground is closed for the season from November 1, 2024 through May 31, 2025.

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Mount Ashland Campground, near Ashland, Oregon, is a fantastic choice for those seeking a free camping experience with stunning views. Set in the Klamath National Forest, this campground offers a rustic vibe with picnic tables and fire pits at each site, making it a great place to unwind after a day of adventure.

Visitors rave about the breathtaking views of Mount Shasta and the surrounding mountains. One camper noted, “The view alone is worth it for at least a night,” highlighting the spectacular scenery that makes this spot special. While the facilities are basic, with pit toilets and no drinking water, the natural beauty and privacy of the sites more than make up for it.

For outdoor enthusiasts, the area is ripe for hiking and mountain biking, with trails nearby that cater to various skill levels. Keep in mind that the campground is only open for a couple of months each year due to snow, so plan your visit accordingly. If you're looking for a peaceful retreat with a touch of adventure, Mount Ashland Campground is definitely worth checking out.

Description

National Forest

Klamath National Forest

Mt. Ashland campground offers higher elevation (6,000 ft.) camping with great views and access to the nearby Pacific Crest Trail. Located along the Siskiyou Crest near the Mt. Ashland ski area, the crest is known for wildflowers, butterflies and bird watching opportunities. The campground has vault toilets, but no potable water, and no garbage service. Please "pack it out".

Reservation Info

Water and garbage service are not provided. Bring enough water for drinking, cooking and washing as well as extra water to drown campfires each day. Please take all trash, garbage and dog droppings with you when you leave. Dogs on leash only. Camping limit 14 days.

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Location

Mount Ashland Campground is located in Oregon

Detail location of campground

Directions

From I-5 west on Forest Road 20 approx. 10.5 miles to the campground on the left. One mile past the Mt Ashland Ski Resort.

Coordinates

42.07540431 N
122.71496367 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Available
  • Verizon
    Fair
  • AT&T
    Poor
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

  • Picnic Table
  • Phone Service
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

FREE established camping

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.


PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Mount Ashland Campground needs a permit.


Reviews

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4.5

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16 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 12, 2024

Beautiful view!!

The view was absolutely stunning on the first day then it turned to rainy with harsh winds and very cold the second day. Maybe I went a bit too late in the season:/ This campground is really only set up for tent campers. The place to park for vehicles is far from level. Even with camper jacks I was sleeping at an angle. If you have a van or camper I would recommend parking at one of the more level pull offs before the campground then just walking up for the view.

Siteparking lot
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Onyx E., September 12, 2024
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Onyx E., September 12, 2024
Reviewed Jun. 29, 2024

great option for free camping

If you are looking for a free site (during the right time of year) this is a good option. Sites are pretty private with beautiful views of Shasta. Cell service is sketchy so be prepared.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Michelle C., June 29, 2024
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Michelle C., June 29, 2024
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2023

Beautiful views traffic

I was told by the park ranger they shutting down the upper campground opposite the restrooms and refurbishing the whole campground. When doing that they should put 5 mph Traffic signs on either end of the campground due to the dust from bike transports and other vehicles speeding through and Creating massive amounts of dust! The cooler temperatures are great and there’s water access near the lodge to fill up your Hydro flasks

SiteNo number but the first one on the left Below as you’re approaching the Campsite from the lodge
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Gary N., August 10, 2023
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Gary N., August 10, 2023
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Gary N., August 10, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2022

Amazing view!!

The camp ground itself is fairly primitive but very reasonable for being FREE. There pit toilets with toilet paper and picnic benches + fire pits at each spot. Bring your own water!! The view alone is worth it for at least a night, can see all the way to Mt. Shasta, truly spectacular!!

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by lhasa G., October 21, 2022
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by lhasa G., October 21, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2022

Only open a couple months out of the year

Mt. Ashland had a campground at the peak, most of the year it has snow but those couple of months are really pretty, lots of wildflowers and mushrooms to pick! High elevation and strong winds. Pretty view of Mt. Shasta!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Autumn O., July 17, 2022
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Autumn O., July 17, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 15, 2022

Beautiful Views

This site is amazing, with great views, fairly separated sites, cell service, and toilets (although those seemed to be fly breeding grounds at the moment). Each site has a picnic table, charcoal grill, and fire pit. We had an odd shaped site but still managed to fit a four person tent. There are only a few sites so I’d say the odds of getting a site depend on the night, we managed to get the last one of the night and arrived around 8. There were no bugs at night (though this is probably due to the high winds) but in the morning they all came out to play. From this site you have a beautiful view of Mt. Shasta and neighboring mountains. You do have to walk down a hill to get to each campsite also. Overall this place is beautiful and I would definitely recommend staying here!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Name , July 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Name , July 15, 2022
Reviewed Jul. 15, 2022

Breathtaking views!

This campground is on top of the world. You can see Mt. Shasta in the distance and mountains for days! It’s pretty high up therefore there’s usually really cold wind, keep that in mind for sleeping and fires. Vault toilets that aren’t super kept up or cleaned. Bring toilet paper. Big rocks and hikes all around! Only open a couple months out of the year due to snow!

