Searching for the perfect place to dispersed camp near Cowley? Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. Search nearby dispersed campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Dispersed/ backcountry camping is allowed on Bighorn Lake anywhere below the high water mark of 3640 feet elevation in undeveloped areas. Remember to pack out everything you bring in. Some dispersed camping sites might not be available during high lake elevation levels. Fires are allowed below the high water mark (3640 feet). Please check fire restrictions before going out. Dispersed/ backcountry camping is free and does not require a permit. Camping is on a first come first serve basis. No reservations will be taken.
Hogan Resevoir is a developed campground on BLM land, with only 5 pads, however there is a vault toilet and picnic tables.
Camping outside of developed campgrounds is permitted throughout much of the Forest. You are allowed to drive up to 300 feet off of an open road to set up camp, providing it will not result in damage to the land, is in an area that is not signed otherwise, or if restrictions are in place prohibiting that use.
Groups over 75 people are not allowed.
Dispersed camping is NOT allowed at trailheads, picnic sites, and fishing areas and within close proximity of campgrounds.
You need to be self-contained. No amenities are provided; such as water, restrooms or trash cans. Please pack out all your trash.
For information on occupancy and use, camping stay limits, weed free forage, visit Region 1 - Alerts & Notices (usda.gov). Travel to campsites must not create resource damage.
Travel to campsites must not create resource damage
Contact local district office for information on fire restrictions. It is your responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before camping.
Be bear aware and know the food storage regulations before camping. These regulations are strictly enforced.Where can I disperse camp?
Please refer to each district's Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). These maps will show which roadways allow disperse camping and it tells you the distance you are allowed to drive off the road to camp. Please note that some roads have more limitations and restrictions than others. Please consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map or call the district office for more details.
Ranger
We found this spot to stay overnight before visiting Cody and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. We got a great spot with amazing views of the sunset. The road is rough in just a couple of spots, but we saw vans and a large Class C make it up here no problem. It was very quiet at night. There is a highway to the north, but the hills block most of the noise. Verizon cell reception was poor but did work. Starlink had super fast speeds. Sites were clean and definitely worth a look.
GuideFantastic spot. Well maintained road. Clean. Beautiful vistas, Elk, etc. A bit windy, but no complaints here. Very minor road noise during the day, but nothing but crickets and Coyotes at night. Would definitely come again.
Guide(October 9th, 2023) This was the perfect place to stop on our way out of Yellowstone! It wasn’t clear if there were designated camping spots, but we parked at the end of an empty plateau like some other vans we could see in the distance. Stargazing was incredible, and the views during sunrise were amazing! It was windy on top of the hills, but fine for car camping.
TravelerHad an amazing night staying here on our way to Yellowstone. Easily accessible from the main road and lots of pull offs and turn arounds. We stayed in one of the first designated spots because we had a 20ft camper and there was only one other person we saw staying a couple hundred yards down the road. Great place to stop for the night or stay for a few days, close to town yet isolated in a beautiful desert.
Guidedecent amount of spots and far enough between spots for privacy. directions send you farther than entrance if you’re coming from cody. there is a hill and a road to the right with a sign, that’s where the entrance is, not where directions send you.
me and my friends traveled in a truck, a 4runner, and a sedan. we passed a couple open spots but wanted to see what was further down the road. ended up going down a decently sketchy road, sedan made it but decided we better turn back to one of the first spots we found. once we set up camp it was a great 360 view next to the flag pole. upon exploration we found several bones (femur of a cow we think, spine of a smaller animal, and coyote skull we think) didn’t see any animals while we were there but just seemed like remnants of the coyotes we heard at night.
Guide
Amazing views
ScoutThis area is huge so there’s plenty of space to camp, you may see other RVs on the distance. I love that there’s very good phone reception.
Traveler
Had the large lot at the coordinates (marked with a fire pit) to ourselves, but there are two or three smaller camping spots along the way up that you can stop at. View was beautiful!! Takes about 30min to get to the site bc of the rocks on the road and is just wide enough for one vehicle but if you have decent clearance and four wheel drive you can make it. Also great signal bc you are close to the tower at the top, had 5G. Says no camping at the bottom bc that small area is a parking lot for the horse tours next door, but there are camping signs as you go up.
GuideGetting into the area was easy and there wasn't much there other than solitude over a vast long and wide grasslands valley and a humongous 360 degree sky view. Very little shelter from the wind, however if you set up against the small hills just right, you'll have just enough shelter when things a blowing. July 1 was dry and there were herds of deer and a small pack of coyotes wailing in the distance at night. Not too far from Cody, which has an endless rodeo in the summer, it was easy to stay here for free and be close to society too. I will stay here again in my future travels through the area.
