Best Dispersed Camping near Olympic National Park, WA

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.

Great dispersed camping. We arrived about 3/4pm during the week and got a spot up the FS-2918, right on the river down a short track. There was a burnt up car up on the road but well away from our spot. There were plenty of places further up the road, felt like a great result for dispersed camping!

Great spots everywhere. There is a little boat launch and bathroom available. It’s first come first serve and dispersed camping. Stayed here a few days and only met a couple people. Dogs must be on leash and don’t do dishes in river or potty in river... gross.

The coordinates for this location takes you into a road that is within the National Park. There is “No free camping” in the national park. Across the road you’ll find the South Beach Camping. This is a FCFS open campground provided by NPS. It’s $20/night or $10/night if you have a reciprocal pass.
There’s toilets and a great ocean view and beach access. If you choose to park down the access road, you could potentially be ticketed. I did choose to stay 1 night at the campground. Pretty crowded by RV’s but was okay for a single night.

First couple miles of FS 2918 are in the National Park and no camping us allowed. After a small logged area, you get into the National Forest and there are several areas, some great, some ok

Gorgeous little spot off a national forest road. Stunning views, no light pollution or car sounds at night. It’s December so of course it’s a bit cold at night and I’d recommend at least AWD to get up here. Will be back.

We camped here over Labor Day weekend.This road has a good few dispersed camping sites, We went a little past where the river site is and there were two good sized spots on the right right side of the road. It rained but there was enough tree coverage that our stuff stayed relatively dry. The site was good good although there are ATV trails near enough and a shooting range it sounded like so it might not be as quiet as others would like. Overall good base for hiking around lake crescent! There was a black bear walking around in the morning near the river also so had to be careful with our things.

This is a nice small campsite right next to a river very close to Olympic national park. I arrived at night and had a little bit of trouble finding the site but it is immediately before the bridge on the right coming in and dips down into a little bit of a lower area on a dirt road that is about 20 feet long to the landing.

I was driving a Toyota sienna with a 120 inch wheelbase and going over the edge down towards the sites I scraped the bottom of my car so be careful if you have a larger vehicle. There are three-ish sites down in the area next to the creek I would say to you could put a tent at two and maybe if you had a good sleeping pad you could place one on the third. You can hear the water from the site and it is quite peaceful and a great place to stay for the night.

I have AT&T and there was no service at this location, my car has Verizon built-in and it was able to get a good enough service to browse Internet and stream videos. Going to include some pictures and videos with this review that show where the site is and some more details of what is available there.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and spent a lot of my childhood out here in the Olympic National Park. Coming back to this scenic area was a real treat! We arrived very late at night and found a quiet spot up the mountain but moved in the morning in search of shade. We came upon a little dirt road off of 2918 near the river. We have a Jeep and I will say, it was needed for the area we found but if you have a high clearance whip, I recommend it highly. There are plenty of spots to stop on the paved areas too, but they are less ideal for my kind of camping. The spot we chose had three firepits: two up above and one down on the bank of the river. It's about 1/4 mile off the paved road and the river noise is enough to drown out the occasional passerby. We parked our Jeep along the road to let others know the area was occupied. I recommend doing so because you cannot see the dispersed area until you're right on top of it. We had a few people pull in looking to see if the area was taken. It can accommodate a group or a single party. Absolutely stunning, quiet area in the rainforest with trails and fresh water.

PLEASE remove your trash when you leave. The previous occupants left a full large black trash bag. THIS IS A RAIN FOREST IN A NATIONAL PARK. Have some decency people.

T-Mobile has 5G service in this area. Verizon is 1-2 bars of 4G.

I 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.

• 4 bars LTE with Verizon
• several gravel roads with large open spots for decent solar/Starlink access
• quiet, secluded
• not super busy (2 other vans at the road I went down, but plenty of space for our campsites)
• very pretty, quiet, mossy forest
• a bit buggy, but not the worst
• easy to find level spots

Super cool, isolated campground right next to Lake Ángeles. Only way to access is by hiking to it. Lots of bugs so make sure to bring bug repellant. Primitive campground, so bring your own water, trowel, tp, everything!! Hike is about 4 miles from the trailhead with ~ 2,500ft of elevation gain. Trailhead is right by the toll booths for the park. Parking is limited so try to get there at a reasonable time.

There was a handful of large pull out spots along this road. Nothing fancy and not secluded but got the job done

Fantastic secluded spot at the top of the mtn with amazing views! First night we camped next to the creek pull off site and the second night we scored the top of the mountain. Please be aware it’s at the snow line and very cold in March! Cell phone service for Cricket was great. Not so much for Verizon!

The 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.

Going East on Upper Hoh Rd, a site is on the Left side, before the pay booth for Olympic NP. The have 2 signs posted, Discover Pass required and no campfires. This location has 1 designed campsite, which is completely out of view from the road. Quiet location, rains often...ie rainforest.

Couldn’t get a spot at Fairholme so I opted for this location. I only saw 2 small areas you could back in with fire pits. One closer to the 101, and one further back before you cross the bridge. Spots are muddy so I’d be cautious in regular non AWD/4WD vehicles. Secluded enough, but with easy access to the freeway just a 5 min drive down the road. There are plenty of other pullouts off the road that would suit someone just looking for a spot to sleep for the night, or van folks who are fully contained.

My only gripe, PACK OUT YOUR TRASH. Saw numerous bags, tissues, etc. stretching down the road and one of the fire pits at the sites had toilet paper all over it. Seriously? Pack it out or dig a cat hole at least.

Not 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!

Super beautiful mossy green scenery right next to the river. We arrived around 5 on a Wednesday and we’re able to snag what I think was the second camp site. An easy pullout for our SUV where we’re able to set up a tent but ended up just sleeping in the car due to rain. The perfect location for exploring Olympic NP. The longest we drive was about an hour and a half to the Hoh Rainforest. Felt safe for two solo girls camping. Great service for Verizon, none for at&t. Would definitely stay again.