Winema NF | Informal Campsite

October 2nd, 2023 by sunsetsandmoshpits

Made it to the top in my 2wd van, great spot. Great views.

August 22nd, 2023 by instagram.com/WILDRAMBLERS

Incredible site! We first backed our van into the spot overlooking the valley at the back of the pit, but it’s not even close to being level. We moved up to the site next to the larger tree that’s flat on the left before you drive down into the pit. Can’t speak much on the view due to the wildfire smoke overtaking everything

July 8th, 2023 by bsetter

One heck of a great campsite. We made it up no problem in our 2WD Sprinter. We camped at the big site in the rock quarry. There are other spots higher with a better view but the van couldn’t make it up to that. It’s only an extra 10 yards on an offshoot, any 4x4 would do it easily maybe even my van if I wanted to risk it a little. Even if the two top spots are taken there’s a lot of other gems along the road in. We loved the views. We had a few neighbors but each to their own area. The mosquitoes tho - shoot dang - they were so bad at dusk the moment the breeze stopped we retreated inside the van.

July 2nd, 2023 by adinap

If you have a 4x4, I highly recommend this spot! Views are amazing.

June 10th, 2023 by skystarlite

the road leading up to this spot has a lot of down trees, so you’ll need to be able to maneuver around them, we could in our van, but larger vehicles might be a challenge. we didn’t end up camping here, it wasn’t as impressive of a forest as others. very new trees/lots of downed trees, not dense at all. but there looked to be many flat spots you could camp along the road. we did not go all the way to the actual “top of the rock”.

June 10th, 2023 by instagram.com/woodysvanlife

Lots of different spots on this short road. Road was steep and rutted more the further up you went. We went about halfway up in our econoline and there was a place nestled amongst big rocks. Seems to be a heavily used area, not so much at the moment though since the north entrance to crater lake is still closed. Mosquitoes in abundance.

October 29th, 2022 by rlstrieff

Great spot! No problems staying overnight. There were two other campers in the area but plenty of room for everyone.

October 20th, 2022 by mariahelizabeth6

Beautiful spot!! Wish I could make it up to the top but dang it’s steep. Stayed down below and it was still beautiful. A little windy but not bad. 3 bars Verizon

October 20th, 2022 by mariahelizabeth6

Awesome spot. Wish I could make it all the way up to the top but it’s pretty dang steep. Beautiful views. I stayed a little lower and the views were still pretty great. A little windy but not bad.

August 13th, 2022 by n.solanoestrada

Such a cool spot! Was able to make it to the large open area with my Subaru Forester, however there was an even more stunning spot that did require 4WD and higher clearance. Many spots to camp!

August 6th, 2022 by mattbp

Plenty of space and spots. Top of the rock is doable with 4wd and short wheelbase but was full when we arrived (space to turnaround). Very quiet and peaceful.

August 4th, 2022 by gumbyliving1269

Excellent views! 4x4 needed to get to wide open top!

August 4th, 2022 by gumbyliving1269

Beautiful views. 4x4 needed to go to the top!

August 4th, 2022 by gumbyliving1269

This has stunning views! Not far from the entrance to Crater Lake. 4 wheel or high clearance needed to get to the large open area close to the top. 4x4 needed to the very top.

July 28th, 2022 by magnier.julie

Amazing spot with awesome views. Went all the way up but you can stop before if you have a car. Awesome sunset and sunrise from the top and 3bars T-mobile service from the top. We were 2 working from there.

July 26th, 2022 by mattjaro

great spot to camp, many spots available, beautiful views but buggy in the evenings.

July 26th, 2022 by mattjaro

amazing spot with great views, had some bugs but was managable

July 16th, 2022 by walker.p967

Great spot, GPS coords were dead on. Tons of pull outs for all types of vehicles along the main forest road. If you have a smaller offroad vehicle, you can go up to the top of the rock and camp there. We got up it in a 4runner in 4lo, diff lock on. The top is more suitable for roof top tenters (very rocky) but we found two adequate ground tent sites. Other comments about bugs are legit - mosquitoes abound.

July 11th, 2022 by mysteriousdrawer95

Amazing views and multiple camping spots available.

July 11th, 2022 by AdventureBeyond60

As all the others say great spot! Rocky a bit for ground tent but with thick pad no problem. Stayed up late watching moonrise and the view. Below all sites were taken.

July 1st, 2022 by stephanieburdge

Nice quite location. Several campsites as you first enter the location.

