Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Redmond? We've got you covered. Dispersed camping is the perfect way to get off the grid. Search nearby dispersed campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service roads is allowed where there is adequate space to safely park completely off the roadway and not on any vegetation. Whether car camping or backpacking, choose an existing campsite on bare or compacted soil. Unless signed as an area where a fee is required, dispersed camping is free. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed campgrounds and areas posted closed or no camping. Some designated Wilderness areas have additional restrictions. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities and local restrictions, please contact the nearest ranger district office.
Rules for Dispersed Camping These rules apply to car camping and backpacking
You may camp in a dispersed area in an individual Ranger District for up to 14 days within a 30-day period. After 14 days, you must move to another Ranger District or off the National Forest until the 30 days has elapsed.
Do not blaze new roads to campsites, create new campsites, clear ground, cut or harm vegetation or construct a trail.
Do not drive beyond constructed physical barriers, such as berms or gates.
Do not drive through streams or wetlands to access a camp.
If campfires are legal in your location and you choose to have a campfire, pick a site with an existing fire pit. Do not create new fire pits. Make sure your campfire is always attended and is dead out and cold to the touch before you leave your site. Fires may be restricted or banned based on the fire danger rating.
Follow Leave No Trace principles and come prepared to “Pack it in. Pack it out.” Pack all trash home. Dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner. In high use locations, areas above tree line and snow-covered areas it is not possible to bury human waste in a sanitary manner. It will need to be packed out and disposed of at home using a wag bag, blue bag, portable toilet or another Leave No Trace approved method.
Do not block roads or gates.
Keep food and scented items secure from wildlife by keeping a clean camp and store items in your vehicle or use a wildlife resistant storage canister.
Failure to follow regulations can lead to legal consequences. Additional Forest rules and links to report crimes can be found on our Law Enforcement page.
$12 / night
A Northwestt Forest Pass (daily/annual) is required for entrance to Dorothy Lake. view more information here: https://www.wta.org/go-outside/passes#northwest-forest-pass-details
Traveling along Highway 2, enter the center of the forest along the Skykomish River, a rafting adventurers' dream. Grab your skis! In just two hours you will be gliding down the slopes at Stevens Pass Ski Area. Check in at the Stevens Pass Historic District for an overview of the area's colorful railroad and mining past. Recreation Area Map National Scenic Byway
$50 / night
What is Dispersed Camping? Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resources scenic and unspoiled for other campers.
Dispersed camping along Forest Service roads is allowed where there is adequate space to safely park completely off the roadway and not on any vegetation. Whether car camping or backpacking, choose an existing campsite on bare or compacted soil. Unless signed as an area where a fee is required, dispersed camping is free. Dispersed camping is prohibited in developed campgrounds and areas posted closed or no camping. Some designated Wilderness areas have additional restrictions. For the best information on dispersed camping opportunities and local restrictions, please contact the nearest ranger district office.
Rules for Dispersed Camping These rules apply to car camping and backpacking
You may camp in a dispersed area in an individual Ranger District for up to 14 days within a 30-day period. After 14 days, you must move to another Ranger District or off the National Forest until the 30 days has elapsed.
Do not blaze new roads to campsites, create new campsites, clear ground, cut or harm vegetation or construct a trail.
Do not drive beyond constructed physical barriers, such as berms or gates.
Do not drive through streams or wetlands to access a camp.
If campfires are legal in your location and you choose to have a campfire, pick a site with an existing fire pit. Do not create new fire pits. Make sure your campfire is always attended and is dead out and cold to the touch before you leave your site. Fires may be restricted or banned based on the fire danger rating.
Follow Leave No Trace principles and come prepared to “Pack it in. Pack it out.” Pack all trash home. Dispose of human waste in a sanitary manner. In high use locations, areas above tree line and snow-covered areas it is not possible to bury human waste in a sanitary manner. It will need to be packed out and disposed of at home using a wag bag, blue bag, portable toilet or another Leave No Trace approved method.
