Rainy Lake Campground

Only four sites here - get in early or on a weeknight. Gorgeous drive through the town of Hood River a big bonus. Once you get in, you’ve got hikes right there with great views of Mt. Hood, the small, charming and swimmable Rainy Lake 2 minutes by walking, and just tons of shade and peace. Even though 3 sites are scrunched together, we didn’t hear our neighbors. A fabulous place to get away.

Really enjoyed the peaceful feeling of this campground. It is tiny - only 4 spots. Sites 1-3 are on the right side as you pull up and 4 is on the left. We stayed in 3, which was great, but I think 4 is the most private of the sites. The only slight issue with 4 is that the outhouse is on the edge of the site which means a bit of traffic (not too much since it's such a tiny campground) and being nearer the outhouse, which I'm not a big fan of.  2 is the least private site because it's in  between 1 and 3. Site 1 was a little more blocked by 2 and 3 by a large log.  3 was a good site with enough level ground for 2 tents. Behind sites 2 and 3 is the trailhead that will take you up to Rainy Like  - less than a 10 minute walk to the lake. The lake is beautiful, small and remote feeling. You can hike beyond the lake which was very pretty but I preferred the hike going the other way toward Wahtum Lake. We hiked for about 3 hours (didn't make it all to Wahtum Lake because it would have been a 10 mile hike which we weren't up for.) The hike was gorgeous with beautiful views of Mt. Hood.  

The campground doesn't take reservations.

The road getting up to Rainy Lake wasn't the greatest (but totally fine with a Subaru) so you have to drive a bit slow and look for potholes.

Loved this campground and can't wait to go again!

We love it out here. This last visit was for a mtn bike race. We stayed here as most all other campsites and campgrounds were full. Beautiful spot near Mount Hood. Not a ton of privacy from other campers so we spent the weekend racing the local trail system and also spent some time exploring the Kingsley Reservoir.

I tried this campground over a busy holiday weekend and was happy to see 3 of the 4 spots empty when I arrived. It's rare to find this kind of place on a Saturday in Mount Hood. We have lots of people that like to camp around here.

If you arrive and find it full, continue one more mile down the road to Black Lake Campground, which has 4 more spots. Most spots have a picnic table and fire pit. There is no water or restrooms.

If the campground is full, you will not have privacy. Some of the spots are touching.