Elk Rock Viewpoint | Wild Camping

July 3rd, 2024 by krazy4kanines

Beautiful view, only had traffic till about 5 but 4th of July is tomorrow so im sure that had something to do with it. Theres a rocky area and a paved area, I stayed in the paved area and from the road you can’t really see my van, no service with AT&T but I had 4 bars LTE most of the way up, im not sure how well it works but at least along the road I had service

June 21st, 2024 by awakemoustache54

WOW 😲 it's even better than described! there is a whole gravel area perfect for relaxing and enjoying the spectacular view. quieter than the lake area further up the road.

May 30th, 2024 by eventualastrologer42

Nice large gravel lot with amazing views. Quiet. No “no” signs. We were the only ones here. Day trippers began showing up around 8am.

September 15th, 2023 by Adventures with Ray

Was there Sept 15 2023, still is as OP posted . The castle lake lookout parking is slightly nicer and we had no issues. Out house at coldwater lake parking and hummocks parking are accessible 24hrs

September 9th, 2023 by puppypower57

beautiful view of mt st Helen's volcano. large paved lot plus same size gravel lot next to it. no amenities. as previously stated in other posts, no "no camping/ overnight" signs. me, a class a n a b currently here. tons of room. i was perfectly level. no cell for Verizon.

August 21st, 2023 by sandnew2021

Excellent spot. Only 1 other vehicle here on a quiet Monday night just after the NW winds blew the fire smoke off the mountain. Spectacular viewpoint. PLEASE be discreet & clean up after yourself & your pet(s). AND, no campfires. This is a wonderful resource. Let us not spoil it & cause it to close.

July 26th, 2023 by vanisle250

Great spot to camp for the night. Waited until it got a little later in the evening to drop the rooftop tent down, but would definitely stop here again

June 22nd, 2023 by instagram.com/woodysvanlife

Huge parking lot. Quiet night and a pretty sunset! No services here. A few cars drove by on the road nearby early this morning and two cars stopped by the viewpoint to look during sunset. Not sure if it’s always this quiet up here, the road up to the observatory is closed for the year it sounds like. You can still get to the science and learning center.

May 25th, 2023 by Hicchan

A spacious parking lot and gravel area looking out at Mt. St. Helens and Elk Rock. There are no hours of operation, no signs prohibiting overnight parking. Just views so gorgeous you couldn’t pay for better. According to the maps, it is not inside Gifford Pinchot National Forest. I have a 40-foot skoolie and a Beetle toad, and there’s room for 10 more like me. Was able to turn around in the parking lot without backing up. I stayed in the gravel part overnight with zero issues. No cell signal for me at all, but starlink works great.

It is slightly slanted no matter where you are, so bring wedges or blocks and please don’t abuse!!!!