If you're looking for a place to dispersed camp near Ralston, look no further. The Dyrt can help you find the best dispersed campsites for your next trip. Search dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots and read camper reviews.
Hogan Resevoir is a developed campground on BLM land, with only 5 pads, however there is a vault toilet and picnic tables.
This dispersed camping area hosts five campsites with a canopy of pine and juniper surrounding the site. 16-day stay limit Water: Not available This site is not accessible to persons with mobility impairments No cell service Notes: Be prepared to store food properly. Picnic tables and bear boxes provided. However, water, Forest Service fire rings, and garbage pickup are not provided. Corrals and parking for horse trailers are available at the nearby trailhead.
The Shoshone National Forest allows dispersed camping along a mile or so of the Beartooth Highway in the Pilot Creek area. There is one large area on the south side of US 212 about 9 miles east of Cooke City which has multiple undeveloped campsites as well as a vault toilet. There are a number of additional potential campsites on both sides of the road for a mile or so. While most of these sites have “user-built” fire rings, there are no other amenities.
Camping is free in the remote areas of the Shoshone and is a great way to get away from it all.
Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds. Dispersed camping means there are no toilets, tables, or drinking water. Follow these guidelines to ensure these areas can be enjoyed by future generations.
Campsites must be 200 feet from trails, lakes, or wet meadows and 100 feet from streams or creeks. There is a 16 consecutive day stay limit. Any new location must be at least 5 miles from the previous location. Group size may be limited. Check with the local ranger district office for specifics in the area you want to go. Grizzly bear food storage regulations must be followed in designated grizzly bear use areas. See our Bear Safety page for more information. Dispersed camping or campfires are not allowed in the area commonly known as the North Fork Canyon and includes the area 1/2 mile on either side of the centerline of U. S. Highway 14/16/20 between the national forest boundary and the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Within this special recreation corridor, all camping and campfires must be within developed recreation sites. Some areas on the Shoshone are closed and signed as such to dispersed camping due to grizzly bear activity or resource protection. Be alert to signage. Check with the local ranger district office in the area you want to be for any seasonal restrictions that may apply. Please use Leave No Trace ethics so those coming behind you will have the same pristine experience as you.
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.
Guide
We had our itinerary set to stay at this site and then the weather turned terrible and it started snowing. We only had a tent with us and the wind was whipping so we had to pack up and head to Red Lodge. I was SOO disappointed because I had been so excited to spend the night here. Unfortunately I couldn’t convince nature to cooperate. We already have plans to buy a camper van and return to this site next year because the view is worth the trip!
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.
GuideAwesome Spot close to Cody 360 Views are Amazing Plenty Room to Park Was the Only One
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,
GuideWhat a Great Spot, Camping Right on the River Surrounded by gorgeous Mountains. Across is another Huge Spot for Camping And it’s Free
Traveler
We’ve stayed in multiple dispersed sites across four different states and this was my wife’s favorite. We did stay in one of the developed spots and there was only one other camper in a spot where we couldn’t see them. It is ten miles down a gravel road and if you’re going to Yellowstone the road does not go through, you’ll have to go back out the way you came. However we thought it was more than worth it for the views!
LegendReally nice little spot with maybe 8 sites to choose from. Decent clean pit toilets. Popular among horseback riders. There were probably 4 other groups there. Picnic tables, fire rings with grates, nice little river. Easy road in. Can bring big rigs. And the surrounding landscape was amazingly beautiful. No cell service for Verizon.
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.
GuideBeautiful spot. No cell service. Can stop at the bistro in town for food/wifi. Bathroom was very clean. Large open area available for camping.
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.
GuideOur favorite out of five spots on this trip. The views are incredible. If you stay in the main camp area there are great hiking trails through the canyon. Be aware that once you hit the main camp ground there are spot through the rest of the road. Very beautiful spots right along the river. You will not regret staying here
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Ralston, WY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Ralston, WY is Cody BLM Dispersed with a 4.9-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Ralston, WY?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 dispersed camping locations near Ralston, WY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
