Randle-Trout Lake (FR 2300000) — Cowlitz Valley in WA -- Camping Rules & Access
Randle-Trout Lake (FR 2300000) — Cowlitz Valley in WA
Road corridorGifford Pinchot NF, Cowlitz Valley Ranger District
16 mi from Morton
0.0 mi off US 12 (straight line)
Maps 896 ft
Camping permission not confirmed
Miles 0–3.4 and 65.7–67.3 cross land the Forest Service doesn't manage; camping there needs the landowner's permission.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest ↗
Stay limit: 14 consecutive days · 28 days total per calendar year
VerizonNONE
AT&TNONE
T-MobileNONE
StarlinkFAIR
Road Access
Difficult
- 0.3 of this road’s 46.6 miles are closed, mostly paved with 2.6 miles of dirt.
- Near Jack Morris Park.
- Terrain estimates show roadside drops of up to ~160 ft on the downhill side.
- Winds through 14 switchbacks.
- Dead-end road; turnaround space is not mapped.
- Gates 17.4 and 67.9 miles along the road.
Setting
Limited privacy
- Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
- Watch Mountain stands 3,864 ft above the map pin, 2.4 miles north.
- Cowlitz River runs 0.2 mi off.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 3, a dark rural sky.
Rules
- Motor vehicle use off a forest road or trail for purposes of dispersed camping should be at least 100 feet from a stream, wetland, or other body of water. (Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping: 100 ft from water (all MVUM corridors))
- Camping outside campgrounds, or dispersed camping, is legal throughout most of the forest. ... Visitors may not drive beyond 150 feet from the main road. (Dispersed camping allowed across most of the forest; drive no more than 150 ft from the road) Driving off the road is limited to roads carrying the MVUM dispersed-camping symbol (MVUM insert).
- Store all food and scented items in bear-proof containers or in vehicle, covered and out of sight. (Food storage (bear safety), forest-wide visitor guide)
- Always pack out what you bring in and leave your site cleaner than you found it! (Pack out trash, forest-wide visitor guide (no human-waste rule found))
- On part of this corridor: Camping: Allowed. (FR 2300000 MP 28.6-31.6 (MVUM dispersed-camping symbol detected, both sides)) Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping is permitted within 150 feet of the road. Highway-legal motor vehicles only, on existing routes, only when it will not cause damage (MVUM insert); Vehicle type and dates allowed: same as permitted on road (MVUM Dispersed Camping Designations table); Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping should be at least 100 feet from a stream, wetland, or other body of water (MVUM insert).
- On part of this corridor: Camping: Allowed. (FR 2300000 MP 35.0-52.4 (MVUM dispersed-camping symbol detected, both sides)) Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping is permitted within 150 feet of the road. Highway-legal motor vehicles only, on existing routes, only when it will not cause damage (MVUM insert); Vehicle type and dates allowed: same as permitted on road (MVUM Dispersed Camping Designations table); Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping should be at least 100 feet from a stream, wetland, or other body of water (MVUM insert).
- On part of this corridor: Camping: Allowed. (FR 2300000 MP 31.7-35.0: Wilderness Adjacent Area, west side of road only (MVUM table)) Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping is permitted within 150 feet of the road. Corridor on the west side of the road only; no corridor on the other side; Highway-legal motor vehicles only, on existing routes, only when it will not cause damage (MVUM insert); Vehicle type and dates allowed: same as permitted on road (MVUM Dispersed Camping Designations table); Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping should be at least 100 feet from a stream, wetland, or other body of water (MVUM insert).
- On part of this corridor: Camping: Allowed. (FR 2300000 MP 3.4-28.2 (MVUM dispersed-camping symbol detected, both sides)) Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping is permitted within 150 feet of the road. Highway-legal motor vehicles only, on existing routes, only when it will not cause damage (MVUM insert); Vehicle type and dates allowed: same as permitted on road (MVUM Dispersed Camping Designations table); Motor vehicle use off the road for dispersed camping should be at least 100 feet from a stream, wetland, or other body of water (MVUM insert).
- Camping rules
Climate averages
October normals 40–62°F, 6.0″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.