Giles French Park Primitive Camping

Free camping on the edge of the Columbia River. Basically pull-outs or a large dispersed area on the west side. Pit toilets on the west end and trash bins scattered throughout. We were at one of the pull-outs closer to the dam. Nothing special but a good, easy place to spend the night. Watching River activity was fun.

Basically free camping in pull-outs or a large open space on the west end. No services except some trash bins throughout and pit toilets on the west end. We prefer the pull-outs closer to the dam as you can be semi-private and right next to the river. Third time we have been here..either passing thru or visiting the local wineries

We have stayed here over night 3 times in the past few years. We travel with our self contained travel trailer, so have no data on the facilities. Yes, if you like trains in thenight... and through out the day, you will love this stop. We will stay again on our next time through the area.

Giles French Park  (GFP) is one of two adjacent free camping / bookdocking sites owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) along the Columbia River near the town of Rufus, Oregon.  I was there on opening day, 2021.  I didn't see any tents.  I also didn't see any signs saying tents aren't permitted.  I saw several motorhomes and travel trailers parked far apart.  I think the Native American fishermen dropped off some of the trailers to stay in when the spring salmon run begins.  There's a 7-day stay limit.  No open fires (campfires) are permitted.  I assume this is is because of the frequently gusty wind conditions.  I used a butane camp stove.  There's no television reception unless you have a satellite dish.  Cell service is good on both Verizon and AT&T.  The water is unsafe to drink unless it is boiled first for five minutes.  (I have no idea why.  Don't the dam employees have potable water?). There's exactly one flush toilet (for men anyway.) It's in the restrooms nearest to the dam.  This restroom is in poor condition.  The stall door lock is broken.  The urinal is out of service.  The lavatory drain is clogged.  (You get the picture.  If not, look at my pictures.)  All the other restrooms have vault toilets and no running water.  The restrooms are spaced very far apart.  The only trash dumpster is near the vault toilet that serves the boat ramp parking lot.  No camping is permitted near the restrooms.  Keep all this in mind when you select your site.  There are only a few picnic tables.  Most are situated where there's not much of a view.  The best views are in the third parking lot away from the dam, where the Native Americans have several closely spaced fishing scaffolds.  That was where I parked.  I had one neighbor on April 1-2, 2021.  A couple of non-Native American anglers showed up at the crack of dawn.  They didn't have any success as far as I could tell.  But, the spring salmon run had not started yet.  Similar to an island if you didn't bring it, it isn't at GFP.  There are no amenities other than the mentioned restrooms and non-potable water.  The views are spectacular, especially at sunset.  GFP sits in a canyon with sheer basalt cliffs on either side.  The play of sunlight on the Oregon side at sunset is colorful.  The dam is lit up with red, white and blue lights at night.  Barges sometimes pass through the lock at the north end of the dam.  Trains run along both sides of the Columbia River, BNSF on the Washington side and UP on the Oregon side.  These are noticeable but not particularly noisy since there are no crossings nearby.  I-84 creates more noise than the trains do.  Since the site is free and the amenities are few, it's good for a night or two in my opinion, but not much more.  I rated it low because of the poor condition of the restrooms.  Apparently the Army Corps of Engineers cannot open a stopped drain.

Lots of paved pullouts with trees, garbage and vault toilets at the western end. Only about 1/3 full on an early Sunday morning in September so I imagine it’s usually possible to snag a spot. About a mile off I-84. Great for an easy pull off on an interstate trip.

Nice hiking

Not a great place to stay for more than a night. It's basically a pull-out off of the highway. No designated camp sites or fire rings. Only vault toilets. Lots of RV and van campers here. The highway noise is significant. The train also runs right across the river but it's not bad. Beautiful views of the Columbia River, great for star gazing as well.