Best Dispersed Camping near Wishram, WA

Recent Dispersed Reviews near Wishram, Washington

52 Reviews of 30 Wishram Campgrounds

• 

  Kevin L.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 9, 2020

  Kevin's Mt Hood OG

  Dispersed Camping - Get away from it all

  This is a dispersed camping spot in the Mt.Hood National Forest that is free --- from both campground payment and people. It's an old forest road off the main gravel road that has been blockaded and closed down, giving you a wide open area that gets sun, mixed with good tree coverage from the wind. 

  The spot is flat and great for an RV, van or trailer. It's just a 100 meters off the main gravel road where the old forest road is dug out/blockaded from cars getting through. 

  We parked and camped right there. Or, if you want even more solitude, park at the blockade and walk 3/4 of a mile to the end of the forest road strip for some tent camping. Not sure if that is needed as I think we only heard/saw a few car drive by the entire time (on a beautiful August weekend). 

  Love this place. Happy to share it with others. If you are looking for some dispersed camping in the summer that's not a far drive from Portland, this spot is for you. If it's full, there are a half dozen to a dozen other dispersed camping spots along this gravel road between Frog Lake Campground and Clear Creek Crossing Campground. Enjoy.

• R

  Ron G.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 14, 2024

  Zigzag River Camp

  Side of the road camping?

  These coordinates get you the Kiwanis camp, other than that I wouldn't say a great dispersant camping spot, area is nice though.

• 

  Sarah S.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 27, 2022

  Dispersed Camping above Panther Creek Falls

  Beautiful dispersed camping near Panther Creek Falls

  This area of Gifford Pinchot National Forest has lots of dispersed camping spots but this area was a gem. To access it, as you are driving on NF 65 you will see a small road to the right just a bit before you see the parking for Panther Creek Falls also on the right. If you are at the parking area for Panther Creek Falls and look up you will see a huge wall of rock…the area is up there and you need to turn on the road before the parking area to access it. There are actually 3 areas where you could camp: As you drive up the small road, you will notice the first, pretty large area for camping straight ahead. It looks like a road continues up toward the right but that is actually blocked. If you go to the left you will see the road continues (and you might not think there is anything up there) and you will see one more spot straight ahead and then if you continue up toward the right (hitting some branches along the way) you will come up to a large, wide open area with tons of space for camping. We were pretty excited when we saw it!

  We spent one night in that huge open area and it was beautiful - the stars were amazing. During the day we would go peek over the edge and could see people parking to go to the falls. You could hear a tiny bit of road noise from up there but it was very light. You can also hear the noise of the waterfall from up on the ridge. The only downfall about this spot is that there is no shade and it was very hot, so hot that we couldn't have a fire. The second night we spent in the spot just down a tad so that we could have some shade and a fire.

  The hike down to Panther Creek Falls is literally right across the road and I think these falls may be the most beautiful falls I've seen in OR or WA. It's a short mile or so hike but really pretty scenery.

• 

  Vanessa T.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 8, 2024

  Panther Creek Creekside Camp

  Best spot ever!

  I was headed down 14 looking for somewhere to camp between the Dalles and camas. I got stuck in road construction and decided to open up the dyrt app. I clicked on one that looked closish lol I decided to take the chance and go check it out. Man I'm glad I did This is one of the best dispersed camp sites I've ever stayed at!!

• J

  Jack O.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Clear Lake dispersed camping

  Beautiful area ruined by humans.

  I stopped for the night while traveling and found a huge dispersed camping area right off the road. Unfortunately, some disgusting, disrespectful, immature family left a ton of garbage and feces all over the site. There were three sites with piles of feces and toilet paper right on the camp site. Not 100 feet away, not buried. It was disgusting. This makes me lose faith in humans.

• 

  Amanda T.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 24, 2019

  Trillium Sno-Park

  Dispersed camping at its finest!

  Great place to disperse camp. Lots of pulloffs and the views are stunning!

• 

  Jason B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 21, 2024

  Forest Rd 2730 - Mt Hood NF

  Great/Quiet Spot

  Took a while to discover this spot, but clearly seems well used for dispersed camping. I parked nearest the access road, as my van would have hit trees to go a little further in. For smaller vehicles (e.g. roof top tents), you can get in a little further and off the access road. There was actually someone else back there, and we can't hear nor see each other.

• S

  Sally L.

  Traveler

  

  May. 6, 2022

  Avery Rec Area- Columbia River Gorge

  Beautiful site on Columbia River

  This is Army Corps of Engineers recreation site with dispersed camping, vault toilets and a boat ramp. First come first served, $0 and you can stay up to seven days. I have a view of Mount Hood and am parked facing the river.

  The downside? Very close to the railroad tracks and there are a lot of trains, mostly during the day. There is also a lot of truck traffic during the day. It doesn’t bother me, but your mileage may vary.

• 

  Ariel & John W.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 15, 2020

  Mount Hood National Forest - NF 2656 -Dispersed Camping

  Tons of dispersed in the shadow of Mt Hood

  There are many park campgrounds in the Mt Hood NF but also tons of dispersed camping in the forest.

