Boondocking near Moses Lake, WA

[bbaley]

Hi all,
without giving away your favorite exact spot,
we are looking for some spots to stay out Central WA - probably generally Moses Lake for boondocking, wide open spaces.

Also interested in places closer to Crab Creek and Rocky Ford.

We live in Western Wa, and are just getting around to exploring Eastern side for boondocking/dispersed camping.

any ideas greatly appreciated!

Our needs/desired pretty easy. looking mostly for open space, easy access for 26' ft trailer. that about covers it 🙂

[profdant139]

Tom and Barb, thanks for clearing that up. There is no substitute for local knowledge!

[hotjag1]

I've lived in the central WA area for 55 years and have done quite a bit of boondocking in that area over the years. I'm going to make a guess that a lot of the 911 calls are in the Quincy and Ephrata areas as I have read of several crimes happening in those areas.

I have personally boondocked north of Soap Lake at Blue Lake, which is in the Sun Lakes area, and the Coulee City/Banks Lake area and never observed any problems in either place. I have also boondocked in the Grand Coulee Dam area and Lake Roosevelt with no issues either.

Not sure about Moses Lake as that area never appealed to me.

[Roy_Lynne]

Oh, if your interested in dispursed camping in the Chelan area, stop by the Ranger station in the town of Chelan and ask for recommendations. We did that once and they pointed us to a great little place which I probably could never find again it was so remote.

[Roy_Lynne]

We were camped at Potholes State Park a few years ago and down the road about a quarter of a mile there were people camped in what looked like a gravel lot. I looked to see if I could find it on freecampsites.net and there were a number of free places listed right on the lake. Unfortunately none of the places I looked at had any reviews or pictures so I"m not sure which one it was but I'm thinking its the one called Glen Williams. One called Blyth states you need a Discover Pass to stay there. Let us know what you find as I have also been thinking about going to get some sun.

[2oldman]

Tom/Barb wrote:
I'm happy to know that you are more familiar with central Wa. than a 911 dispatcher.

It's irrelevant.

I gave the OP my best spots and I hope he comes back to show his appreciation.

[Tom_Barb]

2oldman wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Our Friend is a 911 dispatcher for the area, she says the crime rate is very high, she lives there and should know.
She says, people in unprotected areas are most vulnerable.

What kinds of crime? This is news to me. Boondocking is about the safest camping you can do.. unless you think it isn't.

I'm happy to know that you are more familiar with central Wa. than a 911 dispatcher.

[2oldman]

Tom/Barb wrote:
Our Friend is a 911 dispatcher for the area, she says the crime rate is very high, she lives there and should know.
She says, people in unprotected areas are most vulnerable.

What kinds of crime? This is news to me. Boondocking is about the safest camping you can do.. unless you think it isn't.

[Tom_Barb]

2oldman wrote:

profdant139 wrote:
Tom and Barb, just out of curiosity, why would you hesitate to boondock in that area?

Was wondering that too. I lived in that area for years and wouldn't hesitate to camp anywhere.

Our Friend is a 911 dispatcher for the area, she says the crime rate is very high, she lives there and should know.
She says, people in unprotected areas are most vulnerable.

[ppine]

YOU have described everything east of Snoqualmie.

[2oldman]

profdant139 wrote:
Tom and Barb, just out of curiosity, why would you hesitate to boondock in that area?

Was wondering that too. I lived in that area for years and wouldn't hesitate to camp anywhere.

[profdant139]

Tom and Barb, just out of curiosity, why would you hesitate to boondock in that area? Is it unsafe, or is there very little available? Thanks for clearing this up.

[ppine]

Tons of room in the Columbia Basin. Great for a spring trip. I worked all over that country with the BLM 40 years ago. I like Potholes. Go get some sun and soak it up like a reptile.

When I lived in western WA going to forestry school in Seattle, we headed to the East Side at the drop of a hat.

[2oldman]

You may need the Discover pass.

[TUCQUALA]

There are a lot of free and pay sites on this site with some reviews and pics:

https://freecampsites.net/

Of course, free is relative, since you will need the "infamous" Discovery Pass to use most of the DNR fishing sites. In some areas of E WA, purchasing a fishing license includes an "Access Pass" for a lot of places. Not good for the Discovery Pass sites.