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Forest Road 83 provides access to Mt St Helens campgrounds. There are dispersed sites along this road for camping, and the area provides access to Climber's Bivouac, Ape Cave, and Lava Canyon. Camping near Mt St Helens is open from Memorial Day until snow blocks the roads. Food, lodging, gas, and other services are available in nearby communities.
Unless otherwise posted, you can stay 10 days in a 30-day period at any of DNR's campsites. During your stay, please practice leave no trace principles and pack out what you pack in. Dispersed camping, camping outside of our designated campgrounds, is allowed in some of our forests. Dispersed camping is not allowed at day-use sites. Toilets, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water, and fire pits are not available in the backcountry. Please follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out everything you pack in. Dispersed fires are prohibited.
This small, lightly used campground is tucked into dense forest adjacent to Canyon Creek. Eight campsites are available for tent camping only.
Nine small campsites. Smaller RVs can camp here. There is a newer, accessible vault toilet. Each site has a table and fire ring. The campground is sort of hidden away in the dense forest. Canyon Creek is nearby. If pulling a trailer, it is best to leave it at a pullout on the 54 road and find the campground first. There is no chance to turn around if the entrance is missed.
Guide
I have camped here twice now, once during a scouting trip in 2016 with my boys and again in September 2024 with just me and my dog :). I could pull my 17' pop-up "A" frame trailer and back into one of the two spots with no problem. Due to the narrow road, it may be a bit more snug with bigger rigs (25+ feet long and anything more than 8+ feet wide). I would scout the road and area before committing; however, there is a turnaround that you could use to maneuver the trailer to drive out. It's plenty big to accommodate a few trucks/cars and one, maybe two towable trailers. If you're going tent camping, there are about four flat places for tents. The area has no trails, so you would not have to worry about people wandering into the campsite. The Ape Caves is a small drive away. The town of Cougar, WA. is about 10 miles away if you need gas or food. There is a lot of shade, and it is not solar-friendly. The main road is about 100 feet away, relatively quiet, and very private. There was a large rock fire pit in the middle. There is no cell phone reception; however, if you drive East for a few miles, you may be able to get 2 bars with Verizon.
Per the state website, "On the southwest side of Mount St. Helens, Forest Road 81 provides an experience away from crowds. On this road, access Kalama Horse Camp, Red Rock Pass, and Forest Road 830, the road to Climber's Bivouac, and the start of the summer climbing route. From the west, the road begins on Forest Road 90, near Cougar, WA, and travels through private timberlands and state lands before entering Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The road connects with Forest Road 83 on its east side. While mostly paved, be prepared for several miles of gravel(between Forest Road 830 and 8123) and a road that is sometimes very rough."
Scout
Relative to other options in Northwest Oregon this was an easy to find, plenty of space place to park the car. My partner and I angled our vehicle to block our tent from the road and slept like rocks.
Not scenic (though the waterfall that is a short hike away is). My only safety concern is someone taking the corner too fast running into your car.
Traveler
This spot was great for a night! Super quiet. There was some trash around the site and the road, so I picked up as much as I could. The view was misted over but beautiful anyway- however, in my little Nissan Versa, I struggled on the roads up and down. I eventually kept it around 5-10mph to avoid damaging my car, but I got there just fine and had no issues at the campsite. I've got T-Mobile and had full bars.
Guide
The site was great honestly, nice flat pads for tents, plenty of room for a trailer if you’re brave enough to bring it down about 5 miles of rough rough gravel road. For being such a remote location it was very busy this weekend lots of cars, foot traffic, and fishermen. It’s beautiful u can’t blame anyone for wanting to come but i was surprised by the volume. Maybe try a weekday for less crowds.
We had a private trail (about a country block in length), we quickly realized it was a “shitty” trail, a trail of Turds😭😭💩🧻
Other then that water and surrounding scenery was breath taking..
TravelerExcellent dispersed site next to electronic towers.
GuideRoad got a little bumpy getting out here but once we found a spot right near the riverbank, you felt like you were deep in it. Saw a few people on the way out. Really relaxing next to the sound of the river. Would definitely recommend sleeping mats if you’re in a tent as the grounds rather hard. The spot we went didn’t really have anywhere for hammocks but saw a couple on the way out. “Spaces” were far enough apart that you couldn’t even tell anyone else was out there. Wood was kinda sparse in the spot we were in too but you’re close enough to your car that you can just bring some. Would definitely recommend for a quick and convenient spot.
ScoutHe’s out there 👽
TravelerGreat cell service! I was able to work remotely (teams calls) for 3 days with no issues. Also beautiful views! I went all the way to the top near the cell towers.
Traveler
Went up at the end of the snow season and I couldn't quite make it. My 4wd rav only has road tires and I eventually got to a point I wasn't able to make it. My brothers 2022 Outback did completely fine but regardless we had to turn back. I plan to revisit the site here in about two(ish) weeks. The area surrounding the site is trafficked regularly by the looks of it, lots of people coming out shooting, HOWEVER the area is patrolled very heavily by Sheriff Department. I was told by a guy more akin to the area that the spot is a pretty normal spot for locals and that some better areas are farther up.
GuideThis place was beautiful!! Definitely best for car camping as the spots down by the river were pretty wet and muddy this time of year. The waterfall is amazing and only a 15 minute hike down! The only reason this place got lower than a 5 star is because of all the trash near the parking lot. Too beautiful of a place to be used as a dump!! Definitely used as a party spot but aside from this it’s worth the visit!
ScoutA big pavement pull off on the ride of the road. The river is a walk down a very steep hill behind the pullout. No place to pitch a tent, best for car camping. Had some issues with people stopping and playing loud music, seems to be a hangout spot.
