Best Glamping near Cascade Locks, OR

Amenities are awesome - excellent fishing, river views, play place, Pacific Crest Trail within a mile, Stern-wheeler cruises, right in the cool town of Cascade Locks. As such it should feel touristy but doesn’t. It’s not a nature lovers paradise, but open and fun overall. On the downside were a cranky, all business camp host - this is an important place, so decide NOW - and small campsites on lawns.

Stunning view of the mountain backdrop- crystal clear waters-access to a small shop and water activity rentals which is fun. There is a resort , and cabins as well as tent camping which I prefer. The lake itself is “busy”with families and kids during the day but nice clean camping otherwise -some might even call it glamping but it’s worth it for the view and having access to the activities the next morning.

My husband, dog and I stayed at the Cascade Locks Marina Park campground on the last night of our month long backpacking trip. We accessed it on foot, but it is right in the middle of the town of Cascade Locks so getting there by car is super easy. They have hook ups and are very vehicle friendly. If you don't have a vehicle, you can set your tent up anywhere on the grass. This makes for a very soft camp site for tent campers.

What I liked about it:

1. The camp host was super friendly and the whole are was very hiker friendly in general. It is also quite affordable (less than $5 I think per night).

2. You can set your tent up on grass which is nice and soft. In the summer there are a lot of through hikers so it is a great community feeling.

3. It is right along the Columbia River so you can hear the water and it is a pretty setting for being right in the middle of town.

4. Showers (free) and flushing toilets. The showers are quite high pressure and don't have a separate area to change so whatever you bring in the shower room with you it may get wet. They are single shower head rooms.

What is was less then excited about:

1. It is right along the train tracks so you can hear the trains coming through as early as 6 am. Since I had been getting up with the sun for the past month it wasn't a big deal but it may not be pleasant for other people.

2. There is no privacy. Tents are in an open field and the pull in spots are right next to each other almost like a parking lot.

3. No fire pits or individual picnic tables for tent campers. There are a few tables but they are communal. Not usually a big deal for me, but this may be a concern for others.

Summary: For PCT backpackers this is a great spot to camp while you are in Cascade Locks for resupply or rest. It is close to the main road and the grass is soft to sleep on. Plus there are always other through hikers to chat with. As for a car camper, this would not be my spot of choice unless it was late and I am just passing through.

Smallish campground (15 or so spots) on a small "cliff" overlooking Cascade Locks. Spots are close together, surrounded by grass, with a small bathroom in the center of the lot. Tents are $25 per night, with several sites also available for a bit more for RVs with power and water. Reservations ($10 fee) are only accepted during the summer.

There's not much to do at all in the small campground, but there's a decent amount of places to explore right in the same area. Across a small street there's a playground, the Locks themselves, views of the Columbia River and even a museum.

Nice enough campground if you want to stay in the area for other activities, though no privacy at all between sites.

This is a great little campground accessible by public transit or car. It's best for car camping or RVs, but there are plenty of tent campers too. No trees for hammock campers.

The river views make up for this not being a very woodsy campground. So does the adjacent park with a playground and plenty of room for kids to run loose.

For the adults, Thunder Island Brewing is right there with delicious brews and sandwiches.

Just up above the campground is the main road through Cascade Locks. That means you are within walking distance of Bridge of the Gods (and this the PCT) as well as an ice cream shop, the Gorge Express stop if you want to pop down to Multnomah Falls or up to Hood River.

This place is incredible. First to cover the basics.

The internet is super fast - I was getting 75mbps up/down when I was in my tent.

They have power/water hookups at each parking spot. The glamping tents have heaters, lights etc. There are heated indoor bathrooms with nice free hot water showers just a short walk away.

This place is at a year round camp/school that has multiple skate parks, trampolines, mountain biking courses, all season ski jumps etc. it’s an action sports camp.

They provide things like firewood and ice which they put in your cooler.

The people are super nice and accommodating. Ask for Jim - he handles all the camping stuff.

The gist: Right off of I5 but far enough you can’t see it (sounds like a waterfall or a strong river)

Well-maintained sites

Clear signage

Wood for purchase

Walk-in sites are well spaced (we can’t hear our neighbors!)

