Top Free Dispersed Camping near Pateros, WA

Planning a dispersed camping trip near Pateros? Dispersed camping is the perfect way to get off the grid. Each dispersed site offers quick access to one or more of Pateros's most popular destinations.

Best Dispersed Sites Near Pateros, WA (21)

Showing results 1-10 of 21 campgrounds

Recent Dispersed Reviews In Pateros

30 Reviews of 21 Pateros Campgrounds


  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Chelan Lookout - NF 8410 Dispersed
    Sep. 11, 2024

    Chelan Lookout - NF 8410 Dispersed

    Awesome View from the Top of the Ridge

    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.

  • Emma
    Camper-submitted photo from Upper Bobcat Dispersed Camping
    Jul. 13, 2024

    Upper Bobcat Dispersed Camping

    Great spot

    Great spot with plenty of sites. Lots of room at your site and between neighbors. Super close to the river. There were a lot of people, mainly families, but everyone was super respectful and it honestly made me feel safer and a solo traveler. Would definitely go back.

  • P
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Wenatchee Airstrip SnoPark
    Jun. 21, 2024

    Lake Wenatchee Airstrip SnoPark

    Lake Wenatchee Airstrip

    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 :)

  • aThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Forde Lake
    Jun. 9, 2024

    Forde Lake

    Nice spot for a few nights

    Short trip from the town of Loomis. Only a mile or so of gravel road. The campground has 10 sites. It sits between Forde lake and a pond we call reflection. It is or was a part of an irrigation system. The gravel road is fairly busy with plenty of dust boiling up. I recommend not taking the first site in even though it looks like it would accommodate a 40 ft rig. Four of the sites looked able to handle our 27 ft trailer. A few are slide in camper sized. Not busy during our stay and was a less improved area near by with more sites. Remember lake and pond so mosquitoes are present.

  • Jake S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Forest Road Dispersed Site
    Aug. 13, 2023

    Forest Road Dispersed Site

    I was about to rate this 5 stats but...

    I 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.

  • Alyson M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping
    Aug. 3, 2023

    Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping

    Beautiful View

    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!

  • John T.
    Camper-submitted photo from Sullivan Pond Camp
    Jul. 25, 2023

    Sullivan Pond Camp

    Sullivan Pond, Winthrop WA

    Nice, quiet dispersed camping next to Sullivan Pond near Winthrop Washington. Recommend 4wd with good clearance. Washington Discover Pass required.

  • Maui F.
    Camper-submitted photo from Trail Lake
    May. 20, 2023

    Trail Lake

    Great spot

    Great spot to disperse camp, no toilets , great for swimming fishing kayaking paddle boarding and disperse camping, sunken boat at edge of water cool feature. Lots of bugs and spiders. Also close the cow gate.

  • Alan-Mark I.
    Camper-submitted photo from Secret Camping Spot #1
    Aug. 16, 2022

    Secret Camping Spot #1

    Bare Necessities

    A place to sleep. You can set up tent on the elevated ridge you see as you drive in off the pull-off from the hwy. But be mindful of the cactuses, these are small but quite sharp.

  • Ashley V.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Dispersed Camping on Derby Rd NF7400
    May. 23, 2022

    Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Dispersed Camping on Derby Rd NF7400

    Dispersed campsites along the service road.

    As described, little to no water sources. Private property marked in some areas. Camp sites are just off the road so there is some road dust. In May there was plenty of wood for burning. Do be mindful of burn restrictions later in the season. This area is very popular with mountain bikers and some dirt bikes. Service roads did have some heavily washed out areas and rocks that higher ground clearance and AWD/4WD would be beneficial, but a 2WD car could make it to some sites. Great spot though to camp near Leavenworth Wenatchee area. Verizon phone service was ok, T-Mobile was spotty at best occasionally a message would get through.

  • Judy T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Jameson Lake
    Oct. 17, 2021

    Jameson Lake

    Free dispersed campsites on a fishing lake

    We camped here because my grandparents used to fish here long ago. The camping is free and dispersed. There is a large gravel parking lot suitable for large RVs plus those towing a trailer or boat. We chose to find a more secluded site away from the strong winds. The views of the lake were beautiful especially in the fall.

    Below the gravel area was a large paved area for boat trailers. A discover pass is needed ($30/year) but we always get one and use it extensively.

    You access this area via long wide well graded gravel road. There are no site numbers; you just find a spot and stay.

  • P
    Camper-submitted photo from Upper Bobcat Dispersed Camping
    May. 22, 2021

    Upper Bobcat Dispersed Camping

    Big Bugs, Nice Spot

    Was here last summer and the bugs were BAD, like hiding in the car and tent bad.

    Left with more bug bites than I could count, but was a nice and open space at least.

    Lots of spots even late on a holiday weekend, but definitely was not out first choice

  • Emma A.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Wenatchee Airstrip SnoPark
    May. 1, 2021

    Lake Wenatchee Airstrip SnoPark

    Great dispersed camping near Lake Wenatchee

    A good option for Dispersed camping if Lake Wenatchee State Park campground.  This is a at the Lake Wenatchee Airstrip Snoparks at the junction of 207 and 22 near Lake Wenatchee and Fish lake. There is a large parking lot and some pull outs off an old forest road the loops around from one side of the road to the other. Quiet in the spring. No facilities and good AT&T cell reception.

