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Camping

Free Camping Collection

Dispersed Camping

Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit

About

USDA Forest Service

Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Grasslands OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means there are no toilets, no picnic tables, no trash cans, no treated water, and no fire grates. Typically, dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, boat ramps, picnic areas or trailheads. There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It's your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience.

Driving cross-country (off a road or trail) by motorized, wheeled vehicles is prohibited in the National Grasslands. Along certain roads, vehicles may drive up to 300 feet off road to camp. These roads are shown on the Grassland's Motor Vehicle Use Map.

Picking a Campsite

If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that's been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites, so using existing ones will minimize your impact on the grassland. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines:

Camp on bare soil if possible, to avoid damaging or killing plants and grass. Do NOT camp within 200 feet of any water source, plants near water are especially fragile. Don't camp in the middle of a pasture or clearing. Make your campsite less visible so that other visitors will see a "wild" setting. Campfires

Many wildfires are caused by human activity, typically escaped campfires from dispersed campers. Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping UNLESS there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is YOUR responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping. Use existing fire rings if they exist. Minimize the scarring of new rocks, soil and plants by using existing fire rings. Clear an area of combustible material six feet away from a campfire to reduce the chance of it spreading into a wildfire. NEVER LEAVE A FIRE UNATTENDED. You should have a bucket, shovel, and axe available to control or extinguish escaped fire. BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR CAMPFIRE, MAKE SURE IT IS DEAD OUT. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned and it should be cool to the touch. Protect Water Quality

Water gets contaminated by visitors who don't take care of their human waste or their garbage and food properly. To dispose of feces, dig a hole 6 inches deep and AT LEAST 200 FEET AWAY FROM ANY WATER SOURCE (creeks, wetlands, springs, or lakes). When you're done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container. Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground, it could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it. Wash your body, dishes, etc., and dispose of waste water AT LEAST 200 FEET AWAY FROM ANY WATER SOURCE. Do not use ANY soap directly in a water source. Use biodegradable soap.

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Location

Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit is located in North Dakota

Detail location of campground

Coordinates

46.94532829414717 N
103.58861622550067 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Good
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Dispersed
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • Phone Service
  • Alcohol
  • Pets

For Vehicles

  • Pull-Through Sites
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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5.0

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26 Reviews

Eric A.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Oct. 1, 2023

Yep good one

A little weird to get to if you’re headed east on 94. You’ll backtrack about a mile, but it’s worth it. Great views of the draws and grasslands on most sites. It’s ND so it can be super windy on the ridges. Good gravel road in the dry months. Not a place I’d bring a trailer or bigger RV if it was wet out.

Siteridgeline se side
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric A., October 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric A., October 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric A., October 1, 2023
JThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Aug. 20, 2023

Space with a view

There are a decent number of spots to choose from out here. The top area did have a couple strands of barbed wire blocking it this trip so we stayed in the lower area. But had A TON of space to ourselves. Our closest “neighbors” were about 100 yards away in either direction.

Great views were just a short walk from where we set up camp.

We are rocking a 4runner with a RTT and had no problems getting around. Saw some travel trailers, RVs and fifth wheels towards the front as well so moderately accessible but personally would risk going far back in something big. There are some tight turns/uneven terrain towards the top.

Really quiet area for the most part and extremely peaceful.

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Joseph G., August 20, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Joseph G., August 20, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Joseph G., August 20, 2023
  • (5) View All
NThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Aug. 13, 2023

Highly recommend!

Easy to find. Good road even for a 32 ft motorhome. Beautiful views. Quiet and peaceful. Smells amazing from all the sage and other shrubs.

SiteNear end of road by cell tower.
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Nikki S., August 13, 2023
M
Reviewed Aug. 8, 2023

Almost perfect

Quite a bit of people, but I was able to find some nice folks that let me park near them! Beautiful country views with decent service so I was able to work online. Even after a decent rain I had no issues with my pickup truck getting to the spot!

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Mason G., August 8, 2023
L
Reviewed Aug. 6, 2023

Beautiful views

This site was poppin', so we had to drive down the road further to find a spot. The road is blocked by a wire fence halfway through but there were still plenty of open spots. Ended up camping at the top of the hills and had views similar to that of TR National Park.