No bugs! (June)

Summary: We reserved the last site of the walk-ups and are very happy with our choice. It’s the last site on a trail leading to a seasonal waterfall and riverbank where we are paddleboarding, floating, and swimming for the day. Weather and bugs turned out amazing and we feel so spoiled by this spacious, private campsite that feels far away but is only 1000 feet from the car (and society). If you do reserve a walk-up site make sure you bring some kind of cart! So glad our cooler was on wheels. As an occasional backpacker I would call this glamping since there’s tons of cell service and so many amenities.

Our family has had the privilege of enjoying Columbia Gorge Getaways on three separate occasions and each time was a joyous and exceptional experience. Our first time staying was for a friend's wedding. Everything was perfect from start to finish and hands down one of the best weddings we have been to from the stunning Ceremony site overlooking the luscious forest to the fun event space perfect for any gathering. We stayed in a Bell tent and I have never slept so soundly as I did for this cozy glamping weekend. The bathrooms have everything you need and being amongst friends and family in such a gorgeous space was pure bliss. 

We gathered again for a lovely baby shower on a perfect Spring day! Again, the event space was such a great spot and our kids loved play area and fun lawn games! 

The last time we stayed we brought our tent and loved it. We were amazed at how comfortable and spacious our site was along with a lovely picnic table to enjoy our meals. The kids loved running around the safe and friendly campsite and playing in the play space. They have been hounding us to return and we cannot wait! We will be recommending Columbia Gorge Getaways to everyone as the perfect gathering spot! Thank you for the wonderful experiences each and every time.

Wonderful stay! Gracious, welcoming hosts! Privacy! Turn key camping! Farm Animals! Clean! Proximity to Portland! This place is great!

The Details: This was our first glamping trip and we booked via Tentrr. Our site had a large canvas tent with all the comforts of home: queen bed, heater, water, seating, a desk, WiFi, and even a front porch with two Adirondack chairs. We also added a second tent (large dome tent) for our friends and their two kids to stay in.

There is an awesome, covered kitchen area with three burner propane stove, kitchen sink, prep station, picnic table, food storage bin, soap and hand sanitizer, and more. We brought our camping supplies for cooking, and didn’t need most of them.

The fire area was one of our favorite areas. Lots of seating, bev holders, firewood and tools (Hatcher, fire starter etc), and even a citronella plant. We didn’t see a single mosquito while we were there.

The Loo is amazing! SUPER clean and creative. It has a clean and non-smelly compostable toilet, hand washing area, and very creative/useful shower. The shower worked so well and was unexpected!

For kids: you’re basically camping next to a pet zoo! We had a farm tour by our wonderful hosts (Lisa and Bonnie). The kids got to feed alpacas, goats, ducks, and even Jack-Jack the donkey! This was the highlight for the kids! The kids also loved the playground on site too.

We got some great hiking in on the Lewis River too. About 15 minutes for our site are Moultain, Lucia, and Yacolt Creek Falls.

This was truly “turn key” camping. We appreciated the less time setting up and more time enjoying the outdoors that this place offers.

Definitely stay here! You’ll love it!

Nice state park. Close to freeway for easy access. Nice walking paths. Typical state park yurt set up.

Campground close to highway questionable people. We had planned a day trip to check out the yurts and only drove through because it was so bad. Skip this one and head to seaquest.

The camping area isnt close to the water at all, unless you have a cabin or yurt spot, but its a fairly nice campground, we went in early May and there was stilk snow where our tent was gonna go, so watch for that! It’s a beautiful view though!

We have stayed at Lost Lake a couple of times now, once in a tent and once in a yurt. The lake is fun for fishing and renting a little boat or canoe to get onto the water. The store has a little of everything, though as you would expect, a little pricey.

The only thing missing from this amazing camping spot is electricity and running water. Otherwise, it’s perfect! Absolutely gorgeous view of Mt. Hood, tons of hiking, a beautiful lake and camping spots for everyone. They have walk-in spots, yurts, a-frames, RV spots, a horse camp and even a few rooms at the lodge. Make sure to spend at least 3-4 days!

I have kind of a love/hate thing going on for Lost Lake Campgrounds.

Pros: It is beautiful. There's a reason it's one of Oregon's most photographed sites. There's a 3-mile hike around the lake that shows Mt. Hood and its lovely reflection in the lake. There's fishing, swimming, boating, and a camp store that has "It's It" ice cream (definitely a pro). The camp sites are nice, decent sized, and surrounded by trees.

