If you're looking for a place to dispersed camp near Nine Mile Falls, look no further. Dispersed camping is an excellent way to get away from it all and to disconnect. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Nine Mile Falls's most popular destinations.
Entire area is open year round. There are no fees. There are no facilities or services available with the exception of one vault toilet at Folsom Farm. Both lakes have concrete boat launches maintained by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (paid in advance parking permit from WDFW is required.)
The Fishtrap Area offers 9,000 acres of beautiful landscapes and an old farmstead, with habitats ranging from forest to shrub-steppe, grassland, and wetlands. Fishtrap is home to two scenic fishing lakes and numerous species of birds and other wildlife.
The historic Folsom Farm Recreation Site demonstrates how the landscape was converted into small farms, ranches, and communities beginning in the late 1800’s.
Enjoy the chance to explore, view and study nature, picnic, backpack, horseback ride, mountain bike, or hunt throughout the entire Fishtrap area. Fishing for stocked rainbow trout is popular at Fishtrap Lake, and during the winter season at Hog Canyon Lake. Know Before You Go: Fishtrap Recreation Area is open year-round has no developed campsites. The South Loop Trailhead parking lot has substantial space for vehicle and RV parking/camping. Additional minimal space is available at the Folsom Farm, and Hog Lake Loop Trailhead parking lots. See the Fishtrap Area map. vehicle and RV parking/camping is limited to existing parking areas and camping pull-outs. Dispersed (tent) camping is allowed. Please practice the seven Leave No Trace principles when recreating on Public Lands. Check Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fishing regulations for fishing seasons at Hog Canyon Lake and Fishtrap Lake. Both lakes have concrete boat launches maintained by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (a paid in advance parking permit from WDFW is required.)
The stream flows through low wooded mountains joining the South Fork to form Chewelah Creek. This stream flows into the Colville River. In addition to fishing, visitors also hunt, horseback ride and camp along the creek. There are approximately 8 miles of the North Fork located on NFS lands. There are also many tributaries to the North Fork that are fishable. There are dispersed camping sites that exist along the stream at various locations.
Washington state fishing license required. See Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at http://wdfw.wa.gov/ for more information.
Quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Campfire in developed fire ring only
Fireworks are prohibited
Pets must be under voice command or on leash
OHV use allowed
Maximum length of stay: 14 days
Food and wildlife attractants must be properly stored at all times
Cooks LakeCooks Lake is a small 11 acre lake which lies northeast of Usk, WA. It offers rainbow trout fishing opportunities. During dry summer months the lake level can significantly recede. There is easy access for launching a small boat. Several dispersed campsites and a concrete vault toilet are located at the southeast end of the lake.
Bear Creek @ Little Pend Orielle Wildlife Refuge, east of Colville WA
Camping is allowed on a first come-first serve basis from April 14 through December 31. Established campgrounds have a vault toilet and metal fire rings.
No drinking water is available. Do not leave campfires unattended. High fire danger will cause campfire restrictions. Information will be posted in all campgrounds and at the Headquarters kiosk.
**Dispersed hunting camp sites are open from October 1 through December 31. These are primitive campsites with no amenities. Campsites must be within 50 feet of a dispersed campsite carsonite marker. Bury all human waste in a hole 6 to 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water, camp or trails.
Quiet campsite in Fishtrap Recreation Area.
Pros:
Very quiet open sites. Plenty of opportunity for solar 3 bar 5g Tmobile Open mostly level sites Not very busy Some larger sites able to accommodate bigger rigs (25' at least)
Cons:
No amenities (where we are, maybe further in they have them) Dusty and dry Fire restrictions in place Sites have some trash in them.
Overall we enjoyed it for a layover stay. It's very quiet, open skies were good to recharge solar and stargaze and it was a nice break from some of the more crowded campsites.
This campsite was the perfect break in our drive from North Cascades to Glacier. The road was easy to find and there were so many great sites. There is a porta potty too. We found a site that was both tent-able and hammock-able. Lots of mosquitoes though!
