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Best Dispersed Camping near Sammamish, WA

128 Reviews

Several National Forest dispersed camping sites exist within driving distance of Sammamish, Washington. The South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site provides the closest free camping option, located along Tinkham Road in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Additional primitive sites can be found at Annette Lake (hike-in access), Lake Dorothy (hike-in access), White River, and Old Cascades Highway. These areas require no reservations but typically need a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass displayed in vehicles at trailheads.

Access roads to many sites feature unpaved surfaces with significant potholes, particularly at South Fork Snoqualmie River. High-clearance vehicles are recommended for accessing the more remote pull-off spots. Most sites have established fire rings, though fire bans may be in effect during dry summer months. No drinking water, toilets, or trash services exist at most dispersed sites except Annette Lake and Lake Dorothy, which have primitive toilet facilities. Cell service varies but remains surprisingly strong at the South Fork Snoqualmie sites. One camper noted, "I have Verizon and have 2-3 bars of service," making it suitable for remote workers needing connectivity.

The camping experience across these areas ranges from roadside pull-offs to secluded riverside spots. South Fork Snoqualmie River sites are easily accessible but remain popular, with a visitor reporting, "Get there early to get the better sites. Plenty down the road though if all of the initial sites are full." Highway noise can be heard from some locations. The Lake Dorothy and Annette Lake sites require hiking in with gear but reward visitors with alpine lake settings. A Lake Dorothy visitor commented, "Easy stair-stepped trail; a bit harder with a 40# pack. Lots of camp sites to choose from." Many sites experience high weekend use during summer months, with trash accumulation noted by multiple reviewers. Keechelus Lake dispersed sites were confirmed closed by recent visitors as of June 2025.

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Best Dispersed Sites Near Sammamish, Washington (34)

    1. South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site

    18 Reviews
    Snoqualmie Pass, WA
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (425) 888-1421

    "Access road is right off the highway and unpaved, has a TON of holes so I wouldn’t recommend driving down it without good ground clearance."

    "PLEASE LEAVE NO TRACE! Other wise we really enjoyed a quick night away in our van."

    2. North Snoqualmie Fork

    1 Review
    Baring, WA
    21 miles

    3. White River Dispersed Camping

    23 Reviews
    Greenwater, WA
    49 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 825-6585

    "Right outside the entrance to Mt."

    "If you come here you must leave no trace."

    4. Annette Lake

    3 Reviews
    Snoqualmie Pass, WA
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (425) 888-1421

    $5 / night

    "Hike was definitely challenging for middle aged man but I made it and my 10 year old did too (albeit after handing his backpack to dad to carry)."

    "We hiked in to Annette Lake to test out some new backpacking gear as we’re just getting into backpacking - it was great!"

    5. Lake Dorothy

    2 Reviews
    Skykomish, WA
    30 miles
    Website

    "The lake is ice cold, which is nice if you’re just finished a hot hike in. There are some areas sort of cleared for camping, that have clearly been used before."

    "Easy 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."

    6. Keechelus Lake

    7 Reviews
    Snoqualmie Pass, WA
    34 miles

    "Great spot to land after long day of driving."

    "Super easy to drive up to the lake and camp, have a fire, hang out and explore!"

    7. Ranger Creek Airstrip Dispersed

    14 Reviews
    Greenwater, WA
    47 miles
    Website
    +1 (425) 783-6000

    "We had high hopes for this USFS campground, having read that it’s on an airstrip, it sounded neat. But we decided not to stay here after we checked it out."

    "We had high hopes for this USFS campground, having read that it’s on an airstrip, it sounded neat. But we decided not to stay here after we checked it out."

    8. Old Cascades Highway Dispersed

    7 Reviews
    Skykomish, WA
    39 miles

    "Just a couple miles East of Skykomish, up a paved road, the campsite is just before you go over the bridge on your right and had enough room for high clearance vehicles to pull into it and smaller cars"

    "You could put 2 rigs down here if you’re friends, but plenty of turn offs for smaller vehicles"

    9. Joemma Beach State Park Campground

    10 Reviews
    Lakebay, WA
    45 miles
    Website
    +1 (253) 884-1944

    $12 / night

    "Simple, small, peaceful campground with pit toilets and potable water.

