Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near Palisades? Find the best information on dispersed campgrounds near Palisades, including photos, reviews, and tips. Find the perfect dispersed campsite for your next adventure.
Washington State Discover Pass required https://discoverpass.wa.gov/
Parking along FS Road 7601 is now allowed, but only on right side of road (going up). For vehicles parking on road or in parking area -- a NW Forest Pass, America the Beautiful Pass or the Overnight Visitor Parking Pass that comes with Enchantments overnight permit must be on display on your vehicle’s dashboard. Day Passes can be purchased at trailhead, and pass must be displayed on dashboard of vehicle, even if parking on the road.
There are many undeveloped camping locations on the forest. Generally there are no amenities available, such as restrooms, water or garbage dumpsters. All trash and waste must be packed out. No toilet available? See How to Go in the Forest: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/recreation/?cid=fseprd739027
Use existing sites and do not damage vegetation. Campfires are not allowed at these sites during high fire danger. Check Fire Restrictions page: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/okawen/alerts-notices/?cid=fsbdev3_053600
Guide
Lots of small pullouts on the way up but they were all taken. None of those would work for Starlink.
We went as far as we could in our Ram Promaster till there was a crazy steep and washed out climb. Had to turn around
Scout
Only reason for 4 stars is because people have left trash here. Otherwise, it’s a great spot. Very private and spread out. There’s a handful of sites, each with make shift fire pits and none super close to each other. No fee other than discover pass. There’s an outhouse but we didn’t use it. We have Verizon and AT&T and had decent service.
Guide
Nice little spot along the river off Icicle Road…approximately 2 miles west of eight mile campground. Though the water level was low due to the time of the season, this spot still offered the tranquil sound of river flowing over boulders. Doors open on a brisk morning with clear skies made it that much more beautiful.
Traveler
I travel for work and I stay here almost every week to save money on hotels. I’ve also taken my family here over the summer for camping and hiking. We all love it. Very quiet. Weekends can get kinda busy due to hikers and rock climbing enthusiasts. I suggest coming up early if you plan to stay the weekend. Many beautiful views. There is even a waterfall I sleep across from. On clear nights you can see all the stars. Which is my favorite! There are lots of sites to camp. In car/tent/RV it’s pretty accessible. There are some rougher spots where you probably should have four-wheel-drive or at least a higher stance vehicle.
TravelerBeautiful lakes. I was one of only 3 campers in and around long lake. Lots of privacy.
Traveler
Great campsite with an awesome view. Sandy dirt camping site near the USGS sensor station. No fires today due to high fire danger, but there was a pit in the camp. Tent right on the ridge. Dirt road was 12 miles up the mountain. Lots of switchbacks, but passible in a sedan. Takes 45 mins to get up. Take shady pass road to the top.
TravelerGreat location so close to 90 but tucked away - will be staying here often
Traveler
This was a great hidden spot and we did not see anyone else the whole time. After going through the gate (and closing it) we head down the gravel road directly in front of us (more to the right). We initially tried the road to the left but it ran into an overgrown area. We towed our 24 ft trailer up this road which turned out fine but definitely pushed the limits. We saw multiple places to pull into and drove about 10-15 minutes before pulling off into a nice private area with good enough cell signal. Roads were very rocky at times but tolerable.
Scout
Beautiful scenery, not hard to find, and lots of spaces open along the road. The road did get quite bumpy and rocky at points, but I assume this is normal for dispersed camping (this was my first dispersed camping experience). The only concern my friend and I had was an old RV near the entrance. That being said, the spot we chose was much higher and farther up the road from where the RV was, and we were not bothered. We actually didn’t see anyone else up there when we went in late July.
TravelerThe views are amazing, plenty of open campsites and nobody was around us when we camped. A perfect quiet getaway.
GuidePopular rock climbing area that gets many people through the day. Dispearsed camping in 2 areas. The first spot as you come from the road is much smaller and doesn't have any pit toilets. I prefer to park here when its not busy as the "Feathers" basalt columns are really pretty to camp up next to. The second open site down the road has pit toilets and is a much larger area. Both are nice but also there are many cars, campers, tents and becomes a much more lively area in the evening depending on the crowds.
I think this is a great spot but I move on during the day when the rock climbing crowds start to swarm and park near you. There are some nice trails that take you up above the climbing area and you can get to the backside to get some nice views and away from the crowds. Can get pretty hot here in the warmer months but a beautiful spot to camp if you can avoid the busy/peak times.
