Searching for a dispersed camping spot near Bellevue? Find everything from dispersed backcountry camping to boondocking with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Washington camping adventure.
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service roads is allowed where there is adequate space to safely park completely off the roadway and not on any vegetation. Whether car camping or backpacking, choose an existing campsite on bare or compacted soil. Unless signed as an area where a fee is required, dispersed camping is free. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed campgrounds and areas posted closed or no camping. Some designated Wilderness areas have additional restrictions. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities and local restrictions, please contact the nearest ranger district office.
Rules for Dispersed Camping These rules apply to car camping and backpacking
You may camp in a dispersed area in an individual Ranger District for up to 14 days within a 30-day period. After 14 days, you must move to another Ranger District or off the National Forest until the 30 days has elapsed.
Do not blaze new roads to campsites, create new campsites, clear ground, cut or harm vegetation or construct a trail.
Do not drive beyond constructed physical barriers, such as berms or gates.
Do not drive through streams or wetlands to access a camp.
If campfires are legal in your location and you choose to have a campfire, pick a site with an existing fire pit. Do not create new fire pits. Make sure your campfire is always attended and is dead out and cold to the touch before you leave your site. Fires may be restricted or banned based on the fire danger rating.
Follow Leave No Trace principles and come prepared to “Pack it in. Pack it out.” Pack all trash home. Dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner. In high use locations, areas above tree line and snow-covered areas it is not possible to bury human waste in a sanitary manner. It will need to be packed out and disposed of at home using a wag bag, blue bag, portable toilet or another Leave No Trace approved method.
Do not block roads or gates.
Keep food and scented items secure from wildlife by keeping a clean camp and store items in your vehicle or use a wildlife resistant storage canister.
Failure to follow regulations can lead to legal consequences. Additional Forest rules and links to report crimes can be found on our Law Enforcement page.
$12 / night
A Northwestt Forest Pass (daily/annual) is required for entrance to Dorothy Lake. view more information here: https://www.wta.org/go-outside/passes#northwest-forest-pass-details
$5 / night
Traveling along Highway 2, enter the center of the forest along the Skykomish River, a rafting adventurers' dream. Grab your skis! In just two hours you will be gliding down the slopes at Stevens Pass Ski Area. Check in at the Stevens Pass Historic District for an overview of the area's colorful railroad and mining past. Recreation Area Map National Scenic Byway
$50 / night
What is Dispersed Camping? Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service roads is allowed where there is adequate space to safely park completely off the roadway and not on any vegetation. Whether car camping or backpacking, choose an existing campsite on bare or compacted soil. Unless signed as an area where a fee is required, dispersed camping is free. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed campgrounds and areas posted closed or no camping. Some designated Wilderness areas have additional restrictions. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities and local restrictions, please contact the nearest ranger district office.
Rules for Dispersed Camping These rules apply to car camping and backpacking
You may camp in a dispersed area in an individual Ranger District for up to 14 days within a 30-day period. After 14 days, you must move to another Ranger District or off the National Forest until the 30 days has elapsed.
Do not blaze new roads to campsites, create new campsites, clear ground, cut or harm vegetation or construct a trail.
Do not drive beyond constructed physical barriers, such as berms or gates.
Do not drive through streams or wetlands to access a camp.
If campfires are legal in your location and you choose to have a campfire, pick a site with an existing fire pit. Do not create new fire pits. Make sure your campfire is always attended and is dead out and cold to the touch before you leave your site. Fires may be restricted or banned based on the fire danger rating.
Follow Leave No Trace principles and come prepared to “Pack it in. Pack it out.” Pack all trash home. Dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner. In high use locations, areas above tree line and snow-covered areas it is not possible to bury human waste in a sanitary manner. It will need to be packed out and disposed of at home using a wag bag, blue bag, portable toilet or another Leave No Trace approved method.
Do not block roads or gates.
Keep food and scented items secure from wildlife by keeping a clean camp and store items in your vehicle or use a wildlife resistant storage canister.
Failure to follow regulations can lead to legal consequences. Additional Forest rules and links to report crimes can be found on our Law Enforcement page.
Traveler
Found this sweet spot a little bit ago. Various dispersed camping spots along the road and up the forest service roads. There are some really sweet spots along the road with water access.
