Looking for the best campgrounds near Gifford Pinchot National Forest, WA? Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Gifford Pinchot National Forest is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Gifford Pinchot National Forest and user-submitted reviews.
$25 - $45 / night
"Amazing camp site with a good amount of lakeside camps. Staying in site 41 to 44 guarantees amazing sunrise and sunset views. The lake water is crystal clear. Excellent location if you enjoy hiking."
"nice tall shade trees and beautiful access to the lake. trails are around and a large beach to relax on. sites are large and trees are close enough to hang a hammock. note: road to get here is entirely"
"There's no cell service in the campground, but 1-2 bars of AT&T 4G is available about 3 miles from camp, (1 mile up FS Rd. 8854, near the junction of FS Rd. 8851 and FS Rd. 24)."
$25 - $45 / night
"Located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just north of the town of Carson. Its about a 20 minute drive to the Columbia river, and 10 minutes to the small town of Carson."
"Across the road is a horse camp that the PCT goes through. There is a spur from the PCT directly into the campground for easy access. There is a beautiful view of Mt."
"This horse campground is near Takhlakh Lake. Its a small campground with about 6 sites and is first come first serve. "
"Walked through campground. Has decent outhouse. Watering trough for horses. picnic tables and nice fire pits with grates in every campsite. Great picket lines for horses in each site."
"The drive from Carson to the campsite had quite a few large potholes, but once you get to the site, it's fantastic. Gorgeous views all around, undisturbed tent camping."
$37 / night
"We scored a walk-in tent site ($22.) on Monday in the middle of August without a reservation."
"We came here for the 4th of July to get away from the fireworks in the city (our dog is terrified of them!). We had an amazing experience!"
"Driving up there the way we drive (from Vancouver) you go up through ranching/farming territory and it’s nice and green and pretty, so it’s nice getting there."
"Hiking around the lake is a great way to start and/or end you day while staying at Battle Ground Lake SP. Horses are welcome. There are cabins available also. Several sites overlook the lake."
"Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a veritable wonderland, let's put that on the table right away."
"Kalama Horse Camp has always been one of my favorite places to take my horses for a camping adventure."
"There are 8 walk in sites and one drive up site, all first come first serve discovery pass required. Some sites are larger than others, but in ours we were able to fit two 6ptents and one 2p tent."
"Discover pass required
Merrill Lake, just outside of Cougar, WA feels very remote, despite its relatively close proximity to the Portland/Vancouver area."
LegendGifford Pinchot National Forest is a veritable wonderland, let's put that on the table right away. Lava flows, waterfalls, views of huge mountains and huge rivers, tons of berry picking, the Pacific Crest trail... it's ridiculous. So enter Kalama, with easy access, varied campsite sizes, space between a lot of them and a crazy - and I mean crazy - amount of trails. And if you like mushrooms... O M to the G. Check out the photos! We woke up in the morning and marched up Mt. Saint Helens. With or without horses (they couldn't fit in the trunk), with or without beer, it just doesn't get any better than this.
GuideThis is my go-to campground when visiting the Gorge area. Located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just north of the town of Carson. Its about a 20 minute drive to the Columbia river, and 10 minutes to the small town of Carson. Its tucked away down a beautiful Forest road. You are nestled amongst towering old growth trees, wild ferns and thimbleberries, with Panther Creek running alongside the camp. The 2018 season had excellent campground hosts, I hope they return next year! They were very friendly and had helpful tips for trails in the area.
The pit toilets were clean, though heavy smell of ammonia which is not unusual at campgrounds like this. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. There are potable water pumps, as well as garbage and recycling. Frequented mainly by families, and some PCT hikers, as it is located just of the PCT trail. They have first come first serve as well as reservable sites. It fills up quickly on the weekends, so if you dont have a site reserved I highly recommend getting there early. Each regular site is $18 a night. Enjoy!
LegendThis horse campground is near Takhlakh Lake. Its a small campground with about 6 sites and is first come first serve. All the other campgrounds in the area were full, but this one was pretty empty especially since it was visible from the road. I stayed twice over the summer and both times there were sites with horses in them. It is right next to the road, but there was a large pot hole in the road so people had to slow down or risk damage to their cars. The road all the way to the campground was very bad with holes, washouts, downed trees, huge dips, I recommend paying close attention when you are driving cause stuff will sneak up on you out of no where and low clearance cars could do damage. The campground was next to the creek and had multiple horse trails leaving from the campground. There were also a ton of wildflowers each time I went, since they are so high in elevation the wildflowers are still around into August.
The drive to Takhlakh Lake is only about 8 miles and takes about 20-30 minutes. Very easy day trip to enjoy the lake but then you can leave the crowds at the lake behind.
LegendBeacon Rock is an incredible, tall hill in the Columbia River Gorge and a Washington State Park. The climb up the rock is through a well-built trail. It can get narrow at spots and not for those who fear heights. The view at the top, however, is amazing. Easy day-use area and there is also a popular campsite nearby with hiking trails.