Traveler
Easy to get to. Different pull outs felt secluded enough. Lots of bugs. Felt safe
Traveler
This, like the other spots in Frenchman Coulee, is seldom empty, but it's much less packed than the areas closer to the climbing. This spot offers the best views, sunrises, and sunsets, at the cost of no shade and a healthy dose of wind. If you're going for the rugged feel, this'll do it. OF NOTE: The vault toilets are about a mile away from here.
Scout
We turned at (47.8178974, -120.7258512) which you travel a short distance down a well maintained FS road to a very large gravel and dirt parking area. You can park in this parking lot if you choose, lots of space, great internet speeds. To the right of the information sign you will see a small sign with a snowmobile on it. That is the road that you can take back to the airstrip portion of the site. You will only travel about 100 yards on that road before it opens up to a very large grass field (and airstrip) you will need to turn left to head toward the camping locations. To the right will be the landing strip so you need to avoid that area. There is a dirt/sandy road leading back to 2-3 sites with fire rings but also a very large open field where you can camp as well. MOSQUITOES WERE AWFUL AT NIGHT FYI. A forest service rig pulled up on us in the AM and just waved :)
TravelerBeautiful overlook site. Perfect for Overland type vehicles. The entrance to the site is rough. Scouting is a good idea before attempting entry with a trailer.
GuideThis pull in is nestled behind a HUGE rock. The little loop has enough room for big rigs, it’s flat, it has one fire circle, little to no shade, large enough for 6 average sized vehicles, right on the river, and due to the big rock(depending where you park) the road noise is blocked out. Between the sound of the rivers tides whipping and the bugs cheeping, I would be surprised if anyone can hear the cars go by at night. This spot did have a few bees buzzing around but I couldn’t find the location. The site has a cool natural rock staircase down to the river. I highly recomend getting there early becsue we got there and parked at 11 AM and hiked to the trail head till 5:30 and every 15 min cars were driving by slow to see if anyone was there. WE GOT LUCKY
Scout
This is used by fly fishermen to access the near by lake.
Traveler
A couple spots washed out and need high clearance but otherwise just a long slow switchbacky road to the top.
LegendWaterfall, gorge, amazing scenery! There is a pit toilet and there were some people climbing. No accessible water. Only a couple miles from the highway. It was windy, as this whole area is. But well worth it! Note: some of the rocks on the paths to the campsites were pretty pointy, but the road in is well maintained.
Traveler
Just a single paved road in and not too much room. It worked for me just finding a place between Leavenworth and Seattle
GuideI stopped by to scope this one out. it looks like there's 2 entrances, one on the north and one on the south, but the south side doesn't connect to the main road so taje the north one. there isn't really a good turn around so you'll have to use the one turn off or an empty site to turn around if needed. I thought the 5 or so sites looked alright, but if you pull back past the site on the turn off there's an abandoned camper and a bunch of trash around a bend(I wouldn't have gone that far back if I'd been pulling a trailer since there are tight turns and no real good turnaround. it seems fairly decent if you don't go to the back site and out of 5 or more campsites on a Sunday afternoon only one was taken.
Legend
This would get 5 stars if it weren’t for the terribly bumpy and long road up to the main site. My Toyota Highlander made it up, but I was a little nervous. It seemed like there was only one large spot at the top/end of road. 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!
TravelerGreat place for camping right next to the lake. A little broken glass here and there but mostly pretty natural. Water did not look that great for swimming but plenty of big fish in the lake, pelicans and weasels. No fires may through Oct. A few other people fishing but everyone was a ways away.
ScoutAbsolutely stunning! We went to the left side past the Porta potty’s along the off-road trail very bumpy, but absolutely worth it. We camped right along the river, and there was even a little access point for kayaks and canoes and calm water for the kids.
ScoutLots of spots between Entiat River Rd 19 and this location. Ground is mostly a fine dirt.
ScoutThere are multiple pull off spots along this road, each with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. I camped at two different pull offs. Didn’t worry too much about not finding a vacant spot. The road does go up to a busy trailhead, so traffic in the morning starts early. It’s pretty dusty as vehicles drive by. All around really enjoyed these dispersed campsites.
TravelerFound a spot with incredible near-360 mountain views! Exposed to the wind though. Have to go pretty far in along Derby road to find campsites. The first few miles are private property or in the thicket, lower in the canyon. Road was in good condition. Didn’t hit large potholes until we pulled off 7400.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Palisades, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Palisades, WA is Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead with a 4.7-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Palisades, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 38 dispersed camping locations near Palisades, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
