Best Campgrounds near The Dalles, OR

Happened to come across this site on a road trip and it was a good camp spot. Was only there for a night, but no complaints for a free dispersed spot!

A few of the pull outs one where I overnited in RV and van camped - have been blocked now by large boulders im sure to slow down the masses that went last summer, leading to trash piles and a homeless look and feel to what was a nice area. Please respect nature and others when youre camping and leave the sites without a trace.

We stayed in the large open area at the top of the rock outcrop above the trailhead parking area and it was perfect. Like someone else said, you take the road on the right just before the parking lot and then there are a few spots just up the road which are all pretty private. These are walking distance to the waterfall which is awesome, but there are about 10 additional spots with existing fire pits on the road up there. Most of them sit right up against the river under tree cover which would be ideal on hot days. It was cold and rainy so we didn’t have any issues being out in the open.

We spent 10 days here, and would spend the rest of the summer if allowed.  The site was a huge pull-through with all hookups. A Lake or a pond is your front view, the back is cliffs, prairie, and wildlife. Spent the day with a Fishing Guide (1-509-860-7233).  I hope the pictures show how great this place is. Showers are clean and modern. Long trails that are bike-friendly.

Nice quiet campground right on the Klickitat river. The sites are nicely spread out with lots of surrounding trees, but not so many that you don't get the sunshine in. My spot was right along the river and had plenty of sun for solar and sky for starlink. Each site had a fire ring. There is a clean pit toilet. Was there on a Wed and Thurs night with about half of the sites open.

Use the coordinates to find it as there is no signage from the highway. I drove by it. Look for the cement building (in my photos) sitting in front of the river.

The drive in is spectacular with Mt Adams fully flanking the right side of the road and Mt Hood flanking the left.

Even though the campground is located between I-84 and a railroad track it is surprisingly peaceful. Although the sites were fairly close there were trees and the layout made it comfortable.

The train does run several times through the night, but it didn’t really bother me us.

Clean bathrooms and showers at the larger building, hosts available and ice and firewood to purchase.

Our site had a beautiful view of the river.

Campground is close to many hikes and wineries. We also checked out Ferment Brewing in Mount Hood, which was dog friendly and delicious.

Great if you have a family or large group and/or are newer to the camping world! They got a range of options to dip into! The lake is always cold no matter the season. Really easy fishing if you’re just learning. They have tons of rentals. Overall was way too crowded for my enjoyment. But can see the positives in a pretty spot for others.

As one of the closest state parks to Portland and in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, Ainsworth can get busy during the summer months, but sometimes you can get a reservation during the week. I like to come in the off season. 

There 40 full hook-up sites, 6 walk-in tent sites and a hiker/biker campground with no reservations required. The campground itself unremarkable, with a bathroom/shower house, dump station and play ground, but it is a great jumping off point for exploring all things Columbia River Gorge.

Dump station and water available

This is a rest area just off the highway. The bathrooms are open 24 hours. It is a big open parking lot. We car camped here over night and had no issues. Just in the morning it starts getting packed because people park here for the Summit ski area. There are a lot of signs about the parking here, and I’m not sure if it’s a Sno-Park. But we had no issues and don’t have a pass. The only sound you would hear is the highway with cars, and plows driving by in the lot or the road

Such an awesome find! The first campsite is small and perfect for a couple tents. The second site could easily fit 3 or 4 tents and has plenty of additional space for parking, kitchen set-up, etc… both sites also have really nice fire pits. Also don’t let the Trillium Lake camp hosts scare you. They told us the gravel road to access the sites was “rough as hell” and were completely wrong. Nothing more than a few potholes. Any vehicle could make the trek.

The place is clean and has a rain forest feel. Trees close in. Amazingly dark and quiet at night. A bit muddy for walking the dog.

Very nice and secluded... Only critique is not stocked with much of everyday things.. Coffee ect. But loved the yurt!!!

I mostly want to balance out these other reviews. No one said something that wasn’t true, but the weight that they seem to put on how disruptive the trains are surprising to me. You don’t just have trains passing, you have them blowing their horn multiple times a night, and they are close enough you can feel their vibration. If you are a very VERY deep sleeper, I’d say this is a 5 star stop. I wore noise canceling headphones and played a white noise machine in the background- and still had to take a sleeping pill at 3am after being woken up multiple times.

This is a large, paved parking lot with a stream nearby.  Has a good view of Mt. Hood and vault toilets, so that's a positive.  The downside is that it's not level.  Trailers shouldn't have a problem, but even with several blocks under our tires, our 39ft Class A was still  un-level.

The river is loud you could hear it from both sides of the road. I actually looked, and there are rivers on both sides of the road. It is out of the way there is no light pollution. At night cars rarely come by. The campsite was clean and relatively level. However bring an extra block for your tongue jack. The only reason it wasn't five stars is because there's absolutely no T-Mobile cellular internet service. There is cell phone operation.