The stars seem to shine brighter at this campground on the east end of the Columbia River Gorge, 11 miles west of The Dalles. Campsites look over the river and the park’s namesake, Memaloose Island, a place sacred to the indigenous people of the Columbia River Gorge. They would lay the bones of their dead on open pyres on the island.

Also buried there is an early settler and town promoter of The Dalles, Senator Victor Trevitt. A granite monument visible from Memaloose campground marks his grave.  

Today, the park is a gateway to exploring The Dalles and the east end of the Gorge. Visitors will enjoy spring wildflowers and the cooling shade of the maple, willow and cottonwood trees. On summer nights, the park’s grassy meadows are the perfect spot to observe the nightly celestial performance.

Campground
43 full-hookup sites
66 tent sites with water nearby
Flush toilets and hot showers
RV dump station

Memaloose State Park Campground

This campground is near some amazing wildflower hikes. Just a quick drive from Mosier Plateau hike, which has amazing views of the Columbia Gorge and is full of beautiful balsam root and lupine. The hike also goes through a quaint pioneer cemetery. The campground is right by the Columbia River, but be aware that there is a railway that runs right by camp. We didn't hear too many trains, but there is potential for noise. Also, the entry to the campground is through a rest area and can be confusing when you're exiting the highway. Just go through the rest area but don't get back on the highway, the entry to camp is just passed through rest stop.

Close to great wildflower hikes

This is where I first picked blackberries 😜. Being from the desert it was definitely awesome to pick them fresh.  I loved this state park because of the view and the blackberries of course.  We had a great spot with a good amount of space and privacy.  The location can’t be beat for watching the kite surfing nearby and we took a tour of session beer that was awesome!

Blackberries!

This campground was situated in a great area with short drives to nearby hikes. It was family-friendly and felt very safe. Some of the lower sites had views of the water which was lovely. However, it is situated above train tracks and was therefore very noisy at night so we did not sleep much at all. If noise is a factor for you, I would consider staying elsewhere, or trying to get a site higher up on the loop near the entrance. 

Beautiful but noisy 

Loved this state park ...not to big, close to lots of trails....beautiful views.  Great restaurant in Mosier called MO CO only a few minutes from the campground too.

Great spot

We stopped here for a night with our RV and it was really kid friendly with a small park. I loved how easy it was to check in and navigate. It’s a little crowded. We made our reservations 2 weeks in advance. 

Beautiful

Memaloose is a popular busy Oregon State Park with a compact layout and close together, less than private sites.  Not our ideal campground.  What it does offer to offset the negatives though are beautiful views of the Columbia River and easy access to Hood River and all of its attractions.   We had no reservations on a Sunday in July and lucked out and a pretty decent spot was available, B35, with views of the river.\*\*\* I think B33, might be the best spot in the park. For a crowded park, with close together sites, it was surprisingly quiet and we had a great night sleep.

Compact & Crowded.... but oh those Columbia Views!

I love this campground for its location on the gorge. In the right time of season you’ll find beautiful blackberry bushes in front of your campsite that you can snack on. Beautiful views and wonderful shade in the summer.  Great location to head to the local area Town’s and hang out for the afternoon.￼. I love going into town and watching the kite surfers as well as hang out at the local breweries for a bite to eat and a beer.

Blackberry on the Gorge

Very nice state park.  Stayed here for 8 nights.  Some interstate noise but didn’t bother me.  Little disappointed that there was no direct access to the river.  Views of Columbia River were beautiful!!  Lot of trees and shade.

Clean and relaxing

We stayed here for eight nights and enjoyed the peacefulness of this park.  The Host/Volunteers are very friendly and keep the park very clean.  There is no direct access to the Columbia River but the views of the river and opposite shore are very pretty.  The interstate is close by, but other than that, it's a beautiful park with mature/older trees and plenty of shade.

Very beautiful peaceful park

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with this site. We wanted to be a little further from Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. We knew that you can't get away from train sounds at any of those sites. We packed our car-camping setup (an old, tall Coleman tent) and set out.  We reserved the site closest to the river (also closest to the train). Our tent was too tall for our site, which had no wind protection. At times, the tent was flat. We had to ask our neighbors uphill if we could move up between their trees to sleep. 

  

So if you camp in the back of your car or have a low tent (or catch a less windy day), maybe this site can be nice. The colors were beautiful, the sightseeing we did nearby was fun. The view from the picnic table was great. The bathrooms were well equipped. But are tent was flat...

We had a great time despite the wind

Snagged one of the coveted sites overlooking the Columbia River Gorge (A45) at Memaloose. 

Pros:
THE VIEWS. No filters needed for your photos. Must catch a sunset! Bathroom is clean. Hot showers for $. Water available. Good recycling facilities. Dog friendly. 

Cons:
Little privacy from other campers. Hard to snag a good site. Campground was fully booked, however the majority of reserved sites went unfilled. 

Tips: 
Know how to set up your tent in the wind. The spot gets some healthy gusts of wind, so come prepared. If you come without a reservation and the campground is full, take a look at the list of incoming reservations for the day to get an idea which of the empty “reserved” sites may be no-shows. The list is published at the pay station. 