June 28th, 2022 by crystal.kyto

Awesome spot as everyone says! The spots below the rocks are actually great cause you get shade all day in different directions when you're in the trees. We spent some hot days chilling at camp! Explore a bit with your car - there are so many good spots to be found. T-mobile reception was also excellent.

June 27th, 2022 by pedro.poc

Great spot, a bit windy today but great views. Mosquitoes came at full force around 7 and are mostly gone at 9:30. Still a bit windy at the top of the rocks where I’m camping but worth it for the view depending on your kind or tent/car. Nice sunset and quiet night.

June 24th, 2022 by val.frosty1

stayed here two nights. great spot not bothered at all. didnt get the top view cause i got there late but honestly the mosquitos were up in arms so i just crashed anyway.

spotty service below and not a bad road just a little bumpy

June 20th, 2022 by shaderfx

Beautiful spot. Big hill to climb is the only challenge. Two bars verizon. Good speed.

June 19th, 2022 by BlueLghtning

I didn't stay here, but wanted to check it out as I was looking for a place close to the North Entrance of Crater Lake. I have a dually truck with a 10' Eagle Cap truck camper so definitely not the most agile setup compare to some smaller truck campers. I had no trouble making the first climb in 4wd low where there is a campsite just down to your right. The next left turn is pretty tight. I believe I saw the spot the van in the photos was in below all the rocks. I considered it, but kept going around the bend. I stopped here on the way up (43.09949, -122.07766) and decided that was far enough. I wasn't going to fit through the trees overlooking the rock spot of the van and the spot I turned around in was way too off level to consider staying there, plus we needed room for 2 truck campers. This is an easy spot to turn around for just a vehicle like a truck or van if you want to get that far.

The road continues up to what I assume is the top of the rork and while it didn't look terrible, it looked tight and that I would be scraping a lot of trees with my tall truck camper. I decided to pass and we had trips into Crater planned and this was going to be a heck of a drive out each day from way up there. I decided it wasn't the right spot for us.

With a small pop-up truck camper or or smaller agile camper setups, this looks like it would be a great spot.

June 8th, 2022 by hefeprimero

there's blow down across the road about a half mile off 138. not passable by car. I assume it's very temporary.

October 26th, 2021 by donismobile

Spent a night here a few months ago. Good spot for a night. Beautiful view.

October 8th, 2021 by cloverman525

Top of the rock was full, so we stayed at the Gnarly Tree site with a beautiful rock fire ring. Ended up staying two nights it was perfectly peaceful. No amenities be self sufficient!

September 5th, 2021 by adinap

Amazing location, with several camping options on the road to the top. We have 4-wheel drive and had no issues. 4-bar AT&T service was a plus!

August 30th, 2021 by lmowers

So many options! Definitely top 3 camping finds on iOverlander!

August 20th, 2021 by louisthevan

Spent total of 2 nights here. Easy enough with the 2wd

August 19th, 2021 by louisthevan

Great spot made is up in a 2wd high clearance sprinter. Only one other person was back in here with us!

August 1st, 2021 by adventuringthewild.com

This has to be one of the best sites we have stayed at! Beautiful sunrise/sunset at the top, and we had no mosquito problems! It is also so close to Crater lake.

July 27th, 2021 by belleaugeoff

Here for a couple nights while visiting Crater Lake. Got a spot about 1/2 way up. Amazing view even in the clouds and this weird summer rainstorm.

July 19th, 2021 by yoloxokotl.xolos

Great spot to park with lots of places to pull off, there were 5 or 6 other campers when we arrived and still lots of space for us. The views are great from the top and lots of star gazing at night.

July 15th, 2021 by robsusanjoeysmith

possible place to stay for crater lake visit

July 9th, 2021 by asands107

Wonderful location close to crater lake. And FREE. tons and tons of spots/ pullouts to choose from. Can either camp near the entrance in the forest, drive up a bit and get some beautiful tree line views, or go all the way to the top and get amazing views of the Mountains. The road really wasn’t that bad, just some manageable potholes, but the further up you get the trickier for Large rigs and cars with low clearance. Super quiet and peaceful, there were a few other campers scattered here as well. I felt very safe and comfortable. Good cell service for AT&T. My dog loved wandering around. No amenities so pack in and pack out. I’ll definitely camp here again.

