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Best Tent Camping near Dryden, WA

898 Reviews

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest surrounding Dryden, Washington offers numerous tent-only camping options, from established sites to remote backcountry locations. Colchuck Lake provides hike-in tent campsites requiring permits obtained through a lottery system or day-of availability at the ranger station. Snow Lake Zone, another permit-required area within the Enchantments, offers primitive tent camping about 8 miles from the trailhead. For dispersed tent camping, FS Road 7601 provides free sites with fire rings but no amenities, while Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping offers similar primitive tent camping experiences on Forest Service land.

Tent campgrounds in this region typically feature minimal amenities, with most lacking potable water. Campers should bring their own water supply or water filtration systems. Many walk-in tent sites require permits, particularly in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Enchantment areas. Swakane Canyon/Creek Campsite requires navigating 4 miles of poorly maintained gravel road but rewards tent campers with a secluded forest setting. Icicle Group Campground near Leavenworth provides flat, sandy soil ideal for tents, with shade trees and riverside locations. Summer fire bans are common throughout the region, so checking current restrictions before arrival is essential for backcountry tent camping.

According to reviews, the Snow Lake Zone offers exceptional backcountry tent camping experiences. One visitor noted, "There is water everywhere in the Enchantments; if you have a filter, you're never more than steps away from an alpine fresh water bottle refill." At Colchuck Lake, the challenging uphill hike rewards tent campers with "incredible views" and designated camping areas near backcountry toilets. Tent campers at Icicle Group Campground appreciate the flat terrain and river access, though one camper mentioned that "sandy soil blows around pretty bad if it's windy." For those seeking solitude, primitive tent camping at Glacier View Campground offers peaceful lakeside sites, though mid-June brings significant mosquito activity that can overwhelm even experienced backcountry campers.

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Best Tent Sites Near Dryden, Washington (89)

    1. FS Road 7601 Dispersed

    5 Reviews
    Leavenworth, WA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 548-2550

    "Originally we were set up on a small pull off on the side of the road, but then we took a walk and saw a small road shooting off the side with 3 large spots with fire pits."

    "Each of the 3 spots had easy access to the river. It's only 2 miles away from the Stuart and Colchuck Lake TH too!"

    2. Colchuck Lake

    5 Reviews
    Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, WA
    13 miles
    Website

    $10 - $25 / night

    "This campsite is hike-in only. It is located near Leavenworth, WA. It is a popular location, so permits are hard to come by."

    "I would suggest 6 to 8 hours to hike in, sight see around the lake and hike out. Moderate to heavy traffic. Get to the parking lot early or no parking."

    3. Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping

    2 Reviews
    Dryden, WA
    8 miles
    Website

    "There was a fire ring which is how we could tell it was a spot. The views of the mountains all around are insane!!! Loved watching the sunset and sunrise up here. It is very windy!"

    "Within the almost 4 million acres of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, lie countless locations for dispersed camping."

    4. Snow Lake Zone

    2 Reviews
    Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, WA
    10 miles
    Website

    $10 / night

    "Snow Lakes is amazing. It's about 8 miles backpacking in from the Snow Lake Trailhead. It's at elevation, but not as cold as the Core Zone."

    5. Swakane Canyon/Creek Campsite - Dispersed

    1 Review
    Cashmere, WA
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 548-2550

    "One fireplace - check if fire ban is active!"

    6. Icicle Group Campground

    2 Reviews
    Leavenworth, WA
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 548-6816

    $152 / night

    "Pros:

    - Lots of trees for shade, but open enough to get lots of sun, too.- Flat, sandy soil, good for tents, lots of room.

    - Three picnic tables, steel fire pit, bear proof trash cans, 2 clean porta"

    "Well-kept campground with plenty of wide open flat spaces for a big tent. Big fire pits with tons of room for everyone to keep warm. Great place to go if you’re in a big group."

    7. Lake Chelan State Park Campground

    24 Reviews
    Manson, WA
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 226-7688

    "This is a great park and a premium camping location on the popular Lake Chelan. A favorite location for west siders to escape the rain for some guaranteed sunshine in Central Washington."

    "We camped in the tent camping side towards the lake (site 89) and had a decent amount of privacy."