  • Meghan
    Camper-submitted photo from Baldy Mountain Dispersed Camping
    Mar. 28, 2021

    Baldy Mountain Dispersed Camping

    Stellar views of Lake Chelan yet worlds away

    This campsite is along the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route between the Cashmere and Chelan sections along NF-8410. Obviously, this is a 4X4 road but if you approach from the Chelan side you could maybe get away with a high clearance AWD vehicle. Incredible sunset views of the valley overlooking Lake Chelan to one side and a vast forested mountain range to the other. This particular spot photographed is on the south side of the road to the north of the Baldy Mountain crest. This area seemed to have a good number of sites in the immediate vicinity, not that we saw anything in them. This particular site was clearly well used as it was flat, had log stump seats, and a stone fire pit (even if you aren't supposed to have fires most of the year in this forest). Someone even built a rustic camp toilet in the woods just away from the campsite.

  • Meghan
    Camper-submitted photo from Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping
    Mar. 28, 2021

    Chumstick Mountain Dispersed Camping

    Great area to camp along the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route

    Within the almost 4 million acres of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest, lie countless locations for dispersed camping. This area of the southeast corner of the NF has very little traffic compared to others, we saw only one ATV for the whole time we were there. This area lies along the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route between the Cashmere and Chelan sections along NF-7400. Obviously, this is a 4X4 road and I wouldn't suggest it in anything less. Incredible sunset views of the valley in front of Chumstick Mountain, it gets pretty windy at night but there are treelines you can position against. This particular spot photographed is just up the hill off the roadside in a nice grassy clearing. More spots were just up the hill around the bend as well.

  • M
    Camper-submitted photo from Blue Lake North
    Feb. 12, 2020

    Blue Lake North

    Blue lake

    Beautiful lake, long, big and I hear they have fish (not a fisherman). Has several points of access to the lake.

  • M
    Camper-submitted photo from Forde Lake
    Feb. 12, 2020

    Forde Lake

    Camping at Forde Lake

    This is a dry Camp only. , no water/power ect. Has a small lake or a large pond? With a beautiful view of the valley floor.

  • Dawn G.
    Camper-submitted photo from Jameson Lake
    Dec. 1, 2019

    Jameson Lake

    Kayaking Fun!

    We arrived here on a Sunday night in May and the place was empty...... only one other camper and it was really far away. It is very remote, no services around and a little odd to get to, in that you have to wind past a lakeside"resort" with a little store and campsites that didn't look really very nice, yet there were people everywhere, it looked totally booked. Then you cross over the line into the campground where a$30 annual pass is required, yet the per night cost is$0 as of 2017, and there was nobody around! The campground is like a big open parking area with a boat launch and toilets and then there is also a little more dispersed sites where random fire pits have been built. We had our choice of sites so we picked one that sat away from others and was right above the water making the launch of the kayaks pretty easy.



Guide to Pateros

Camping near Pateros, Washington, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of options to explore.

What to do

  • Kayaking and Swimming: Enjoy the calm waters at Lake Chelan State Park Campground. One camper mentioned, "We did a lot of kayaking early and later in the day and had a wonderful time. The water was calm like glass and so clear."
  • Hiking: The area around Pearrygin Lake State Park Campground is great for hiking. A visitor shared, "This is a good basecamp for exploring the North Cascades."
  • Fishing: If you’re into fishing, Alta Lake State Park Campground is a solid choice. One reviewer said, "Hood for fishing, great view, well maintained."

What campers like

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of the parks. A review for Pearrygin Lake State Park Campground noted, "The grounds and facilities were clean and park staff were quite friendly."
  • Family-Friendly Atmosphere: Many families enjoy the playgrounds and grassy areas. A visitor at Lake Chelan State Park Campground mentioned, "Nice playground and plenty of grassy areas for kids to run and play."
  • Beautiful Views: Campers love the scenic views. One camper at Daroga State Park Campground said, "Nice and quiet, large spaces and excellent views."

What you should know

  • Privacy Concerns: Some campgrounds can feel crowded. A camper at Alta Lake State Park Campground mentioned, "Even though the sites were close together, we still felt like we had a lot of privacy."
  • Limited Cell Service: Be prepared for spotty cell service in some areas. A visitor at Conconully State Park Campground noted, "There is no phone connection, and the camping spots are not very private."
  • Weather Variability: The weather can change quickly, so pack accordingly. One camper at Antilon Lake Campground said, "The weather was perfect and I loved falling asleep to the sound of the frogs and crickets."

Tips for camping with families

  • Choose the Right Campground: Look for family-friendly spots like Lake Chelan State Park Campground. A family shared, "Great for families. Everyone around seemed very respectful of the quiet times."
  • Plan Activities: Make sure to have activities planned. One camper at Pearrygin Lake State Park Campground mentioned, "There are also numerous trails used for hiking, running, and mountain biking."
  • Pack Snacks: Having snacks on hand can keep the kids happy. A visitor at Beebe Bridge Park noted, "The beach and playground were clean and the tent spot was perfect to put our toddlers' kiddy pool."

Tips from RVers

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure to check the size of RV sites. A camper at Daroga State Park Campground said, "From an RVer’s perspective, the site pads are very narrow which makes them difficult to pull through or back into."
  • Be Prepared for Wind: Wind can be an issue, especially near the river. One camper mentioned, "If you are tent camping and do not get one of the RV spots then it is almost a 1/2 mile hike out to the peninsula for your campsite."
  • Bring a Wagon: If you're tent camping, a wagon can help with transporting gear. A visitor at Antilon Lake Campground suggested, "They do provide carts, but I would plan on bringing a wagon of your own for the many trips back and forth."

Camping near Pateros, Washington, offers a variety of experiences for everyone. From stunning views to family-friendly activities, there’s something for every outdoor enthusiast.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Pateros, WA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Pateros, WA is Cooper Mnt Rd Dispersed Camping with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Pateros, WA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 21 dispersed camping locations near Pateros, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.