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Mount Hood, Oregon’s tallest mountain at 11,239 ft, might be seen 100 miles in every path on a transparent day. The dormant stratovolcano is house to almost year-round snowboarding and 812 miles of leisure trails within the 1.1 million-acre Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest.
The Mount Hood territory boasts over 2,000 campsites from primitive backpack-accessible hideaways to dispersed tenting choices to lakefront websites with uninterrupted views of the mountain. Here’s a handful of our favorites.
Some are lakeside, some are creekside or riverside, they usually all have unbelievable entry to mountaineering and biking trails. So, whether or not you prefer to paddle, plod, or pedal, there’s one thing for everybody in any respect of those campsites.
And if none of those strike your fancy, you’ve over 1,994 others to select from.
Mt. Hood Tenting: Our Favourite Spots
Trillium Lake
Trillium Lake Campground is a magnet for every kind of out of doors recreation, together with boating, fishing, mountaineering, mountain biking, and snowboarding. Positioned 40 miles from Portland, and solely 4 miles outdoors of the ski city of Authorities Camp, it’s a straightforward spot for a fast getaway.
Reservations open up 6 months upfront, and the U.S. Forest Service all the time holds again a handful of websites obtainable on a first-come, first-served foundation.
- Location: Exterior of Authorities Camp
- Variety of websites: 64
- Website charges: $26/evening for a single web site, $52/evening for a double web site
- Different charges: $8 for every further automotive
- Facilities: Vault bathrooms, consuming water, and a reservable amphitheater
- Reservations: recreation.gov, (877) 444-6777
Misplaced Lake Resort and Campground
One of many few pure lakes within the Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest, the water is so clear I as soon as dove down and rescued a misplaced $5 invoice resting on the backside of the lake that I noticed from my paddleboard. Whereas the watersports get all the eye, there are over 100 miles of close by trails together with a straightforward favourite, the Lakeshore Path, that circles the lake.
Most websites are reservable 6 months forward and there are a handful of first-come, first-served spots.
Professional tip: to get a kind of non-reservable spots, attempt to get to Misplaced Lake by 11 a.m. and scout out which of us are on the brink of go away by the midday checkout time so you’ll be able to pounce on their spot as quickly as they pull out.
- Location: 25 miles southwest of Hood River, 87 miles east of Portland
- Variety of websites: 148
- Website charges: $41-46 for tent websites, $71-80 for group websites
- Different charges: $6 for a 15-minute bathe, $15 for an additional automotive
- Facilities: Public boat launch, 2 miles of handicap accessible trails, SUP and kayak leases, and an onsite camp retailer.
- Reservations: recreation.gov, (877) 444-6777
Milo McIver State Park
The expansive 950-acre Milo McIver State Park is densely wooded and offers loads of privateness, even on the principle campsite loop. Fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding are all a part of the enjoyable, both on the Clackamas River that flows alongside the park or on the close by Estacada Lake.
Milo McIver State Park boasts top-of-the-line 27-hole disc golf programs within the area and has the excellence of being the location of the one government-funded music pageant again in 1970. Positioned a brief 45-minute drive from Portland, making a reservation is a should for this well-liked state park.
- Location: 24 miles southeast of Portland
- Variety of websites: 53 (44 electrical websites, 9 tent websites)
- Website charges: $26-47 for electrical websites; $17-24 for tent websites
- Different charges: $8 reservation charge
- Facilities: Disc golf course, canine park, volleyball courtroom, equestrian, and mountaineering trails
- Reservations: Oregon State Parks, (800) 452-5687
Frog Lake
A secret gem within the Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest is Frog Lake Campground. It’s named after the faculties of tadpoles which can be hatched within the small lake every summer season and develop into a military of frogs by August. Frog Lake may have additionally been named “Butterfly Lake” after the kaleidoscope of butterflies that arrive in late spring.
Nonmotorized boats are welcome on Frog Lake, and guests can entry a piece of the Pacific Crest Path from the Frog Lake Sno Park lot.
- Location: 64 miles east of Portland, 12 miles east of Authorities Camp
- Variety of websites: 32
- Website charges: $26 for a single web site
- Different charges: $10 for every further automotive, $2 further charges for holidays
- Facilities: Vault bathrooms, fireplace rings
- Reservations: reservations.gov, 877-444-6777
Timothy Lake
Timothy Lake was created in 1956 when Portland Common Electrical dammed the west fork of the Clackamas River to assist regulate the circulation. PGE now manages Timothy Lake in tandem with the U.S. Forest Service. There are over 200 campsites in seven campgrounds alongside the 1,500-acre lake.
Hikers and mountain bikers alike benefit from the 15-mile bike loop across the lake (it’s solely 13 miles on foot). New in 2023, PGE is holding again a handful of websites in every campground for reservations 2 weeks upfront relatively than solely making reservations obtainable 6 months forward of time.
My favourite tenting spot is the Hoodview campground, because of the breathtaking view of Mt. Hood, however actually all of the campgrounds across the lake are beautiful. One other favourite is the non-reservable walk-in, boat-in Meditation Level. It’s a few mile stroll into these primitive and quiet campsites.
Timothy Lake additionally presents 40 dispersed campsites that haven’t any charge and no providers and are slightly onerous to search out, as they don’t are usually well-marked.
- Location: 80 miles southeast of Portland
- Variety of websites: 200 in 7 campgrounds
- Website charges: $25 for single websites, $52 for double websites, $10 for Meditation Level
- Different charges: $10 for an additional automotive, $2 further on holidays
- Facilities: Vault bathrooms, fireplace rings, BBQ grills, drinkable water
- Reservations: reservation.gov, (877) 444-6777
Fifteenmile Campground
Timing is every little thing to snag one of many three fantastic websites alongside Fifteenmile Creek. The primary-come, first-served Fifteenmile Campground websites are shaded and personal.
Hikers and bikers converge on this space to benefit from the outdoors fringe of the Badger Creek Wilderness and the east facet of Mt. Hood the place there are tons of tenting, miles of mountaineering, and mountain biking trails among the many ponderosa pines and Oregon white oak bushes.
- Location: 90 miles southeast of Portland, 40 miles south of Hood River
- Variety of websites: 3
- Website charges: $10
- Facilities: Vault rest room
- No reservations can be found for Fifteenmile Campground. It’s finest to reach midweek throughout the summer season or on Sunday afternoon to seize one of many websites.
Mt. Hood Tenting: Looking the Hundreds of Different Websites
In fact, that is simply the tip of the iceberg with regards to campsites in and round Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest. You would spend a lifetime exploring this space’s 2,000+ websites.
In the event you’d prefer to strive, try the Forest Service webpage on Mt. Hood tenting. There you’ll discover particulars on campground tenting, dispersed tenting, RV tenting, group tenting, and even cabin leases. You can too examine there for info on fireplace bans, campground closures, and tenting guidelines in Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest. Or, strive apps like The Dyrt and HipCamp.
Even throughout its busiest season, there are many tenting websites to go round, while you’re in Mt. Hood Nationwide Forest.
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