Camp sites are kind of small, with most in forested areas. A few are slightly more exposed and some are split-level, in that you park up top and walk a few steps down to your camp site. Bathrooms and water on-site. It is close to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington and very popular and busy.
LegendThere are at least four different campgrounds within Beacon Rock state park including the main camping site, an equestrian area with two spaces large enough for horse trailers, a group camp site that can hold up to 200 people, and a small 2-tent and 5-RV space down by the boat launch (at the base of Beacon Rock). This review is for the main "Beacon Rock" campground, which has 28 sites nestled in the woods including two walk/hike-in only sites. From the main road, head north directly across from Beacon rock until you come to a parking lot on the right that's the trailhead for Hamilton Mountain, Whispering Pool and others. Just past the parking lot (which also has a nice day-use picnic area and shelter) and on the right you'll come to the entrance of Beacon Rock campground.
Sites are a good size with lots and lots of beautiful trees, though the size and privacy varies greatly depending on which site you get. Ones on the right when you first enter are smaller since they butt up next to a ridge. For the most part the sites on the inside of the loop and especially the back side (it's a one-way counter-clockwise loop) are larger. Sites are first-come, first-served, and even on Memorial Day weekend there were several still available at 5pm on Sunday. Not sure if that was a fluke or we just got lucky. The campground and day use areas were built by the CCC in the 1930s so there's some beautiful rock work here and there, but it was not built with RVs in mind, so most people had tents, though a smaller trailer or pop-up might work depending on maneuverability.
Pros: Sweet little campground with lots of beautiful trees and greenery. Still had spots available on a busy weekend.
Cons: Best for tents only or a smaller trailer. Some sites are definitely better than others.
GuideNot sure why it says $30, this place is free WITH your Discover Pass, 7 day limit in a 30 day period.
Vault toilets are pretty clean.
There is NO trash here, pack it in, pack it out. Keep it clean. Lots of horses here which is enjoyable. An ADA trail is level for walking the dog.
Shooting range is close by, doesn’t bother me but it’s pretty noisy. Can hear some highway noise, but again, hasn’t bothered me
I depend 100% on solar. There is deep shade in all camp spots, I chose a fairly sunny spot, but it wasn’t enough to charge my batteries. Just a heads up.
Will return if visiting rainier again :)
GuideWe love it! For a lot of reasons. Part of the reason is it’s close, so that’s part good. Driving up there the way we drive (from Vancouver) you go up through ranching/farming territory and it’s nice and green and pretty, so it’s nice getting there. You do have a lot of options, in that the first time we went up there was with our hiking club, and we went up there for a hike around the calderas so it’s easy to do a day trip in a car. Part of our discovery was while we were there is that the food place is really good and very nice. The kids playground was great for the grandkids.
As far as the camping, while it’s open, for the most part you do have a limited amount of privacy in the campground. The campsite we picked was a mix of things: just far enough away from the restrooms where we don’t get all the traffic there, but close enough so it’s not too far either. We were within easy walking distance to two restrooms/showers.
One thing that always looked intriguing is they do have the cabins, so maybe one of these times we’ll rent one. Another thing that some people might like is that they do have horses and some of the trails around the lake you can have horses on, plus a separate area/campground where you can have your horses, which are fun to see.
It’s a small lake but big lake, meaning they do not allow motors on the lake, even electric motors, so it’s all floats, kayakers, etc. A lot of people grab the big inter-tubes and go with that. And of course fishing up there is generally pretty good, especially when they stock it. The trails around the lake are kind of fun also because you have a high trail (very forested) and you also have a certain amount of low trails right on the water where you could have your own spots to fish and swim.
Like most campgrounds, it has its peak season and its off-season, but you can go there year-round if you choose to. The beach area isn’t big, but that’s okay. Wherever you’re heading (from the campsites down to the water, to the playground, to the food shack) you always have different trails and options for how to get from one place to another if you want to explore. If there’s anything you forgot (groceries, fishing gear etc.) you can be in the small town of Battle Ground within 5 miles.
TravelerCamped in dispersed campsite across from campground. Walked through campground. Has decent outhouse. Watering trough for horses. picnic tables and nice fire pits with grates in every campsite. Great picket lines for horses in each site. Use caution, since there is an abundance of bear in the area. And cougar have been sighted around the area
RangerThis place is the best because the only way to get to the camping spots at Packwood Lake is to hike in or the use of ATV’s. The views are AMAZING, and it’s right next to the lake, however the water may be very cold. Fires are sometimes allowed dependent if there’s a burn ban or not. Horses are also permitted on this trail. And if you’d like to continue hiking there are several trails that lead to various locations. We make this a must do every year. During certain weekends and holidays it can get very busy however there are spots all around the lake.
Horse camping near Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities for equestrian enthusiasts. With a variety of campgrounds catering to horse campers, you can enjoy the great outdoors while ensuring your equine companions are well taken care of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Gifford Pinchot National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Gifford Pinchot National Forest is Walupt Lake Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Gifford Pinchot National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 23 equestrian camping locations near Gifford Pinchot National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
