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

There is a free dispersed designated camping area on the back side of the lake itself, very popular with folks from Portland escaping the city heat (you just drive to the end of the lake past the dam) but it is not for RVers. Only vans will fit on the side of the road and 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.

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!