Lava Canyon (FR 8300000) in WA -- Free Camping & Overnight Parking in Washington

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Lava Canyon (FR 8300000) in WA

Gifford Pinchot NF, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
1,406 ft
Maps
Overnight camping allowedRUTTED
VerizonUNMEASURED
AT&TNONE
T-MobileUNMEASURED
StarlinkFAIR

A 17.8-mile stretch of paved National Forest road in Skamania County, WA. The road serves Trail Of Two Forests Interpretive Site. The road is open seasonally, June 16 to November 30.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument allows dispersed camping here -- 14-day limit.

5.8 of the 17.8 miles in are maintained only for high-clearance vehicles. Mostly paved, with 1.5 miles of dirt. Level ground alongside most of its length. Winds through 8 switchbacks. Dead-end road -- no mapped turnaround; expect to back out or unhitch.

The Swift Reservoir shoreline is 0.3 mi off. Mount Saint Helens stands 6,756 ft above the site, 8.0 miles north. A well-travelled stretch -- travellers have camped along here. Exposed here -- the nearest through road is 0.1 miles off. Night skies measure Bortle 3 -- a dark rural sky. The nearest town, Amboy, is 17 mi off.

September normals 4772°F, 4.8″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.

Fire restrictions

Set by Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.

fs.usda.gov
Sources checked August 2026Something wrong here?