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2022

Beautiful spot, easy access

Gorgeous campsite and well situated for doing PCT trail magic if you're so inclined. Not suitable for large RVs - you need to park head-in, not parallel to the road, so anything bigger than a full size van will simply not fit. All spots require trekking your stuff in at least a short distance, I couldn't see any that allowed you to pull through. Full bars & LTE data on AT&T, and more importantly, fantastic views. Privies were not terrible, but it's a byoTP situation. Bring your own drinking water, too. You do have to be a bit choosy about where to setup a tent, but I found a place that was not unacceptably slanted for my small 3p tent

Month of VisitJune
Reviewed May. 3, 2021

Beautiful Area!

We were headed to this campground but the last 1/3 mile was blocked by gate and snow covered road so we ended up staying in the large parking area which was actually not bad and we stayed 3 nights.  Website indicates campground is temporarily closed.

Signs stated that a permit is needed to park in the parking lot from Nov 1-April 30.  The ranger we ran into on our hike to check out the campground said that it gets packed in the summer. The PCT runs near here so it is a place for thru hikers to stay. 

Campground has 2 unisex handicap accessible vault toilets.The sites are tucked away and for some you’ll need to park and walk. RVs or trailers would have a hard time finding a spot that would fit them, though we saw one or two that a small rig could squeeze into. There did not appear to be a good turn around so it is advisable to walk up the road to assess to see if your rig has a space or will even fit. The sites are not very level except for maybe smaller tents. The road coming up the hill was paved, but just beyond the gate the road turns to dirt. It branches off so you’ll want to stay to the right to reach the campground. 

The views are STUNNING with Mt Shasta in the distance and forest land extending as far as the eye can see. Very quiet and peaceful even in the parking area. There were a few other campers some with tents in the parking area so it is a common practice to crash here for a night or two. Good hiking or biking and in winter snowshoeing and cross country skiing, not to mention the Mt Ashland Ski Area is right here as well. 

Good cell service with ATT, Verizon, and TMobile.

Siteparking lot
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Laura M., May 3, 2021
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  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Laura M., May 3, 2021
  • (8) View All
Reviewed Oct. 21, 2020

Fabulous but small campground

Nice little campground tucked up on the mountain that I stayed at for 3 nights. It has two pit toilets that were still open as of 10/20, little smelly but always stocked. There’s about 3 camp spots you can pull up to with nice fire pits and tables. Then there’s about 6 spots that are meant for tents/hike in spots. The sunsets are GORGEOUS and stargazing is amazing but it is WINDY and I mean, drops 20 degrees windy, rocks the van windy. Had 2-3 bars of LTE for AT&T and met a lot of nice people who stayed. Saturday night was packed full, the rest of the nights it was me and maybe 1 other camper. Overall, definitely would come back. Not meant for big campers or large RV’s. Bumpy 1/4 to the campground and very tight turnaround spots in the pull in areas. Oh, and it’s FREE. You can stay up to 14 nights.

  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Abby M., October 21, 2020
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Abby M., October 21, 2020
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Abby M., October 21, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2019

Great free campsite

We enjoyed staying at Mt. Ashland. It is a marked campground that is FREE. Simply follow the road past the ski area and you will find it. All of the spots with fire rings were full when we got there, but there was space to park in the turnoffs or off-road past the campground for more private camping spots. It was quiet and peaceful. We stayed one night and we would stay there again! Great view from the mountain.

  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Hannah H., August 13, 2019
Reviewed Sep. 4, 2018

Beautiful, semi remote camping

Lovely place, lovely drive in. Spots are scattered and hard to find at night. Had dear running around while I was setting up the tent. Pit toilets, hiking close by, accessible in any vehicle.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2017

Mt. Ashland Campground

I stayed at Mt. Ashland Campground on the second night of my month long backpacking adventure along the Oregon section of the PCT. Therefore, I accessed it completely on foot and didn't have lots of amenities with me. That being said, this was a decent Forest Service campground. Let me start off with the the positives. 1) It is free! You can stay in Forest Service run campgrounds for up to 14 days within a 30 day period which is awesome. 2) Easy access via car. You can drive right up to the spots and there is at least one parking spot per site. 3) The views are amazing of Shasta. We had a beautiful sunset and clear skies so Shasta was glorious. 4) It has all your basic amenities for a campground: pit toilets, picnic tables, fire pits (some are normal pits and some are cooking pits). Now the negatives: 1) It is free so you can get an interesting group of people staying there and there is no reservation system. So, if you get there late you could possibly be SOL for a spot. 2) There is no water. Remember to bring your own or you can walk to the bottom of the road and filter in a slow seasonal stream. Related to this, there is no camp host so you need to provide any wood for fires. 3) The pit toilets were not really maintained. They were there which is great but not very clean or supplied.

All that being said, it was a great site that I would visit again if I was car camping. The views were great and the spots were spaced out enough that you didn't feel right on top of your neighbor. The spots were relatively small, however. One perhaps two tents max. It also lends itself to some great sections of the PCT and other hiking trails.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Jenny R., August 21, 2017
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Jenny R., August 21, 2017
  • Review photo of Mount Ashland Campground by Jenny R., August 21, 2017
  • (7) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are fires allowed at Mount Ashland Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Mount Ashland Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Mount Ashland Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Mount Ashland Campground does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Mount Ashland Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is fair, AT&T is poor, and T-Mobile is unknown.