  We camped off FS 2656 just south of Trillium Lake in August 2020. There are many other locations. Many are separate drives off a forest road but some side of the road spots too. Lake Trillium gets super crowded.

  Download the forest map from Avenza for accurate locations of all the forest roads and trails.

  The Mt Hood NF is amazing, with tons of lakes, creeks, waterfalls and hiking trails as well as great views of Mt Hood.

  No amenities for dispersed locations but you can use nearby campgrounds for water, trash and dump stations.

  There was decent Verizon service when we camped there.

  Would definitely camp here again.

• 

  Stephanie Z.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 1, 2021

  McNeil Point Dispersed Camping

  Backcountry in your Backyard

  Dispersed camping at McNeil point is a backpackers dream — you get to hike far into the clouds, far away from the people, yet this location is nearly as convenient as car camping. 

  While McNeil point is a popular hike, most people visiting are day hikers, or backpackers taking a few days for circumnavigating the Timberline trail. Since we only had one day, we left Portland at 2 pm on a summer Friday, hiked in the four miles most of the way to McNeil, pitched the tent in time for dinner and sunset, then got up early and summited McNeil far before the summer crowds from town had time to make it to the trail head. 

  There are quite a few dispersed, designated spots to camp. The most obvious ones are those along the Timberline trail—and they are also likely the busiest. There are also obvious sites well up near the McNeil summit. These aren't as busy, but you'll have to haul your packs up the whole way.  We chose a site that we found in a clearing that had a good view of the mountain. Note - You cannot camp in most of the meadows around the lakes. There are signs that designate this.

  When we hiked up to the McNeil summit in the morning, we only took our day packs, and left our big packs in our tents. After summiting we hiked back down, cooked lunch at the campsite, and then packed out.  It's definitely a recommended trip if you have a short time, but still want to feel like you got far, far away.

• 

  Kennedy F.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  McNeil Point Dispersed Camping

  Can’t beat the views at McNeil point

  Ended up backpacking up here on a whim right before I headed back to Utah. I started at the Top Spur trailhead and hiked the clockwise route up to McNeil (a little longer but saved be the scramble through rocks). On my way I ended up going to Muddy Fork which added about 4 miles to my overall trek up. I ended up camping at the point rather than further down, which was a challenge to carry my pack up, but so worth it in my opinion. It’s dispersed camping so solitude is easily reachable considering not too many people stay the night. This was easily one of the top 5 most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen. The mountain range is unbeatable and waking up to Mt. Hood as your veiw is incredible. It’s a challenge with the best reward.

• 

  Mouni

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  NF-65 National Forest Dispersed Site

  Don’t recommend

  Good luck. This takes you to the middle of nowhere with no camping spots. You’ll have no service.

• 

  Caroline E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 19, 2022

  Mount Hood National Forest - NF 2656 -Dispersed Camping

  Good Dispersed Camping

  I camped on another spur road off of FS 2656. Definitely download the mvum from Avenza beforehand to make things easier. Peaceful, quiet, and I had cell signal. Road can be rough in some places but 4WD not necessary. Not many pull-in camping spots so you’ll have to search around. Overall decent spot and close to Trillium Lake

• 

  Jeremy P.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  Forest Rd 2730 - Mt Hood NF

  Fanastic sunset views of Mount Hood

  There's a handful of dispersed campsites throughout NF44 and various side roads. I had several options to choose from and never saw another person. This was on a Thursday afternoon.

• 

  Sara R.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 13, 2020

  White River West Sno-Park

  Best free camping on Hood!

  One of our favorite free spots ever!! Incredible access to back country hiking at Mt. Hood! Know before you go: this is not a camp site - in the summer, parking lots near mount hood are free for car camping (in the winter they’re full with people driving in for skiing). This is a huge parking lot with 2 vault toilets. Anyone can park overnight for free (summer only). There were just a few other cars there. At night we had a great view of the Perseid Meteor Shower 💫 Highly recommend if you’re going on a trip where you just want to spend all day hiking and have a convenient spot to sleep.

• 

  Todd J.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 6, 2024

  Dispersed Site - End of NF 4800-532

  Sweet spot not far from White River East

  This spot is pretty nice, feels very secluded despite White River being close enough to use the restroom if you want. Access to a stream down the hill if you need to filter water, and it sounds very pleasant at night. Lovely trees, plenty of room for a couple of small tents among the trees, plus a ton more out on the gravel. Established fire pit, for the 2-3 days a year that's legal to use. 

  We got in at 5pm on a Friday in summer; I think four more cars came down to see if the spot was free before 9pm.

• 

  Bobby J.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Panther Creek Creekside Camp

  Awesome stay on the creek

  This was an awesome stay right on the creek which was secluded and nice to hear the rushing water of the creek

• 

  Danny H.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 9, 2021

  White River West Sno-Park

  Nice quiet spot on Mt. Hood

  The snow park itself is a somewhat steep lot, but still very useable with a few blocks. However, just west of it on highway 35 there is a smaller “alcove” that is much more level and secluded. Most people who visit this location never notice this separate, paved spot.

