Best Dispersed Camping near Elma, WA

Dispersed Camping Reviews near Elma, WA

47 Reviews of 17 Elma Campgrounds

• R

  Robert N.

  Guide

  Jun. 10, 2024

  Dispersed South Shore Road

  Quilaut River-South Shore Road

  Several campsites along the gravel road, we found the perfect secluded spot next to the Quinault River. Drove right into the hidden alcove in our stealth camper van.

• 

  Mar Z.

  Scout

  Jul. 7, 2024

  Rock Candy Mountain Trailhead

  Perfect woodsy rest stop off highway

  Right off the highway. Pit toilet and wooded areas. Can still hear highway from this exact GPS location, so I went further on up the road for a quieter spot. A few trucks did speed by in the middle of the night, but it was a Saturday and July 4th weekend. 5 bars of cell service.

• 

  Sam S.

  Guide

  Aug. 6, 2024

  Olympic National Forest Dispersed Camping

  Olympic National Forest - Dispersed Camping

  We camped near Vance Creek trailhead to do the Olympic Bridges bike ride the next morning. Since this is a national forest, dispersed camping is allowed. We picked the first spot we got to since it was getting kind of late. It wasn't the most ideal spot and I think further down the road has prettier and more remote options, but it made do. There were really huge flies but they did not bite. The only complaint was that there was more car traffic than I wanted very late at night into the early morning. One car even slowed down and yelled at our tent around 2am. We never felt unsafe but it was annoying. A lot of trash was left behind from previous camper. I would suggest finding alternative spots if you're looking for a more enjoyable night but if you are just there for an overnight, it is fine.

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• 

  Jeremy B.

  Guide

  Jan. 10, 2022

  Road to Snag Lake - Dispersed

  Great secluded spot in the woods

  Great 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.

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• C

  Crispin S.

  Guide

  Oct. 17, 2025

  Road to Snag Lake - Dispersed

  4WD Ideal

  Great camp spot for the night; would have gotten 5 stars had I been able to experience the view. The road in was a little bumpy and in some parts an incline but nothing my Ram 3500 and teardrop couldn’t handle. We followed recommendation from a previous review and followed the road until it ended for the best spot. It was a concrete pad so set up for the teardrop was easy. We were the only campers that we are aware of; very quiet night. No trash on site. Sadly due to the cloud coverage and rain we did not stick around for breakfast but imagine on a clear day a slow morning taking in the sights would be nice.

  Front and 4WD ideal; site fit my 42 foot truck/camper very well.

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• 

  Lauren M.

  Ranger

  Aug. 23, 2022

  Dispersed South Shore Road

  Rainforest heaven!

  There are about 5 sites hidden on the road. Please be careful the road is a mix of private land, national forest, national park. The sites can be easily found by their stone fire rings. The site that is directly on the river was very popular. I ended up staying 2 nights at one of the last sites before it turns to private land. It was tucked away, walk in site, had a nice fire ring, nice tent pad area. It has a large rope so you can access the river. The scenery is breath taking. Down the road there are at least 2 waterfalls on the right. In the town of quinault there is a laundry mat/shower facility!

• 

  Suzie K.

  Traveler

  Jun. 20, 2025

  Olympic National Forest Dispersed Camping

  Safe and quiet

  This is a gravel road through the National Forest with a bunch of pull-offs where you can camp. It was nothing special but very quiet and peaceful other than one or two cars that passed by. Felt safe as a single tent camper

• 

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  May. 27, 2025

  Road to Snag Lake - Dispersed

  Great view of the valley

  There are several spots off the road around these radio tower stations and it is quite secluded. We didn't see any other person the whole time we were there. The spot we chose was the best as it is away from the towers and buildings, plus has a great view overlooking the valley and bay, and you can see the ocean between the peaks in the distance. The road getting here is a bit rough with lots of washboard, steep grades and rocks. But it's fun. No amenities, obviously, but there is a concrete pad from an old structure you can park on. Other sites have solid pack gravel covered by grass.

• 

  Nicholas G.

  Guide

  Dec. 12, 2024

  FS-2292 Dispersed

  There was a ton of dispersed sites on this FR

  The road was a little rough but my suv made it fine. No signal and got a little snow on the roof in the morning but it was a good spot with a great view.