Best Dispersed Camping near Toutle, WA

I have camped here twice now, once during a scouting trip in 2016 with my boys and again in September 2024 with just me and my dog :).  I could pull my 17' pop-up "A" frame trailer and back into one of the two spots with no problem.  Due to the narrow road, it may be a bit more snug with bigger rigs (25+ feet long and anything more than 8+ feet wide).  I would scout the road and area before committing; however, there is a turnaround that you could use to maneuver the trailer to drive out.  It's plenty big to accommodate a few trucks/cars and one, maybe two towable trailers.  If you're going tent camping, there are about four flat places for tents.  The area has no trails, so you would not have to worry about people wandering into the campsite. The Ape Caves is a small drive away. The town of Cougar, WA. is about 10 miles away if you need gas or food.  There is a lot of shade, and it is not solar-friendly.  The main road is about 100 feet away, relatively quiet, and very private.  There was a large rock fire pit in the middle. There is no cell phone reception; however, if you drive East for a few miles, you may be able to get 2 bars with Verizon.

Per the state website, "On the southwest side of Mount St. Helens, Forest Road 81 provides an experience away from crowds. On this road, access Kalama Horse Camp, Red Rock Pass, and Forest Road 830, the road to Climber's Bivouac, and the start of the summer climbing route. From the west, the road begins on Forest Road 90, near Cougar, WA, and travels through private timberlands and state lands before entering Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The road connects with Forest Road 83 on its east side. While mostly paved, be prepared for several miles of gravel(between Forest Road 830 and 8123) and a road that is sometimes very rough."

Absolutely loved the spot. There were about three sites. I believe from what I saw. I stayed at the first site when you first get there back there on the right hand side. It's a short hike down to the creek. It looks like there might be two walk-in campsites as well and I believe there might be one if you walk across the Creek. It's very close to trapper Creek trailhead and there is a vault toilet there. Minimal bugs didn't get any bug bites and it was in the '90s while I was there. Very little traffic. Not far from the highway just in case of emergencies. Absolutely no cell service. You must have a Northwest Forest pass or America the beautiful pass. Forest service does drive through there frequently to check

Spent a quiet weekend at Little Soda Springs Rd Dispersed and loved it. The area is peaceful with a nice mix of forest and open space—felt super remote with hardly anyone else around. We found a great shady spot not far from a small creek, and it was perfect for relaxing. Heads up: there’s absolutely no cell service, so make sure to download any maps or trail guides(we used an offline hiking APK) before you get there. It’s close to Mount St. Helens and Columbia River Gorge, so we got in a great day hike. Nights were cool, days were warm and bug-free. Forest service came by once, which was nice to see. You’ll need a Forest Pass.

A couple spots right off the road for car camping or small campers. There was an “official” camp sight more near the Dry Creek Trail (has a bathroom). We opted to walk south along the river to try and find a space. Ended up crossing the river where there are a couple more hidden spots. We found out later that there is a trail right before you cross Trapper Creek that leads you to the spot we were at. There were a few people out and you can sometimes hear cars but overall it was an easy stay with some nice views. The river drowns out most the noise. Would definitely come back here

This dispersed camping is free, huge bonus in my book. While searching for our perfect spot we did come across a few large parties, making us apprehensive that we would experience our ideal peaceful experience, but we were wrong to be. There were dozens of open sites that we had our pick of. A handful of cars drove by throughout the evening and night, but not an outrageous amount. Pretty dang good for very accessible NF camping spots. There are a good deal of trailheads near by, meaning you're never too far from a pit toilet or a bulletin board with information.

We visited in early September and found the weather to be very pleasant. Our view of Mt. St Helen's was obscured by the tall trees that offered our site seclusion and privacy, but we relished the view of the active volcano while driving to and from our site.

Campground Review:

There are a ton of amazing places to camp around Mt. Rainier and Cora Lake did not disappoint. Though it was raining on the day that we headed up we were mostly covered by a shelter of trees on the short hike in. Once you get to the lake you can walk around until you find a spot, though there are some fire pits throughout, it was a pretty fire-filled summer so there were no fires on our trip. We stayed at one of the first spots we came to because after taking a look at the other nearby spots this had the best trees for hanging our hammocks. We didn't have a ton of daylight left by the time we got there, but we also never saw another person during our trip (except a couple of forest fire fighters). Waking up the next morning directly in front of the lake in a hammock is amazing and breathtaking, I highly recommend it! If you have good hiking weather there's also a fire lookout nearby with great views.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I get to review some great and often very practical products. This trip I was lucky enough to review two products from COLDPRUF.

Women's premium performance crew and Women's premium performance pant in cranberry. Camping in the late summer months is always an adventure with the threat of cold weather and rain. These base layers from Coldpruf definitely did their job of keeping me warm. I wore the top and bottoms to bed under my sweats snuggled into my sleeping bag and they were perfect. They are super breathable and soft so you never feel itchy or too warm. I left the top on the next morning for my hike back to the car, paired with my puffy vest it was just enough to keep me warm, and breathable enough that I wasn't covered in sweat when I got back to my car. The base layer is also a snug fit, so it's easy to add more layers on top in colder nights. I'd definitely recommend Coldpruf if you're looking for new, very affordable layering. They look great too and the color is perfect!