Do not block roads or gates.
Keep food and scented items secure from wildlife by keeping a clean camp and store items in your vehicle or use a wildlife resistant storage canister.
Failure to follow regulations can lead to legal consequences. Additional Forest rules and links to report crimes can be found on our Law Enforcement page.
$5 / night
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Typically, it refers to roadside car camping, but also refers to backpacking in undeveloped sites. Dispersed camping means there are no services like trash removal, and amenities such as toilets, tables and fire pits, are not usually available.
It is your responsibility to plan ahead and learn the extra skills necessary for dispersed camping. Camping rules and regulations apply to make your experience safe, and to keep the natural resource.
Traveler
Found this sweet spot a little bit ago. Various dispersed camping spots along the road and up the forest service roads. There are some really sweet spots along the road with water access.
Ranger
The directions had me believing that the dispersed camping was just various pull offs on the highway loop and that’s where I stayed. It was loud and it felt like the traffic was coming through my tent at times. After driving to North Cascades I discovered that there was real dispersed camping on that road but probably 45 minutes to an hour past where the coordinates took you. Once the highway turned into a gravel road is when I started seeing nice dispersed campsites
ScoutEvery dispersed campground we checked along this road (maybe five or so) was littered with human feces and toilet paper everywhere. We found a literal bucket of human waste beside the river with a soiled pool noodle nearby I can only assume was being used as a toilet seat. Please, if you care about keeping nature wild, carry out your toilet paper and dig a cathole or use the outhouse in the campground. If you don’t know what a cathole is, you should probably should not being using dispersed camping and try the campground down the road. We ended up staying at the campground because we couldn’t find dispersed camping where there wasn’t poop and had a positive experience there. Leave no trace!!
https://www.nps.gov/articles/leave-no-trace-seven-principles.htm
Legend
This camping area consists of a large gravel parking area very near 90’s on ramps, another pretty large gravel parking area slightly further back from the road, and then a gravel road that leads back to a few camping spots that are still noisy from the road, but at least in the trees. Good Verizon signal. First true camp site was taken by a couple of RVs, and they kinda looked like they could have been there quite a while. Found another site with a fire pit. Fair amount of trash. Overall, good for a night and free!
ScoutI 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.
Traveler
You can hear the road from most camping spots. When we arrived at our site there was garbage all over the place in a fire pit so we cleaned it up.
There was a nice long trail that took us to the river. That was nice. Cleaning up sucked because the floor got muddy.
Lots of mosquitoes.
Lots of camping spots. We left Friday evening and most spots were taken.
GuideNice secluded camp site. Pros: privacy, river access, sunny. Cons: trash and glass scattered throughout the site. Freeway noise is very loud
Traveler
Our favorite camp spots are right on the water, and most spots you'll find here deliver - creeks run through the (what seems to be) endless forest, trees provide shade and lovely hammock set ups, and most spots are separate from others giving you a private, relaxing experience. Hike out to Blanca Lake!
ScoutThe campsites aren’t bad. There in heavy wooded areas. If you get here early enough you can get a good secluded site on an offshoot, but most sites are just right off the road. Some sites are really close together with like 50 yards.
Ranger
There was a handful of large pull out spots along this road. Nothing fancy and not secluded but got the job done
Traveler
We were planning to stay in Leavenworth, but that got sketchy, so we came up here to this dispersed spot, and it's beautiful, quiet, and easy. Enjoyed the sounds of the waterfall/river all night, never heard a single car.
TravelerThis is near the Tinkham Campground. Plenty of dispersed sites with fire pits. Some sites are close together however if you keep going down the road you'll find plenty of quiet and private places. They also are redoing the roads as I'm here so little to no potholes.