June 23rd, 2021 by alexandrapyt

We had to camp at the bottom since we arrived late and there were already spots taken at the top. Some of the other spots going up to the top were too tight and small for our 26 camper as well as many roads being too narrow. But there are tons of spots and options that are nice and secluded. My cell has no service but my partner does even when we both have Verizon. I would recommend high clearance and 4x4 but there were some low clearance 2x2 vehicles at the top.

November 5th, 2020 by jphloykaew

Love it here so much I came back from crescent city!

October 22nd, 2020 by stokeloafvan.com

Handful of nice spots close to the highway. We didn't try to drive to the top but it was a nice place to spend the night near Crater Lake. Decent ATT and Verizon cell service.

August 29th, 2020 by youtube.com

Lots of excellent spots tucked back from a not too busy road. Absolutely go for the spots at the top. Epic views. Top most spot requires clearance and 4WD, but everything else looks doable by most anyone. Would camp here again 100%

August 13th, 2020 by francescopineider

magical place, top accessable with 4x4 but at the bottom planty of camp sites.

August 9th, 2020 by jphloykaew

Spent the whole weekend up at the very very top, well worth it. My ram diesel 3500 made it up no problems. Incredible spot, made a super fire ring at the top beautiful sunrise and sunsets. A million shooting stars. 360 views... can’t beat it

August 5th, 2020 by jeinfingers

Beautiful, safe, clean, no mosquitoes at the top. Sunset and sunrise was gorgeous!

August 2nd, 2020 by instagram.com/hontztrekkers

Great camping spot! we didn't make it to the 360 view but did make it to the 180 on top of the hill with a RAM1500. Our truck was loaded down as we are moving from Alaska and made it up the trail fine! follow us on Instagram @hontztrekkers

July 31st, 2020 by ben.zwillinger

Stayed on the road leading up to the rock. Seems to get somewhat crowded here due to proximity to crater lake but plenty of spots. Not too many bugs, quiet, and relaxing.

July 25th, 2020 by JP

Amazing spot(s). I've never seen so many stars at once.

July 6th, 2020 by Escape Mog

Very nice area in the National Forest about 0.6 miles off 138. Plenty of room for many campers. Forest road is not too bad. Area itself looks like an old gravel pit that a few pine trees have grown up in. Didn't drive to top of hill. Found a flat spot for the truck easily. Quite a few mosquitoes. 2 bars of Verizon 4G.

June 19th, 2020 by melina.murren

Beautiful large space at the top of the rock. If you keep going straight down the road you will come to an opening and flat spot for several tents. Easily accessible. Made it in our suburban and saw another person in a Toyota Yaris. Multiple fire pits here and along the road before you arrive. If you have a 4x4 there is another spot even higher up.

May 23rd, 2020 by Eric Ismyname

Amazing site. Amazing views. Probably popular in summer. Well travelled but SEVERAL sites on the way up if no vacancy. I made it to the top in stock height toyota tacoma 4wd. One more step up in elevation to the top plateau was covered in snow, in May, so pretty cold up there. Had to cut two logs out of the road on the way in but there were many cut before i got there. Frigid night but worth the view.

May 8th, 2020 by niakpliak

The NF road is snowed over and a fallen tree blocks the path. Would have been a great spot

September 13th, 2019 by welovetoexplore.com

Amazing campsite only TWO MILES from Crater Lake National Park! Absolutely no 4WD is required to reach the top of the rock pile, it was easily accessed with a 2WD Mercedes Sprinter. There are a ton of other spots below the top as well. Please clean up after yourselves, we found trash in multiple places!

September 3rd, 2019 by laprill

Totally empty on this Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday. The wind is actually not to bad, keeping the bugs away!

August 18th, 2019 by ag_eddie

Great place to camp or for one night. Awesome sunset!!! On top of hill.

August 11th, 2019 by kirkmanmitchell

just as described. Great place with lots of trees for hammocks.

August 8th, 2019 by Roamergirl44

This is an amazing spot! Our 4Runner had no problem making it to the top. Wonderful views.

July 18th, 2019 by tim

Fantastic spot. Easy access for all types of rigs. The access road is easy to see by watching the GPS on this App. Lots of options and I went in about 1 mile and camped on the right side with an existing rock ring fire pit with lotsa dead fall to use as firewood. Very quiet and very relaxing. Huge forest with tall trees for shade and cover. Very enjoyable.

