Camp Creek

Camped here for the second year in a row, and it did not disappoint. We got lucky with a nice spot on the creek this year, which I would recommend for the best experience. The sites are spacious and most are pretty private which is great. It is primitive, no showers and just one vault toilet. I will say that the site did have a fair amount of trash on it which was disappointing, but we cleaned it up before heading out. Remember to leave no trace!!

Beautiful forest, and the creek was also quite pretty and the sound was nice at night to cover up the car noise from the road. Spots are pretty close together, but there is more privacy than some campgrounds. Bathroom was gross but what do you expect.

It was raining when we were there so didn’t get to explore far. The campground is really beautiful. The creek when we went was raging pretty heavy. It was still nice to sleep next to though.

Easy to get to, lots of space, beautiful campsite, & creek. 10/10!

This is most beautiful place I camped this year. Enough privacy, serene, quiet... beautiful trails and creek. It is primitive campground, no restroom or showers, just one vault toilet and there is one water pump if you need to wash dishes. First week of June the weather was perfect.

I love camp creek I have stayed at multiple site and they are all fantastic. The woods are so calm and for being so close to 26 you can't hear the cars at all. I loved the walking trails and even did an 8 mile hike to zigzag falls. I'm so excited to return in a few weeks!

Camp Creek campground is a pretty sweet little spot not too far out of Mt. Hood/Government Camp. Spots are decent sized, including some doubles (to share with friends), and lots of trees and greenery between spots. The river-side spots are amazing, with several right on the water.

Several nice little hikes around the area, or just wander through the river down by the small bridge. We also saw several people fishing, though no actual fish. Just the right depth to splash around in and cool off. A few deeper holes (four feet?) that may require a life jacket for little ones just to be extra safe.

The only down side is the lack of facilities (ie, only pit toilets and no showers). This is pretty typical for forest campgrounds in the area, though this is also one of the nicer forest campgrounds we've come across. Price around $20-$22, depending on which sites you pick.

We had a nice spot right by the creek, it has nice trails. A great place to take your family or dogs.

Campground Review

Midway between Welches and Government Camp, I picked Camp Creek as a my Mt. Hood hiking base for the weekend because of it's proximity to access Mirror Lake for a morning hike for a true test of my new vivobarefoot hiking shoes (see below) Note: Mirror Lake does have its own primitive walk-in campsites.

The campground is 2 loops. The loop to the left includes the day use area, and the loop to the right is smaller and quieter. It was still pretty cold at this elevation end of May, so most other campers here were RVs and we had plenty to pick from without reservations (this will not be the case in the summer or holiday weekends). Site 10 was our pick, on the quieter loop with proximity to the bathroom and water pump and alongside the creek. The water pump is an adventure. Recommend to stop by the Safeway in Sandy en-route and carry in your own water.

Nearly all of the sites are huge, and all include picnic table and fire ring. The first site when you enter the campground on the left has a gorgeous stone fire place/chimney that remains from an old building (a tradeoff for the high traffic). There is one toilet in each loop, so there is a bit of a walk to the loo from some sites.

This campground is a good National Forest campground. What makes it great to me is its location right off of Hwy 26. You can easily access Government Camp for supplies, and it's super accessible for an early morning start on any of the Mt. Hood hikes that get really crowded. Mirror Lake has very very limited parking and it's a super popular hike, so this was a perfect solution.

This is my second trip to Camp Creek. This time we were able to book a spot next to the water. Probably the largest site I've ever camped on. Even though we maxed out with 6 people and 4 tents, you could easily fit another 5 tents on this site comfortably.

Love this campground because noise from other campers is reduced by the water, and sites are spaced out nicely to provide privacy.

The latest staff on site (as of June 2017) were subpar compared to my first visit, and created a somewhat frustrating checkin experience. However this site is awesome, so hoping staffing improves in the future.

This campground also hooks into the Still Creek Trail #780. Beautiful hiking!

Be sure to check out the Skyway Bar & Grill for some tasty BBQ on HWY 26 (west of the campground) and brews at Mt. Hood Brewing (east of the campground off HWY 26 in Goverment Camp).