    8. Glacier View Campground

    10 Reviews
    Leavenworth, WA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 763-3103

    "Right on lake wenatachee, 18 a night. 4 vault toilets and plenty of sites, picnic tables, water access and fire rings. we had the entire camp ground to ourselves very romantic, slept right on the beach"

    "Perfect sunny & breezy weather, insane views from the campsite. Very quiet and only a handful of first come first serve sites. Simple toilet facilities. Fire rings."

    9. Goose Creek Campground

    4 Reviews
    Ardenvoir, WA
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 763-3103

    $18 - $28 / night

    "Stopped to check out Goose Creek Campground which was pretty much empty when we got there, but had loads of trash left behind by previous campers."

    "Campground caters to atv riders with trails and large sites with extra parking."

    10. Black Pine Horse Camp

    1 Review
    Leavenworth, WA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (509) 548-4067

    "As you know, once you do the research, you realize most campgrounds around here are a first come basis."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Dryden, WA

37 Photos of 89 Dryden Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Dryden, WA

898 Reviews of 89 Dryden Campgrounds

  • Cinco D.
    Jul. 21, 2020

    Lincoln Rock State Park Campground

    Great and Busy

    This is a great state park to set up camp. It is always very busy. The sites are relatively spread out. There are two different sections for camping: an upper and lower. To me, the lower section doesn’t seem as nice. It has more trees, but the camp spots seem to be closer together. Likewise, the lower section just feels a little more rough than the upper section. The views are spectacular. There is a boat launch, and a swimming area. Furthermore, there is also a small store, and a mini-mart across the street. What makes this place great is the actual camp sites. They are huge. What makes it difficult for tent camping is there are a ton of sprinklers that turn on frequently. It is important to watch where you stake down your tent. For this trip, we brought our RV and a tent. During the summer, the temperatures during the daytime are hot! Luckily each site is equipped with water and electricity. There is no WiFi, but the cell service is outstanding.

  • Marie L.
    Aug. 3, 2022

    Owhi Campground

    Beautiful spot - not worth the trek

    Cooper Lake is absolutely stunning and admittedly the campsites are situated pretty well for views and privacy but there are definitely Pros and Cons to this campground.

    Pros:

    Right on the lake and if not you get a very private site walking distance to water
    Great hiking trail

    Lake access 24/7

    Lot's of big shade trees

    No internal combustion motors 

    Vault toilets in good shape

    Dumpsters

    Cons: 

    Extremely busy (and LOUD) day use area

    Steep hill and trails to all the sites - pack light and even then it is A LOT of work getting into your site

    $18 for a walk in site...? eh a little steep for me

    Did I mention the loud day use area with lots of screaming kids?

    No bear boxes by the lake so you also have to trek your cooler/dry goods up the hill every night to not attract wildlife.

    All in All this was a solid 3.5 stars.  There were pros to out weight the cons but in the end if I am going to walk that far to haul my stuff into a site I want it to be pretty remote/serene OR be a little cheaper.

  • Jayda R.
    Jul. 23, 2017

    Bridge Creek Campground

    A hop, skip, jump from Leavenworth...

    We didn't get to camp right next to the water (unfortunately) as all of those spaces were full (for obvious reason). We were able to find a spot just on the other side of the bridge, which was a short walk to the creek. We ended up unhooking our tent-trailer to fit in the site, but there was lots of room and level ground to have set-up a tent elsewhere on the site (it just wasn't accessible with our tent trailer). Gorgeous surroundings, the sound of the rushing water lulled us right to sleep at night.

    Vault toilet and potable water.

  • Carol S.
    May. 26, 2022

    Eightmile Campground

    Small sites and no privacy

    This campground is better suited for tents, not RVs or camper vans. Many of the sites are small and lack privacy, especially those in the west end. We reserved on line and there was no notice that sites 30 and 31 share the vehicle space! Since we were camping in a van, we felt like we were in an ordinary parking lot and not camping. Two strange vehicles parked immediately next two us the whole time. There were some other shared parking sites too. Ok for tent camping because you can tent away from the parking area, but not ok for vehicles. 