ScoutPerfect place to stay for a night. A lot of trash left behind by others though.
ScoutI have been coming here for 15 years had great times . Love the lakes snag and western. Stocked each spring with trout. So much fun for the kids to catch and eat them ..
Traveler
A friend and I drove around for a campsite for hours because our original one was under 2 feet of snow (late April 2023). I was able to get a bar of service and found this area off 83. There’s a bunch of pull offs, we found one that was covered in twigs and brambles. It was easy to get back to the site once we moved the blockage. Great, quiet area. Clean and not much left behind. Bet it’s busy in the summer but we didn’t see anyone for miles in late April.
LegendSnag Lake and Western Lake Campgrounds were both full, so we explored and went to the top of the mountain/hill near the cell towers. It had cement for parking and seemed to be a viewing point so we called it good. Not sure if this is a “legal” campsite but it sure was beautiful.
Travelerin a clearing for solar power, surrounded by brush had has decent cell signal. seems to be a quiet road.
Traveler
The camp is around a gully on the north side of Pumice Butte with outstanding views of Mt St Helens and Mt Adams. Water was flowing at this camp when we passed in late July, but it was silty in the late afternoon and early evening, clear in the morning. There is a lovely site in the trees near the water, but more spots are scattered on the hillsides. The camp gets very crowded on peak summer weekends.
GuideThis spot is pretty remote, so it was very quiet. There are a few downsides to this spot though: there appeared to be a few semi-permanent campers along the route, the actual gps spot has a bunch of trash and has been used as a drug-up spot (broken syringes and caps), and the route to this spot via Google Maps takes you down the wrong road at first. I can’t recommend this spot because of all these things, but it did have some pleasant views and was quiet.
GuideThe trails are great and the waterfall is beautiful. The pulloff is muddy and hard but it's worth it.
GuideGreat spot because it's so secluded in the forest. There's basically zero traffic on the dirt road near the campsite. A lot of the trees around seem to be new growth. Great view of the stars at night!
There are at least 4 other campsite off this road at different points if you keep driving. Some of them are more or less level and more or less muddy. This one was the best, but there are lots of options. All of them are commonly used because there are ashes from fires. There's a moderate amount of trash at most of them.
Requires a Discovery Pass. I bought a day pass for $12 online since I don't need the annual pass. They tell you to write the date and order number in large print on a piece of paper and put it on your dash. No one came to check my pass though (in January, so it's the off season)
You have to take a dirt road to reach the campsite, but it is pretty well maintained. The only difficulty I encountered were two points where a few inches of road were a bit washed out. They were small enough that I could manage them alright in a 2WD van that had normal clearance. So most cars could probably manage them.
There's a small trail behind this spot that that leads to the creek, which is nice. Other than that, you can hike along the dirt roads, but there aren't any actual hiking trails that I found. I saw a porcupine for the first time while wandering one of the side roads! I didn't drive up to Snag Lake.
GuideThis is my first wildcamping/boondocking location, but I loved it. It feels like you're right in the middle of the forest! It's a wide dirt pullout with room for 7-10 cars. And although it's right alongside the road, it's not a super busy road like some highway spots, so it felt pretty secluded and quiet. Very few cars at night.
No signs of any kind indicating "no parking." 1 bar of Verizon LTE.
The dirt was solid -- I wasn't worried at all about getting stuck in the mud (and I'm here in the middle of winter with tons of recent rain). Plenty of room to turn around with ease.
And you're right at a hiking trail that takes you to beautiful falls!! What more could you ask for? -- Don't make the mistake I did. The trail all the way on the left side of the parking lot takes you to the falls. The trails in the middle of the lot are super steep and muddy and don't lead to the falls.
Only downside is it's not perfectly flat. It wasn't too bad though. I just parked with my head pointing uphill when I go to bed, of course.
There is also another option down the road to the east about 500 feet. It's a paved pullout, but it is smaller so it doesn't have as much space to turnaround.
Guide
The tall trees make things a lot darker before it actually gets dark. We only passed through the area, but this site was very remote with a fire ring someone created.
Traveler
No real campsites here, but large parking area where you can put an RV overnight. There is one dispersed tent “site” with fire ring just uphill of warming hut on decommissioned road. Pit toilet, but no potable water. Great option if you leave St. Helens late and can’t make it to town. Signs do say “day use only” for winter.
GuidePrimitive location, nothing there, but maybe a fire ring and a spot to park your vehicle. The road coming in the last 10 miles is rough in many spots. It’s hard to see the bumps and dips in the road in the early evening. There are many spots to choose from for cars, trucks, and vans. It doesn’t seem like it’s designed for RV’s and trailers. The spot I took was within the last 5 miles of the marked location, on the left hand side, up a rugged dirt road. My truck made it up in 2WD. During daylight hours, I could hear gunfire above my site. As the evening approached, peaceful. I would stay here again.
TravelerThere are a lot of places for dispersed camping along FS-83, but they do get pretty full on nice weekends. Overall enjoyable camping, just expect neighbors and some trash from previous occupants.
Rangermy father, my dog, and I chose this campground for its small crowds. we had no neighbors in the nearby sites, but it was forecasted to rain, which could explain the low numbers. It drizzled on us, but that wasn’t anything our rain tarps couldn’t handle.
TravelerI was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to see only one other person camping nearby. I was able to find a spot next to a couple others. One was kind of hidden back behind the main spot. The area has so much to explore. Traffic wasn’t too bad for a Mon/Tues night. Don’t be afraid to ask if there is an open site near someone. That one site I don’t think was visible from the road so people kept driving by. I definitely plan on heading back for my next getaway! Wish I had taken more pictures!
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Castle Rock, WA is Beaver Falls Trailhead - Overnight with a 4.4-star rating from 5 reviews.
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