ScoutNice large campsite near the water. There were many campsites along the road. I had to clean up a lot of trash when it got here. Please pack out your own trash and follow other leave no trace rules. The campfire was awesome
TravelerSome of you never learned proper etiquette and it shows! Beautiful spot. Toilet paper everywhere. Peaceful… except for the trucks air braking on Highway 2; and the train… which made me question if I was being visited by some alien beings for half a second. Beautiful spot, great access to the river, whose noise washes out the majority of the ambiance killers. Secluded, sadly too dry for a fire.
Traveler
First of all, this is western Washington: it rains! We had two days and two nights of rain. Snow was still on the ground, and it was cold. Fortunately we were in an RV. There are only one or two sites on this logging road that are available for RVs our size (ours is a Class A 35') about a mile up the compacted gravel road from the lake. Road is packed well, washboard in some sections. Great for vans. Secondly, the site was trashed. We picked up a full garbage bag of trash. On the upside, it was very peaceful, and there are very cute little critters--chipmonks, humming birds, and butterflies. Beautiful wildflowers and a beautiful creek running behind the campsite. There are three fire rings, and plenty of places for tents. No water. No electricity. We enjoyed our stay and we sat outside for a couple of hours in the sunshine on our last day.
TravelerThe 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.
ScoutEasy stair stopped trail; a bit harder with a 40# pack. Lots of camp sites to choose from, but the one on the far shore of the lake is my fav. Great for groups. Primitive toilets along the way. Bring bug repellant. The flies are abysmal.
ScoutSo dark I couldnt even see my own hand in front of my face! I loved it. Quiet enough, could hear gentle highway hum but cant see anything but trees n nature. Earplugs ftw. Some bugs but nothing major. Plenty of spots along the road. U dont need to go all the way to coords. Just pick a spot along road n park. Some wild raspberries at our spot :) firepit nice, a little trash but not much. Thats the cost of free. Spot is free, the cost is picking up a few pieces of trash. Seems fair to me!
TravelerNice area by a creek, very peaceful and quiet during the day, a ton of people around and lots of passerby’s. As soon as it got dark, someone decided to sneak around my campsite with a flashlight and stand outside my tent for some time. Packed up quick and zoomed out of there, very uncomfortable and would not recommend for solo campers.
GuideIt was a really nice spot but we left early because an old man took a picture of our campsite in a very rushed matter, making us feel uneasy so we left a couple hrs later we stayed here 2 days and slept good we were upset that we needed to leave so soon
GuideThis is my second time. It is free good spaces to camp with a lot for trees. I always sleep on my car but people camp on tents on the forest. Dogs welcome
ScoutNot 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!
Guide
We hiked in to Annette Lake to test out some new backpacking gear as we’re just getting into backpacking - it was great! The 4 mile hike in was just enough of a challenge for our first time with weight in our packs. We went left where the trail splits at the lake. There are campsites both sides, but lake access is really easy on the left side. There is 1 toilet a little back from the lake. Fire pits are at every spot. Loved it here!
Traveler
So first off, this location is beautiful. It is so relaxing! We were so excited when we found a spot with a fire pit. We set up camp and started enjoying ourselves. Here where it gets weird. People were harassing us about camping. We spoke to a ranger and verified that we were at the right spot. She said yes. One person drove past and yelled that you don't belong here. It was super uncomfortable specially considering I had a four year old with me. We ended up packing up camp and hiking into a further remote camp site. It was great after that.
GuideI travel and work remotely so I’m always looking for free places that have cell reception and this place hits the jackpot. I’ve come in twice on a Saturday afternoon and have been able to find an open spot with my 18 ft travel trailer, I have Verizon and have 2-3 bars of service, it is very close to the interstate so you’ll hear a constant hum of cars but it’s very nice to feel like you have your own slice of the mossy old growth forest.
Guide
Great spot to land after long day of driving. Definitely some spots have more human waste and trash than I would want to camp too close to—not to mention the impacts of some campers’ poor habits on the many natural water sources throughout this area. Still, such a sweet spot with uber PNW vibes (water, tree lines, mountains, etc.). I love any spot where I can camp free and safely at night and wake up early to paddleboard a few hundred feet away. Great spot to SUP.