    In addition, people kept walking through our site (and we watched them walk through other occupied sites). One day, my hubby wasn't feeling well, so we took a nap only to be woken by our dog growling because a man and women were peering into the side window of our van! WTH! Numerous people walked through through our site even though the end was a restoration area clearly marked to stay off of, but people walked through it anyway. And, then there were the young men playing football in our site. Oh, and the dogs not on leashes. One knocked me over when it jumped on me from the bushes as I was heading to the restroom at night. 

    The only good thing was that the vault toilet was the cleanest ever vault toilet. No odors!! Kudos to the guy who cleans it!

  • Cass C.
    Aug. 29, 2020

    Alta Lake State Park Campground

    Beautiful views, zero privacy

    The campground is beautiful. Because of the fire that destroyed the campground, there is next to no privacy on each campsite.

    Pros: -Stars were incredible- we saw the milky-way and a few shooting starts -clean flushable bathrooms -views, access to hikes -cool lake to swim in -cellphone service (although we opted to put our phones in airplane mode to unplug) -family friendly

    Cons: -noise: during quiet hours there was zero enforcement of quiet time. We had a camp next to us partying until 1am and another group up at 6am putting up a canopy and being incredibly loud -no privacy at campsites -there is a fire ban, so if you are hoping for s’mores make sure to bring a propane stove (not a con for us, but may be for others) -bees: there were so many bees. If you are allergic I recommend staying away. We had a screened in canopy and still managed to get several inside -not a ton of shade, mostly because of precious fires

  • Sara J.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 21, 2024

    Dispersed Camping Beckler Creek

    Beckler creek riverside

    Nice 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

  • Carrie J.
    Aug. 30, 2016

    Foggy Dew Campground

    Cheap site, great hiking

    This is a small campground so you don't have to worry about too many people disturbing you. There are 12 sites available at this campground and each has a fire ring. Several of the sites are located along the creek. It's so peaceful to sit next to your campfire and hear both the crackling of the fire and the bubbling flow of the creek. Definitely some nice sounds to fall asleep to! There are also picnic tables at the site, so don't worry about bringing camp chairs unless that's your style.

    I believe there is some RV access but I much prefer to tent camp so that's generally all that I pay attention to.

    There are vault/pit toilets here which is a plus considering you're so far in the middle of nowhere. Great hiking is right outside your tent!

  • Theresa K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 18, 2023

    Dispersed Camping Beckler Creek

    Repulsive

    Every 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

  • Garrett T.
    Jun. 5, 2019

    Nason Creek Campground

    Amazing campground near lots of stuff

    It was an amazing campground a lovely host and spacious okay privacy sites,ours was right on the river it was huge could fit lots of tents and hammocks a picnic table big enough for 4-6 people and there was also a connecting site making it pretty big,huge fire ring,and so close to the river(by the way this was a walk in)there is not a lot of space for a trailer here but right down the road less then 3 minutes is lake Wenatchee and they have a huge state park but this place was way better so much wind down there and NO privacy NONE but Nason creek VERY GOOD

Guide to Dryden

Discover the beauty of tent camping near Dryden, Washington, where stunning landscapes and serene environments await outdoor enthusiasts.

Tent campers should check out Glacier View Campground

  • Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and gorgeous views at Glacier View Campground, which offers a mix of drive-in and hike-in access.
  • This campground allows pets, making it a great choice for families traveling with furry friends.
  • With picnic tables and fire rings available, it's perfect for a cozy camping experience under the stars.

Local activities for outdoor enthusiasts

  • Hike to breathtaking vistas from Colchuck Lake, where the trail offers stunning views and a rewarding alpine lake at the end.
  • Explore the nearby Enchantments by camping at FS Road 7601 Dispersed, which provides access to numerous hiking trails and scenic spots.
  • Experience the tranquility of nature while fishing or kayaking at Fish Lake Campground, a rustic site that immerses you in the great outdoors.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities

  • Goose Creek Campground features spacious sites with easy access to drinking water and picnic tables, ideal for a comfortable stay.
  • At Liberty Recreation Site, campers can enjoy wide spaces and a peaceful environment, perfect for relaxation.
  • Hidden Lake offers a unique experience with its hike-in access and stunning views, making it a favorite among those seeking solitude.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Dryden, WA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Dryden, WA is FS Road 7601 Dispersed with a 5-star rating from 5 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Dryden, WA?

TheDyrt.com has all 89 tent camping locations near Dryden, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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