Camping near Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

On a Friday, I was still able to snag a site early afternoon. I planned on a hike but really ended up taking a leisurely stroll a short ways to Emerald Falls. The area is regrowing after a 2024 wildfire. It's already lush and green but the trails running from the camp still haven't been cleared fully, and you hike at your own risk.

The campsite loop is about 15ish sites with a hiker/biker section as the camp is right on the off-road trail system running the Gorge. Everything is green and tall and possibly poisonous. I really have a hard time recognizing poison oak, so I always wear pants in a place like this.

The Gorge is famous for its wind, but here I was protected from gusts by the natural landscape. The sites all push up against the Cascades that hook around the camp. Winds still moved the trees around up high but on the ground it was minimal. I didn't have a campfire, but I could see where it would be deceiving if a spark caught an updraft and took off, so please be careful. 

The host was non-existent for the entire stay. There was a tent in the host site, but no people or vehicles. However, the camp was fairly well maintained. The bathrooms are dated but with flush toilets and running water. Reasonable rate at $20 makes this a great stop if you're passing through or exploring the waterfalls along the river highway. Plus, easy access to Hood River or Bridge of the Gods to Washington.

No campfire wood for sale.

I’ve seen plenty of good reviews about the camp host at horseshoe lake but i will not be writing one of them. I didn’t catch her name but she drives a white nissan truck. the camp host completely ruined our weekend with her overbearing attitude, and complete lack of respect for our personal space and things. 

one of our buddies went on a beer run while we went down to the river and left our old dog calmly laying on a rug in the shade at our site. he was leashed, had water and was completely fine. he’s a senior dog who just likes to relax and even prefers sleeping outside at home. she came to our campsite while we were gone and claimed he was “scared for his life” when it reality he was probably barking because a total stranger is walking up to him. 

this part blew my mind, she wrote us a ticket for an “unattended fire” when there was NO fire burning, a fire wasn’t even started that day. but she took it upon herself to dump out our water and the dogs water (that she cared so much about) onto the fire pit, completely soaking it and making it harder for us to build a fire that night. 

on top of that, she even admitted to pretty much making herself at home and hanging out at our campsite while we were not there. she flipped over one if our chairs upside down and got it all muddy with the water she spilt everywhere, took one of our only trash bags we had that was hanging on our canopy, barely  used it, had no food in it, just some empty water bottles. 

it did not stop there, she kept hovering around our campsite constantly checking on us throughout the weekend. it honestly felt like harassment, we didn’t feel welcome or comfortable the rest of the trip. she was COMPLETELY out of line for just hanging out at our campsite while we were gone, touching,  and moving our personal belongings without invitation or permission

Herman Creek Campground is currently closed indefinitely. The roads to the campground are blocked by barrels and logs. The website states that the campground had to be closed due to laminated root rot after the Eagle Creek Fire. If you park at the trail head during day use hours, you can still walk around the old campground, but most of it is already overgrown, and the outhouse has been permanently locked. The website states that this campground is currently being redesigned by the Forest Service, so maybe it will open again someday, but it's closed indefinitely at this time. There are still a few picnic tables set up in the parking area overlooking the Gorge although they are largely blocked by trees. The PCT has an auxiliary trail from Herman Creek to Cascade Locks which takes you right by Dry Creek Falls. Day use parking costs $5 or is free with a qualifying pass.

We recently camped here this past weekend, which was the last weekend of June. The sites here are very spacious compared to the campgrounds were used to in California. This is a very small campground with only 13 regular sites and a few group sites. Regular sites are only $20 and you can get half off with a pass. Unfortunately there is no shower, but the bathrooms were very clean and well stocked. The camp host was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. She answered all of our questions about the Columbia River Gorge and even recommended some great spots to eat nearby in Cascade Locks. Unfortunately we did notice that some teenagers from one of the group sites dumped an entire bucket of refuse from their RV all over the women's handicapped stall after the police came to their site to ask them to pick up their mess and quit making so much noise, which led to that stall being closed for the rest of the weekend. Other than that, the rest of our neighbors were great. We loved the hike to the little waterfall right behind the campground. The same trail leads to the Gorge Trail 400, which leads to the PCT. Overall we're so glad we stumbled upon this gem of a campground in the Gorge and would definitely camp here again.