July 14th, 2019 by h4x.liv

This is a totally awesome place! Lots of places for 2wds on the way to the marker. Only 4x4/enduro will make it up to the very top which is pretty windy! The view from the top is amazing!

July 6th, 2019 by vtnabuyer2

Great spot even if you can’t reach the very top. I was able to with my vehicle. Close to Crater Lake and a great panoramic view!

June 17th, 2019 by fozzie.jpeg

awesome dispersed site in the Winema NF with an amazing view. easy enough to find from the main road and there were plenty of sites available when I arrived at 10 in the evening. might need 4x4 to make it to the top 2 sites (with the best views) but my stock forester did it no problem so height clearance wasn't really an issue. there are controlled burns happening in the distance that might affect air quality but its definitely worth the trek if you're in the area.

June 14th, 2019 by catherine42487

Great place to stay! Our Ford Transit van can’t make it up to the tippy top; you will need a 4x4 for that. There are plenty of level(ish) spots to pull into at the bottom of the hill. No one else here but us for the night. Lots of mosquitoes but not bad with mosquito curtains up. Two bars of LTE for Verizon and AT&T!

October 21st, 2018 by grizzlystihl

Absolutely beautiful 360 degree view, perfect for watching the sunrise and sunsets.
4x4 drive and clearance will get you up to the very peak but still a amazing view below. Most scenic place we have ever stayed in our life

October 21st, 2018 by palikendre

Wooow, this is an amazing place. We made it with an Adria motorhome so 2WD enough:) Very nice, calm and quite place!

October 17th, 2018 by CanOverland

Agree with others this is an amazing spot. We drove up to the top (you do probably need 4wd) however we found it a bit windy so we ended up camping in a little spot probably mid way up. Great views all around!

October 12th, 2018 by laskawilliams

Great spot to camp. Lots of spots to choose from no need to go to the top unless you want one heck of a view. went up in a car...no problems. Went in with a class c rv towing car. Would stay here again.

September 23rd, 2018 by tyleroneill21

Amazing views, best sunset + moon rise we’ve ever seen. Google maps led us right up in a ford van. Short walk to the highest point from where we parked. The highest point has a parking spot, but our van wouldn’t have made the climb.

September 20th, 2018 by harmen

Lower spots are easy accessable with 2WD And high clearance. The top spots require 4WD or diff lock (I tried). View is beautiful!

September 12th, 2018 by 2kidsContent

This is the most scenic spot I have ever camped. The 360° view from the top is unlike anything i have ever had camping.

August 29th, 2018 by sarahtcox93

Can vouch. This place is stunning. Heaps of little spots to camp around

August 13th, 2018 by Ohlavan

Amazing campspot as described. We made it to the top with our 2wd truckcamper without issues, you just need high clearance. If you want to make it to the very top then yes, you need a small 4wd, but like they mentioned before, it takes you less than a minute to get there walking. The views are fantastic. We had the place to ourselves. Very calm and quiet, we had a great night of sleep.

July 16th, 2018 by AJ Solomon

beautiful spot! only about 10 minutes from Crater lake northern entrance. we have a pretty big Jeep but you definitely don't need it. there was a Honda CR-V at the top when we got here.

July 14th, 2018 by ariana.crane

Three areas to park surrounded by trees and boulders off of a dirt road inside Crater Lake National park (about 15 minutes from the lake view point)

June 29th, 2018 by john

As described, made it up in a 4x4 Sprinter van no problem. No one at the top, a couple campers showed up lower down overnight. Very secluded, quiet, and unique.

June 7th, 2018 by jennifer.vialette

Beautiful place to stay. 4x4 totally not necessary except to get up to the very top of the rocks (which takes 30 seconds by foot if you park and camp just below). Quiet out in the forest.

June 5th, 2018 by creative56

Nice quiet over look near crater lake. With a few spots along the way. Definitely recommend.

June 2nd, 2018 by globusgo

We are at a spot just next to the described spot. Only a beautiful 180 view ;)
Easily accessible with 2WD. High clearance is definitely better. We had no problem with our VW T3.
Very quiet.

May 9th, 2017 by cometzero

5 feet snow on this Road...not possible to drive. its May now.

August 26th, 2016 by viva-panamericana

Amazing! Site on top of the rocks with a 360 grade view. Fantastic sunset and sunrise. Just at the northern entrance to Crater Lake NP. To get on top of the rocks you need 4-wheele drive and hight clearance, but there are some of other sites there reachable with 2-whele drive.