Cons: It is crowded. We're talking thousands of people on a nice summer weekend, traffic jams, and no place to actually make it into the lake (except right at the boat dock) unless you claim your picnic spot really early. There's also no cell phone reception (at all), and while that may sound lovely in theory, when you're a family trying to find each other somewhere on the trail or in the campground it's a real pain.

On weekends and holidays, you also need to book not two, but three nights in a row (Thursday/Friday and Saturday, for example), so if you're trying to get away for a regular 2-day weekend you're out of luck.

In general: 140+ camp sites including several walk-in-only sites right near the lake. There's also cabins and yurts, though those don't include a bathroom on site, so the $70-$150+ seems pretty steep for still having to use an outhouse (we haven't stayed in the cabins personally yet, but have seen them in person). You can book online for both cabins and camp sites (reserveamerica for the camping).

Tips: For day trips, there's a $8 parking fee that you can avoid if you park outside of the entrance and walk the 1/4 mile or so. Also, cabins and yurts are half-price in May, something we may remember for next Memorial Day well in advance (since everything books up so quickly).

Cute little place, showers, potable water, toilets, buy wood, etc. Has two yurts also. A little steep at 30.00/nt to camp. You have to drive or walk a ways to the river which has a day use area with bbqs & picnic tables. The day use area also provides life jackets if you forget yours. The selling point for this camp ground was the disc golf c.ourse

The views of Mt. Hood are amazing from this lake. Spent the day in a canoe, exploring the lake. Stayed in one of the yurts, which would have been better if it was away from the tent camping. Neighbors were a bit close. After exploring we did see that there were many sites that were more private...next time we will reserve those. You can rent boats, canoes, etc, and there is a store that has anything you would need. Very nice staff.

This place gets CROWDED, and is hard to drive around/walk around due to the amount of day users.  Stayed in a cute yurt which was a bit of walk from the lake (~.25 mi) which is fine but getting my kayak down was a bit of a pain due to the amount of people occupying the road/parking etc.   Stunning views and didn't see anybody on the hike up to lost lake.  Store was poorly set up and chaotic, check in process took quite some time and was confusing.

stayed at one of the yurts here. its right off i-5, so we thought it would be a great idea to stay here while exploring Portland and the nearby casino. (we're from Lynnwood.) 

Lots of beat up cars/trailers that move around from night to night, not sure if they were paying for their spots lol. and lots of homeless people hanging by the bathroom at 3am. 

one day, my wife and i came back to our site at 7pm after exploring portland that day, and we'd found a car parked in front of our site. - they probably had thought that we weren't coming back for the night as it was getting late lol. 

i would not stay here again.

I have been there twice this summer.

Actually, I started camping there more than two decades ago, when it was still being developed.

I am partial to it for that reason.

It is more of an RV campground. But, it does have several yurts, and a tent camping area.

Not the quiet, "roughing it" style I like, but when I just want to chill, and do nothing in particular, this is a decent place to camp. It has a lodge, an exercise room, pool, hot tub, hot showers, bathrooms with indoor plumbing, and outlets for the ladies hair dryers (or charging the battery on your smart phone).

A small store on the grounds provides for the last minute treats to make s'mores, or even a chocolate ice cream sandwich from the freezer.

I actually like using the campground as a "basecamp" for my hikes around Mt Hood.

It's not as quiet as a campsite deep in the wilderness, but sometimes it's nice to get away without getting away from it all.

Oh, and sometimes I prefer indoor plumbing over vault toilets or bushes.

We have camped here three times over the last 7 years.  Sometimes for full vacations, sometimes just as part of a larger trip, and I always love it.  The lake is beautiful, with great views of Mt. Hood.  The little store has snacks and some food as treats and rents kayaks, row boats, etc.  The showers are very nice and clean.  The campsites are huge and very private.  There are even a few trails which leave from the campground if you want to hike.  And for those that want less rustic they even have yurts!

Now, it is busy, especially on the weekends.  There is a reason for that.  If you want to spend the day at one of the spots on the lake, you have to get up early and get your spot (by 9am, even on a weekday).  On the weekend it can be a bit of a mad house with people coming from outside the campground, so I recommend staying during the week.

Also, the bathrooms are pit toilets.  They aren't bad, but still pits. :)

Pros:

* Beautiful lake

* Close to Hood River

* Hiking from the campground

* Store with treats

* Very nice showers

* Very nice campsites with lots of space

Cons:

* Very crowded on the weekends

OK:

* Pit toilets