Ranger
The directions had me believing that the dispersed camping was just various pull offs on the highway loop and that’s where I stayed. It was loud and it felt like the traffic was coming through my tent at times. After driving to North Cascades I discovered that there was real dispersed camping on that road but probably 45 minutes to an hour past where the coordinates took you. Once the highway turned into a gravel road is when I started seeing nice dispersed campsites
Scout
Nice place for dispersed camping and only 5$! close the NP entrance and plenty of space here
ScoutEvery dispersed campground we checked along this road (maybe five or so) was littered with human feces and toilet paper everywhere. We found a literal bucket of human waste beside the river with a soiled pool noodle nearby I can only assume was being used as a toilet seat. Please, if you care about keeping nature wild, carry out your toilet paper and dig a cathole or use the outhouse in the campground. If you don’t know what a cathole is, you should probably should not being using dispersed camping and try the campground down the road. We ended up staying at the campground because we couldn’t find dispersed camping where there wasn’t poop and had a positive experience there. Leave no trace!!
https://www.nps.gov/articles/leave-no-trace-seven-principles.htm
Legend
This camping area consists of a large gravel parking area very near 90’s on ramps, another pretty large gravel parking area slightly further back from the road, and then a gravel road that leads back to a few camping spots that are still noisy from the road, but at least in the trees. Good Verizon signal. First true camp site was taken by a couple of RVs, and they kinda looked like they could have been there quite a while. Found another site with a fire pit. Fair amount of trash. Overall, good for a night and free!
ScoutI love this area and come out here frequently, many rivers and creeks with camping spots right next to them. The people camping are always super kind, secluded, but not too far from each other and always willing to help. DRIVE VERY CAREFULLY, LOTS OF POT HOLES AND DOWNED DEBRIS IN ROAD - STEEP DROP OFFS AND TIGHT TURNS The road goes from ground level up and around the mountain, so be cautious of time of year traveling as I have gotten stuck in the snow up at higher elevations trying to get back down to the other side. This is an area that they do regenerative forest work so big open areas from clear cuts give an amazing view of the hills and mountains.
Traveler
You can hear the road from most camping spots. When we arrived at our site there was garbage all over the place in a fire pit so we cleaned it up.
There was a nice long trail that took us to the river. That was nice. Cleaning up sucked because the floor got muddy.
Lots of mosquitoes.
Lots of camping spots. We left Friday evening and most spots were taken.
GuideNice secluded camp site. Pros: privacy, river access, sunny. Cons: trash and glass scattered throughout the site. Freeway noise is very loud
Traveler
Our favorite camp spots are right on the water, and most spots you'll find here deliver - creeks run through the (what seems to be) endless forest, trees provide shade and lovely hammock set ups, and most spots are separate from others giving you a private, relaxing experience. Hike out to Blanca Lake!
ScoutThe campsites aren’t bad. There in heavy wooded areas. If you get here early enough you can get a good secluded site on an offshoot, but most sites are just right off the road. Some sites are really close together with like 50 yards.
LegendThis is such a cool place to camp! You are literally right on an active airstrip. There are roughly 40 sites spread out along a long narrow loop, with some walk in sites. There are no services here- no water, no, wifi, no trash pick up, no campground host(there is a moderately clean vault toilet). But it’s also free, or a$5 donation at the iron ranger. It was a little confusing. AND IT'S ON AN ACTIVE AIRSTRIP!! Most sites have good trees for hammocks. I strongly suggest you have a way to secure your food and trash as there are lots of squirrels and raccoons. Did I mention it's on an active airstrip? While no planes came in while I was there, I walked across the airstrip to the“comfort station” for fliers and read the log book. Two planes had flown in earlier in the day and left nice messages. It looked like 3-5 planes used the airstip a week in the warm months. The White River is between the campground/airstrip and the highway and it drowns out most of the road noise. I didn’t check things out on the other side of the airstrip too much, but it looked like there were some dispersed sites there as well.
Ranger
There was a handful of large pull out spots along this road. Nothing fancy and not secluded but got the job done
Traveler
We were planning to stay in Leavenworth, but that got sketchy, so we came up here to this dispersed spot, and it's beautiful, quiet, and easy. Enjoyed the sounds of the waterfall/river all night, never heard a single car.
TravelerThis is near the Tinkham Campground. Plenty of dispersed sites with fire pits. Some sites are close together however if you keep going down the road you'll find plenty of quiet and private places. They also are redoing the roads as I'm here so little to no potholes.