Guide
There’s only about 7 sites with the ability to stay for 14 days in a 28 day cycle. It’s a first come first serve basis. One vault toilet, rules board and a check in box.
I absolutely enjoyed my 4 day stay. It was still pretty early in the season so it wasn’t too crowded. Beautiful views with no heavy traffic.
Each camping site has a picnic table and a fire pit. Each site has wooden outlines of each spot; making it easy to park in your spot and setup camp.
ONLY WARNING! IT CAN GET VERY VERY WINDY UP HERE! I HAVE A PICKUP BOX CAMP BUT I SEEN A TENT TURN INSIDE OUT AND DISAPPEAR.
ScoutThere are several spots to stay. You here a little bit of noise when u sleep in a tent. Can get windy. But amazing view. People are shooting here.
TravelerEasy access and nice view. However, its not really clear where we can stop to camp, but we just found a grassy area and stopped there. Pack in and pack out as always,
TravelerWe stopped there on our way to Yellowstone . was nothing there but was nice for the rest if you continue going down it gets bad, we had to back up, no good for rv’s, it will be good for overlanders the benefits of camping in the bottom is it will not be as windy as the top was. It was 1 hr away from Yellowstone park. over all nice view to wake up.
ScoutQuiet and peaceful setting.
ScoutOpen spaces, enough room for my dog to run around off leash, cell service and quiet.
TravelerBig flat area up top, another down lower, and multiple spots as you drive down into the basin. It’s desolate, has no services, but these are excellent spots near the road, and are mostly accessible to sedans if the roads are dry.
Place was empty on a recent Tuesday eve.
ScoutPopular with locals as a trailhead for day hikes. Very rough access road. Camping area was marked with no camping signs. Stayed one night then moved on.
TravelerDirt road driving in. Only one other camper on site (in view). We attempted to drive down the road to the bottom but stopped + turned around due to muddy terrain. We chose to stay on the top along the right road as you come in. Several clearings- perfect to park.
LegendWe stayed here for a couple of days. Took the road to the open spot to park like everyone else. It’s not hard to access but you don’t want to drive any further if you don’t have 4WD or an OHV.
There are tons of places to hike to or take and OHV to tent areas further up the mountain.
It is about a 5 mile hike up. We did this and got all the way to the top. People on their sides by sides, Bikes and horses praised us. I imagine not too many people do the entire hike in one day. It was invigorating!
Definitely worth the stop!
In town there is a dump station that you do NOT have to pay for so I suggest getting that done before you go any further west of there. All the dump stations from there to the west coast cost. Not even worth using your indoor bathroom.
There is also a place next door with horses if you’d like to take a paid horseback tour. We didn’t do this but considered it. I bet it would be just as beautiful.
Most definitely I would stay here again.
GuideTook goldwing to yellow stone. On way back stopped and was great. One tuck drove around us at a considerate distance. Around 9:30pm. No big deal. Was one other van parked where we first came in.
ScoutWe bookdocked for 14 days in this beautiful spot along side a huge canyon! There was a stream at the bottom and 5 springs running out of the mountain across from our camping spot. We also saw lots of deer, a moose and watched locals drive 900 head of cattle down the road. Yes, they said there were 900!
LegendWe pulled off of highway 16 to just explore and found that this area has a lot of options for camping. It is a vast stretch of BLM land between Cody and Greybull. The road in is rocky dirt but easily doable in our 26’ class C. Any size rig should do fine here. The road splits many times and we just used satellite view to check where the roads lead and decided on one.
The area we stayed in is flat and quite large with a stone fire pit. It did get very windy but died down through the night. The view is amazing. It was quiet and overall a nice place to hike or bike around. Saw some prong horns on the way in too!
There was a group of hunters that came around to check things out in the evening, then returned the next morning and shot an antelope from the next ridge over, then took a very long time doing photoshoot with the carcass. Antelope hunting is big in Wyoming. Not sure when hunting season is but something to watch out for if you’re exploring out here. Other than that we were the only ones here.
No water or any other amenities so pack in and pack out. The area was mostly free from litter but there were some bullet casings around which is almost a given in BLM territory.
Good cell reception with ATT, Verizon and TMobile.
TravelerThere is a large open space at Lat 44.509971 -Long 109.122568 We parked there along with six other vehicles. Plenty of room. The dirt road was too rough for us to go any farther even with our four wheel drive. Not worth the risk for us since we were only looking for a place to sleep. No services
Guide
Great area with trees and wildlife. Spots for campfires, and plenty of space. You can get multiple groups of people in here. No bathroom so you'll be going in the woods unless you drive to a picnic area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Cowley, WY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Cowley, WY is Cody BLM Dispersed with a 4.9-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Cowley, WY?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 dispersed camping locations near Cowley, WY, with real photos and reviews from campers.