Month of VisitSeptember
TThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2023

Nice spot

Stayed in the first spot available once getting onto the service road. The recent rain made the road extremely muddy and difficult to get through even with an AWV vehicle, so beware to smaller cars. There's a set of train tracks not far away and a train passed by around 1am, but only the once. Otherwise it was a very peaceful spot. Lots of crickets to lull us to sleep at night.

Month of VisitSeptember
Anthony F.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jul. 2, 2023

Limited but great

Long grass limits spots. Alot of rude vanlife people have crowd others. But before the weekend it was pretty peaceful and nobody around for most part.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Anthony F., July 2, 2023
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  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Anthony F., July 2, 2023
  • (7) View All
Emilie V.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2023

Beautiful, quiet dispersed camping!

A little hard to find as every path seems to have “no trespassing” signs. But once we made it up the hill (which I wouldn’t recommend with big rigs), the views are beautiful! Little fire pit, no noise…what more can you ask for?

Month of VisitJuly
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Issa F.
Reviewed Jun. 1, 2023

A Breathe of Fresh Air

Pulled up to the first campsite which was very easy to get to. Very peaceful. Around 9:30pm another camper pulled up next to me which seems like bad camping etiquette but maybe this is considered overflow since there’s enough space for two. I ended up moving to a different spot. Tried to make my way down to the petrified forest hike which is five miles down the dirt road but the last half mile was too washed out for my van to make it. Visited early June.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Issa F., June 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Issa F., June 1, 2023
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Issa F., June 1, 2023
  • (5) View All
RThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Sep. 20, 2022

Easy, good views, privacy

There is one spectacular site at the end of the road and up a hill that overlooks the whole area. I wish I had gotten the opportunity to stay there. My site was simply okay. However, this campground was super easy to get to. The road in was fairly flat, and basically right off the highway. You can have the option of lots of privacy as well. Most of the sites are quite a distance away from each other.

Month of VisitOctober
Russell P.
Reviewed Aug. 12, 2022

Beautiful Hill Top Next to National Park

Very Close to National Park access.

A handful of spots on the top of the ridge. Big Rig friendly but spot the road before going to the top as there are not many spots to turn around up there. 

Stayed here a few days and was accompanied by other travelers the whole time with plenty of distance between us. There are no real amenities for an hour plus outside of here. 

Decent cell service for ATT & Verizion.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Russell P., August 12, 2022
Nathan B.
Reviewed Jul. 20, 2022

Amazing views

We stayed here while visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Amazing views and very quite.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Nathan B., July 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Nathan B., July 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Nathan B., July 20, 2022
  • (5) View All
E
Reviewed Jul. 15, 2022

Awesome spot beautiful views close to park

We had an amazing spot on top of hill. Could see for miles. Saw nice mule deer buck. Lots of camping spots. Empty during the day gets close to full an hour or so before dark. 10 min from National park entrance. No water or dump. Can be very windy. Very close to petrified forest.

Sitemiddle
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 15, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 15, 2022
  • (6) View All
E
Reviewed Jul. 12, 2022

Great views quiet

Stayed here a few nights well visiting the National park which is only 10 min away. The views are amazing. Lots of places to park. Not busy during the day. 5 miles from a great petrified forest. No amenities at all. 2 miles off highway so you can hear it a little bit.

Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 12, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 12, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Eric G., July 12, 2022
  • (5) View All
A
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2022

Gateway to Theodore Roosevelt NP

Beautiful secluded campsite. Just a few designated spots, but we saw people pulled over anywhere along the gravel road. Heard wolves in the night and saw the Milky Way. Some road noise from the interstate, but not too bad.

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Ani D., June 22, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Ani D., June 22, 2022
Alice C.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Jun. 20, 2022

Beautiful!

After the first cattle guard, it’s the first right! The coordinates might not be correct. If you cross a second cattle guard, you went too far.

This was absolutely stunning. If you get to the top of the road and it is blocked, you can move the fencing and go beyond. Several people were. If you have a 4x4 you can get up to the last spot before the fence on the right!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Alice C., June 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Alice C., June 20, 2022
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Alice C., June 20, 2022
Lizzy K.
Reviewed Oct. 29, 2021

Really pretty and a retreat!

