East Otto State Forest Campground

Nafis Azad

PERFECT FREE CAMPGROUND! Here is a summary of things to remember for your trip. - Yes, it is free. No formal sign in or reservation. First come first serve - Only washroom is at entrance. No running water. 2-5 min drive from nearest site. Wouldn’t recommend walking the 20 min distance at night. - No electrical outlets or showers - Has fire pit, no firewood provided - Large secluded sites. Can fit 2-4 tents and 2 vehicles. Large RVs not recommended - Entrance roadway has several potholes, don’t drive lowered vehicles. Can cause damage. - Lots of availability when I camped Sunday night. 80% of sites empty. Can’t say for other days. My girlfriend and I were roadtripping down from Canada and spontaneously decided to start our trip a day early by getting some camping in. We looked for free campgrounds since last minute reservations weren’t likely and we came across this gem! The campground is very safe, spacious and quiet. When you GPS to this location, go to the parking lot and across the street from the parking lot, which houses a porta-potty, you’ll see a faded-yellow metal gate which should be swung open. THIS IS THE ENTRANCE. Drive down the road for approximately 2-5 minutes and you’ll come across the first campgrounds. Campgrounds are all separated by 10-15 yards of forest. So lots of privacy and room for your vehicles and gear. You could likely fit 3-4 mid sized tents along with 2 SUVs comfortably in the site. There’s no running water, electrical outlets or shower facilities. There is also no camp security. The only washroom would be the porta-potty located at the entrance which is roughly 15-20 mins of walking from the nearest site. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WALKING HERE ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. There doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about when using this campground aside from your usual forest-animals. There are fire pits but NO firewood.

Daniel Nice

Best free camping around. Lots of trails to wander and a pond for fishing. Great place for families or just to get away from the city for a day or three.

AJ Jordan

No cell phone service...Port a potty about a half mile at entrance which isnt hard to find...Look for the Yellow gate. Good camping spots to pull into, some muddy with flies. Would be better with water/electric hookups! But a great spot to pull off the road and get some quiet rest for free.

Richard Mosier

Beautiful just beautiful.