Ranger
Ipsut Creek Campground is a relatively easy 5 mile trek or bike ride with a 700’ elevation gain, down a closed road (due to the road wash out about 3 miles in) to a wooded campground nestled along the Carbon River.
Located at the trailhead are two bathrooms, a covered picnic area and a handful of parking stalls with additional parking located along the road.
The trail begins behind the closed gates into the shade of the old growth forest. The trail then alternates between the shade of the forest and sunny skys with river views and wildflowers along the way.
There are a few side trips off the main Carbon River Trail even before reaching the Ipsut Creek Camp;
Mini Rainforest Loop, 0.25 miles
Old Mine Trail, 0.6 miles round trip
Green Lake & Ranger Falls trail, 3.6 miles round trip
Note: Sadly, the trail to Chenuis Falls has washed out, so now there is just a log bridge into the water to nowhere.
Once you reach the campground, it has about 20 campsites with about half the sites located on the river. We were lucky enough to swoop up site number 15 though, strangely, another family decided to share it with us for our easy river front access. Thankfully the river is pretty loud and drowned out the noise of our close campers. We did choose to camp on the high-profile weekend of the 4th of July, so all the cool campsites along the river were obviously full, which is why we think we had “friends” join us. There was a large fallen tree sort of splitting the camp site in half, so we took the left half, with the smaller 1 picnic table option, while the strangers took the right half with 2 picnic tables.
The trees in camp are great for setting up hammocks. We set up a hammock triangle upon arrival in camp near the river for lazy afternoon naps. My siblings both slept in their hammocks fulltime, while my husband and I set up a tent in a small clearing on the opposite side of the picnic table, closer to the bear lockers (bear lockers are a huge plus, meaning a bear canister isn’t necessary if you’re not heading deeper into the backcountry).
The campground had a decent amount of wildlife running around. We had a number of chipmunks running around our camp cleaning up any scraps left daily; we found a live mouse chilling in a water bottle one morning upon setting up for breakfast, and deer came through the camp just about anytime it was quiet.
The campground does have two restrooms but they smell like the bog of eternal stench, so bring strong essential oils, a scented hanky, or a shovel to dig cat tracks in the woods far from camp and water sources.
The campground is a good base camp to explore the surrounding Carbon Glacier/ Mowich Lake area. We visited Ipsut Falls, which was less than a half mile round trip out of camp, making for a sweet little trip to break up the day in camp.
We also chose to make the adventure up to the Suspension Bridge and to the Carbon Glacier view point. Our morning started off cool in heavy fog, which burned off throughout the day, giving way to magnificent views of the mountain and glacier. The trail was covered in wildflowers, cairns, creeks and mini waterfalls. It made for a beautiful day trip out of camp with plenty of opportunities to go further into the backcountry closer to Winthrop Glacier, out to Tolmie peak area or back out along the Wonderland Trail. Backcountry options seemed endless.
Though the trail and camp (and site) were crowded, the hike to the glacier made the entire trip worth our cozy campsite. The Carbon Glacier is a bit dirty looking but to be standing in front of something so ancient and magnificent is truly amazing. My husband, sister and I have now added a new item to our bucket lists and that is to see as many glaciers as we can before they melt, here’s to our first. =)
Note: The campground is located within Mount Rainier National Park (no pets are allowed) so you’ll need to stop by the Carbonado Ranger Station for a Wilderness Permit and National Park Day Pass or Annual Permit to display for parking. No campfires within the campground.
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Redmond, Washington, where nature enthusiasts can find serene spots away from the crowds. With a variety of locations offering unique experiences, this area is perfect for those looking to escape into the wilderness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Redmond, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Redmond, WA is South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site with a 4-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Redmond, WA?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 dispersed camping locations near Redmond, WA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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