Forest Road 21 Dispersed Camping

As you come in, just before the signboard there is a road going up a hill to the right. It looks intimidating, but can be done going slow and in wet weather using 4wd. We found great spots up there without going back very far.
There are spots further back but reception decreases the further you go and since we needed to work it wasn’t an option….this time. We stayed at a spot on the right about 1/4 mile up that road to the right and had decent cell service with out router. We did venture further back just to see what was there so we had an idea for the next time we stop (and hopefully don’t have to work) and man, there were some BEAUTIFUL spots up there. We recommend this place for sure and will definitely be back.

Wallowa-Whitman NF
NF 21
aka Spring Creek Campground
La Grande, OR

45.2125.6N, 118.1843.3W (Campground)
45.3679N, 118.2972W (signboard)
45.36944, -118.29997 (2nd spot)

14 Day limit
V 4g/2-3b, ATT 4g/1-2b (no booster)
Dirt & grass

Campground:
Not for bigger rigs. 4 spots fairly close together, picnic tables, pit toilets. Loop in is tight, and while we are only 34' long, we're 13.8 on truck and had to do some creative maneuvering to get ourselves back out. Cell signal here was almost non existent, and fairly dense tree cover if using solar.

There was one spot on the left before getting to the Campground we could have fit into, but again, dense tree cover. Didn't check cell signal here.

There is supposed to be more spots past the campground, but we haven't taken the bikes out yet to explore.

Signboard:
Easily found a spot, even on Labor Day weekend (Friday). This area could handle 4 or 5 rigs. Cell signal better, but still bounced in/out a bit. We stayed here 2nts to get past the holiday weekend. Picked up a lot of micro trash, spent shells, and broken bottles. This is also the area where a lot of a sxs park for Day Use. VERY dusty area.

2nd Spot:
WOW what a difference. After we decided to hang out in the area for a bit longer, we knew we had to move off the main road as the dust was making our solar pout. As you come in, just before the signboard there is a road going up a hill to the right. It looks intimidating, but can be done going slow in 4wd. We found 3 great spots up there without going back very far.
There are spots further back, as we saw people pulling trailers out, but we haven't explored them yet. We chose the 1st spot on the left for the full solar and gorgeous view of the meadow, tree line, and mountains in the distance. Cell signal comes in stronger on this ridge, but still a little fickle without a booster... note to self, get booster. Picked up medium sized and micro trash here, as well as bullet casings and broken bottles... and a special thanks to whomever left a bag of rotting frozen chicken wings...that was fun, but the view is worth it, and SO MUCH LESS dust.

There is a spot across (right side of road) where we've had over nights pull in late, but they left by 9am and both were very quiet setting up. Other than them, and the people from further back pulling out after the weekend, we've been alone up here.

There is a GORGEOUS spot further up on the right, but I couldn't get any signal.

From all but the campground, you will hear road noise. I84 is just beyond the trees. I pretend it's waves (don't judge), my husband uses ear plugs. We've both had no issues sleeping.

If we had only had the 1st 2nts experience I would say we would only be back as a last minute overnight, having discovered this other area, yep we'd be back no problem.

As with all boondocking, scouting out is the key.

Originally had been headed to spring creek campground, but it was full of tent campers. There were boondocking sites prior to the campground, but most were taken. Continued past the campground, and saw numerous side roads and places off this road. Picked one and found a decent spot. Previous campers had probably been staying a while... found some trash, the requisite empty ammo shells and a dead grill. I sighed, picked up some trash, and settled into a lovely forest setting for the night and next half day. Wished I could have stayed longer and will probably come back at some point

We travel 30' 5 the wheel and f250 and we are always looking for easy access and this is it. Just off I-84. We came here on Friday not knowing this place is 4x4 paradise so by Saturday morning we were surounded by bunch of trucks and 4x4s. It was beautiful place with lots of pine trees but next time we will avoid weekend and it was very dusty. We parked our camper very first pull through on the left. Most campers were smaller and they drove farther down.

After getting caught for 1.5 hours in stand still traffic on I-84 this was a blessing. We didn't venture far however I understand there are a lot of pull offs. We hit the first pull off which was not even a quarter mile off the highway. There was some trash around but not too bad.

Never saw anyone else. Highway noise and train noise at the spot we chose. I imagine the further in you go the less noise.

Wanted to stay based on other reviews, but not really bigger rig friendly and hunting season so most spots taken with hunting camps. Not well maintained off main road. If you have a smaller rig or tent probably a nice spot but would not advise for larger rigs. Went about 6 miles in looking for spots and there were only about 6 or 8 spots that were already established.

We pulled in around 6pm mid April on a Friday and the immediate first set of campsites were completely full of campers with ATVs. The next site had a mix of tent and RV campers. We decided to go further down the road and up the mountain to see what other spots were out there for us. We ended up at a very beautiful clearing with a tiny pond that is full of frogs that croak all night. There was a rock fire ring from a previous camper at our site and just across the road we met a lovely family of four. They had a truck pulling a trailer so hopefully that provides a picture on how easily it is to travel up to this spot. They did say that it's difficult pulling the trailer up there when it has snow.

The road going through was easily accessible from i-84 and the road itself was decent. There were a few potholes along the way but they were easily avoided by some careful maneuvering.

At our particular site there were no bathrooms so you'll have to make due with the nature around you. There was maybe a handful of pieces of trash in the trees from previous campers, but overall very clean site.

You can hear the occasional gunshot every now and then from campers practice shooting somewhere around the campsites. We found a shotgun shell in the pond. At night there are a lot of frogs that live in the pond so they croak all night. For the most part, at night it's just nature that you hear with access to the stars.

Neither my friend or I had service on our phones. He has T-mobile and I have AT&T.

Easy off/on from I-84. Gravel road in is smooth but dusty and just lightly traveled. Several camping spots along the road start about 1-2 miles in and support any size rig. There are a lot of side roads but most are pretty rutted so if you have a tow vehicle recommend unhooking first to scope out the sites. I found a nice campsite about 2 miles in on the left that was down a little hill and far enough from the road to avoid the dust from passing cars. Had plenty of shade trees and a rock fire ring left by others. We were there on a weekend and some locals came through during the day with 4x4s and dirt bikes but there were very few and the ones I saw were courteous and went slow where campers were present. I didn't even hear them. Also saw a few people using areas for target practice and they cleaned the area when done. Quiet place day and night with a small number of campers scattered about. There is a small campground, Spring Creek, about 3 miles in that has 4 small spaces and a vault toilet. There was a large group camping further down the road with horses so it is horse friendly. The nearest dump station is 20 miles SE at the rest area on I-84. Don't know where potable water is but there's a Flying J station a few miles from this location that may have water. Verizon service 4g intermingled with 3g, worked but very slow. Some areas are clear of trees so we had luck with the satellite dish. Would definitely stay here again.