We basically fled to this site from a really scary sketchy spot in eastern Montana. Pulled in at like 2am (not by choice) and found somewhere off the road to sleep. Felt super safe and quiet, happy to have found a beautiful place to wake up to

Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Lizzy K., October 29, 2021
H
Reviewed Sep. 20, 2021

Amazing Stars

Let me tell you, these stars were INCREDIBLE. We were fortunate to be there on a clear night (September 3) and the Milky Way was painted out for us. This is a very popular spot and it's no mystery why considering how pretty it is and how close it is to Teddy Roosevelt. We pulled into this site after dark , which did present various difficulties including a mama cow bluff charging our van (didn't know it was a bluff at the time), not knowing exactly which road to take as there are a couple to choose from when you get there, and not knowing exactly where to park because it was so dark and we couldn't see the terrain. We used the lights of the other vans, RVs, and tents as guides. Even with these difficulties, we felt safe and fortunate to be there.

Month of VisitOctober
Abraham The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Sep. 15, 2021

Primo boondocking

Just a dirt road with ample pullouts for camping/RVs. 2wd/low clearance is no problem on the dirt road. It's a right turn after the first cattle guard, previous reviewers were saying they had trouble finding the spot, I'd recommend Gaia gps or something similar.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Abraham , September 15, 2021
RThe Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Sep. 13, 2021

Gorgeous views!

Loved this site so close to Medora, ND and especially Theodore Roosevelt NP. Little challenging to find as the GPS coordinates took us beyond the turnoff. As one writer earlier stated if you go over more than one cattle guard you’ve gone too far. Beautiful views and an early morning visit by a herd of cows. Drove to the top of the road with our Little Guy Max to find a site with 360 degree views.

Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Roberta P., September 13, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Roberta P., September 13, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Roberta P., September 13, 2021
Kelsey B.
Reviewed Aug. 21, 2021

Great spot with gorgeous views

This is a great place for camping outside Theodore Roosevelt NP. Once you turn right off of River Rd and go up the first hill there is another road to your left with a large cul-de-sac for camping. If you keep going there are 4-5 other pull offs for camping with larger rigs on the right. There are a few smaller spots up the big hill but it isn't suggested for larger rigs, there's no room to turnaround

Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Kelsey B., August 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Kelsey B., August 21, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Kelsey B., August 21, 2021
  • (12) View All
B
Reviewed Jul. 11, 2021

Great views!

I was confused on where this was because the GPS coordinates were wrong on another app. These are the coordinates for an amazing tent spot: (46.9411728, -103.5856874) Do not go past the second cattle guards! If you have, you’ve gone to far!

Also, just enough people here to make me comfortable, but not enough to make it crowed at all!

Sitelol
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Brylee , July 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Brylee , July 11, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Brylee , July 11, 2021
Amber G.
Reviewed Jul. 9, 2021

Location, location, location

If you are attending the Medora Musical, this is perfect! It is not far off the highway, so it is quick to get set up and then get going for your next day. When I got here around noon, it was just me. Two other people set up through the day. There was plenty of room and it was still very peaceful. I would definitely camp here again!

Siteno set sites
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Amber G., July 9, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Amber G., July 9, 2021
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Amber G., July 9, 2021
S
Reviewed Jun. 11, 2021

Scoria Pit Boondocking for the Win

This is a terrific spot for any size rig. Ample room to turn around and well-maintained gravel roads to get to the site. It can be extremely windy though, so beware (60 mph gusts when we visited).

Sitedispersed
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Sarah , June 11, 2021
Clean Slate D.The Dyrt PRO User
Reviewed Sep. 6, 2020

Beautiful Views with great access to TRNP and Medora.

We arrived just after a rain. That made things a little messy to get in. There is a large mud pit on one side of the road and tire ruts on the other. Once you get past that, you're pretty golden. There is a loop you can pull into on the left. But, you won't get the views there. We're in a class c and went up a bit. We have views of the badlands and park. Halfway up is as high as we saw any rigs over 30ft go. There were a couple TT's at the summit. Lots of vans, popups and smaller c's up the foothill. It's windy, and you will hear some highway noise. When it's really windy, trucks hit the rumble strips often. It was pretty dead here most of the time. Labor Day weekend brought a lot of tent campers. Everyone is pretty quiet though. No cell signal st the bottom. Great AT&T and Verizon as you go up. Easy acces to Medora and the south unit if TRNP. The trails for the petrified forest are further down River rd. We used Sully Creek SP for water and dumping. There was no price listed, so we donated a few bucks.

  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Clean Slate D., September 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Clean Slate D., September 6, 2020
  • Review photo of Dispersed Site - Scoria Pit by Clean Slate D., September 6, 2020