Arrived early in the afternoon and got the last spot, looked to be a lot of people staying longer term; but still was quiet and there are lots of places to walk with pets/explore around camp.
A lot of places to camp here all equipped with fire rings. We had a 30ft RV and drove in on the nice gravel road. We took the very last camping spot closest to the lake and it had a good amount of shade on all sides. It was big enough to fit two campers if camping with friends. The spot was very spacious and felt private. It was clean with only a couple specks of trash that we found.
We walked down to the lake and it looked great for paddle boarding or small boats/rafts but not for swimming. There is a lot of seaweed and it’s murky.
The area/sites are really dusty in July. Lots of dirt but the road is gravel. Sites are pretty well spread out.
We took a little hike and saw a buck with a big rack on it, other deer, and a coyote. Great spot for back country hiking.
Easy access off of I90. Mostly quiet overnight stay as we heard some people from another site and the road was trafficked with people looking for sites. Train noise as well. A fire pit was available. But there was some broken glass and shell casings at our site
Nice over night stay, but 1st come 1st served. We got there about 4pm and luckily found the last spot. May have been one of the best spots as well.
A nice location! I will advise tent campers it is tent accessible but not the easiest spot in a tent. The soil is very dry and a couple of the spots were hard rocks and not accessible for tents. We did end up finding a spot in our tent, but this is site is much easier with an RV or van. Would recommend a backup plan ahead of time in case the sites available here are not compatible.
Access to Hog Lake was closed. Found a spot with a fire pit. All the spots are pretty spread out. Unfortunately not many treed areas for wood. Fairly rough terrain of sand and rocks
We found the most amazing site! We felt like we were on top of the world! Clear open skies! Loved the sound of the cows, coyotes, and owls! Total dispersed camping! Thank you to whoever left us wood!
We really enjoyed our night stay , it was very quiet and the campsites were spread out well enough that it was quite private! We will be going back . Can’t drive right down to the lake , but you can walk in and take the trail around it .
Stopped hear from driving fatigue for the night. Glad I did. Plenty of spots to choose from & friendly waves from other campers (RVs, busses, cars).
Be aware there is a lot of noise from planes and trains but not enough to keep me from my sleep.
Pulled in, hoped out and immediately got stung.
It is a steep but well maintained forest road. There was one clear pull off early and it had someone in it. Wanted some privacy so I kept going. Someone had parked on the side of the road and went past that. Found a blocked entrance to a forest road about a mile in. Wasn't flat but not bad and off the road a bit with a place to walk the dog.
Cutting through this area needed night to crash, stumbled upon this last minute. Easy to find easy to access in our Honda accord. Lots of spaces but also lots of ppl. Was peaceful though. Lots of cows singing at night. I didn’t mind though. Heard some coyotes in the distance. Wasn’t a problem though
Was a good site, safe, people def. Stay longer than 14 days lol
Love it! Some shady spots. Not a ton of traffic. Easy gravel road to come and go from. There’s even an outhouse. 2-3 bars of Verizon service.
Plenty of campsites and Verizon gets 2-3 bars of service. I found a shady spot by a large pine tree. Only a couple miles from the highway and the road is in good shape for getting in and out. Only a few other vehicles here but still plenty of space for all!
Very scenic, quite lake with an easy to launch boat ramp
Lovely and quiet! Spacious! (Rare train but it does not bother me.) Picturesque lake surrounded by pine trees! So lovely! So glorious!
Usually visit in April. There are a TON of dispersed camping areas within a mile of this "campground" so if its full, it's not a big deal.
With that said, I've never run into any issues with folks using this campground but there's a first time for everything. Most of my time spent in this area has been dead quiet and usually quite private.
Nice little place. The road gets a bit rough. I personally would not want to drive anything bigger than a camper van down there but there are quite a few bug turnaround spots and some nice big sites. Be careful going into the sites as there is a dip. My Kia seemed to think I was just nose diving into a crevice as I was getting across with all its sensors screaming at me. Some coyotes came through camp at some point during the night. I heard them howling from a distance but only knew they came into camp because they left footprints in the frost. Only one other person was out there so nice and quiet
A friend and I car camped here overnight on our way through the state. We couldn’t get down to the lake by car because a gate was closed but we were able to park at a pull off up the road a ways. We could hear someone shooting skeet or something and the train nearby but it didn’t bother us much.