    Mid week after Labor Day, I had my choice of sites arriving in late afternoon."

    "We arrived little later around 6 p.m. And being such a nice day there were only few sites left."

    10. Mountain Loop Hway Dispersed Camp

    4 Reviews
    Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, WA
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (360) 436-1155

    "the better spots were once the road turned to gravel, found a spot by the stream, parked the car to protect us. if staying longer i’d say it’s best to keep going to south fork sauk. but it was nice for"

    "Easy to find and peaceful next to the river. No noise from the road."

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Recent Free Dispersed Camping Photos near Sammamish, WA

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Dispersed Camping Reviews near Sammamish, WA

128 Reviews of 34 Sammamish Campgrounds

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 7, 2021

    White River Dispersed Camping

    Riverside perfection

    Plenty of sites along the river with multiple ingress/egress options from the road. Right outside the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park and the access road to Crystal Mountain. 

    4x4 / high clearance vehicles recommended - saw some subarus trying to navigate into a cleared area and it was pretty scrape-y. 

    Great place to stay if you can't get a spot at White River / Ohanapecosh.

    Leave no trace.

  • Ashley M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 5, 2020

    Dispersed near Salmon la Sac

    Dispersed near Salmon la Sac

    Single campsite off the forest service road. No porta potty, no water, no electricity. Could accommodate a group. No picnic table. Not an actual metal fire pit but someone made a rock ring. The downside is the shooting pit right below the site. When we were there a family came to shoot but they stopped by our site to let us know beforehand.

  • Theresa K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 18, 2023

    Dispersed Camping Beckler Creek

    Repulsive

    Every 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

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 18, 2025

    Ranger Creek Airstrip Dispersed

    Not for Us, But We'd Try Again

    We had high hopes for this USFS campground, having read that it’s on an airstrip, it sounded neat. But we decided not to stay here after we checked it out. There were lots and lots of other campers there, lots of camo, lots of large pickup trucks that don’t slow down on gravel roads, lots of “don’t tread on me” flags. 

    We drove to the end where the bathroom is and decided to turn around, though it seems that the camp spots do continue after that point. This was on a Saturday, in all fairness, so the vibe might be different during the week. 

    It’s a 14 day stay limit, and other than the toilets there are no other amenities, so please pack out your trash. At the entrance it says that the following passes are honored: Annual Northwest Forest Pass, Golden Eagle Passport, and Washington and Oregon Recreation Pass. However, at the bathrooms, there’s another sign that says a $5 day use fee required. Doesn’t make sense that camping is free with certain passes but for day use it’s a $5 fee, but since we weren’t staying we didn’t look much into it. No ATV or off road riding here. 

    Cell signal was very weak for Verizon and non-existent for ATT. Giving it 4 stars instead of 3 because it wasn't so bad that I wouldn't be willing to check it out again the next time we're in the area.

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 18, 2025

    Ranger Creek Airstrip Dispersed

    Not for us, but we would try again.

    We had high hopes for this USFS campground, having read that it’s on an airstrip, it sounded neat. But we decided not to stay here after we checked it out. There were lots and lots of other campers there, lots of camo, lots of large pickup trucks that don’t slow down on gravel roads, lots of “don’t tread on me” flags. We drove to the end where the bathroom is and decided to turn around, though it seems that the camp spots do continue after that point. This was on a Saturday, in all fairness, so the vibe might be different during the week. 

    It’s a 14 day stay limit, and other than the toilets there are no other amenities, so please pack out your trash. At the entrance it says that the following passes are honored: Annual Northwest Forest Pass, Golden Eagle Passport, and Washington and Oregon Recreation Pass. However, at the bathrooms, there’s another sign that says a $5 day use fee required. Doesn’t make sense that camping is free with certain passes but for day use it’s a $5 fee, but since we weren’t staying we didn’t look much into it. No ATV or off road riding here. 