ScoutNice large campsite near the water. There were many campsites along the road. I had to clean up a lot of trash when it got here. Please pack out your own trash and follow other leave no trace rules. The campfire was awesome
TravelerSome of you never learned proper etiquette and it shows! Beautiful spot. Toilet paper everywhere. Peaceful… except for the trucks air braking on Highway 2; and the train… which made me question if I was being visited by some alien beings for half a second. Beautiful spot, great access to the river, whose noise washes out the majority of the ambiance killers. Secluded, sadly too dry for a fire.
Traveler
First of all, this is western Washington: it rains! We had two days and two nights of rain. Snow was still on the ground, and it was cold. Fortunately we were in an RV. There are only one or two sites on this logging road that are available for RVs our size (ours is a Class A 35') about a mile up the compacted gravel road from the lake. Road is packed well, washboard in some sections. Great for vans. Secondly, the site was trashed. We picked up a full garbage bag of trash. On the upside, it was very peaceful, and there are very cute little critters--chipmonks, humming birds, and butterflies. Beautiful wildflowers and a beautiful creek running behind the campsite. There are three fire rings, and plenty of places for tents. No water. No electricity. We enjoyed our stay and we sat outside for a couple of hours in the sunshine on our last day.
TravelerThe road to this campsite is blocked and you are unable to get to it anymore. Someone dropped a dirt pile in the road and now there’s a trench.
ScoutSo dark I couldnt even see my own hand in front of my face! I loved it. Quiet enough, could hear gentle highway hum but cant see anything but trees n nature. Earplugs ftw. Some bugs but nothing major. Plenty of spots along the road. U dont need to go all the way to coords. Just pick a spot along road n park. Some wild raspberries at our spot :) firepit nice, a little trash but not much. Thats the cost of free. Spot is free, the cost is picking up a few pieces of trash. Seems fair to me!
ScoutEasy stair stopped trail; a bit harder with a 40# pack. Lots of camp sites to choose from, but the one on the far shore of the lake is my fav. Great for groups. Primitive toilets along the way. Bring bug repellant. The flies are abysmal.
GuideThis is my second time. It is free good spaces to camp with a lot for trees. I always sleep on my car but people camp on tents on the forest. Dogs welcome
TravelerNice area by a creek, very peaceful and quiet during the day, a ton of people around and lots of passerby’s. As soon as it got dark, someone decided to sneak around my campsite with a flashlight and stand outside my tent for some time. Packed up quick and zoomed out of there, very uncomfortable and would not recommend for solo campers.
GuideIt was a really nice spot but we left early because an old man took a picture of our campsite in a very rushed matter, making us feel uneasy so we left a couple hrs later we stayed here 2 days and slept good we were upset that we needed to leave so soon
GuideThis is my favorite dispersed site so far. Plenty of room for larger rigs, very close to a river and lots of woods to explore nearby. Close enough to Mt. Rainier NP and nearby towns for supplies. Vault toilets if needed, and the airstrip was only used twice in the 4 nights we stayed, i think (heard one mid-day, and saw another late morning).
There is a single-lane bridge when turning in that could be tricky for a motorhome that is towing, but not enough traffic to cause us any issues getting in. For larger rigs - take the second left (at a Y-intersection, and then keep to the left and you won't have any trouble getting in. Going to the right at the Y takes you to an area that big rigs might have trouble finding spots or turning around, but still doable.
ScoutNot the most private spot if vehicles were to pass. the road looks like it’s used but no one around when we arrived. the road itself is a gorgeous drive and since it’s free it’s worth it!
Guide
We hiked in to Annette Lake to test out some new backpacking gear as we’re just getting into backpacking - it was great! The 4 mile hike in was just enough of a challenge for our first time with weight in our packs. We went left where the trail splits at the lake. There are campsites both sides, but lake access is really easy on the left side. There is 1 toilet a little back from the lake. Fire pits are at every spot. Loved it here!
Traveler
So first off, this location is beautiful. It is so relaxing! We were so excited when we found a spot with a fire pit. We set up camp and started enjoying ourselves. Here where it gets weird. People were harassing us about camping. We spoke to a ranger and verified that we were at the right spot. She said yes. One person drove past and yelled that you don't belong here. It was super uncomfortable specially considering I had a four year old with me. We ended up packing up camp and hiking into a further remote camp site. It was great after that.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Bellevue, Washington, where nature enthusiasts can enjoy serene landscapes and a variety of outdoor activities without the constraints of traditional campgrounds. Here are some top spots to consider for your next adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Bellevue, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Bellevue, WA is South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site with a 4-star rating from 14 reviews.
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