We have stayed here twice while driving through the area. It’s quiet and really close to the highway. There are 10-12 spots along the gravel road to Hog Lake. We have a 21ft trailer towed behind a pickup truck and it’s able to fit in most spots. None of these are really official spots (not flattened or bordered) but it’s a nice place to pass through. There are train tracks that parallel the highway, so the further you go down the gravel road, the further you’ll be from the train noise. Even if you’re closer to the entrance, it’s not too bad.
The good -A beautiful camp ground. Small space with multiple dispersed camp sites along the creek and throughout the wooded area. The creek is very small but powerful. You can not swim but still a great place to get wet. If you have a tube bring it and enjoy a short river ride. Not a good place to fish. The main camp area is completely shaded keeping things cool. The camp is very close to the creek. Still there was no issues with bugs. I did not need bug spray. There are established stone fire pits or you can gather up some rocks and make your own. Plenty of deadfall and fire wood all over the place. There is also a fence that runs the perimeter of the camp area. Helping to keep the predators out. The only animal I saw besides squirrels and birds was a skunk. Bears, coyotes, wolves and cougars are know to frequent the area.
The bad - Many of the locals are not friendly and claim the whole creek portion of the camp ground for themselves. There are about 6 different camp sites directly on the main creek. The others are spread out through the woods. People often use the creek just to bring their kids down to frolic in the water for a few hours. More than once I have been approached and ran off by hostile creek users. Im sure there are good folks around their too. That said the few people I have met out there are nasty and will refuse to share the campground causing all kinds of drama until you just get mad and leave. Last weekend I was approached by 4 men who were not camping just using the creek to tube with their kids. I was told that I better go find another place to camp. That they were using the creek and I could not be there. I set up anyways camping away from them and was not in anyway a bother to them. Still they continued to come over and harass me about leaving. Until I finally I strapped on my pistol approached them and told them I wasn't going any where. I was met with a lot of cussing and threats. But finally They did leave! So sad a beautiful place I truly loved the area. Not sure if I will continue to go back. It was not worth the ignorance or drama of other human beings. No toilets or electricity, No wifi or fresh drinking water. If you can avoid ignorant humans I would recommend this place to camp.
BLM land was easy to find right off the highway. Rough gravel road easily traveled in a truck, low clearance vehicle may have trouble. There were a few people with campers at the end of the road. A lot of dispersed sites, some close to the road, a few very private. Two nice lakes.. at the end of the road you cross to state park land which does not allow camping but is very well marked with a gate and signs. There was a fe portapottys scatter along the road. Light freeway noise, did hear one night train, but for free and a beautiful landscape not too bad.
This spot has made many memories for me. The hike is pleasant and the view is pretty awesome. Pet friendly and honestly it doesn’t feel like this place is well known. I don’t find many folks there every time I go.
Stopped here to sleep midway through a long drive. The main site is a large gravel lot with a vault toilet at the trailhead. We arrived after dark so it took some trial & error to find. Exit 254 off I-90 then travel east on Sprague Highway Rd E for at least 2 miles then left on Miller Ranch Rd then take the next right. About a half mile on the left will be the parking lot, trailhead & toilet. There’s other spots to camp but I think it would be hard to find them in the dark if you’ve never been before. Heard the train a few times off in the distance but it wasn’t too loud. We were the only ones there on a Monday night.
Camping near Nine Mile Falls, Washington, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun family adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Nine Mile Falls, Washington, offers a variety of experiences for everyone. Whether you're with family or enjoying a solo trip, there's something for everyone in this beautiful area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Nine Mile Falls, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Nine Mile Falls, WA is Hog Lake Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Nine Mile Falls, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 dispersed camping locations near Nine Mile Falls, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