    Cell signal was very weak for Verizon and non-existent for ATT. Giving it 4 stars instead of 3 because it wasn't so bad that I wouldn't be willing to check it out again the next time we're in the area.

  • Parker C.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 24, 2025

    South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site

    Pretty neat spot

    Access road is right off the highway and unpaved, has a TON of holes so I wouldn’t recommend driving down it without good ground clearance. There are a number of established sites where you can pull off the road and drive back into the woods a bit. And I had cell service everywhere!

  • Megan C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 14, 2017

    Ipsut Creek Camp — Mount Rainier National Park

    Crowded yet Cozy

    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;

    1. Mini Rainforest Loop, 0.25 miles

    2. Old Mine Trail, 0.6 miles round trip

    3. 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.

  • Sara J.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 21, 2024

    Dispersed Camping Beckler Creek

    Beckler creek riverside

    Nice 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

  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 24, 2023

    White River Dispersed Camping

    Secluded Spot

    This road was pretty hard to find but we’ll worth it. Spot was secluded even though there seemed to be two other groups camping at the site. There was an obnoxious amount of used toilet paper in the area but it was avoidable. If you come here you must leave no trace.

Guide to Sammamish

Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Sammamish, Washington, where nature enthusiasts can find serene spots away from the crowds. With a variety of locations offering unique experiences, there's something for everyone looking to escape into the wilderness.

Tips for free and dispersed camping near Sammamish, Washington

  • Always check for permit requirements before heading out, as some areas like North Snoqualmie Fork require permits for camping.
  • Be prepared to pack out what you pack in; many sites, including South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site, have limited trash disposal options, so leave no trace.
  • Bring your own water and supplies, as many dispersed sites lack amenities like drinking water and toilets, such as those found at Keechelus Lake.

Dispersed campers should check out Lake Dorothy

  • The hike-in access to Lake Dorothy offers a peaceful alpine lake experience, perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle.
  • Campers can enjoy stunning views and a refreshing swim in the ice-cold lake after a hot hike, making it a rewarding destination.
  • Be aware that while there are some rustic toilets available, privacy may be limited, so plan accordingly.

Enjoy hiking and nature while free camping near Sammamish

  • The Annette Lake area features a challenging hike that rewards visitors with beautiful alpine scenery and multiple camping spots near the water.
  • For those seeking a more remote experience, Carbon River provides spacious tent sites with stunning river views, ideal for hiking enthusiasts.
  • Don't miss the opportunity to explore the nearby trails and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds these dispersed camping spots, enhancing your outdoor adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there free camping available near Sammamish?

Yes, free camping is available near Sammamish in several dispersed locations. White River Dispersed Camping offers numerous sites along the river and is located just outside the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park. This area provides multiple access points from the road, though high clearance vehicles are recommended. Dispersed near Salmon la Sac offers single campsites off forest service roads with primitive accommodations - no facilities, but you'll find established fire rings and space for groups.

Where can I find dispersed camping near Sammamish?

Several dispersed camping options exist within driving distance of Sammamish. South Fork Snoqualmie River Dispersed Site offers established sites right off the highway where you can pull into wooded areas, though the unpaved access road requires good ground clearance due to numerous potholes. Cell service is available throughout this area. Ranger Creek Airstrip Dispersed is another option, located on an actual airstrip, though it can get quite busy with other campers, especially on weekends.

What are the regulations for dispersed camping around Sammamish?

Dispersed camping regulations around Sammamish follow standard Forest Service rules: pack out all trash, leave no trace, and properly dispose of human waste. At Dispersed Camping Beckler Creek, campers should follow leave-no-trace principles - improperly disposed waste has been an issue here. Most areas require you to camp in established sites only. At Silver Springs Sno Park, which is near Mt. Rainier National Park, camping is permitted in designated areas. Generally, fires are only allowed in existing fire rings, stays are limited to 14 days, and you must camp at least 100 feet from water sources.

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