Absolutely Beautiful Spot 

I really liked this campground.  My site was right by the entrance with a direct view of I-84 but I didn’t care, the road noise and the train felt peaceful to me.  It was HOT, 100 degrees July 19-21 and many sites have no shade from sun or wind so do be aware of that, however, there was a nice breeze and a stillness that was lovely.  No bugs.  No water access either but I knew that prior to and drove very close by to Mayer State Park to cool off, also checked out Rowena Point.  The staff here is friendly and watchful, and as I was alone I felt safe.  Mostly older RVers, very quiet campground.  

Peaceful white noise

This campground is hard to find as it is located through the off ramp rest area - but worth the find. There are trains on one side and the freeway on the other - but lots of spots and beautiful views of the river.  

Hidden gem

We ended up here after the campground we intended to go to (Cottonwood Canyon State Park) was full and we realized we needed to go back near civilization to get gas. Since it was then 9pm at night we decided to just find the closest available place and this was it. 

  

I am actually surprised that this campground gets such good reviews. It was a handy place to stay in our circumstance but I don't think I would seek it out. The entrance is at the far end of a rest area and it kind of felt like an extension of the rest area. You are right off of highway 84 and no matter which site you are at, you can clearly hear the highway noise. From our site you could also see all the headlights from the highway. The sites down by the river did have beautiful views of the Columbia which is nice. There is a railway track between the campground and the river and occasionally trains go by, which I like. The sites are pretty open so you're not getting a ton of privacy. 

  

All and all, fine place if you have no other options but I personally prefer to be a little more off that beaten track.

OK in a pinch but would not seek it out

Memaloose State Park is much bigger than I anticipated. There are several loops and the incline makes it interesting for biking and walks around the park. I like that the park is along the Columbia River Gorge but, it is difficult to access the park if you are driving east and there isn't access to the river. 

  

The coolest part about the park is that there is a trail leading to an active railroad which is great for train spotting and photos. Not so great for noise.

Great for train watching

Awsome spot just off the highway.
I pulled in to see how much for the night, and everything was free for one night! Awsome! As I pulled they had full hookups to the left and down further camp spots with just water and views of the river! Very clean and well maintained! I will be back!

Unexpectedly beautiful!

Great campground between Hood River and the Dalles.  The spots closest to the water have great views and trees for shade during the summer.  If you’re there during blackberry season you’ll find lots of blackberry bushes to pick.  Definitely check out the kite surfers in Hood River as well as several breweries.  The only drawback is that you have to drive past it coming back from Hood River and then turn around to enter but it’s not that bad.

Favorite views of the Columbia River

June 2021 this campground is full of trees that give shade all around most of the campsites. We stayed at site A-13 which is up against highway#84 westbound traffic so there is noise 24hrs a day especially when trucks are using their Jake brakes to slow down with. There are loops A and B. So, B loop starts inside the middle of the park and A loop goes around until about A-45 then it meets B loop then continues around the outside of the campground back to A-1. Site A-1 thru A-15 and most all of B loop have full hookups otherwise there are many tent sites that have water and a sewer drain at each site. The sites on the lower part of the campground against the river are quieter and have a wonderful view of the river and the Washington side of the river along with some river traffic. However there still is some noise from the railroad tracks once about every 2-3 hrs. But not nearly as noisy as the highway side. All and all this park is very nicely laid out and has many amenities to offer.

This park is very nicely laid out and has many amenities to offer.

Very nice park, conveniently just off the freeway. The freeway noise on one side and train on the other is something to consider fir the light sleeper however our soundproofing and the trees helped lots.

Perfect stop for the night

Our second stay here. Our first time we were next to the highway, this time next to the river.  As stated in other reviews you have the sound of the highway or the sound of the trains.  Neither bother us.

  

The campsites have enough room between them so that you don't feel crowded.  We had full hookups although some sites don't have full hookups.

  

It is a great site to stop for a night.

  

If you get the chance take the old highway 30 that runs on the gorge rim above this site, the views are well worth the slight detour.

Convenient, right off the interstate, next to the Columbia River.

Just pulled in on our way back from the coast, I never would have thought there were so many sites. Nothing was to close to other sites and everything was kept up nicely. 
They had firewood on site and fire pits at every site. We had a site with full hookups, it seemed the lower ones only had water, check the map and make sure you get what you need. 
The only downside was we had to drive past to the next exit to come back because the only access is on the west bound side of the freeway. 

A surprise stop we found along the way 

Quiet (and dark) rest stop with a view of the water. Several picnic tables, flushable toilets and reliable ATT service. 

Planned on staying the night at the Memaloose rest stop across the way in OR but it bright, noisy, was practically on highway 84, and full of semis. 

This rest stop is just across the water ($2 toll for the bridge) and on a much quieter road.

Chamberlain Lake Rest Stop

Great camp ground. Every October our friends and us say here in the last week. Wonderful view of the Columbia River and the Washington side of the river. Easy drive to the Dalles to get anything you might need. Bathrooms are very clean, showers are hot and long. This last week its mostly empty with campers. We always camp next to the river side so we don't have to hear the highway noise. Only the occasional train passing thru that is mostly quite. This location is usually the last camping site of the year. We camped at Memaloose State Park in a Travel Trailer.

We always camp here the last week in October just before it closes.

Stayed here for a night before an alignment job in Portland. Beautiful state park right on the Columbia River. Beautiful 180 degree views from our camp site of the river, river gorge. Song birds galore.  You get traffic noise anywhere in the park and the closer you are to the river the closer you are to the train tracks. Didn’t bother us at all but I could see people not loving it.  Very clean bathrooms, full hook up sites for $30 with a view. Can’t beat that. 