Trillium Lake is a very popular camping spot in the summer, and the campground is almost always full unless you make a camping reservation months in advance. But don’t stress! I show you in the video below a Free RV Camping area that is only a mile from the lake and that has cellular coverage. Cool yes? Video

There is free dispersed camping on the back side of the lake past the dam, which is very popular with folks from Portland escaping the city heat but is not for RVers. A van or small trailer will fit on the side of the road but the main draw is tent camping along the lake’s shore.

Only a mile from Government Camp on Mt. Hood

This area is just a mile or so from Government Camp, another spot you can park overnight or Free RV Camp in the summer. There is a general store with nice wine selection and a few restaurants—The Ratskeller is my favorite and has excellent gluten-free pizza if that’s your thing. 🙂

YouTube video: Free RV Parking and Camping at Government Camp on Mt. Hood

There’s also a super nice cafe with lounge area and excellent breakfast sandwiches: The High Mountain Cafe.

GPS Coordinates of Free RV Camping Area

Here are the GPS coordinates to this location:

Latitude: 45.281992

Longitude: -121.735916

Video of Free RV Camping at Trillium Lake

Years ago when I first discovered this location I met a lady from North Carolina who drove here every year to camp through the summer. I totally get it!

The featured photo at the top of the page is the view on my morning walk as I strolled along the road that is on the backend of this area that leads to the backside of Trillium Lake (and a few private chalets, cabins also).

There is cell service

I had some slow times when trying to load a movie but watched Netflix and worked online with my 5G iPhone and Verizon service no problem.

A fellow camper traveling in a super nice decked out van was frustrated because the trees blocked his Starlink signal and he needed to stream data, make conference calls, etc. Frustrating!