• 

  Ryan J.

  Scout

  

  May. 28, 2023

  Dispersed Camping above Panther Creek Falls

  Private

  This camp site is overlooking the parking lot. It's a wide-open rocky area. Close enough to hear the falls. Super dark at night with plenty of stars.

• 

  Audrey M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 29, 2021

  Big Huckleberry Mountain Dispersed Campground

  Beautiful views of Adams & Mt.Hood

  No mosquitos up here! We didn't camp at the very top of Big Huckleberry Mountain because there were already a couple other parties, so we decided to camp at the base of the last ascent to the top. I'm glad we did because the grass was lush from having rain a couple days before and we had clear blue skies that gave a beautiful, uninterrupted view of Mt. Adams.

  We met some PCT hikers along the way; some were heading towards the Crest Camp Trailhead. This was the trail we followed: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/big-huckleberry-mountain-via-pacific-crest-trail

  Bring your trowel and TP to stay at these dispersed sites. There are two main water sources on the trail so be sure to stop at one before you arrive. We brought a 6L and filtered it before getting to the top and it was enough to last us for our group only 1 night. The first water source is a PVC pipe that trickles water out; making it easy to fill up your filtered water bottle or a small camelbak. The other is a stream (you'll see a sign made of wood with the word "WATER" and an arrow carved into it) that you'll have to stick your filter bag into. The water is cold; I think it may be snow melt.

  The night was peaceful; I bet you could see stars but we camped close to a full moon so it didn't get very dark. I would definitely come back here again.

• 

  Kevin L.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 17, 2023

  NF2656 - Mt. Hood Dispersed Camping

  Tent camping sites

  FS Rd 2656 across from Trillium Lake Campground. Follow 2656 up a couple miles. Turn left on porcupine Trail. There is one small campsite on your left approximately 100 yards. Then a larger one at the end of porcupine Trail. This one is much larger and will accommodate four people. 

• 

  Ann W.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 31, 2022

  Avery Rec Area- Columbia River Gorge

  Relaxing on the Coulmbia

  Nice small first come first service sites along the Columbia and free. We had a great spot on the River with beautiful views of Mt. Hood and the Gorge. Great little swimming spot steps from our spot. Trains will come every hour and tracks are close to sites. A few wineries within a mile and one about .5 miles from spot. We will be back to this great find.

• 

  Kenny L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 23, 2024

  NF2656 - Mt. Hood Dispersed Camping

  Great Spot!

  Such an awesome find! The first campsite is small and perfect for a couple tents. The second site could easily fit 3 or 4 tents and has plenty of additional space for parking, kitchen set-up, etc… both sites also have really nice fire pits. Also don’t let the Trillium Lake camp hosts scare you. They told us the gravel road to access the sites was “rough as hell” and were completely wrong. Nothing more than a few potholes. Any vehicle could make the trek.

• M

  Mike

  Guide

  

  May. 25, 2024

  White River West Sno-Park

  Great spot to stay.

  We did not know what to expect when we reached this site. It is just a large parking area, we found a pretty level place for our travel trailer. Only 2 other trailers and 1 tent camper during the day. A lot of van and car campers the latter the day got. Good spot to stay when checking out the area. The view out our door was amazing, when the sun was out. We stayed 5 nights, had all types of weather on our stay, from lots of rain to sun and also snow. Would stay here again if in the area. Free to stay from May 1 to October 31.

• 

  Alex P.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 22, 2020

  Avery Rec Area- Columbia River Gorge

  Nice river location

  This was very pretty, down the road from some wineries, and right on the river. Only thing was that the recreation area had a sign that said it was closed for camping and only usable for day use because of covid. There seemed to be some people possibly camping, but I hate to break the rules so we left. There was another road that took you down along the train tracks to a tree lined area, on the river, but we weren’t sure if it counted as the day use only. Very pretty, and lovely views, just be aware and mindful of covid closures, would hate to direct someone to the wrong area!

• H

  Henri H.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 18, 2023

  Avery Rec Area- Columbia River Gorge

  Awesome spot right on the river

  Can’t beat a waterfront spot. So far no one else has shown up. It’s about 6pm but been dark for an hour and half. There is a restroom although I haven’t used it yet. I’d say there’s about 5 picnic tables but there’s probably between 7-10 spots if you really tried.

• 

  Tavi C.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 18, 2024

  Avery Rec Area- Columbia River Gorge

  Do you like sleep?

  I mostly want to balance out these other reviews. No one said something that wasn’t true, but the weight that they seem to put on how disruptive the trains are surprising to me. You don’t just have trains passing, you have them blowing their horn multiple times a night, and they are close enough you can feel their vibration. If you are a very VERY deep sleeper, I’d say this is a 5 star stop. I wore noise canceling headphones and played a white noise machine in the background- and still had to take a sleeping pill at 3am after being woken up multiple times.